Outsourcing, Government-Style

We’re here today to discuss surveys, shows, and government-style outsourcing.
 
 
Surveys: We have completed the 2012 HRO Today Magazine RPO Baker’s Dozen Customer Satisfaction Survey, and, once again, it was a wild ride. Responses grew by an astounding 50 percent. Note: This occurred as the market rejected an attempt by a competitor to run a survey the same weeks as ours. Distressingly, the competitor touted its poll as the only “truly objective” survey ever to be performed in RPO. Problem for them: Since it had never been previously conducted, it could not possibly have any record of being “truly objective.”
 
 
The RPO Baker’s Dozen is based entirely on customer satisfaction surveys. With more than 900 responses, this year’s survey boasts the largest body of such research ever performed in the RPO market. This supersedes the previous record, which was, not coincidentally, also conducted by HRO Today.
 
 
We will be looking to publish trends data and presenting research at our upcoming conferences November 13 to 15 in Dublin, Ireland, and April 30 to May 2 in Philadelphia. See the video results at: http://video.webcasts.com/events/crmg001/43817.
Shows: Two years ago in a blog I wrote for Forbes on the Goldman Sachs case, I asked who within an organization owns responsibility for “ethical culture.” Another question: How do you achieve an ethical culture? And, if you have it, how do you use it to drive recognition internally and to manage it for the benefit of your employment brand?
 
 
These questions cross over from HR into the exciting field of corporate responsibility. On that front, Corporate Responsibility Magazine (also owned by SharedXpertise) will host the Commit!Forum in New York October 2 and 3 to address questions about transparency, human relations and sustainability. Drawing more than 600 senior executives and CEOs last year, the Commit!Forum was the largest corporate responsibility event in North America. This year, we have embedded HR content in the Workforce Congress session of the event. HR leaders and CHROs: Do not miss the Commit!Forum. Visit www.commitforum.com for more information.
 
 
Outsourcing, Government-Style: I have grown weary of the White House’s persistent attacks on outsourcing. (And don’t they mean offshoring?) The White House does not recognize that they outsource feeding the military to a French company, Sodexho. I guess they didn’t notice the menu says pommes frittes, not french fries, in the Parris Island mess hall.
 
 
Hey, wait a minute: You don’t think they’re hypocrites, do you? Of course, they are. Take this area the government outsourced: veteran hiring.
 
 
With hundreds or thousands of homeless, recently discharged veterans, the country needs to examine the effectiveness of this effort. Maybe they did not just outsource it. Perhaps they simply abdicated. The private sector formed partnerships and coalitions and non-profits and worked to coach veterans in critical job-seeking skills such as resume writing and interviewing and how to make their training applicable to civilian careers.
 
 
True, the Joining Forces Program has exceeded its goal of 125,000 hires for veterans and their spouses. But while the government takes credit, all of the heavy lifting is being done by the private sector in managing the program. The private sector was always expected to do the hiring, but most of the programs are driven by the companies themselves, so other than giving speeches what does the government do beyond passing some tax credits? Encourage companies to do the work? They do not even provide the training programs, so they have sort of, well, “outsourced” everything to the private sector. While they are touting how well the programs are going, I am not sure the veterans agree. Unemployment among veterans who entered service after September 11, 2001 is still 8.9 percent, according the July 2012 Labor Department Report, compared to the national average of 8.3 percent; that’s 7 percent higher than the rest of the labor force. Additionally, the 8.3 percent includes non-skilled labor and veterans are skilled labor. That is a disgrace, but I guess we should never let facts stand in the way of a good speech.