Should I embrace or resist HR outsourcing?

The problemI’m an HR manager for a firm that currently outsources its payroll, and all seems to be going well: staff are paid on time and our supplier seems responsive. However, I am concerned that senior managers want to outsource more of the HR function, including learning and development and recruitment. They want to save money, which is particularly important for us in the current climate, but it feels as if we’re outsourcing too much and I’m worried we might lose control of HR – as well as our jobs – in the long term. Should I resist the outsourcing trend or go with the flow?
 

Language does not simply reflect what is going on in organisational life: it also influences what people think and what they do

Linda Holbeche, director of the Holbeche Partnership and visiting professor of HRM/OD at Cass Business School