The service has become closely linked to the long-term brand value of the company offering it. It is important to ensure that the basket of facilities offered is what adds most value to the outgoing employees. That being said, this basket has, over time, acquired a fairly standard shape.

What has become more important is the choice of the right partner.

What should the company look for when deciding upon a partner who will work with their outgoing employees and provide outplacement support to them? Of course, it is to be assumed that while scouting for a partner, the company has determined the set of services it is looking for.

Capability set

What are the services the prospective partner offers or has the capability to offer? Career coaching, interview preparation, job search resources, personal branding and networking are some of the common services on offer. Which of these are they in a position to provide effectively? More importantly, are they aligned to the set of services that the company needs for its employees.

Prior experience

Like humans, companies also learn and progress. Once the basic fit between services required and offered has been established, the prospective partner’s prior experience in offering them should also be ascertained, including references from their past clients. This is not to say that first-timers should be ignored. In some cases, prospective HR partners looking to create a new service will offer great pricing and value to clients. Of course, as a client, you will need to ascertain their skills-sets to satisfy yourself that they can deliver to your requirements.

Complementary products and services

We live in a dynamic world, always on the move, always changing. Outplacement is usually a one-time or periodic requirement. It is not a ‘business as usual’ activity. While outplacement services may be required at one point in time, you may require hiring and staffing support at other times. Mature HR services firms like Ushankk create value by offering a bouquet of services for which there is an ongoing need, whether outplacement at one time and staffing at another. In fact, offering a bouquet provides the ‘network’ advantage to professional HR firms that enable them to create value for clients.

Industry expertise

In a competitive world, any form of advantage is beneficial, such as industry expertise. If you are a bank looking for outplacement support from an HR solution provider, everything else being equal, it might be helpful to have a provider on-board who has prior experience of working with banks. They might be better equipped to understand the rhythms of the business and its requirements. They will also be better placed at supporting employees.

Human touch

While it may be difficult to specify and quantify, in outplacement, the human touch is critical, perhaps over and above the technical requirements we have discussed earlier. Employees who have lost jobs feel vulnerable. It is an unusual situation to be in. A friendly, helping hand can help them tide over the situation. As we know, such situations are usually temporary. Most people will move on to another assignment soon. But while they do not have a firm offer, they need support and guidance. With several decades of experience, the people of Ushankk have a long history of supporting people through such times. In fact, many such people become individual customers of Ushankk for support with their career moves.

In conclusion, we would add that in addition to the selection of a partner who fits the bill, it is also important for your HR teams to closely work with the selected firm to ensure that the services are set up in a way that will help your company meet its goals. This helps in ensuring that the goals and strategies of the two firms are aligned.

An equally noteworthy development is that more and more companies are choosing to outsource outplacement services to an external partner. What are the reasons?

Sensitivity is better handled with an external partner

The need for outplacement arises usually on account of terminations and redundancies. Both are sensitive situations for the impacted employees when they are likely to feel vulnerable. Outplacement and career transition related interactions between employees staying back in the company and employees who need to go, could be emotionally charged. An agency taking the place of continuing employees is likely to defuse this tension. In addition, departing employees may be more comfortable in such discussions with strangers rather than people who have been colleagues and possibly friends.

Draws a finish line for organizational responsibility

Outplacement is generally effort-based. Success is not guaranteed. One of the primary objectives in offering this service is the protection of brand-value. A transition may or may not be successfully achieved through outplacement. Or, it could take long. In either situation, lack of success or delayed results could rub off negatively on the company’s image. It is considered best to separate the company from the actual task of outplacement so that its results do not reflect on the company. It has done its best by providing outplacement support. Its role ends there.

Allows the company to focus on its business goals

And, of course, this is not the main activity of the company. It would not like to be distracted from its goals, especially during challenging times; redundancies and terminations usually happen when the business faces headwinds. At such a time, a company needs to maintain laser-sharp focus on its goals and ensure all resources at its disposal, including human, are doing the same. Taking on responsibilities such as outplacement on one’s own shoulders will detract from the sharp focus needed to succeed in challenging times.

Once the strategy of outsourcing the service has been established, it is equally important to ensure that the right partner is hired. It is a sensitive time in the lives of people and needs to be handled with care by a competent agency, such as Ushankk, who provides a comprehensive suite of services covering staffing and outplacement. With its reach across the industry spectrum as well as work with different organizational levels, Ushankk is well positioned to have a bird’s eye view of opportunities and enable people to make the transition from one role to another, one company to another and even one industry to another.

