Offshoring back in the frame to grow businesses

More companies may be forced to consider exporting jobs overseas as competition for skilled labour tightens.

Rather than a cost-cutting exercise, Offshoring and outsourcing may be a means of ensuring growth, or at least sustainability, in the face of a predicted tighter labour market in the next 5-10 years, as more baby boomers retire but not enough graduates replace them.

In at least two recent reports, professional services company Deloitte has advocated Offshoring, or outsourcing roles to regional centers, as a strategy to combat skills shortages and free up local staff for more productive work.

"Where they do need workers on the ground and those workers are scarce, perhaps it's an idea to offshore teams for particular aspects and tasks, and they really just need to challenge their thinking around what tasks they want to export and what tasks they want to keep closely held in their own backyard," Jody Burton, an assurance and advisory partner in Deloitte's SA office, said.

Offshoring suffered a stigma among the public because it was seen as "stealing Australian jobs" and even among business which had tried it but decided the quality of work delivered did not meet expectations, she said.

Deloitte's most recent national survey of chief financial officers found 77 per cent of the 85 respondents expected their company to suffer a skills shortage in the coming year and 44 per cent expecting to increase their demand for these harder-to-come-by skills.

"Even so, few CFOs had changed their recruitment patterns or explored more transformational options such as off-shoring non-core business activities to overseas resources," the Batten Down the Hatches report said.

Besides the reputation hazard, Ms Burton suggested this could be because previous attempts had not achieved expected outcomes.

She said the "skills gap" in India had shrunk in recent years.

"Now, I think, over the past three or four years, the level of education over there, the standard of qualifications has increased exponentially.

"I think those that tried it early and were not satisfied by the level of skills are once bitten, twice shy."

Source: adelaidenow

16th Annual North American Shared Services and Outsourcing Week to Feature Visionary Content, Peer Networking and Industry Innovation

The Shared Services & Outsourcing Network (SSON), the largest and most established community of shared services and outsourcing professionals, today announced details of their flagship event; the 16th Annual North American Shared Services & Outsourcing Week, to be held March 7‐9, 2012 at The Hilton in Orlando, Fla.

Regarded as the industry’s leading shared services and sourcing event, attendees will include numerous, high level executives and shared services practitioners from a wide range of industries. Topic experts from big brands such as Unisys, AOL, Warner Bros, Best Buy, EMC, Volvo, Deloitte, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems, Molson Coors, Coca-Cola, Vale and Hewlett Packard will present game changing Shared Services and Outsourcing, Finance and Accounting, HR, Procurement and IT case studies. The 2012 program features leading industry experts including Steve Kopp, Partner & Managing Director, TPI; SVP Global Order to Cash, Pearson; Stephanie Pittman, Director - HR Shared Services, Boston Scientific; Craig Warren, Director, GBS - HR Rewards & Employee Services; Cindy Gallagher, VP & Controller, AOL; Erin Champlin, VP, Global Business Services, EMC and Sam Poston, Partner & Senior Vice President, ScottMadden.

The newly launched Executive XChange features the industry’s most advanced practitioners including Jay Desia, SVP Global Sourcing, Northern Trust; Jeffrey Jacobson, VP Global Shared Services, Pitney Bowes; Roxanna Wall, Executive Director, Group Outsourcing & Offshoring and Gabriel Parmese, SVP Global Shared Services, Keane.

The core themes of Shared Services and Outsourcing Week focus on Big Data, Global Business Services, and Creating Value through Improved Revenue Models & Advanced Cash Management. The underlying event theme questions the next level of shared services value and today’s pertinent industry challenges of accelerating global growth and delivering business insights to the board. These themes will contribute to greater decision making support and opportunities which affect the bottom line.

Distinguishing the 2012 event even further, SSON introduces a new event concept: “The Big Ideas”. Inspired by TED, this gives the attendees a moment to stop and connect with someone and their ideas, feel motivated and provide them with the chance to look at their business challenges and pain points in a whole new light. Attendees will discover 5 unconventional, inspirational, game-changing ideas from the world of business and life.

Source: prweb

HR Outsourcing Firm CPEhr Produces New Corporate Video

CPEhr, Los Angeles’ leading human resources outsourcing firm, announces release of new corporate video.

CPEhr, a Los Angeles-based PEO and Human Resources Outsourcing firm, announced today the completion of a new corporate video which is now available for viewing on their company’s website.

The video reviews the benefits of human resources outsourcing and how it helps employers reduce employment risks and costs. Shot entirely at CPEhr’s corporate offices in Los Angeles, CA, the video also takes a behind-the-scenes look at the people that have made CPEhr an HR Outsourcing and PEO leader for the past thirty years.

"After watching this video, we hope business owners and entrepreneurs will gain a deeper understanding of what sets CPEhr apart from other HR Outsourcing and PEO providers,” said Mr. Ari Rosenstein, CPEhr’s Director of Marketing. "We value the experience, enthusiasm and dedication of our staff and wanted to share this unique combination with the small business community.”

Globe Business reaffirms BPO support

Globe Business, the corporate arm of Globe Telecom assures stakeholders in the Philippines’ Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing (IT-BPO) sector that it will continue to drive innovation and solutions that would further propel growth and development of the industry.

Speaking before hundreds of delegates from 17 countries, Grace Jarin-Castillo Head of the Enterprise Segments of Globe Business, reiterated the company’s commitment to become more than just a technology provider, but a solutions partner, with employees driven by a culture of innovation and customer focus.

At Globe, employees go beyond what is expected of them by exploring innovative solutions that can further enhance the customer experience. Globe invests in its people, and equips them with the right tools to broaden their knowledge and expertise. After all, we believe that it’s our people and not just the products and services who make the difference.

Similarly, the BPO sector is an industry that relies heavily on the skill and capabilities of its workforce, therefore making people its key differentiator and most valuable asset,” said Castillo in her presentation, entitled “Sustaining a 24/7 Innovative Culture.” During her talk, Castillo also discussed how employees are able to sustain a culture of innovation within Globe by embodying its corporate doctrine, “The Globe Way,” which encompasses the company’s commitment to making great things possible for its customers.

Global BPO leaders have called the Philippines the “rock of the BPO industry,” with export revenues expected to hit $11-Billion this year and $25-billion by 2016 on the back of strong fundamentals and sustained demand.