KCOM
KCOM HR overhaul brings major cost and operational benefits.
KCOM is a leading provider of communications solutions to businesses and public sector organisations, as well as selected consumers across the UK.
The company has grown through a combination of organic growth and acquisition, bringing a diversity of cultures and operational styles into the organisation. This diversity presents a number of challenges to the HR function in delivering appropriate services across all areas of the business.
The director of HR Operations wanted to adjust the direction of the ongoing HR change program to ensure the HR function brought real added value to other areas of the business.
Changes
Over the last 12 months, KCOM has implemented a number of key changes within its HR Operations, including:
- Restructuring, to unite the different businesses and return focus to the customer
- Aligning everyone back to the business, to drive ownership and accountability
- Importing, consolidating and verifying employee data, to drive value added MI
- Outsourcing key functions-primarily recruitment
Benefits
By improving the quality and availability of data, Kcom has been able to shift some responsibility and ownership back to the employees. This, in turn, has brought about a continuing culture shift towards IT within the organisation.
Working closely with the Group Head of Resourcing, the Recruitment Operation has been outsourced. This has brought significant cost savings and performance improvement across the company.
Recruitment Process Outsourcing specialists, Independent RPO, introduced tight account management, subject matter expertise and robust reporting to enable recruitment decisions to be based on solid facts rather than relying on gut instinct or anecdotal evidence. The onsite team also broaden the route to the candidate market and the HR team has been freed to focus on added value activities going forward.
Conclusion
The KCOM HR function has implemented a series of changes to its operational style, adapting the traditional Ulrich model to take account of the diversity and dynamics of the Kingston business. The HR function has subsequently refocused what it does and is now much more valued by the rest of the business.
The benefits from outsourcing the recruitment were evident more quickly than expected and Independent RPO is planning to achieve even greater savings and performance improvements in the next six months.
The great work carried out but the team at KCOM has been recognised by Personnel Today, to read more, follow the link below.
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