Ways to Outsource Human Resources (HR) Functions and Their Benefits

13.01.25 02:00 PM - By Linq HR

Outsourcing HR functions allows organisations to focus on their core business while benefiting from specialist expertise, cost efficiencies, and scalable solutions tailored to their unique needs. 

1. Recruitment Process Outsourcing (commonly referred to as RPO)
Organisations can delegate their recruitment activities to external agencies, including candidate sourcing, screening, psychometric testing, and onboarding. The agency can place their own people onsite directly interacting with your workforce and using either their own recruitment systems or your preferred internal systems.

Benefits can include a reduction in in house hiring expenses, tap into industry specific expertise and a larger talent pool, and quickly scale hiring efforts depending on organisational needs. Can also include a higher level or transparency across the recruitment process with enhanced reporting.

2. Payroll Outsourcing
This is probably one of the most common outsourcings. Third-party providers manage payroll functions, including salary processing, tax compliance, and benefits administration.

Benefits can include reducing errors and taxation and regulatory compliance, frees up internal HR or Finance resources to focus on more strategic matters, eliminates the need for specialised payroll software. Further efficiencies can be gained if supported by electronic time recording.

3. Employee Training and Development
Again another commonly outsourced HR function is employee training. They can be outsourced to specialised firms or online learning platforms.

Benefit can include training customisation, expert trainers and the latest training knowledge and techniques. Can scale training rollouts depending on organisational learning and training needs. 

4. Compliance Management
External agencies handle compliance with labour laws, workplace safety standards, and other regulations.

Benefits include risk mitigation through minimising legal risks by ensuring adherence to laws and regulations. Labour laws can be fast moving so allows access to specialist knowledge, frees up internal resources to focus on everyday business rather than having to constantly research in detail legislative changes. 

5. Employee Benefits Administration
Management of employee benefits, such as health insurance, superannuation, and wellness or Employee Assistance Programs, can be outsourced.

The advantages of outsourcing Employee Benefits are it can simplify the complexities of benefits management, tap into saving through a suppliers economies of scale, timely and accurate benefit deliver which enhances trust.

6. HR Information Systems (HRIS)
Outsourcing the implementation and management of HRIS software to external vendors.

Benefits include access to cutting-edge systems including without heavy capital investment if adopting a Saas solution. Robust security measures as a part of the software regular updates, and better access to employee data and trends which can assist in running a more efficient business.

7. Performance Management
Outsourcing the design and execution of performance evaluation systems is something which is somewhat still emerging.

Benefits include tapping into third party independent objective evaluations. An effectively administered and executed performance program for both leaders and employees, a regular and systematic performance review cycle.

8. HR Business Partnering
Leaders often feel that their HR function has to sit close to them to be effective. By outsourcing the HR Business Partner role which includes various times onsite, benefits can be gained through reducing duplication, and gaining economies of scale across items which are common across all businesses such as HR policies, procedures. Also allows tapping into best practices from other industries and the external HR specialist agency can provide all the professional training needed, and guidance particularly around difficult issues.

Linq HR are Australian Employment and Workplace Specialists assisting organisations and employees be their best at work. Ph 1300234566.