Unplanned change in RPO? “Shake it out.”

Posted by: Alison Citti

A couple weeks ago I went to see the Florence and the Machine concert in Cleveland and was lucky enough to have great seats for the show — third row! It’s been a really busy past six weeks here at Yoh, and it was nice to just relax for a couple of hours and enjoy the concert.

As with most shows, there was an opening act followed by a set change to prepare for the main act to perform. Being so close, we got to see the set change up close, and it was interesting to see the details that surrounded all the moving parts and pieces. All of the crew seemed to know exactly what needed to be done to make the change go as quickly and seamlessly as possible.

As I sat there taking it all in and waiting for Florence to take the stage, it really got me thinking about change in general and the similarities and differences between planned and unplanned change. I first wrote about this topic last year in a blog post called “Does your RPO provider prepare for the unexpected?”

All the points I made in that post still hold true. RPO providers need to prepare as much as possible for the expected and the unexpected to be able to ramp up and down with their customers’ needs. But the reality is that there are some things that you can’t plan for, that just will happen without notice. The way an RPO provider reacts to these surprises is a true measure of its value as a partner as well as its commitment to its most important resource — its people.

We recently experienced some unplanned changes within our RPO division that caused us to unexpectedly shift resources rather quickly. We ensured that communication to our employees regarding these changes was clear and timely, and we have kept the lines of communication open throughout the transition period.

Although we didn’t anticipate these changes, they have brought about some benefits and are allowing us to bring new opportunities to our employees and new partnerships to Yoh. Although the circumstances would have been more ideal had we been able to properly plan for the change, I believe that our quick actions have put Yoh in a position for continued growth and success in the remainder of 2012 and beyond.

In one of Florence’s songs, “Shake it Out,” she sings, “It’s always darkest before the dawn.” Positive or negative, we won’t let ourselves be defined by one moment; we will shake it out and move forward. We will keep focused and work hard to deliver customized RPO solutions to our clients, believing that excellence in service delivery is the key that will keep us growing in the future.