Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/65226
RPO Build or Buy? Debating the outsourcing of talent acquisition. By Katie Kuehner-Hebert Just because a company wants to outsource recruitment, doesn't mean it is ready—or that it even should—according to a panel of recruitment process outsource providers at the recent HRO Today Forum Europe in Barcelona. Human resource executives at seven major global companies across a wide range of industries were interviewed about their recruitment outsourcing activities. Through the interviews, the RPO providers (Alexander Mann Solutions, Randstad Managed Services, and Kenexa) found that a genuine link exists between business strategy—not HR strategy—and the decision to outsource, says Tom Marsden, director at Alexander Mann Solutions. "The hard part is actually keeping that direct link as you go through the process," Marsden notes. "You don't start with a great strategic decision to outsource and then end up in a procurement process in a chase to the bottom on price. It may be that cost is actually the big driver, but if it's not, you've got to hold firm to that strategic link." The clients interviewed by the three RPO firms were Syreeta Campbell, head of professional resourcing at Citi Bank; Mel Williams, HR director at Lend Lease; Martin Firstbrook, director of HR at M&G; Jon Smiles, director of HR operations, Asia Pacific at PPG; Rudy Claes, regional learning manager, S-W Europe at Siemens; Debbie Reeves-Malvagni, head of resourcing, Europe at Santander; and Susan White, HR director at Cisco. Companies considering recruitment outsourcing should be able to detail the gaps between their current internal processes and the strategic outcome they want to achieve through outsourcing, Marsden says. Some clients recognise the significant gaps and fix them first, because they do not want to outsource those issues whilst others acknowledge they were outsourcing a problem. [34] HRO TODAY GLOBAL | WINTER 2012