What is outsourcing (in simple words): examples of personnel outsourcing, types, who is an outsourcer, what does the concept of outsourcing mean, definition and functions of outsourcing services

For modern businesses, maintaining a large staff is an unprofitable and ineffective solution. It is more rational to delegate some tasks to another organization. Every entrepreneur should know what it is - outsourcing or an outsourcing company, what the concept means in simple words and, having studied examples of a similar option for forming a work process, decide whether this is necessary for his activities.

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The staff is on edge

TATYANA KRUPINA

The word “outsourcing” comes from the English out - “outside” and source - “source”. This term, when applied to personnel, means the transfer of part of the organization’s functions to employees who are not formally on the staff of the organization and are not associated with it by any contract. The beautiful phrase “personnel outsourcing” in practice simply means hiring personnel. And as with any lease, you receive certain advantages, but you can never evaluate in advance all aspects of such temporary use of someone else's property. Usually the disadvantages are completely compensated by the advantages, but this is not always the case.

What is outsourcing

The first signs of outsourcing in Russia back in the early 90s were “multi-tool” accountants. Thanks to the law on accounting, which made it possible to conduct so-called “external accounting,” numerous consulting companies took on dozens of enterprises for service and “sculpted” balance sheets, while the staff of the service enterprises themselves may not have had an accountant at all. The agreement between the entities was commonly referred to as an “accounting services agreement.” This practice has continued to this day, although only very small enterprises now use external accounting, which simply cannot afford to hire a qualified accountant full-time.

But a special type of agreement that would regulate outsourcing services still does not exist - the Civil Code of the Russian Federation does not provide for such a concept. However, this is not an obstacle to the development of this business - after all, as the law says, “everything that is not prohibited is permitted.” True, you will have to independently work out the basic terms of the contract, but freedom of creativity has never bothered anyone. When drawing up an outsourcing agreement, it is necessary to provide for qualification requirements for personnel, terms for the provision and replacement of personnel, mutual penalties in case of early termination, and, of course, such issues as the responsibility of the contractor for the work of the personnel provided by him. Careful work on the draft contract can help the outsourcer’s client (usually a recruitment agency) not to go under when the hired personnel, for example, worsen the customer’s reputation or, even worse, release commercially significant information outside the company.

It should also be borne in mind that a personnel outsourcing agreement (usually called “on the provision of personnel”) is not an agreement to perform a certain amount of work. This is just an agreement to provide a certain number of people with the required qualifications. Therefore, one should not expect that after the landing of the ordered dispatchers, everything will go like clockwork. You will still have to bring newcomers up to speed, demonstrate who is the boss, etc. Because if you do not carry out all these usual personnel management actions, in a week the third-party staff will drink tea in the same way as your own.

Who needs people for rent?

Attracting “borrowed personnel” is in demand by a variety of market participants. Outsourcing is most widespread in the IT industry. Here, the actual location of the employee, who can sit in a dacha near Kostroma and write his programs, being formally an employee of some offshore company, matters very little. This type of outsourcing even has its own term - “offshore programming”. It allows, without paying programmers fees of the size that is customary in Silicon Valley, to receive a product of decent quality, physically produced in different parts of the Earth.

But, in addition to IT companies, companies of various profiles with a vertically integrated structure have recently begun to show great interest in HR outsourcing. These are, for example, banks, insurance companies, large commodity producers, and retail chains.

Color and size, as it turned out, also matter. Outsourcing turns out to be attractive, according to Deputy Director for Development Alexander Chernyaev, primarily for companies that have switched to “white” wages, respect the Labor Code and use various material and non-material methods of stimulating staff. Firstly, no benefits from outsourcing will cover the savings on unified social tax and income tax if salaries are paid in envelopes, and the statements reflect a shy 1000 rubles. Secondly, the Labor Code of the Russian Federation establishes quite a few restrictions on the dismissal of employees. If it becomes more and more difficult to kick out a person who is on staff, then outsourcing allows you to avoid all the problems with an unsuitable employee or difficulties in a situation where the company, in order not to be at a loss, urgently needs to reduce staff.

However, it also happens that a company that quite trivially issues salaries in envelopes needs Mr. N and no one else. And he is the trouble! — I’m used to receiving everything on a plastic card, and every year I check my pension contributions. He simply won’t accept a “gray” salary, but such a picky person can be hired through outsourcing.

By the way, the most active demand for outsourcing in Russia is from Western companies: head offices strictly regulate the number of personnel based on their labor productivity standards. But at the same time, they monitor the spending limit on third-party services much less closely. And now the local divisions of the world giants, tired of the mountains of undone work, are hiring outsourced personnel - they have to somehow get out. According to experts, “foreigners” provide half of the demand for outsourcing services.

