Case study
Kcom is part of the KCOM Group PLC and provides communication
services for multi-site enterprise and public sector organisations across the
UK. Over the years the company has grown organically and through
acquisition, leading to a diversity of cultures and operational styles within the
organisation.
This diversity presented a number of challenges to the HR function which
the Director of HR Operations sought to rectify through a comprehensive
HR change programme. Throughout 2005 HR Operations was restructured
to unite the different business strands, instil accountability and return focus
to the customer. Data acquisition and verification were also overhauled to
ensure accurate, accessible Management Information. A further critical
aspect of the change programme was the outsourcing of key HR functions,
primarily recruitment.
Resourcing achievements
In July 2006 Independent was engaged to provide a complete recruitment
process outsourcing solution. Working closely with the Group Head of
Resourcing, the embedded team introduced tighter account management
and robust reporting to inform and strengthen the candidate selection
process. Service and hire quality measures were introduced to improve
efficiency, leading to a reduction in time to hire from 30 to 20 days. Routes to
hire were broadened, with increased use of direct hiring and referral
schemes and significantly, there was a major reduction in the use of
ecruitment agencies from 85% to 34%. As a result, substantial cost savings
and performance improvements were achieved across the company.
Kcom's Head of Operations commented, "Independent has played an
instrumental role in improving our resourcing delivery and focus within the
business, together with driving commercial value across the KCOM group
as a whole."
