Are you interested in outsourcing some parts of recruitment process but want to maintain control of key elements like your employee brand? According to the latest industry figures, outsourcing is on the up, with the number of companies outsourcing critical business functions rising year on year.

A recent survey of some 3,500 procurement, supply chain and finance professionals worldwide revealed that 95% of firms want to use procurement outsourcing to improve their sourcing strategy.

Along with key findings from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation highlighting recruitment to be the primary problem for more than half of all UK companies, ahead of business strategy or management, it is not surprising that more UK companies are turning to RO (Recruitment Outsourcing), according to de Poel Consulting.

Some companies are, however, reluctant to use the services of specialist recruitment outsource providers to outsource elements of their business. At the yearly CIPD event in Harrogate last September, HR Directors were surveyed about their attitudes to RO. The results showed that although 60% of respondents are frustrated that it takes between three and five months to fill a management position, 56% feel outsourcing recruitment is a risk to their organisation.

The search for a suitable RO provider can be confusing because suppliers come from various backgrounds and bring different skills. Some firms were born out of executive search companies while others are recruiters who have relabeled their staffing business as RO so they can offer a fully managed service. There are also software companies that have developed online recruitment tools and are moving into the service sector.

de Poel believes that it is important to ensure that agency spend is manageable and visible across the business and outsourcing providers do not ask clients to outsource their entire recruitment process, nor ask clients to outsource their relationships with agencies, limiting communication and possibly restricting understanding of company culture. Benefits of taking this approach include cost reduction, freeing HR managers from administrative tasks so that they can concentrate on strategic issues and improving competition by better brand management. de Poel Consulting is an independent cost-reduction consultancy specialising in both temporary and permanent agency labour recruitment, as well as subcontractors.