Non-main people

Companies can benefit from outsourcing for different reasons and in different situations. For example, at certain points in corporate development, it may be more important to focus on a core line of business, or "grand line" efforts, while non-core activities or spin-off businesses become less important. In this case, it is advisable to outsource the issues of staffing these non-main areas in order to preserve forces for promoting the dominant product or sector.

The use of outsourcing is also beneficial when an enterprise has departments, production, or divisions that cannot be loaded 100% of the time due to objective reasons. A small office, for example, needs cleaning services, but an hour a day is enough to clean up all the rooms. In this case, it makes no sense to hire a cleaning lady - and this is where outsourcing comes in handy.

It also makes sense to undergo periods of business expansion or territorial expansion with the support of outsourcing. During growth, many different new problems for the company always arise, and the diversion of effort and resources to train a large cohort of new personnel, and even in the “era of change,” means a threat to strategic plans. Therefore, the staff is leased - and subsequently some of them, quite possibly, will become full-time employees.

And the most trivial case is when the company has a one-of-a-kind employee who needs to go on vacation. To avoid starting work, you can order a replacement for a month.

Quality issue

The outsourcing scheme is used to recruit employees of various levels and specializations. Of course, top managers are usually not outsourced, except in the salary whitening scheme described above. But this process can rather be called outstaffing - that is, the removal of personnel from the staff. But a lawyer, even a very highly qualified one, is welcome.

Most often, programmers, promoters, call center staff, telephone salespeople, and accountants work through outsourcing. Outsourcing of marketers, designers, security guards, drivers, and any specific personnel is widespread - if the need for such specialists is not constant, but arises periodically. For example, for a season - in a hotel, restaurant, on a cruise ship.

Personnel provided by recruitment agencies that have experience in outsourcing are usually of high quality. These are people who are able to quickly switch to a new task, quickly adapt to new working conditions, to unusual tasks. They are “battle-tested” - and everything is very simple here. If, under the conditions of a regular contract, a boss who does not like a subordinate may ask himself the question: “how is it that he has a decent resume, but things are not going well - maybe there is something wrong in the company?”, then the outsourcing company has ability to focus on statistics. And if a client asks for an urgent replacement for an employee for the third time in a row within a week, it means the problem is with the employee himself. Therefore, a client of an outsourcing company can be advised to order personnel who have a relatively long work experience with the outsourcing company.

Benefits of outsourcing

Outsourcing allows you to obtain both tangible and intangible benefits. Firstly, many outsourcers operate under a simplified taxation system, which allows them to save on unified social tax and, accordingly, reduce the client’s direct costs. Secondly, in some situations, enterprises need to maintain a certain number of employees for tax or other reasons. An extra ten people will lead to exceeding the threshold values, which means goodbye to preferences. Thirdly, the benefit from personnel outsourcing arises when employees are used remotely - the same IT companies do not need to equip workplaces, buy computers, or pay for the rental of additional workspace. And call centers are often physically located completely separately from the client company, which also brings savings. For “gray” companies that whitewash individual salaries, the outsourcing scheme allows them to simply not be exposed to the real scale of payments. And, of course, with outsourcing, additional benefits are associated with the absence of costs for finding and training employees, and for formalizing labor relations. Significant savings are also achieved by transferring accounting for payroll, unified social tax, personal income tax, calculation of sick leave, and so on, outside the enterprise.

Intangible benefits are also quite obvious - this is the opportunity to focus on solving basic production problems, the right not to be limited by the norms of the Labor Code when building relationships with employees, and a reduction in the time of searching for the right employee. In addition, outsourcing gives the client great advantages in the event of such an unpleasant event as a leak of commercial information. (We note in parentheses that the risk of leakage during outsourcing itself is not, according to many experts, higher than in conventional labor relations). The fact is that in direct labor relations the issue of compensation for losses is quite difficult to resolve - you cannot deduct much from your salary. But making a claim for damages to the outsourcer who provided the personnel who provided the leak is as easy as shelling pears.

The medal has two sides

There are also downsides that recruiters don’t like to talk about. One of them is the high probability of “hooking the client on the needle.” The outsourcer senses very well the moment when the client can no longer do without his services. And - immediately raises the price. Companies accustomed to comfort can already hardly return to the usual recruitment scheme, even if outsourcing becomes completely unprofitable economically.

