9 Rules for Global HR Outsourcing - Dealing with the 'Long Tail'

Multinational and global organisations are increasingly looking to utilise global HR Outsourcing (HRO) as a key strategy to deliver HR services across their entire global operation. Such organisations are likely to face the problem of the ‘‘Long Tail’’; whilst they may well have quite a few countries with scale – hundreds if not thousand employees in those countries – there will often be a long list of countries with relatively few employees where the value proposition for HRO is much less clear. There is no ‘silver bullet’ solution for the ‘Long Tail’, but consideration of the following nine rules will help organisations who are seeking the benefits of global HRO:

1. Match the HRO market to your particular ‘Long Tail’.
2. Understand your HRO business case.
3. Maximise the process scope.
4. Develop a standard HR Process Taxonomy. 
5. Define global v. local HR processes. 
6. Understand the current situation. 
7. Be flexible in solution design.  
8. Involve your preferred service provider to create a sustainable solution. 
9. Explore the “intangible” benefits. 

Click here to access more information about each tip

By considering these rules, client-side organisations can begin to understand the parameters and options involved in solving their particular ‘Long Tail’ problem, but be under no illusion: this is not an easy issue to solve and the devil is very much in the detail. However, through a methodological approach and careful, considered analysis, global HRO solutions are available to provide business value to organisations with a ‘Long Tail’.

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About the author

Colin Whalen is a Senior Manager at Alsbridge plc and specialises in HR Outsourcing, he can be contacted at colin.whalen@alsbridge.eu or on +44 (0) 20 7242 0666.