Outsourced staffing is the service you need when your company is seeking talent. An expert provider helps you find that talent.

Outplacement, on the other hand, is a service through which your company seeks help from an expert provider to support the process of transitioning out excess staff. In the increasingly dynamic world we live in, it is no longer unusual for companies to shut down businesses or drastically curtail investment, often triggering the need for releasing at least a part of the workforce. While some companies do it inhouse, the preferred model for most is the retention of an expert provider to handle it for them, as it has really nothing to do with their existing business.

What services are included?

While the range of services included in the package could vary from one employer to the next, the objective remains the same – to achieve a successful, frictionless career-transition for the impacted employees.

The benefits usually include:

• Enabling the individual to evaluate his/her knowledge, skills and competence and identifying the type of opportunities that would be most suitable.
• Recommend suitable training interventions to augment skill gaps, or to build skills demanded by the new workplace which they are deficient in. Some training interventions could be included in the sponsored programme.
• Helping the individual navigate the employment ecosystem and its participants such as job boards and recruiting companies and equipping him/her to interact with it to one’s advantage.
• Creating the required artefacts, such as resumes, cover letters, recommendation letters, etc. that prospective employers will be interested in.
• Equipping him/her with the ‘moment of truth’ skills such as interviewing and negotiating compensation.
• Other tips and tricks that could be useful, such as networking.

Outplacement – benefits to the company

Outplacement programmes are sponsored by the employer. The question is, why would a company that is trying to save money by releasing employees no longer needed, at least for the foreseeable future, spend on sponsoring an outplacement programme?

As an ongoing enterprise, while the current need may be to reduce staff, the company may well have a need to hire people at some point in future. Hence, it cannot afford to be seen as an insensitive employer. Supporting employees not currently needed through outplacement support is seen as necessary for the maintenance of its brand value and appeal. Some studies show an increase in productivity and loyalty in the employees who remain in companies who provide outplacement services.

Everyone wants to work for a caring and sensitive employer, is it not?

Getting the right outplacement partner

Ushankk provides a comprehensive suite of services designed to support employees across varying skill and seniority levels, designed to provide satisfaction to impacted employees and empower them to transition to a new tomorrow. Ushankk’s own staffing projects often have the capacity to provide new opportunities for some of the transitioning staff members.

As the sponsoring company, you receive regular updates on progress for each individual. Ushankk’s leadership team works closely with you to ensure that you retain your goodwill in the marketplace.

When businesses encounter uncertainty, or reach a point different from what was planned, leaders need to step in and take decisions in the best interest of the company. One of the key decisions always pertains to human resources. How to keep them motivated and engaged, while ensuring the business is not paying more than it needs to.

Flexible resourcing has addressed these issues for many organizations, with the help of creative staffing solution providers such as Ushankk.

Signs that you should look out for

There are some signs that your company will do well to recognize and investigate. Some of these could well be your business indicating the need for help from a staffing augmentation specialist. Some of them are:

• Attrition is spiking up. People are leaving the job they said they liked. Some may ask for help while some may not.
• Employees are being required to work in roles they are not skilled, trained or suited for.
• Errors and rising, as are quality related issues and timeliness of delivery. Commitments to clients are becoming difficult to meet.
• You are turning away business because of capacity constraints and your uncertainty if your company will be in a position to take it on.
• You find that you are spending a lot more of your time in handling employee related issues as opposed to customer and product related issues that you were focusing on earlier.

How will the staff augmentation solutions provider help?

First and foremost, a partner like Ushankk will provide flexibility to your business. It will take over the burden of finding fresh resources and do so in timeframes much shorter than what you would normally take. They will match resources to your requirements, ensuring that you do not pay for resources that are no longer needed.

They have a repertoire of creative solutions up their sleeve, one or more of which are generally able to meet each client’s requirements, such as:

IT Staffing – technically qualified resources are engaged on suitable, agreed compensation.

Professional staffing – experienced professionals in multiple fields are made available.

Direct hire placement – traditional hiring for employers.

Recruitment Process Outsourcing – taking over the complete recruitment function, sometimes including related functions like onboarding and background verification.

Payrolling – taking over statutory responsibilities related to manpower.

In conclusion

Millions of corporations have found value in engaging staffing solution providers such as Ushankk. Not only does it address their employment challenges, it also frees up leaders to focus on business related activities.

If your company is showing signs of employment related stress, you should act now.

