Communicating the role of an RPO to your employees

Communicating the role of an RPO to your employees

If an organisation has not used RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) before and employees within its talent function are unfamiliar with how it works, concerns can arise that an external team is being brought in to replace them.

While the need for an RPO partner might be urgent, organisations must invest time in creating an implementation plan, which includes open and continuous dialogue with the wider business to ensure the partnership is effective from day one. 

Here, we look at the key points that businesses should communicate to their internal teams about working effectively with an RPO partner. 

 

The ‘What’

All employees, particularly those on your internal talent and HR teams, need to know what an RPO is and understand that their roles are not being outsourced. In our last blog, we addressed that RPOs come in all shapes and sizes depending on the needs and challenges of the business. 

Regardless of whether you are opting for an end-to-end or on-demand solution, it’s important to reinforce that an RPO is a partner that works as an extension of your team, not a replacement.

 

The ‘Why’

The last thing you want are your employees  believing that an external partner is being used  because they are failing somehow.

Take the time to explain the key challenges an RPO is being brought in to support and why these challenges exist. Be open about the plan of action and how long you envisage working with the RPO so that your team has time to ask questions or raise any concerns.

It’s crucial to communicate that an RPO is designed to free up time and enable internal talent and HR teams to become more strategic in approach. An RPO offers the additional support and resources your employees need to perform their roles better and concentrate on business-critical tasks.

 

The ‘How’ 

It’s essential that your team understands how RPO recruitment works with regards to day-to-day operations. Unfortunately, there is sometimes an assumption that an RPO will report directly to senior management or leadership teams and by-pass the internal HR or talent team.

In reality, it is far from an ‘us and them’ situation. RPOs should work as an extension of your team, focusing on the specific areas assigned to them. This can sometimes mean they are on-site if required, but either way they will have a team that are, fully aligned to your company working in partnership with your HR and talent team. It’s  worth reinforcing the message internally that an RPO is responsible for aligning themselves with the company’s goals and objectives, not the other way around. 

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RPO FAQs

RPO, or Recruitment Process Outsourcing, is a strategic approach to talent acquisition where organisations outsource some or all of their recruitment processes to an external provider. 

In traditional hiring, organisations typically manage recruitment processes in-house, from sourcing candidates to onboarding. This often requires significant time, resources, and expertise from internal HR teams or hiring managers. However, traditional hiring methods can sometimes struggle to keep pace with changing talent demands, especially in industries facing skill shortages or rapid growth.

RPO offers a holistic and strategic approach to talent acquisition. RPO providers like Omni act as an extension of an organisations brand, assuming responsibility for recruitment activities such as candidate attraction, sourcing, screening, assessment, and even onboarding. By outsourcing these functions to specialised experts, organisations can benefit from industry knowledge, resources, and technology to give access to the best talent at pace.

One of the key differences between RPO and traditional hiring lies in the level of specialisation and scalability offered by recruitment RPO providers. RPO partners often have dedicated teams of recruiters who specialise in specific industries or skill sets, allowing them to access niche talent pools and identify high-quality candidates more efficiently. Additionally, RPO solutions are highly scalable, meaning they can quickly adapt to fluctuating hiring needs, whether it’s scaling up recruitment efforts during peak periods or adjusting to changing market conditions.

Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) can significantly enhance your Talent Acquisition strategy by providing specialised expertise, scalability, and strategic partnership. Here’s how:

Specialised Expertise: RPO providers have dedicated teams of recruiters who specialise in various industries, roles, and skill sets. These experts possess in-depth knowledge of the labour market, industry trends, and sourcing techniques, allowing them to identify and attract high-quality candidates efficiently. By leveraging their specialised expertise, RPO partners, like Omni, can access niche talent pools and ensure high-quality people for your organisation.

Scalability: One of the key advantages of recruitment RPO is its scalability. RPO providers can quickly scale recruitment efforts up or down based on your organisation’s hiring needs. Whether you’re experiencing rapid growth, seasonal fluctuations, or project-based hiring spikes, RPO can adapt to accommodate your changing requirements. This flexibility ensures that you have the right resources in place to meet demand without overburdening your internal HR team or sacrificing recruitment quality.

Cost-Effectiveness: RPO recruitment can offer cost savings when compared to traditional hiring methods. While there may be an initial investment in outsourcing recruitment to an RPO partner, the long-term benefits often outweigh the costs. RPO can help reduce time-to-fill, cost-per-hire, and turnover rates, resulting in overall cost savings for your organisation. 

Strategic Partnership: RPO goes beyond transactional recruiting by forging a strategic partnership between the RPO partner, like Omni, and your organisation. At Omni, we become an extension of your employer brand and we work closely to understand business objectives, culture, and talent requirements. This collaborative approach allows RPOs to tailor recruitment strategies that align with your organisation’s goals. By working as an extension of your HR team, RPO providers can provide valuable insights, leading practices, and innovative solutions to help achieve talent acquisition objectives.

Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) is a strategic approach to talent acquisition where organisations outsource some or all of their recruitment processes to an external provider, like Omni. The partner is known as the RPO provider and assumes responsibility for various aspects of the recruitment process, including candidate attraction, candidate sourcing, screening, assessments, interview coordination and onboarding.

Recruitment RPO is about leveraging specialised expertise, technology, and resources to streamline the recruitment process and improve hiring outcomes. Rather than relying solely on internal HR teams or traditional recruitment agencies, organisations partner with RPO providers to access a broader range of talent to enhance efficiency and drive better results.

The specific services offered by RPO providers can vary depending on the needs and preferences of the organisation. That’s the beauty of RPO. Some organisations may opt for end-to-end RPO, where the RPO provider manages the entire recruitment process from start to finish. Others may choose to outsource specific elements of the recruitment process, such as candidate sourcing or interview scheduling, while retaining other aspects.

There are several key advantages:

Access to Specialised Expertise: RPO providers have dedicated teams of recruiters who specialise in various industries, roles, and skill sets. This expertise allows them to identify and attract high-calibre talent more efficiently than internal HR teams or traditional recruitment agencies.

Scalability: RPO recruitment solutions are highly scalable, meaning they can quickly adapt to fluctuating hiring needs. Whether your organisation is experiencing rapid growth, seasonal fluctuations, or project-based hiring spikes, RPO can flexibly adjust to accommodate your changing requirements.

Cost Savings: RPO can offer cost savings compared to traditional hiring methods. By outsourcing recruitment processes to an external provider, organisations can reduce time-to-fill, cost-per-hire, and turnover rates, resulting in overall cost savings for the business.

Strategic Partnership: RPO recruitment goes beyond transactional recruiting by fostering a strategic partnership between the RPO provider and the organisation. At Omni, we work closely with our organisations to understand their organisation’s objectives, culture, and talent requirements, allowing us to tailor recruitment strategies that align with the organisation’s goals and values.

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