Delegate Faster to Transform!

Let's talk about outsourcing and offloading. As HR people, we love to think we can do it all ourselves. Right? If we can save a buck, we think we should do it ourselves. What we don't do a good job of is understanding the value of OPPORTUNITY COST.

When we take 15 minutes to do it ourselves, those are 15 minutes we can spend on something else. Then we are going to do it again - and again - and again. We think we are helping, but we are not. We end up getting further behind or we spend a premium rate to complete non-premium work. (The HR Director is making copies and building notebooks at $60/hour instead of the $15/hour Admin is a common situation.)

Take your pick of functions. We don't offload paperwork, functions, and processes. That doesn't allow us to think outside of even the basic functions when it comes to automation. As I speak to HR leaders about HR transformation, they have a difficult time just thinking in terms of giving up the paper in many cases. If we want to manage the current world we live in (not the one that's coming - it's here!), we have to fundamentally shift our behavior. It starts with mindset and follows through with action. However, if you aren't there with your mindset yet, let's start with action, get a few wins, and your mindset will follow.

Let's begin with finding help. Inside your team, it's time to reallocate functions to ensure that the right people are doing the right things. I recommend exploring the primary functions and processes. Whiteboard the heck out of the entire department and all functions. When they are listed on the board, walk away for a bit. (Trust me - you want to sleep on this.) After you come back, you may see patterns emerge or obvious processes that make sense to get rid of, You can eliminate some processes, streamline many (reduce the number of steps), or adjust them to save time, steps, or investment. You should also identify some (or several) processes that may make sense to offload to an outside vendor.

The benefits of an outside vendor can be many. They are often cost-effective when you compare your employees' time (and benefits/overhead), resources, and opportunity costs. Outsourcing may also provide greater expertise, higher quality, and greater efficiency. In many cases, outsourcing your services may help to automate your functions, deliver them faster, and increase overall satisfaction for you and your customers (internal or external).

When searching for your outside vendors, consider the following:

• Know-Like-Trust: When we select a vendor (or anything we buy), we are looking for someone whom we know, like, and trust. To do that, it's easy to jump into a relationship based on bias if we don't know what we are looking for in a partnership. Consider what you are looking for in your partnership before you go out to look. If you do, you can have a shortlist of criteria to base your decisions on and evaluate their proposals. If you don't it will be easy to fall prey to the vendor with the best swag, nicest dinner, or smoothest presentation.
• Trusted References: Find someone you know who can endorse your vendor whom you narrow it down to. I have fallen prey in the past to the "shine". I narrowed it down, had my criteria, and then called references - THEIR references. Sure, they sounded great. They showed me exactly what I asked for. They told me a great story. Then I bought...and it didn't work. Ugh!!! I look harder for people who I have reason to trust to tell me like it is before I buy.
• Guarantees: Build in performance guarantees. If your vendor does not want to build them into your contract, they are not the kind of vendor you want to have.
• Avoid Long-Term Contracts: I get it. When you start a new relationship, new vendors want to sign you up for 3 or 5 years. Perhaps the pricing is right to get you in there and save a ton of money. I've been bitten enough to know that signing up for a little more money the first year with the option to sign a better-priced 3-year extension is a MUCH better option.
• Create Accountability and Build It In: Always build accountability reports or check-ins into the agreement. You want to ensure that you have clear expectations for reports, communication, and value when you get started. You want to get what you pay for and ensure that everyone knows what is to come.

These are just a few tips. Feel free to drop a few comments about your best practices (or pain points that you've experienced LOL) to share with others in selecting the right vendors to help you achieve your goals.

The faster you can offload the "stuff", the sooner you can get to the things that make the bigger impact on your employees and the business. Start today and make the shift.

Remember - the world has changed. Have you? Start now.

Here's to your success!

Dr. Wade

www.OptimalTalentDynamics.com

[email protected]

More on HR 3.0: www.tinyurl.com/transformhr