The same was said about qualified candidates and job opportunities. They seemed to exist on different planes with no point of intersection. Recruiters with open positions would complain about the lack of talent in the world and qualified candidates would complain about the lack of opportunities created by the millions of recruiting organisations in the world.

Thanks to the efforts of recruiting specialists such as Ushankk, the world has changed substantially. HR solution providers have become the bridge that connects recruiters with jobseekers, resulting in open positions being filled and jobseekers finding suitable roles. They might even be credited for contributing to the efforts of almost all governments, most of whom have the twin goals of creating employment opportunities and reducing unemployment in their jurisdiction.

It does not come easy. While traditional recruiting might still lead the way with numbers, enterprising staffing agencies in India have not shied away from introducing innovative solutions in the marketplace in order to make it possible for companies to get talent and jobseekers to get work.

The staff augmentation solutions provided by Ushankk, one of the leading IT staffing companies in India, enable mission-critical skilled manpower at short notice. Project and skill-based resources are made available, on a variety of flexible arrangements.

IT staffing is one of the most sought-after services today. Technically qualified resources are engaged for an organization for meaningful work on suitable, agreed compensation. Ushankk will carry out the search and fulfil all statutory and administrative requirements like paying salary and depositing statutory deductions into defined accounts, freeing the recruiter from the responsibilities. The engagement could be either on the basis of time delivered or work/ tasks delivered. Providing manpower for IT managed services, that includes running equipment 24×7, data backups and storage, cybersecurity measures, handling user issues, and many other business-critical tasks, is also a requirement in many companies.

Ushankk is equipped to provide qualified staff for many other functions such as Finance and HR that are responsible for fulfilling regulatory requirements. Whether your company is in the Pharma or Insurance industry or it is an Airline, experienced professionals in these fields are required everywhere. Leveraging the Ushankk talent pool will often be quicker than searching the marketplace from scratch.

It helps to have a quiver full of arrows that can be used when the need arises. Ushankk offers clients need-based solutions such as Contract to Hire (C2H), in which the company agrees to take the employee on to their rolls after a certain period thereby reducing the initial starting time, or Payrolling, where the client is freed from the statutory responsibilities related to manpower, or even Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) where Ushankk takes over the complete handling of the recruitment function, typically preferred by companies with a large need for entry-level resources. Even related functions like onboarding and background verification will be done for you.

As a specialist HR firm, Ushankk is better placed to keep track of changing regulations and marketplace conditions, and get you better results.

Would you rather focus on your business or worry about the many challenges that recruitment and staffing often throw up? With Ushankk as your partner, the choice should be clear.

The unspoken vibes and messages we receive from the older generations, and even the spoken ones, may be contributing to this desire. This is why government jobs continue to draw people in droves. Once obtained, a government job is usually guaranteed to last a lifetime. The salary may not permit a lavish life, but at least it provides security.

Lower on security but higher on money comes a job with a private employer, the larger usually considered to be the better, perhaps again for security reasons. Larger employers are likely to have defined processes, reducing the possibility of whim-based decision-making, including sacking. A private job provides the opportunity to earn a lot more, but comes with a risk of being terminated at any time.

In a young nation, struggling to find its feet, this thinking was understandable.

Perhaps expectedly, signs of change are now visible. Increasing economic prospects have made it possible for young workers to look beyond security in their work. Youngsters are learning to identify what their interests are and choose a career accordingly, rather than choosing one for the security it provides. The startup ecosystem is buzzing. The gig economy has thousands of people signing up for outcome-based work almost every other day.

It is no surprise that in a nation known for its strength in software and technology, the role of an IT contractor has come to establish itself as a key position in the scheme of things of most large organizations. It provides skills and knowledge and manpower to them when they need it, without the responsibility of long-term engagement. This trend is supported and driven by renowned providers of staffing solutions such as Ushankk.

But, what about the IT contractors themselves? How does it help them?

They are having a ball.

Firstly, instead of being button-holed into doing what, in normal employed life, their employer would be asking them to do, they will be working on technologies that they have interest in.

How is that?

Because that is what they have stated on their profile as their area of interest. Besides, when an offer comes along that does not fit the bill, they can say no. Manpower consulting companies like Ushankk that they sign up with are conscious of their preferences and try to match their skills and preferences with assignments.

By focusing on their area of interest they will not only do work that is of better quality and earn accolades and stars, they will also enhance their skills in that area through repeated assignments.

There is more. They will be able to build a network of like-minded people and support each other in the quest. Remember, a rising tide lifts all boats.

Better remuneration is often the result as they enhance their skills and competence. If the area is one where the skills are less easily available, even more so.