Another serious problem is the completely natural lack of engagement among “outside” employees. Even with fairly long-term contracts (one year is practically the maximum term of outsourcing contracts), each person from the unemployed corps does not subconsciously perceive the company - the actual employer - as their own. And this in some way violates the carefully instilled corporate spirit. This problem is directly related to another one - the inattention of external employees to the reputation of their temporary employer. As a result, outsourced employees work not only coolly, but without the sparkling eyes that attract employers so much.

It's funny that it seems to be this aspect of outsourcing that is particularly stressful for HR departments. Neither Citibank nor Alfa Bank, where personnel outsourcing was used, were able to obtain comments on the topic. And Citibank clients attribute all their dissatisfaction to the agency staff.

So to take it or not to take it?

The question needs to be posed differently. If there is a need, take it, carefully choosing a partner, setting a reasonable contract period, carefully writing down the details of the contract and the requirements for the supplied personnel. And, if necessary, direct the personnel service towards special approaches to the “Varangians”, because perhaps one of them will later become a full-time specialist. Well, if there is no strong need or a mercenary is too expensive, it is better to abandon the outsourcing scheme. You should think over everything repeatedly (especially the contract) even in the case when you plan to hire a “lesser” financially responsible person. Alexander Chernyaev believes that issues of financial liability of borrowed personnel are one of the most problematic in outsourcing.

But, apparently, the Labor Code greatly helps the development of outsourcing. He (with the best intentions) established extremely limited opportunities for an employer to fire employees, no matter how poorly they performed. Considering that advanced HR management is expensive, it makes sense to keep a person “at a distance” for a longer period of time through outsourcing. An employee who is not on staff does not need to take out medical insurance, pay expenses for corporate parties, or pay vacation pay. And the pregnancy of an outsourced employee will not affect the activities of the staff member - they will be replaced. Thus, outsourcing allows, without formally violating any rules and regulations, to change, punish and fire employees through the wrong hands.

What is it used for?

Let's consider the main options when outsourcing is appropriate:

A small company does not have enough funds to fully support and pay all employees, or their services are not needed constantly, but only once in a certain period. In both cases, it is much more profitable to hire a third-party organization that will perform one-time or periodic work.
If a large company has many non-core divisions that do not generate profit but are involved in services, this has a bad effect on the overall reporting.
If a company is not able to allocate enough funds for non-core activities, it is not able to compete in the employment market, so finding employees often becomes a problem.
The office needs to reduce staff or payroll costs. It also happens that the accounting department needs to report or achieve the planned level of average staff salaries. Outsourcing of low-paid categories, for example, cleaning, canteen, and transport, helps with this.

Pros and cons of providing temporary staff

Each party to such a contractual relationship has its own positive and negative sides. Let's take a closer look at the advantages of staff outstaffing, staff outsourcing, as well as the pros and cons of temporary workers.

Advantages of leasing temporary staff for an employer

Quickly attracting the required number of employees for a certain period of time;
Reducing enterprise costs. The entrepreneur does not pay tax deductions for these employees. Thus, it can maintain the status of a small business, and this entails additional government subsidies and simplified taxation. There is also no need to waste time and money searching for personnel and specialists. Often, an independent search for personnel is more expensive than recruiting personnel through a recruitment agency;
No downtime. Recruiting firms, thanks to their extensive database of employees, can select an employee with the required qualifications in a matter of hours. This saves a lot of time for the client company, for which it is important that the work is completed on time;
A hired employee can become a permanent employee. If you like how the hired employee performs his duties, then you can offer him a place on a permanent staff. Thanks to outstaffing and leasing, you can create a team of professionals and trusted people;
Increased internship time. Many entrepreneurs perceive temporary hiring as an internship for individual employees. Legally, any employee must train for no more than 2 weeks. But often this time is not enough to understand a person and adequately assess his abilities. An employee will work at a certain enterprise for no more than 9 months, and this time is enough for him to prove himself;
The advantage of personnel outsourcing, outstaffing and leasing is to reduce the load on the accounting and HR departments. Due to the fact that all personal documentation and deductions for the employee are maintained by the recruitment agency, the accounting and personnel departments maintain less documentation;
The staff is being reduced without losing qualified employees. Thanks to outstaffing, you can significantly reduce the number of employees after a formal transfer to another company. In reality, a person does not feel any changes and continues to fulfill his duties;
Replacement of key employees during vacations, sick leave, etc. Every employee is entitled to vacation, but during this period someone will have to do his work. This is where a temporary employee comes to the rescue.

