While technology and time saving ideas improve, people now more than ever feel they are increasingly time-poor. Time-poor is the idea that we have less leisure time to spend as we please, and while part of this is perception, people increasingly see themselves as money-rich, but time-poor.

So how can you save yourself and your company time, and money, so you can get back to playing golf or binging Netflix? Businesses are turning to outsourcing: contracting out work to an external company and supplier so it doesn’t take up valuable business time. Outsourcing ensures an expert in the task completes the work, and you don’t spend your day procrastinating as the dread sets in knowing there’s no way around it.

So when, what, and why should you outsource?

When

Outsourcing is a valuable tool when used correctly. Some businesses believe it is reserved for big businesses with cash to burn, however outsourcing can help any business. When to outsource is a decision that should be made on a case-by-case basis, depending on the unique circumstances of each business.

If the completion of a mundane task begins interfering with the progress of your business, perhaps it is time to outsource it. Additional, if you’re considering hiring another full-time employee to handle everyday activities instead of to improve output, you may want to look into outsourcing options.

What

Repetitive/mundane tasks

Chances are you have some form of drudgery in your workplace, which is a pain to do. Doing simple tasks over and over again is not helping you or your employees from succeeding, and it will lower employee satisfaction. These are things like data entry and filing, as well as inventory or even transcribing. Tedious tasks help no one, and so much time is wasted in procrastination that outsourcing to a virtual assistant or the like will improve your end result or product immensely.

Social Media

In newsrooms, some of the first places to take up the social media trend, journalists were originally required to post all of their social media themselves. They would post new tweets and Facebook updates for all new stories, and would be required to be up-to-date on all of their accounts. Nowadays, the trend is moving away from this so journalists have more time to focus on the important things like newsgathering. The same can be done for your business. While you’re sending emails or in meetings, or your employees are planning projects or implementing new ideas, you can outsource someone who will update your social media, posting tweets or linking interesting stories while you’re busy.

Payroll

Payroll is one of those things that has to be done, and there’s not a soul on earth whose heart doesn’t leap just a little at the phrase, “it’s payday today.” I mean, you’d have to be a robot not to. Funnily enough, in a totally non-apocalyptic sense of ‘robots are taking our jobs,’ this is one of many tasks that a robot would be happy to do. Or, would be, if robots had feelings. Anyway, automated payroll systems are quickly becoming the norm, with many companies outsourcing to a cloud based payroll outsourcing provider. This Software as a Service (SaaS) removes the human component of payroll, eliminating human error and ensuring that employees receive their pay on the glorious day that is ‘payday.’ This keeps everyone happy and the business turning over without the need for extra time and effort.

Hiring

If you spend more time recruiting new employees than you do utilising the ones you have, perhaps it is time to outsource your hiring to another company. Outsourcing hiring gives you that time back to continue with other tasks, and you don’t have to stop your progress every time a new employee is needed. Hiring companies can do the trench work for you, expending their time and resources finding the perfect candidate for the specifications.

End-to-end workforce management

Each aspect of workforce management, while vital to growing and maintaining your business, can be a drain on time and resources. Recruiting, hiring, onboarding, training, payroll and more all take up time and energy that could be used to further your progress. Outsourcing to companies like Roubler gives you that time back. Any discrepancies with training or issues with payroll become the business of the workforce management company, saving further time in the complaints department. Furthermore, should any of your employees choose to leave, the offboarding process is covered, and ensures workers don’t leave with any vital or classified information.

Why

People outsource for a range of reasons, but primarily, it helps keep your business running smoothly, and more efficiently than it had before. Employee satisfaction will improve when they can focus on the exciting aspects of their job, and they will be more loyal to a company that streamlines processes, making them easier and more user friendly, focusing on making their lives a little bit easier.