When they move from one role to another, the transition can be quick, unlike in employment, which usually takes a long time for evaluation and consummation and eventual joining. Thus, they will be able to do more.

There are many other advantages of a contractual role such as opportunities for multi and upskilling. Check out our post on the role of an IT consultant to know more about the benefits.

What does it eventually lead to?

Faster growth. Isn’t that what we all want?

This single word that encompasses more than one. Traditionally used in biology in reference to a plant or animal bred from two separate, distinct species, it is finding increasing usage in business.

A hybrid car has an electric motor as well as a regular car engine. If it runs out of electric charge or needs extra power, it can switch to the regular engine while mostly running on the electric one.

The Covid 19 pandemic appears to have resulted in a work reality that is hybrid; most companies are expected to operate on some combination of work from home and work from office, with some choice given to employees.

Hybrid staffing model

Away from the hype generated by the changes wrought by the Covid-19 pandemic, including hybrid working, the hybrid model of staffing has been making steady progress and is becoming the favourite of both the HR Heads as well as the IT Heads in companies.

This model operates on the principle of having a core team, that consists of full-time employees, supported by a complement of contractual staff who are usually taken on for either a fixed duration or for a project, based on skill sets required at the time and availability.

Companies following this model rely on outsourced staffing partners like Ushankk to fulfil their needs as well as handle the administrative aspects related to employees. Effectively, in the staff augmentation model, while they work for the company, their ‘employer of record’ is Ushankk who handles all statutory responsibilities related to their engagement.

Benefits of the hybrid staffing model

Flexibility – The pandemic has resulted in significant changes to established models. Moreover, it has taught us that change can happen any time. Hence, maintaining flexibility has become a priority. A hybrid staffing model provides that flexibility to companies.

Specialization – Since technologies and requirements keep changing, one set of people may not be in a position to handle the myriad of options and technologies that can be leveraged by a company. With outsourced staffing as a part of the mix, the right skills can be employed as and when needed through resource augmentation.

Cost containment – When an organization has people, they will tend to be deployed, even though doing so may not be adding value. This equates to wasteful spending of money. By paring the headcount down to a core, the opportunity for such wasteful deployment and expenses is minimized.

Quick hiring – Since resources are not taken on as full-time employees, the hiring process is usually completed faster, resulting in a quicker start of projects than would otherwise be the case in permanent hiring.

Running a compliant payroll is one of them. It is not as simple as doing some arithmetic calculations and paying out compensation to employees. Payroll usually constitutes one of the biggest expenses in a company. This makes it a sensitive subject in itself that needs to be handled with care. Bring on the various awards, negotiations, state as well as central laws that could keep changing, and you have a situation that could blow up in the face if not handled professionally.

The act of hiring people to work for your company brings upon you the responsibility of managing them in line with the various laws and regulations enacted from time to time. These laws are enacted because the regulators also have an interest in ensuring that the employed people get a fair deal.

If not done right, it can extract a heavy toll.

According to HR experts and auditors, violations in this area usually happen not because of an intention to defraud and cheat, but simply on account of lack of knowledge or processes and controls that are unable to handle the complexity.

The complexity in payroll management

India can be a somewhat complex ecosystem with intersecting laws and jurisdictions. Some of them are:

Tax deducted at source (TDS)

It is governed by the Income Tax Act. The employer needs to obtain a Tax Account Number (TAN) and register as a deductor. The deduction rate could be different for each employee in the company and change from one year to another.

Provident Fund (PF)

PF deductions are and contributions are governed by the Employees Provident Fund Act and have to be made for qualifying employees by companies where the number of employees exceeds the defined minimum.

Employees’ State Insurance (ESI)

Applicable to employees earning less than the defined minimum, the scheme provides medical, cash, maternity, disability, and dependent benefits to the insured employees.

Professional Tax

Varies from state to state and is applicable for certain professions.

Returns

There are a variety of reports and returns that need to be filed on different portals.

Achieving payroll compliance

Large corporations might have the scale to justify hiring experts for the task.

Others would be well advised to seek professional help from HR Payroll Outsourcing experts like Ushankk, who provide the required expertise covering all aspects of payroll compliance. Ushankk invests in the latest technology and tools for payroll compliance and makes them available for payroll processing for their clients.

Many companies who have tried to do it manually, with the help of spreadsheets, have come to grief at one point or another.

Interestingly, several large corporations also work with experts like Ushankk to proactively manage payroll compliance and mitigate non-compliance risk and cost.

