The on-demand economy is thriving, and more on-demand businesses are popping up every day. Business like Uber and StyleBee and apps like OrderUp are changing the fabric of the economy, as businesses and consumers increasingly expect and demand to receive products and services on their own schedules. On-demand businesses have been mostly business to consumer instead of business to business, but the on-demand trend is slowly but surely penetrating the B2B markets. A recent Recruitment Process Outsourcing webinar entitled “Project RPO: Testing the Water with Project-Based RPO” explores how RPO can be adapted to an on-demand model, and how this on-demand or “project RPO” can benefit client organizations. In the webinar Ray Rika, the president and CEO of Accolo, provides his insight into the efficient and effective new trend in recruiting: Project RPO.
According to the Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association, recruitment process outsourcing, or RPO, is “a form of business process outsourcing where an employer transfers all or part of their recruitment processes to an external service provider.” Recruitment is an essential business process – companies can’t function without employees to perform the company’s services. Business generally partner with RPO providers on a long-term basis to develop recruitment strategies, sources and processes that ensure companies have a steady stream of new talent when they need it. However, with the advent of the on-demand economy, some RPO relationships are transitioning to an on-demand basis.
Recruitment needs are seldom constant. Clients and employers will see increased and decreased need for new talent at different times during the year, depending on seasonal work or if they have a special or specific need for talent for a particular project. This can present companies with a quandary – how do they ensure that they have the bandwidth and resources to get the talent and support they need during times of high demand, but avoid the cost of having those resources stand idle during the slower times? Project RPO is a solution to this problem. By partnering with an RPO provider on an on-demand basis, companies have the ability to ramp up or slow down the process at any time.
Traditionally, companies would hire a couple of contractors or temporary recruiters to meet an immediate, short-term need. However, companies are moving away from this usual method in preference of bringing on a longer-term strategic partner. Project RPO is not a one-and-done deal. Instead, it is a strategic relationship between the company and RPO provider where the provider brings best practices and proven processes to the table. It means that the company can turn their recruiting up or down at any point during the year, not just for one project. A specific project may be the impetus for turning the capacity up, but the relationship goes on for much longer than that.
Project RPO is an efficient and effective way to manage resources without sacrificing best practices or quality in recruitment outsourcing. In today’s on-demand economy, a relationship that allows companies to apply the best aspects of RPO providers – best practice-driven processes, long-term strategic understanding, and a partner that works directly with hiring managers from the beginning to end of the recruiting process – when they want and when they need is a valuable addition to any business process relationship.
Check out the webinar for more information about testing out the on-demand RPO model.
