Here at Wurkplace, one of the things we’re best at is changing attitudes toward Health and Safety in the workplace, and especially attitudes around outsourcing. This is something we do with new clients all the time. It’s a difficult process as there is still quite a lot of stigma surrounding outsourcing your Health and Safety services. Why not just do it yourself? Well, let’s find out. Here are some of the pros and cons of outsourcing Health and Safety in the workplace.
Question: Have you ever called a hospital, been put through to a nurse who types your symptoms into a computer, only to be told to come in and see a doctor anyway? That can be what it’s like working with the larger outsourcing companies. These companies hire inexperienced staff to placate their customers with vague textbook compliancy advice.
Wouldn’t you much rather just speak to the doctor? That’s what it’s like working with us and other smaller, more dedicated outsourced companies. When you call us, email us, meet us, you’re always talking with an experienced and qualified member of staff who offer corporate advice, practical action, and a transfer of knowledge to help you and your company grow.
You Have Insurance
As a business owner, you probably have insurance. It doesn’t matter what type of insurance, it’s always advised – and more often than not a legal necessity – to have it. A retainer-based company is very similar to an insurance policy, it’s much better to have them and not need them, than not have them when you need them. But with Health & Safety, it is likely that you will need them!
The truth about Health and Safety in the workplace is that it is not something you can put in place and then forget about. It doesn’t matter whether you work in a quiet office building or factory with dangerous machinery, proper Health & Safety practice is vital to protecting your staff, your clients, and your business from injury, damage, and costly fines.
The Pro is that with an outsourced company handling your H&S, you can use them when you need them. You have a lot more control over what you get and when you get it with a company like ours than you would with an in-house staff member.
And Accountability Too
With an outsourcing company, especially small outsourcing companies, their service is their reputation. This can be both a Pro and a Con depending on the company itself… For example, some companies who are worried about their reputation, may not take the necessary risks to provide a client with the best possible service. Huge downside! This isn’t the case with Wurkplace – Companies like ours go out of their way to provide a corporate response and take ownership of each task. If you are a small business or start-up, this accountability is invaluable, as your situation will be a lot more precarious.
Consultants are Competitive
It is in the best interest of every outsourcing company to be competitive. To continue doing business they need to be the best they can be. Over time, in-house staff can become complacent and out-of-touch. Outsourcing can mean you get a fresh pair of eyes who will pick up on areas your in-house team will forget about.
Another Pro is that with this competition comes Niche Services. Almost no two consultancies are the same. You may even find an entire consultancy who specialise on something you would never think of, like assessing office furniture. While this idea may be daunting when you’re browsing, business owners get the best when services are best fitted to their needs. The bigger the outsourcing company, the more likely their service is to be broad, generalist, and ultimately ineffective. This is why smaller companies like ours do much better – We can take the time to engage with each client.
An example of this is our online E-Learning function. This is something that only an outsourced company can provide!
Reviews Vs References
Something you may not have considered is the reviews. When you employ someone, see their CV, check their references, and have an interview – This is all under the employee’s control. An outsourcing company will more often than not have numerous case studies, testimonials, and reviews from previous and current clients, previous and current employees, and their company network.
So, with an outsourced company, you can get a much broader and more accurate picture of the quality of service they provide – There is no need to take the leap of faith.
How Much Is It?
Yes, let’s finally get it out of the way – It’s cheaper. Depending on the service, outsourcing is almost always cheaper. Outsourcing on a retainer basis is a small fraction of the price of hiring a similarly qualified professional in-house. Consider that the true cost of an employee is around 1.5 times that of their original salary… The average in-house salary for just one Health and Safety Officer is around £28,000 – £30,000. True cost, around £45,000. Now if you want an H&S team, double it, triple it, quadruple it.
For a fraction of that you can have a highly qualified outsourced team backing you up. No investment cost into infrastructure, development, bonuses, or anything additional to the base cost of the subscription / consultancy service.
Is it Cost-Effective?
It may be cheaper, but is it cost-effective? Well, you may think that cost-effectiveness depends on the complexity of your needs and your budget: It doesn’t. It depends on the service provided by the outsourced company. If you are using a trusted service-provider who endeavours to do everything they can to help you, you may be getting a deal beyond just the huge price drop.
Dealing with Health and Safety in the workplace in-house means that you’re locked into a contract with that employee. With outsourcing you have multiple options available to you that you can engage with or drop at will… For example, have one big Health & Safety task? You can outsource a consultant on a one-off basis. Have ongoing issues? You can use a retainer-based business like Wurkplace to keep a consultant at-the-ready for whenever there is an issue. The price depends on this type.
Conclusion…
Like with outsourcing your HR, there are many Pros and few Cons to investing in a quality outsourced company for your Health & Safety. Sourcing a company like Wurkplace on a retainer-basis will alleviate employee costs by a significant amount, eliminate procurement costs for H&S entirely, and give your more flexibility with the service you are getting, allowing your to focus on what truly matters.
Please get in touch so we can begin helping you implement the best possible practice into your business today. You can contact us via our online form, or by calling us on: 0330 400 5490.
An experienced Director who controls and oversee all business operations, people and ventures. Responsible for the overall success of the business.
As a leader, he is able to steer a company to the most profitable direction while also implementing its vision, mission and long term goals. Additionally, he has strong crisis management skills to “save” companies in times of need.