We take a look behind the scenes at AMS ’ s Global Operations – the engine room of the company – talking to senior leaders about their team ’ s important role in improving services for clients .
Mike Brown Global Managing Director of Operations
Last year saw the creation of AMS ’ s new Global Operations team . You might think that ‘ operations ’ refers to ‘ behind the scenes ’ activity , but for AMS , operations is about delivering great client service . Our operations team handles the process from new role requisitions through to onboarding for all the permanent and contingent hiring ; of our 1,700-strong team around the globe , some 1,200 are client facing day to day . The team also manages the implementation process for our solutions and the development and maintenance of our technology platforms .
In a rapidly changing talent environment , it ’ s important to bring simplification , consistency and best practice to all of our clients – learning from what we do well across multiple sectors and regions , and providing surety and confidence . To achieve this , we are implementing a simplification strategy with the aim of delivering better outcomes : better insights for hiring managers , better shortlists , better engagement with candidates throughout the process and , ultimately , happier candidates and clients .
We believe that to be effective in talent acquisition , there are huge advantages to having both the scale of a global team , and a local presence and identity , wherever clients are recruiting . Having invested in building a truly global operations team , we are well placed to deliver these dual benefits . As technology in talent evolves , our scale will enable us to be more effective in putting new tools , such as artificial intelligence ( AI ), to best use .
Given the speed with which workforce dexterity is evolving , delivering creativity and innovation is also paramount . For example , we have led on applying automation to our processes where possible and sensible , we are at the cutting edge of insights , and we have deployed best practice in implementing complex global RPO solutions . We have an ambitious programme of further innovation built around use of data , AI and machine learning and effective systems integration .
By simplifying ( allowing our people to do what they do best ), leveraging our scale and local understanding , and continuing to innovate and create , we aim to continue to build true workforce dexterity for both clients and candidates .
In a rapidly changing talent environment , it ’ s important to bring simplification , consistency and best practice to all of our clients
Jolanta Gantkowska Managing Director of Operations Strategy & Performance
We have a network of seven Global Client Service Centres ( GCSCs ) – in Bracknell and Belfast ( UK ), Krakow and Gdansk ( Poland ), Manila ( Philippines ), Shanghai ( China ) and Cleveland ( US ) – delivering to more than 60 countries and supporting clients in 40-plus languages . We also provide shared services to AMS , delivering HR , finance , procurement and accounting services globally .
Characterised by continuous improvement and innovation , which has always been in our DNA , the GCSCs enable us to provide a global capability with in-country / regional presence . We have more than 2,000 employees working in them , around 90 % of whom deliver recruiting , sourcing , administration , business intelligence , performance management and compliance services to our clients .
To help streamline our more repetitive processes , we have developed ‘ robots ’ which support recruiting , sourcing and administration ( for example , in interview scheduling ). We have around 21 automation solutions confirmed for implementation this year , for both new and existing clients . These robots generate significant improvements in candidate experience , increasing the chances of a successful hire . We also run a Digital Automation Centre of Excellence from our Polish Service Centre .
Continuing our themes of growing scale and local relevance is a key goal for 2021 . This will translate into building a more agile location strategy , ensuring we provide the right level of flexibility for our clients and colleagues , and tapping into talent markets where we haven ’ t been present up to now . We will be developing new locations ( for example , Mexico ) and also further leveraging the opportunities of remote working .
Continuous improvement and innovation has always been in our DNA
Hayden Hughes Global Head of Permanent Sourcing
In our permanent sourcing business , we receive in excess of 2.7m candidate applications and interview 400,000 individuals each year . Having the right team in place to support this is paramount , so upskilling and training have been a priority for us in the past year .
In 2020 , we developed our Sourcing Academy , which was built on the foundation of our Talent Adviser and Trusted Adviser training programmes – both recently highlighted by NelsonHall for their quality and delivery . This year will see an extension of that training , including the development of our own proprietary training .
Historically , we have used the tech and systems ( such as applicant- tracking systems and CRM tools ) that clients have purchased . But we want to move from tech agnostic to tech expert , so have built our own proprietary sourcing technology . This will enable us to simplify what we do and to innovate more effectively .
Our sourcing toolkit will blend our own technology , capability and data alongside strategic partnerships with select third parties . This means we can harness large sets of real-time candidate data – spanning skills , employers , location , salary , gender dynamics and talent / skills availability ; predictive analytics and future trend analysis – as well as measuring and proactively managing unconscious bias .
Last year , we extensively reviewed our process and capability across geography , industry and hiring type . As a result , we have taken further steps to ensure hiring manager and candidate experience sit at the heart of sourcing , developing an engaging process with both in mind at each and every step .
We have taken further steps to ensure hiring manager and candidate experience sit at the heart of sourcing
Robert Łężny Global Head of Permanent Administration
The complexity of global recruitment processes , which often involve multiple locations , client functions and needs , can make them difficult to co-ordinate , so the Administration team is on hand to put the pieces together . We support clients at any stage of the recruitment process , regardless of sector , size or status .
