The ‘Zero Visibility’ Problem In Global Recruitment

Analysis of Quality and Quantity

The HR and TA teams – like all departments – are often judged by numbers. Whether we like it or not, cost, locations, employee ratios, gender pay gap etc are all very important figures that the HR team will need to present to the board.

Accuracy is key. Gaining visibility of that data at the touch of a button is essential.

Additionally, as you would expect, a huge part of HR does not involve numbers. Interviews, engagement, candidate and supplier experience, employer brand, company culture, just to name a few, all fall under this bracket, and are much harder to understand on a global level without visibility and communication.

Often, HR teams fall in the data camp – everything must be quantified – or the qualitative camp – HR is about people, not numbers. The reality is that both aspects are important: one for communicating to the wider business the success of the department, and the other for the actual success of HR and recruitment.

Crucially, how can businesses reduce the risks they’re exposed to from zero visibility and how can HR teams improve both the qualitative and quantitative sides of their roles?

Step one: Data

It may come as no surprise that data is essential here. It’s revolutionizing other departments, but HR and recruitment are not utilizing it to its full advantage. You can’t identify issues, streamline strategies or create a cohesive report for the wider business without data. Fortunately, there are now tools for HR leaders that will put all of the data from global operations into one simple platform. By aggregating global data, HR and TA teams can have complete visibility over staffing agencies, their costs, workforce planning and so on.

Having visibility over data is the first step but then, leaders need to focus on the less tangible deliverables of HR and recruitment.

Step two: Communication

The second step requires a little more work, but is made ten times easier with a complete data overview.

Now you’ve gained visibility, you can see where issues need fixing and what regional areas need to be re-evaluated or realigned to the global strategy. This is done through clear communication across all channels and requires involvement from procurement.

When everyone is fully aligned to the global strategy and clear on who has what responsibility, HR, procurement and staffing agencies globally can jump into action.

Step three: Going beyond visibility

Not only does fixing the zero visibility problem fix other wider issues in HR and recruitment, but with greater visibility, the door of possibilities has been unlocked.

You know where you stand as a company, but you don’t know where you could be. Data can also help talent teams find the best staffing agencies in the perfect locations for their organization. For example, you might need data scientists. Who you hire depends on the time to hire, how much you want to spend, the quality of the hire and how many data scientists you need.

Instead of selecting a location to hire in based on office location, or even one that you’ve conducted a small amount of research into, technology now has the power to show you which location has the most affordable salaries and staffing agencies, the best data scientists, the quickest time to hire or the least amount of competition for roles.

The zero visibility problem doesn’t just present a threat to your global HR strategy – it holds you back from realizing the full potential of global recruitment operations too.