More companies find it increasingly difficult to find and hire employees in their home countries. As a result, many are turning to the global talent pool to fill their talent gaps. But recruiting in other countries and regions presents several challenges, such as fierce competition for the best candidates, cultural and language barriers that complicate the recruiting process and the ability to present a consistent company brand across different regions.
To ensure streamlined recruiting processes across multiple countries, many employers are working with recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) experts to manage recruitment across multiple country. Multi-country RPO, or MCRPO, programs are nascent but growing and promise to expand rapidly as more companies seek to leverage a single provider to experience the benefits of an RPO program in each country where they hire.
But for the relationship between the organization and its MCRPO provider to be successful, there needs to be a formalized governance structure in place to ensure consistent results. Everest Group’s recent “Multi-Country RPO: Service Delivery Model and Best Practices” report found that 80 percent of MCRPO buyers with formalized governance were satisfied with their MCRPO processes, while a full 100 percent of those without governance were dissatisfied. When the employer and MCRPO provider work together under a formal governance structure, stakeholders from both parties can collaborate more effectively and build greater trust. Formal governance can also help streamline recruiting processes and ensure that any issues or potential problems are addressed and escalated at the right time.
Your MCRPO provider should offer a formalized governance strategy that sets expectations for all stages of the recruitment process. A successful MCRPO relationship should consist of resources from both parties meeting regularly. Employers should expect to invest their own internal resources and work with their partner to identify and communicate who should be involved in the program and at what level. Regular communication is crucial to ensure alignment and consistent delivery:
- Annual steering committee meetings provide global direction to the relationship, align service delivery and approve plans and budgets.
- Quarterly senior management meetings set and review regional performance metrics, manage unresolved change control and review and resolve escalated issues.
- Weekly, bi-weekly or monthly meetings to review detailed performance metrics, resolve issues and escalate as necessary, review and recommend changes and review and approve the performance improvement plan.
- Daily operations performed by the company’s HR and recruitment teams and hiring managers and the MCRPO provider’s recruiters and service delivery team should focus on service delivery and ad hoc interactions.
MCRPO can help employers optimize their global recruitment processes and create consistency across all countries and regions. Without a formal governance structure, though, the relationship between buyer and provider is likely to lead to disappointment. When both parties work together with a clear understanding of the requirements at each level, they can achieve success — connecting with the right talent across the globe, streamlining processes and achieving the company’s goals.