Disadvantages of hiring temporary staff for an employer

Wage. According to current legislation, the salary of a temporary worker should not be lower than that of a full-time employee of this qualification;
Unfair attitude of the leased employee. Very often, temporary staff do their work carelessly. Such employees understand that this work is temporary and do not overwork themselves. Although it depends on the human qualities of the employee;
Limited period of stay of a temporary employee at the enterprise. A temporary worker cannot work in one organization for more than 9 months, so after this time he will have to be hired as a permanent employee or replaced with another leased one (possibly less experienced);
Information leak. If an enterprise with a high level of secrecy uses the services of outsourcing companies, then you need to be sure that these are trusted people who will not take advantage of their official position. Therefore, you need to carefully choose a company that provides personnel outsourcing services;
Also, with outsourcing, no one is immune from poor quality work. In this case, the company that transfers part of the functional tasks cannot properly control the execution of the work, because does not have the necessary leverage.

Benefits for the employee

Flexible work schedule. A hired employee, depending on the work performed, may have a flexible schedule;
Employment in large companies. A leased employee has the opportunity to work in large organizations, while he gains invaluable experience, and all places of work are recorded in the work book;
Continuous experience. By changing places of work, the length of service is not interrupted, because the person is officially employed by a recruitment agency;
Regular salary is not lower than that of employees of the same qualifications;
Opportunity to get a permanent job.

Disadvantages for workers

The main disadvantage of being an employee is the constant change of jobs. It is because of this that many people do not like to “jump” from one place to another.

Outsourcing functions

Typically, enterprises outsource the following tasks to outsourcing companies:

accounting;
selection and attraction of personnel;
salary calculation;
tax transactions;
maintenance of machinery and equipment;
ensuring the functioning of the office;
software development;
translations;
security measures;
design;
creation of advertising;
logistics;
cleaning of premises;
transport processes.

Main types

Hiring third companies to carry out any necessary activities is divided according to the specifics of the activity, the volume of transferred functions, and geopolitical data.

IT

Keeping a good programmer on staff is not cheap, but loading him with tasks every working day of the month is quite problematic. Moreover, this applies not only to small capacities, where the IT network is limited to 10 subscribers, but also to large banking and industrial systems. For example, Rosneft and Sberbank have long outsourced all IT departments, leaving only strategically important segments. Such outsourcing is divided into two groups: maintaining equipment and computer equipment in working order or creating software and an enterprise network.

Accounting

Such services are often used to organize labor by small firms that do not need extensive accounting. By transferring accounting work to a remote company, you can not only save on staff salaries, but also on updating and installing specialized programs.

Full

Tasks and functions can be transferred to a third party in different volumes: full, partial, joint and intermediate. Full outsourcing means that the essence of using the system is based on transferring to other people all types of work in this segment.

Occupational Safety and Health

According to the norms, if an enterprise employs more than 50 people, then a mandatory condition for its functioning is the presence of a service dealing with occupational safety issues. Even if your staff has up to fifty craftsmen, there should still be a person in the team responsible for safety. Such tasks can be delegated to external specialists. Their cost will depend on the characteristics of your company, the specifics of production, and the size of the team.

Legal

Usually, the services of a lawyer are needed only a few times a year, so there is no point in keeping him on staff on a permanent basis. By concluding an agreement with a law firm, you will save not only on the payment of salaries, but you will also pay for the necessary several tasks per year solely upon their completion.

Personnel outsourcing: what is it in simple words

HR outstaffing simplifies the process of finding employees, and, accordingly, the costs of it, especially when a team is needed to carry out temporary tasks. Formally, the employee will be listed in the outsourcing department, but in fact he is under the influence of the customer.

As a rule, this method is used within the framework of project activities that are limited in time and resources.

Third Party Interaction

They divide cooperation with contractors according to geopolitical characteristics. External outsourcing is a contract between parties operating within the same country.

In sales

This is the process of transferring the authority of the sales department to another organization. It can be complete or partial. The list of tasks can be very different: from creating presentations, informing customers about promotions and discounts, to working with objections and complaints. Only one segment of goods can be outsourced: the simplest, which is already in demand, is significant for profit, but no longer requires close control, or, on the contrary, the most complex, where a creative approach is needed, but the company does not have the material resources for it.

In business processes

The Corporation transfers matters that are not core to its activities to third-party specialists. A simple example will help you better understand what these outsourcing services are: transferring the functions of an accountant, lawyer, or jurist.

Also, many companies use the help of 3PL (third-generation logistics) - this is a whole range of different types of activities that are undertaken by a third-party organization: responsible storage, transportation, packaging, transshipment, labeling, etc. All processes can be automated using various equipment and Software, including data collection terminals, which are presented in the Cleverence assortment.

