Achieving outcomes in temporary recruitment

It's the the first anniversary of our flexible framework for HR services and to mark it, buyer Lizzy Grayson explains how an innovative approach to temporary staffing will help to achieve better outcomes in recruitment strategy.

The issues surrounding temporary recruitment is one of the most complex categories HR professionals in local authorities face today.

Well established delivery models designed to simplify and streamline the process have created a situation where the needs of an authority are often shoe-horned into pre-determined delivery models. For example, neutral, master and hybrid vendor models are regularly adopted. This results in a unclear recruitment strategy for temporary employees. Normally, when authorities are looking to procure services, the first consideration is ‘what’s needed?’ So why with temporary labour do they start with ‘which delivery model?’

Increasingly, providers are looking to push boundaries to develop more flexible solutions that meet the specific needs of the organisation. At YPO our HR Services and Solutions framework is currently celebrating its first anniversary having been established to support authorities through change, business transformation, budget pressures and headcount reductions. It enables local authorities and wider public sector organisations to scope a solution which reflects their likely needs, providing a cost-effective and flexible way of delivering and managing a wider range of temporary staffing.

Joining the dots between demand and supply, particularly regarding temporary recruitment can be a challenge. Here are five questions which can be used to assess your temporary recruitment:

• Is your current recruitment model outcome focused?

A tender specification should be about the outcomes you wish to achieve through your agency staffing contract.

• How do your outcomes support your recruitment strategy? 

For example, there is a time and a place for agency staffing. Procuring an agency worker might be the most cost effective solution for a particular situation.

• Does social value play a role?

Think about how social value can be adapted into your specifications, such as engagement with unemployed individuals and job centres, apprenticeships, graduate schemes, and local community engagement.

• How can your temporary recruitment fit with talent pools management, redeployment solutions and your permanent recruitment outcomes? 

Consider ways in which your recruitment strategy can be integrated.

• What’s your tender process?

To make sure your tender process reflects your requirements it should describe a solution that meets your needs and offer the provider as much information as possible about your current situation. From this approach will come an innovative response to your recruitment and social value requirements.

A provider should be your partner and constantly shaping a service to meet your requirements - it’s much more than just fitting into the traditional models.

Find out more on the YPO HR Framework or contact lizzy.grayson@ypo.co.uk and 01924 821 779.