As some human capital consulting firms might say, “Compliance is not a choice. It is a requirement.”

But first, what is the contract-to-hire model?

It is a staff augmentation model which could result in the consultant/ contractor being hired by the employer, after a defined period of time working as a consultant. It is usually predicated on certain conditions being achieved during the period served as a consultant and not based on the client’s whims, as is sometimes misunderstood.

It is a form of an arrangement known as staffing. The individual is on the rolls of a staffing partner of the company, who manages all the administrative aspects related to hiring, such as payment of salary, statutory deductions, medical benefits, etc. while functionally he/ she works directly under the guidance of the company. The agency also handles all pre-hire activities such as identifying and shortlisting candidates. Only the final decision needs the concurrence of the company.

In layperson terms, it could be viewed as a pre-marriage live-in relationship.

The duration and terms could vary from contract to contract. Subject to the agreed terms being fulfilled, or to the willingness of both parties, the contract could even be terminated before it has reached its completion date.

Benefits for an employer

A wrong hire can sometimes set the company further back as compared to not having hired at all, say HR consultants. Employment strategies and tools have been constantly evolving. Their objective is simple – to identify suitable candidates who will be an asset for the company. However, despite tests and tools and techniques that have kept evolving, no certain method has been found.

Contract-to-hire comes closest to getting to witness the individual working, from close quarters. This enables the most objective evaluation of the candidate’s technical competence, social skills as well as the fit with the company’s culture.

As the company is not tying itself in for a long-term employment commitment to the individual, the hiring process also sometime works out better as the employer and employee do not need to jump through hoops for a perfect slam-dunk. They will have time over the contract staffing period to evaluate their long-term interest and fit. Hence, an unintended benefit is that the company is able to fill its open positions faster.

Does it suit consultants?

While similar benefits have been available to consultants taking up the contract-to-hire positions, with the balance of power traditionally having been in favour of the recruiting companies, it has been a somewhat theoretical benefit for consultants/ contractors. However, with work from home now commonplace, and contractors beginning to exercise their choices, it seems to have become a reasonably level playing field for both parties.

For contractors who are experts in their filed, the proof of the pudding may be in the eating. By operating initially on a staffing arrangement, they can display their skills and competence to the employer and negotiate more favourable terms when the time to convert the contract-to-hire finally arrives.

Contractors will be well advised to research the history of the company regarding the fate of earlier contract-to-hire engagements. Staffing partners like Ushankk can play a crucial role in the eventual success of the contract as they represent the interest of both parties.

What is IT staff augmentation?

IT staff augmentation could be defined as a form of outsourcing. In an outsourcing arrangement, the partner takes responsibility for execution with the project outcomes being the deliverables. The client, or principal, has limited control on a day-to-day basis.

In a staff augmentation arrangement, the partner sources and manages the people that are required for the project, or task, and manages them administratively. However, they are directly managed by the client as far as work-related responsibilities and execution is concerned, affording much greater control and flexibility on allocation and utilization of the resource’s time.

Who can benefit from IT staff augmentation?

While it could deliver benefits to any company that employs or uses IT specialists and IT consultants, this could be for you:

• If you have a core team of resources who are becoming pressed on account of challenging delivery timelines or many different assignments, you can add a team of IT contractors through this route, increasing capacity and providing relief to the core team.
• If you are engaged in a project that requires expertise in many different technologies, it might be better to engage IT consultants through this route as you may not have a need for expertise in many of those technologies beyond the project.
• If you are a startup and are rushing to meet deadlines to deliver while still not certain of the acceptability of the platform, leveraging IT staff augmentation will ensure your work is done without having the responsibility of headcount in case the product does not work out as expected.
• If you are a startup on a shoestring budget, instead of committed headcount, leverage the flexibility of IT staff augmentation and spend your money wisely.
• If as an IT business you take on different projects for clients, it could be useful if you have resources that you don’t need to worry about or find work for, after this project gets over. IT staff augmentation gives you that peace of mind.
• If your recruitment team is stretched to capacity, this strategy enables you to add the capability of an IT staff augmentation solutions provider. Without adding headcount, it adds skills, some of which you may not have, and capacity, to your business, and opens up untapped pools of talent.
• If you have exhausted the usual talent pools, hiring IT consultants with varying work arrangements, including remote, enables you to tap into newer pools of talent across wider geographic spread.

IT talent is in demand as technology constitutes the backbone of business regardless of industry. Ensure that you are using the right strategies to access IT talent, IT consultants and IT contractors through trusted providers such as Ushankk.