Industrial

It is implemented in large enterprises with impressive production, where there is no need to include some stages within the framework of personal capacities. For example, factories in the automobile, aviation and space industries outsource more than 65 percent of their responsibilities, including the development of components and spare parts for assembling the final product. There are companies whose structure does not provide for production activities at all, but their partners have more than 2,500 production facilities that make all their products for them. The main goals of such an enterprise include ensuring sales.

What is outsourcing?

In simple terms, outsourcing is the transfer of individual tasks to a third party. For example, a construction company that often employs foreign citizens may employ a separate HR specialist who is knowledgeable in immigration law. Or he may outsource the function of processing paperwork for migrants to an outsourcing company specializing in such activities. This will allow you to save on wages, since you will be paid for the service, not the hours of work. There will be no need to pay taxes and contributions for one more employee, or lose the simplified tax system, expanding the staff beyond a hundred people. Another option is to contact an outstaffing company, which we wrote about in one of our articles.

HR outsourcing differs from outstaffing in that with this form of cooperation, the company pays for the result obtained, and with outstaffing, it “rents” the time of an employee of a third-party organization.

Accounting, HR, legal functions, logistics, security, cleaning, production processes, IT, etc. are most often outsourced.

Payment for outsourcing

Outsourcing is the process of performing tasks for which the hired company makes a profit. There are three types of remuneration.

For completed volume

Payment is made upon acceptance of the work, and the required volume is initially specified in the contract. An example of a company providing accountant services:

Maintenance program type

Lightweight (for 30 days)

Standard (up to 9 employees) for 30 days

Standard extended (up to 30 employees) for 30 days

Luxury (for 30 days)

What's included in the package

6 detailed consultations

12 accounting entries

Documentation in electronic form

Synchronization with reporting in 1C

12 consultations

Up to 35 transactions

Copies of papers in digitized form

Working with 1C and other reporting programs

Insurance against possible contractor errors

Synchronization with Berator-Online

Consulting up to 22 times

Up to hundreds of transactions

Electronic document management

Legal support

Interface with 1C and connection to automated reporting systems

Insurance against possible inaccuracies of the outsourcer.

Interaction with Berator-Online

Up to 35 detailed consultations

350 accounting entries

Copies of all important documents in electronic form

Systematization of business processes with 1C

Insurance against contractor errors

Working with Berator-Online

Price

5500 rub.

7500 rub.

RUB 27,750

RUB 59,750

Hourly payment

This type is typical for personnel outsourcing. Here, for example, is a price list for companies in various areas of activity in the northern regions of the Russian Federation, excluding the capital:

Outsourcing industry	Cost based on (1 person) rubles/hour
Catering	from 129
Retail and wholesale distribution	from 135
Auto industry	from 139
Logistics activities	from 149
Product manufacturing	from 119
Heavy and light industry	from 129

Payment for actual hours worked

This method is used in cases where it is difficult to find out in advance how long it will take to complete a task. For example, this applies to legal support in court, the cost of which starts from 650 rubles/hour and can last indefinitely.

Types and characteristics of outsourcing

World practice has proven that any business process can be transferred to a third-party contractor. The following types of outsourcing are distinguished:

Production (industrial) outsourcing – production functions or part of them are transferred. For example, advertising agencies print banners on printing equipment, which means they use external production capacity.
Business process outsourcing – business processes that are not key activities are transferred. For example, accounting, advertising campaign, personnel management, market promotion, logistics.
IT outsourcing – an external company deals with information systems. This may include full technical support, as well as website development and management of more complex projects.
Knowledge management outsourcing is a young type of service that is just gaining popularity in the United States. It is associated with in-depth study and analysis of massive databases, and their management. The results obtained are used to make key decisions.

The most popular outsourcing areas:

accounting and tax reporting;
legal support;
payroll preparation;
HR management;
PR;
development and implementation of marketing strategy;
database management;
logistics;
information, economic security;
project work at all stages;
cleaning of premises;
production;
technical maintenance of all types of transport.

All this allows companies to focus available resources on the main task, without being scattered on secondary but necessary processes.

Let's turn to the world market leaders, for whom outsourcing not only helped overcome crisis moments, but also allowed them to increase their turnover. 60% of these companies initially pursued the goal of saving money, but in the end they received great benefits.

For example, Procter & Gamble transferred some of its production functions to other countries. This bold move increased productivity by 60% and profits by 10 billion.

The famous American toy manufacturer Hasbro, with the help of outsourcing, overcame the “paint crisis” that occurred on the market in 2007.

