Successful RPO engagements usually experience a series of refinements as client goals evolve over time. After implementation and program stability have been established, opportunities for added value become apparent, and many activities shift from transactional to strategic in nature.
For many Randstad Sourceright clients, what began as a modest engagement — perhaps as a project RPO or even ROD — often transforms into a comprehensive program that not only grows in scope of service, but also in geography and business units. This indicates that buyer confidence grows over time with the notion that an RPO solution can support strategic activities, as well as tactical ones.
In fact, in many mature programs today, RPO providers are talent strategy consultants on topics ranging from skills-based transformation and reimagining work, to the impact of AI on the workforce and recruitment, to employer branding and talent engagement, to business intelligence and workforce planning. For instance, rather than simply dictate roles to fill or specific hiring needs, one client engaged Randstad Sourceright’s market intelligence function to help determine the ideal location for a greenfield facility by identifying the available talent near a choice of sites. This type of cooperation is indicative of how RPO programs have truly evolved into a solution with real impact on the business.
how can you benefit from program expansion?
You can replicate the processes of a successful program at one location across other facilities, you can continually gain value. Similarly, project RPO may lead to an evergreen program designed to enhance recruitment across the enterprise.
Finally, a number of Randstad Sourceright clients have evolved from single-country, selective programs into multi-process, multi-country or global engagements and then to comprehensive, global engagements. This reflects a push by buyers to continually drive more value from their RPOs over time.
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widening service scope
Many first-generation programs often begin with source-and-screen services, which arguably make up the heavy lifting portion of the recruitment cycle. However, they often expand to include other services, such as assessment, offer management, onboarding or even career transition services. The broadening of the RPO provider’s role will enable greater continuity, accountability and measurable business impact.
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greater geographical reach
One prevailing trend in the industry is a push by companies to take a more global approach to talent acquisition. As a result, a successful RPO program in one region may be targeted for expansion to others. Not only does it create a more consistent talent acquisition program across all geographies, it consolidates control to a single provider, thereby reducing complexity.
A global approach will also enhance economies of scale, global talent mobility and management, and global sharing of best practices and innovation. An RPO partner with a global scope can provide an additional range of consultancy services, such as market intelligence to assess talent availability for launch of new products or into new territories, and analytics advisory for talent supply and demand modeling across different growth markets.
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adding business lines and roles
Expanding a successful selective RPO program is a common scenario because the client has already experienced how the outsourcing concept works for the organization. This type of expansion is often the least disruptive because there is already a proven approach for adoption. Many of the same stakeholders may be involved in an expansion, and an established relationship may already be in place. What may differ are the types of roles filled, the SLAs mandated and whether additional stakeholders are involved.
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total talent acquisition
As an RPO program becomes more strategic, evolving it into a total talent acquisition solution may be the ultimate goal. Aligning permanent hiring with contingent workforce management is a growing trend, as HR and procurement forge a partnership to change how employers manage their complete workforce.
A total talent solution means a single partner manages your entire range of talent acquisition activity for all types of talent, from permanent to contingent within a single view. It includes all stages of the recruitment process: workforce planning, supply chain management, employer branding, sourcing, talent assessment and identification, hiring processes, reporting, and onboarding. The result is a consistent, high-touch program customized to your culture, industry and geographical footprint.
To learn more, download the Randstad Sourceright Total Talent Acquisition Playbook.
5 questions: are you building an RPO that scales with your business?
- Have you mapped how your RPO provider can support organizational transformation over the next several years?
- What are the critical human capital needs expressed by both business line managers and C-suite leaders, and how can you evolve recruitment to address them?
- How do you plan to use data insights to guide decision-making regarding your workforce?
- How can your RPO provider deliver advisory services to help you continually reap value from the solution?
- Are there recruitment functions currently managed internally that could improve through external expertise?
3 tips: evolve your RPO
- Continually assess hiring functions that can be improved through better processes, knowledge or technology.
- Make sure to solicit input from business leaders about their hiring challenges and what steps can be implemented to facilitate better results.
- Regularly invite your service provider to take part in important workforce planning exercises to capture their input and best practices.