An Internet security company finds efficiency through MSP.
By Carmen Malatino
Symantec, the world leader in Internet security and the creator of Norton Anti-Virus, has a global presence that consists of both full-time and contingent staff. Symantec has worked with PRO Unlimited for more than 10 years to manage its global workforce. Its comprehensive vendor-neutral program offering includes a customized global expansion road map that takes into account use metrics as well as unique country-by-country labor landscapes and legislative variances.
“Our vision and objective in expanding our vendor-neutral contingent workforce program globally is driven first by a need for visibility into our contingent resources and the ability to report on our utilization with a high degree of accuracy,” notes Maria Jimenez, Symantec’s global contingent workforce manager. “In some locations, our in-country talent acquisition teams wish to offload the contingent recruitment, allowing them to focus exclusively on our full-time placements. For example, this was the case in our recent expansion into Japan in late 2011.”
The implementation of managed services/lifecycle management of all temps and contractors globally allows Symantec to rely on one consistent method and user experience for project and fund tracking, on-boarding, off-boarding, compliance, headcount and financial reporting, and greater automation overall.
“Although we are still in the early days, we are already realizing tremendous benefits from the program, similar to the attributes we realize in the U.S.—VMS [vendor management system] adoption and automation of manual processes, access to a broader talent pool via a vendor-neutral engagement, checks and balances for supplier billing accuracy, and detailed reporting,” says Jimenez. “In addition, through focused management of the program and attention to all aspects of the contingent workforce, we are able to introduce greater pricing consistencies among our temporary agencies, increase manager satisfaction, and leverage best practices for greater efficiencies across the globe.”
At Symantec, this consistency has yielded not only improvements in staff efficiency, but also approximately 5 percent additional cost savings from standardization of contracts and competitive bidding of engagements.
By implementing an MSP like PRO Unlimited, companies with a global contingent workforce benefit from:
• Automation. An MSP team comprising of recruitment and
employment experts oversees the efforts to automate temp and contract worker recruitment with a VMS platform.
• Rationalization of the supplier base. A vendor-neutral program
delivers transparency in supplier pool and related fees.
• Manager satisfaction. Improvements in quality of candidates,
supplier response times, interview pre-screening, and overall process flow deliver an increase in management satisfaction.
• Effective budgeting. A transparent program can create more
efficiency for future projects, due to gaining of central visibility to all spend associated with projects.
• Productivity gains. Efficiency is the result of streamlined contractor
onboarding process, timecard submittal and approval, and invoice consolidation.
• Cost avoidance. This is produced from costs associated with
potential risks by ensuring all contractors are vetted (background, drug, driving, and citizenship).
• Greater compliance. A program can ensure compliance with in-
country temporary agency worker regulations.
• ROI. In many cases, MSP delivers full services through a supplier-
funded model, resulting in a zero cost to client while capturing full benefits of a robust MSP offering.
“Each of our clients desires an easy way to report on all non-employees, both domestically, and globally,” says Allie Ben-Shlomo, senior vice president of client services for PRO Unlimited. “The greatest driver for U.S. program stakeholders is the need to gain accurate contingent worker data and the desire for a consistent hiring manager experience regardless of location. It is also not a one-size-fits-all approach across the world. PRO has been very successful tailoring global solutions on a client-by-client and country-by-country basis. It is a misconception that a well-run U.S. program can simply be rolled out ‘as is’ in every country. There are in-country legalities and practices that warrant a regionalized approach.”
Carmen Malatino is manager of business development and marketing for PRO Unlimited, Inc. Learn more at www.prounlimited.com