The company was not afraid to attract third-party partners and only benefited from this. This became an important strategic decision that helped overcome the crisis situation.

The Russian market for “narrow professional assistance” to business is developing, but very slowly in comparison with its Western colleagues. The market has not yet fully formed, so there is a chance to occupy this niche for those who need a business idea.

Advantages

The outsourcing process is a special format of work, which in practice acquires advantages and disadvantages. By understanding them, you can decide for yourself what is better to entrust to third-party workers and what to distribute to in-house employees. The benefits include:

the ability to focus on core activities without being distracted by additional tasks;
receiving services from highly qualified workers;
guarantees of meeting requirements and deadlines and, accordingly, obtaining the expected result;
saving money on salaries;
reduction of liabilities to the tax authorities.

Benefits of outsourcing

This process is gaining popularity and is actively used by large companies. The main advantages of outsourcing are obvious:

The cost of the wage fund is reduced. The volume of document flow is reduced, and there is no need to pay employees bonuses and various bonuses. Even if the contractor has to pay more, but the increase in efficiency is higher, the company remains a winner.
Minimizing social obligations. You are not required to pay for sick leave, vacations and other expenses required for your staff.
Business management resources are aimed at solving core issues and are not involved in non-core activities.
The specialists hired from the contractor most often have higher qualifications than those whom the company can invite for permanent work.
Replacing one outsourcing company with another is easier than dealing with the transfer or dismissal of employees, which means that you can reorganize the business, if necessary, faster.

Times are changing and increasingly, to quickly reorganize a business, it is better to involve third-party companies, freeing up resources for core activities.

Flaws

The disadvantages include:

Inability to make adjustments to the terms of the contract. You can assign a number of tasks to your person, entrust him with functions that are not part of his direct job responsibilities, and at the same time not charge a salary. And the outsourcer works exclusively within the framework of the contract.
The difficulty of introducing an employee into the nuances of the company’s work.
Inability to assess the potential of attracted professionals.
Possibility of misunderstandings between in-house and contract specialists.
Possibility of downtime. For example, the repair of equipment in production is outsourced. While a specialist arrives, a full-time technician, who is always in place, could independently fix the problem much faster.

Cost of personnel outsourcing services

As you have already noticed, a few outsourcers indicate specific prices for services. The scope of positions and qualifications is too wide. Too many items need to be clarified to find out the cost of the service provided.

I looked at the questionnaires that outsourcers give their clients to fill out and identified five factors on the basis of which the final price of the service is determined. Here they are:

The period for which temporary employees will be hired.
Scope of the project. The more work needs to be done, the more personnel are hired.
Education, qualifications, experience of recruited workers.
Season and type of activity. For example, outsourcing construction personnel is more expensive in the summer and cheaper in the winter. This is because in summer the demand for these services increases.
The location of an office, warehouse or production facility - the farther from the city, the more expensive. Reason: additional travel expenses for employees.

I also wandered around the forums a bit. Many people write that outsourcing is always more profitable than a permanent employee, even if you rent the best employee in your field.

Simple instructions for beginners

If you understand what outsourcing is and decide to use a similar program, follow the following recommendations.

The first stage - we analyze the activity

Having assessed the advantages of outsourcing services, do not rush to sign contracts to distribute some of the functions to others; perhaps you do not need it. First, conduct a thorough analysis of the company's work:

calculate how much is spent on staffing for each segment;
find out how much you will have to pay for outsourcing;
compare the results and only then make a decision.

The second stage - selecting an outsourcer

Success and profit depend on how scrupulously you treat the selection of third-party specialists. Make a list of requirements, study the market and mark several options that best suit your parameters and have positive customer reviews. Check to see if they are insured and properly licensed. Then, be sure to find out and discuss the terms of cooperation.

The third stage - carefully read the clauses of the contract

In the cooperation agreement, you must indicate in detail the list of tasks that you are transferring and discuss all the details of their implementation. Particular attention is paid to:

subject of the agreement;
the number of employees involved, their level of education and experience;
volume of work;
remuneration and methods of payment;
acceptance procedure, contract validity period.

Since the legislation of the Russian Federation does not regulate issues of conducting outsourcing activities, the signed agreement is the only document by which it is possible to control the fulfillment of the terms of the transaction. Therefore, it is very important to indicate in it all controversial issues and describe in detail everything that you want to get as a result.

Stage four - sign the contract

A lawyer must be present during the final approval of the papers and their signing. The agreement necessarily contains a section on maintaining confidentiality, and also specifies further actions and nuances if one of the parties terminates the transaction due to the partners’ failure to fulfill their obligations.

