The ‘Zero Visibility’ Problem In Global Recruitment

Gaining visibility into global HR and talent acquisition

By Lenna Thompson, RAMP.Global

Organizations rely on regular communication, consistency and cohesion, but for global companies, this can be a major challenge.

With thousands of people in different regions across the globe all managing their own priorities, knowing how a particular department is running in the far reaches of Hong Kong or South Africa can almost seem irrelevant.

For the HR department especially, this is a big problem.

HR and talent acquisition (TA) teams need to have visibility over where they’re hiring, who they’re hiring, how much it’s costing them, what staffing agencies they’re working with and how the recruitment process is carried out across the globe.

This seems like a difficult ask when there’s likely entirely different onboarding processes, D&I strategies and upskilling programs in different regions. Even the way talent is brought on board will vary drastically within the same company.

But it’s not impossible to gain visibility and it’s crucial if companies wish to stand out as competitive employers in the war for talent.

The Zero Visibility Problem

Most global HR and TA teams suffer from the ‘zero visibility’ problem; they have next to no oversight of how teams are managed at locations across the world. This presents a number of risks relating to diversity and inclusion practices:

Regulation

D&I strategies and ESG regulations are really ramping up. How can global organizations ensure they’re meeting all the regulatory requirements without visibility of the hiring process and without knowledge of diversity and inclusion protocols employed by the staffing agencies they hire?

Litigation

The number of legal cases is growing when it comes to poor recruitment practices. If global organizations face the zero visibility problem over who they hire, they may be exposing themselves to litigious risk as employees demand fairer practices.

Brand reputation

Finally, a major problem with poor recruitment practices is being seen as a bad employer. In such a competitive job market, brand reputation is so important. Without visibility, brands might be exposed to poor employer reputation in a number of markets, and the media may get a hold of that information first.