New guidance from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) is released today, ‘The relationship between HR and recruitment agencies – A guide to productive partnerships’.
The guide was produced in response to the annual CIPD Recruitment, Retention and Turnover Survey 2007, which revealed that while there is still a huge demand for recruitment agencies, the way in which HR interact with them could be improved.
At the same time, the survey showed that only 36% of employers evaluate agency performance.
This finding highlights the need for increased understanding and better working relationships between recruiters and employers.
By offering new insight into developing positive relationships and promoting collaborative working between HR professionals and recruitment consultants, the guide aims to bring about mutual business benefits.
Practical advice and case study examples demonstrate how HR professionals can build and foster productive partnership relationships with agencies.
It also sets out clear advice for agencies on how to become the agency of choice, deliver their clients’ needs and build credibility in the marketplace.
Nicola Monson, Research Associate, CIPD said:
“Tracking down talent and individuals with the right skills and experience presents employers with a real challenge. Adopting partnership relationships on a more consultative basis with recruitment agencies will place HR in a much stronger position to overcome their toughest recruitment difficulty and achieve their number one resourcing objective.
“Today’s economic climate also strengthens the need for greater focus on achieving added value, which in the HR-agency relationship requires closer collaboration between the two parties to deliver strategic goals.”
The guide also points out that recruitment agencies and HR practitioners will need to embrace future developments and emerging resourcing techniques such as a wider use of technology, expansion in global markets and agency specialisation if they are to tackle hard-to fill skill groups and stay ahead of the competition.
Roger Tweedy, director of Research, REC said:
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“The guide marks an important ‘next step’ in the professionalisation of the recruitment sector. Importantly it pulls the future focus of recruitment away from transactional activity to the provision of services that add real benefit to employer organisations.
“Developing a more detailed understanding of how added value recruitment services actually deliver ‘bottom line’ benefits is in the interests of both large and small employers and is key to business competitiveness.
“The REC is committed to leading this crucial debate through its ongoing research programme as well as through activities to continue enhancing professional standards and training within the industry.”
A web-based tool will follow on from the guide and is designed to help any HR professionals and agencies planning to transform their thoughts into action.
