Employers Address Third Parties' Ethics Employers are growing more dependent on relationships with third parties to provide HR services and as partners in joint ventures. But while these relationships can help reduce costs, improve efficiencies and remove business barriers, employers need to consider risk and liability issues that arise when partners aren't mindful or responsive to stakeholders' concerns.

Featured Articles Growth Opportunities Seen in Benefits Administration Market Although the outsourcing market for benefits administration is well-established and mature, significant growth opportunities exist, particularly as organizations look to reduce and control health care administration costs while providing value-added services to employees such as health care information and decision-support tools. Expat Costs Spur Shorter Assignments, Outsourcing The growing cost of long-term expatriate assignments is causing firms to limit expats to shorter assignments and to outsource HR management of expats, says a survey by KPMG LLP. Transition to Outsourcing: How To Minimize Risk Transition is the stage of greatest risk in any outsourcing relationship. It's essential that everyone involved has the right level of expectations with regard to service acceptance and subsequent delivery. Establish the transition planning process before the contract is signed, and identify roles and responsibilities. 2008 Outlook: Companies Leveraging 'Phased-In' Approach Outsourcing of HR functions—including the most commonly outsourced functions of payroll, benefits, employee data management, information systems and contact centers—is expected to increase in 2008 after remaining relatively flat since 2005, according to a new study report. Service-Level Agreements: Words To Verify By Service-level agreements (SLAs) and performance guarantees are a great way to communicate expectations and help keep background screening partners performing their best. The best results, however, can be achieved only if both parties come to the table with clearly communicated, realistic goals and expectations, including a comprehensive way to measure successes and challenges. American Airlines' Successful HRO Transition American Airlines was looking to centralize its HR organization and simplify its HR processes, so in March 2007 the company entered into a $217 million, seven-and-a-half-year comprehensive HR outsourcing deal. Here's how the airlines created and implemented its transition plan, and lessons it learned along the way. HRO Services: Global Reach, Talent Management Are Key Attractors HR business process outsourcing remains the fastest-growing segment of HR services. One reason: the world is 'flattening,' and as a result, the desire to have commonality and consistency across the organization is increasing in importance. RPO for Smaller Firms Tom Darrow, principal of Talent Connections, says Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) is becoming more common at smaller firms lacking in-house specialized recruiting skills. Visit our complete HR Outsourcing articles library for more recent postings

Webcasts 'On Demand' Webcasts: Now Available for Viewing To Outsource or Insource: New Choices for Benefit Managers Presenter: Susan King, Senior Vice President, Aon Consulting How to evaluate and realize the true value of HR outsourcing, focusing mainly on employee benefits delivery models. Key topics include keeping pace with the explosion of benefits outsourcing options, what to keep in-house and what to farm out, and strategies to maximize administration and consulting relationships. View this webcast. What Matters Gets Measured: Using Technology to Capture and Improve Metrics Top organizations are leveraging software and systems to demonstrate return on investment and strategic value. This webcast will show you how HR can, too. View this metrics webcast Optimizing Your Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for HR Outsourcing Presenter: Scott Golas, PA Consulting Group When searching for an HR services provider, companies typically conduct an internal assessment focused on tightly define operational and transactional needs, and then describe these in a request for proposal (RFP) submitted to a large number of providers. However, beginning the vendor-selection process with a traditional RFP can impose limits on providers and eliminate options that may best serve the organization. A more effective process for HR services may be a "reverse RFP." Here, organizations identify a much smaller subset of vendors than would typically be included in a mass RFP. The organization specifies the problem it is trying to solve rather than a predetermined solution, and invites vendors to propose answers. Learn more/view now PDF of presentation slides to print or download HR Outsourcing for Middle-Market Clients: A Path for Growth and Agility? Presenter: Robert H. Brown, Gartner Middle-market clients represents the fastest growing segment of the HR outsourcing market. How can HR professionals at mid-market or smaller firms ensure they make HR outsourcing decisions that lead to satisfying client-provider relationships, while positioning their organizations to be agile and grow? This webcast will address that question and related topics. Learn more/view now PDF of presentation slides to print or download Also Available Webcast: How Will HR Outsourcing Affect Your Career? Webcast: Negotiating the Optimal HR Outsourcing Contract: Business and Legal Issues Slide Presentation: The Impact of HR Outsourcing on the HR Profession For more HR Outsourcing webcasts you can view now, click here.