Fifth stage - moving to a new format

Having secured the papers with signatures, the customer must convey information about the state of affairs in all details, and the outsourcing company must completely immerse itself in the process. The sooner the partners reach mutual understanding and clarity, the faster the result of cooperation will be visible.

Stage six - we organize a system of control over the contractor

Even at the time of drawing up the contract, you should discuss how reports will be received to you. A timely study of the work of partner companies will make it possible to identify errors and adjust the plan for further activities, or the opportunity to refuse a third-party company due to its failure to fulfill its obligations.

Additional questions

When you can't do without it

Often, companies providing personnel outsourcing services are approached when it is necessary to select a team for a short-term or one-time project, to perform seasonal work, or when there is no opportunity or desire to significantly increase the staff. Outsourcing of temporary staff is also the best option if you need to replace an employee who has gone on long leave or is on sick leave. However, first of all, personnel outsourcing is considered as an opportunity to transfer to the outsourcer the functions of selecting and hiring personnel on a long-term basis. Among the companies interested in such a service are factories, supermarkets, shopping and entertainment centers, catering establishments, hotels, warehouses, etc.

HR potential of outsourcing

Today, almost any function can be outsourced. At the same time, most often people turn to companies providing personnel outsourcing services in cases where the following is required:

lawyers and accountants;
IT specialists;
drivers, couriers, loaders, storekeepers;
cleaning specialists,
secretaries and office managers;
personnel workers;
translators;
workers (for example, mechanics or plumbers).

In what areas is personnel outsourcing service used?

Temporary or permanent workers are provided for the following areas:

trade (sellers, managers, cashiers, merchandisers, loaders, storekeepers, sales representatives, cleaners);
production (workers, specialists, craftsmen, engineers, packers, packers, drivers, commodity experts);
warehouses (loaders, forwarders, storekeepers, cleaners, drivers, pickers);
hotel and restaurant business (administrators, bartenders, waiters, cooks, bakers, dishwashers).

This is also important to know:
Can they be fined at work and for what reason?

Personnel outsourcing can be used to hire any workforce, accounting, human resources, administrative and service personnel, including low-skilled workers (janitors, leaflet distributors, etc.).

Outsourcing of sales personnel is popular among large chain stores, since the provision of sufficient labor force directly affects the efficiency of customer service and the rating of the chain. Both commercial and municipal enterprises, regardless of the type of activity, can conclude an agreement for the service and provision of workers.

How are outsourced workers registered?

To use personnel outsourcing, you must contact one of the outsourcing services in Moscow and the Moscow region. Companies engaged in the provision of labor accept applications, conduct a competitive selection among the candidates available in the database, and then provide the employer with a ready-made set of service and sales personnel.

In essence, personnel outsourcing in Moscow is not the employment of workers, but the conclusion of a contract with a third-party company. Cooperation can be seasonal, temporary, permanent, at the discretion of the customer and the need for personnel.

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What is important to include in an accounting outsourcing agreement?

The disadvantages of outsourcing accounting can be easily avoided. To do this, you need to draw up a contract correctly. It indicates a list of services, duties and responsibilities of the parties.

The contract must include the following items that the outsourcer must fulfill:

preparation of tax and accounting reports;
providing the necessary data to the tax authorities;
reimbursement of fines for errors in accounting at your own expense;
maintaining the confidentiality of data received from the client;
providing information to the customer on all innovations in legislation relating to accounting issues;
explaining all aspects of the work to the tax authorities;
other requirements that will ensure complete, continuous, timely accounting of the customer company.

In addition, it is important to agree with the supplier on working conditions, actions in case of possible risks or termination of cooperation, in order to be able to quickly return to previous functioning without loss of efficiency or suspension of operations.

BDO UNICON OUTSOURCING offers accounting outsourcing services for businesses of all organizational forms, industries and sizes. We work in Moscow, Voronezh and other cities. We keep records on an ongoing basis and solve one-time problems that arise.

BDO provides accounting services for more than 370 companies operating in various industries. You can view our projects on the website.

Advantages of our services:

More than 50 years of work in the world and more than 30 in Russia. We have knowledge of foreign practices and are familiar with the realities of Russian business.
We are responsible and compensate fines if errors occurred due to the fault of our employees. Our civil liability is registered with SPAO Ingosstrakh.
BDO Unicon Outsourcing's management system is ISO 9001:2015 certified and our services are certified to international quality standards.