Co-ordinating with hiring managers , candidates and other thirdparty providers , we work across the end-to-end recruitment process for permanent hires , including requisition management , interview scheduling , offer management , onboarding and helpdesk , plus additional tasks such as audits , invoicing and reporting .
Taking care of hiring in this way allows our clients to focus on their core business and ensure there are no blockers or delays . Our ultimate goal is to enable the AMS team to hire top talent and ensure the experience is positive for all .
We are strongly driven by a performance culture – so processes , performance measurement and technology are key for us . We are constantly seeking improvements and efficiency opportunities ( including automation ) while also being flexible and open to changing circumstances .
Accuracy and time are important metrics . Our knowledge and tools allow us to make a difference from a process governance perspective , which may be translated into reduced time to offer , better client and candidate satisfaction and improved data quality .
We are constantly seeking improvements and efficiency opportunities while also being flexible and open to changing circumstances
Madeleine Lawson Global Head of Implementation and Transformation
Our Implementation and Transformation team primarily focuses on implementing new client solutions : developing and deploying complex endto-end processes , putting in place and training large teams , and deploying new technologies . We are also responsible for supporting our existing customers with transformations , either managing changes to the entire solution , or focusing on improved automation , technologies or innovation .
The RPO market has continued to mature and evolve in recent years with a new level of sophistication , knowledge and expectation . In general , demand is moving towards a globalised approach with consistent processes , improved automation , intelligence and standardisation – this is much more efficient , scalable and cost-effective . Around half of our implementations are now global or multiregional . Given these changes , our role is to listen and to understand our clients ’ needs , ensuring that what we implement meets their strategic goals .
One of the impacts of COVID-19 is that clients are now entertaining new possibilities and ideas for implementation . We were all suddenly forced to work in a very different way , delivering activities within a project remotely . The pandemic has proved , for instance , that we do not need to relocate 250 individuals to a live training room halfway across a region or country , at considerable expense . We can deliver training remotely , with no serious impact on our effectiveness at go-live . We are challenging ourselves to think differently , to behave differently and to be more open-minded and innovative in how we deliver .
The demand is trending towards globalised , consistent processes and standardisation – this approach is much more efficient , scalable and cost-effective
Jeff Owen Managing Director of Contingent Workforce Solutions
We have a team of around 300 contingent operators delivering recruiting , sourcing and administration services to clients . We hire some 12,000 workers a year for our customers across private and public sectors , and we process 28,000 contract extensions .
We are customer facing and innovative – we talk to customers about demand planning and how we can help best fit that plan in terms of future skills needs . We then execute on those plans with targeted delivery and by building strong customer relationships . Within our contingent operation , we work with our own applicant-tracking system , customer-relationship system and others ; this allows us to flex rapidly to reflect changes in client demand and to add swift innovations to our offer .
The administration side is critical for contingent hiring as we are overseeing workers once they have started . We are offering , onboarding , conducting pre-employment screening , adjusting pay rates , extending contracts and offboarding people on an ongoing basis . Currently , we have a headcount of around 23,000 workers , either managed directly or through our partners , who are responsible for a number of other key projects for our clients on an ad-hoc basis . It could be anything from auto pension enrolment changes or an uplift in the minimum working wage , through to simple contract changes , which amounts to hundreds of thousands of transactions per year .
We are customer facing and innovative – we talk to customers about demand planning and how we can help best fit that plan in terms of future skills needs
Andrew Wayland Managing Director of Technology
Our focus is to ensure the complex mix of technologies that support our solutions is deployed securely and effectively . Wherever possible , we integrate our systems with those of our clients and deploy our best-practice process automations .
Being able to provide talent analytics to our clients is also fundamental to our value proposition , so we capture as much data as possible , subject to GDPR . Insightful analytics enable our clients to make better strategic workforce-planning decisions . We are continuously developing innovative new ways of using data to deliver measurable business outcomes for our clients and ultimately helping to deliver a more dexterous workforce .
There are many ways in which we are leveraging technology . One critical success factor in talent acquisition is for sourcers to have access to the best tools , helping them to move quickly and engage directly with candidates , reducing time spent emailing and searching . AI-matching tools and robotic process automation ( RPA ) technologies are becoming key to this . We have a world-class interview-scheduling technology platform which organises remote meetings , complex assessment centres and back-to-back meetings and video interviews – all delivered to candidates in a mobile-enabled solution . It works in 10 different languages and across multiple time zones .
Despite our fears around human obsoletion , robots will never replace people in talent acquisition . I believe we are creating technologyaugmented humans – cyborgs – that can help us win the war for talent . The winners will be the ones that are able to master the technology and make best use of it .
Insightful analytics enable our clients to make better strategic workforce-planning decisions