Visteon Case Study
Launched in 1997 Visteon is one of the worlds largest automotive suppliers with over 100 years experience in components and integrated systems. Their customers include the world's largest vehicle manufacturers delivering products and systems from 84 production facilities in every major world region. Visteon's global sales revenue is in excess of $18 billion.
In 2000 Visteon made the decision to outsource their entire recruitment process to Jonathan Lee Recruitment (JLR). This partnership represented the culmination of joint studies between the two companies over a 6 month period. This resulted in a unique Service Level Agreement designed to develop the most appropriate and innovative recruitment solution for Visteon which ensured that appropriate staff were recruited, appointed and retained in the most efficient and cost effective manner.
As a starting point, Visteon, supplied us with year 2000 recruitment information and costs associated with the hire of around 80 people. JLR was tasked as part of the Service Level Agreement with a number of key objectives, amongst which were:
- To reduce the overall unit cost to Visteon of recruiting someone.
- To improve the speed of the hire, from vacancy to start date.
- To improve the acceptance ratio of job offers made.
- To improve the quality of candidates entering the recruitment funnel.
- To improve retention levels.
By working closely with Visteon to fully understand their needs we have successfully achieved all of these objectives and have recently won a re-bid for the contract, taking this successful partnership through until 2006.
Results to date are as follows:
96% Retention
Of the 170 people recruited in the last two years - across the areas of manufacturing, commercial, product engineering and finance - only six have left the company. That's a retention rate of around 96%. This has been achieved by making sure that candidates' aspirations and Visteon's expectations match; that way you build a team of people all working towards the same goal.
Recruitment Cut to 65 days
Another significant success for Jonathan Lee Recruitment has been the reduction in total recruiting time. We have cut by half the time taken from notification of a vacancy to start date. Consider the CIPD statistic that an unfilled vacancy can cost a company up to £500 per day in lost productivity. Even working on half this figure and with the reduction of 65 days in overall recruitment time, you have an immediate saving of over £16,000 per vacancy. When you extrapolate this out over the 170 vacancies we have filled, the figure is quite staggering.
86% Satisfaction Levels
Further proof comes from the managers at Visteon. Every new hire's manager completes a survey at the end of the recruitment process to provide feedback in order to continually improve service levels. These show an 86% satisfaction level over the two years of the contract.
Seamless Service
We are so closely aligned with Visteon now that potential candidates often do not realise we are an outside supplier. We have designed a website specifically for Visteon so that anyone interested in pursuing a career with the company can log on to the careers section of the company website and automatically be directed to Visteon-styled Jonathan Lee Recruitment website giving details of all vacancies together with how to apply.
On-Line Vacancy Tracking System
We also provide Visteon with a web based on-line vacancy tracking system, designed and built by JLR, which enables the Visteon Human Resources Department and the Hiring Managers to log in and find out the exact stage of each vacancy including all candidates interview and submission details.
CD for New Starters
This is just one example of how we are able to really tailor the recruitment services when we work as sole supplier to a client. We have produced a CD-ROM in conjunction with Visteon for all new starters giving all manner of information - from the location of the nearest loo to details on how to apply for specific training courses. You would be surprised how many people find it reassuring to be able to walk in on their first day and know something about the facilities and the whole nature of the organisation. It also demonstrates a level of commitment to employees rarely seen these days.
The successful relationship has stemmed from many elements but primarily from an underlying understanding of our clients needs and a strong working relationship. We work progressively to ensure we are constantly ahead of the game and utilise technology to streamline the recruitment process. We look forward to continuing this relationship for many years to come.