What cannot be classified as outsourcing

There are types of activities that are often confused with the concept of outsourcing:

Freelancing is a method of employment, not a form of providing services. A person is often not formally registered and does not have any contracts at all. Designers, programmers, copywriters, etc. usually work in a similar way.
Dropshipping is a system of intermediation. The dropshipper sells goods that do not belong to him and receives a percentage by adding a markup from the initial cost set by the real owner. This is how most online platforms work.

How to switch to outsourcing: step-by-step algorithm

Step 1. Selecting an area for outsourcing

This is the most important step. You need to analyze the activities of your company and understand which non-core activities are the most difficult to manage, show the least efficiency, and what partnership offers are available on the market. The larger ones are leaving their cleaning, transport, repair and catering departments. Small companies often outsource accounting, legal, and IT functions from the moment they are founded. Retail chains are first of all looking for the possibility of outsourcing personnel.

Step 2. Selecting a partner (outsourcing company)

The main selection criterion is reputation in the market and the availability of its own resources - human, financial, production, etc. For example, it is important for a logistics operator to have its own warehouses, an extensive fleet of vehicles, trained personnel, etc. Also important is the willingness of a particular company to take the volumes required by the customer. If the outsourcer already has several clients with just enough resources, the additional load can be fatal for the customer.

It is advisable to choose at least 3 outsourcer options, and preferably 5 (this is not possible in all cities). Large companies and government organizations choose partners through tenders.

Once the options are selected, negotiations begin with representatives of each of them. All the nuances are discussed: volumes of services, terms, resources, forms and methods of payment, and so on.

Step 4. Conclusion of an agreement

An outsourcing agreement is essentially a contract for the provision of services for a fee. The Civil Code of the Russian Federation (Article 160-161) requires such a document to be in writing. The contract must contain the following provisions:

Names of the parties and the basis on which the customer and the contractor act.
The subject of the contract is a list of services that the outsourcing company will provide.
The volume of services provided (if it can be determined in advance) or the procedure for determining this volume.
Contract price. It can be expressed in a fixed amount or in proportion, or a reference is given to the outsourcer’s price list.
Rights and obligations of each party.
Ways to control the activities of the outsourcer.
Responsibility of each party for failure to fulfill its obligations. Penalties should be detailed here.
Settlement of disputes.
Contract time. Most often it is concluded for a year with the possibility of extension.
The procedure for making changes to the contract and its termination.
Other conditions.
Details of the parties, signatures and seals.

Step 5. Making an advance payment (if provided for in the contract)

The amount of the prepayment is usually specified in the contract. Sometimes the payment is divided into parts if the outsourced activity involves execution in several stages.

Step 6. Monitoring the execution of the contract

Typically, the outsourcer’s own regulatory bodies are used to monitor the results of the outsourcer’s activities; current control is carried out by the heads of related departments of the company.

Step 7. Payment for services under the contract

At this stage, either the remaining amount is paid if an advance payment has been made, or the entire amount specified in the contract.

How to avoid making mistakes during the transition: simple recommendations

It is impossible to take into account all the nuances of the upcoming cooperation with an outsource company, but it is worth looking at the list of the most common mistakes.

The transition should proceed smoothly and gradually. Don’t rush to fire your own staff right away, hoping that people will no longer be useful to you.
Always ensure that agreed deadlines are met. And it doesn’t matter what it concerns: providing reporting or setting up equipment in your account.
Before transferring some powers and responsibilities to other specialists, calculate the risks and costs.

Disadvantages of outsourcing

In addition to the obvious advantages, transferring certain functions to a third-party company also carries possible problems, especially if the process is left to chance.

Increased costs - the cost of services from external companies may increase, the price structure changes, the volume of services increases or decreases, and if you do not pay enough attention to this, it may turn out that the initial calculations of the effectiveness of outsourcing in the new conditions are no longer correct. The same can happen if several functions are outsourced at once: costs need to be controlled in all areas.
A decline in the quality of services provided - if an outsourcing company repeatedly sends poorly trained migrants to a trading network as merchandisers, this will inevitably affect the income of the main business. If an unqualified lawyer loses several lawsuits, this could result in the ruin of the company. The selection of outsourcing partners must be treated very carefully.
Breach of confidentiality. Unlike your own employees, whom you can influence directly, you cannot guarantee the safety of confidential data in a third party. There is always a possibility of information leakage from outsourcing lawyers or accountants. Strict contract terms regarding confidentiality will save you from problems. Or you can simply leave the employees who have such information on staff.
Becoming overly dependent on an outsourcer. If there is not enough competition between specialized companies in your city, and you have to agree to the only suitable offer, the counterparty will feel this and may well weaken its demands on its employees, and you will not be able to influence this in any way.