ABSTRACT
As everyone involved in the profession is aware, the role of HR
is changing and the value delivered by HR services is being ques-
tioned. In some cases, organizations are finding other ways of
providing the service which used to be HR’s own. BP and BAE
Systems are in the vanguard of the ‘total’ outsourcing of HR
administration. US-based IT networking company Cisco
Systems has developed a sophisticated intranet system for its
own staff which has saved about £1.75 million in ‘headcount
avoidance’, or about 30 HR jobs. According to the solutions
architect for Cisco Systems, ‘the concept of self-service frees up
HR to concentrate on the value-added aspects of the business –
analysis, leadership development and so on’ (Personnel Today, 29
April 1999).
