When a company lacks the necessary expertise to internally develop specific or time-bound IT projects, it can turn to external competencies. However, there are various ways to do this, each with substantial differences.
Body leasing and body rental
Body leasing and body rental are terms used interchangeably to describe a situation where a staffing agency provides a client company with a temporary resource. While ‘rental’ often implies a shorter engagement and ‘leasing’ a longer one, both terms denote a fixed, limited duration of time. This practice is particularly relevant in fields like ICT, where the labor involved is non-manual.
In these arrangements, the staffing agency and the resource might be connected via a project collaboration contract or through a VAT-registered business relationship. The client company, on the other hand, typically engages the resource through a straightforward service contract for IT services. This setup means that the company doesn’t bear strict or long-term contractual commitments with the resource.
Legally, only staffing agencies with authorization from the relevant Ministry are permitted to facilitate this type of intermediation. This ensures a range of protections for the resource. This model of collaboration is often chosen when a company requires someone with specialized skills for a single project or for a brief period.
Team leasing
When a company embarks on a complex project that demands various skills not available in-house, and needs to be completed within a specific timeframe, it may require multiple resources. This is where the concept of team leasing comes into play. Instead of hiring a single individual, the company engages a group of professionals who work together until the project’s completion.
In this setup, the team is still linked to the intermediary staffing agency, which manages legal and administrative matters. Depending on the client’s requirements, a bespoke team can be assembled, featuring roles tailored to the project’s needs, or the company can opt for a pre-existing team of specialists from diverse fields. Ideally, these team members are familiar with each other and have prior collaborative experience, ensuring smooth teamwork. However, given the specific skill sets required for different projects, it’s not always feasible to find ready-made teams that meet all criteria, especially since staffing agencies may not always specialize in the ICT sector.
Similar to body leasing/body rental, these resources physically integrate into the client company, collaborating on the project and potentially working alongside existing teams for the duration needed.
Staff Leasing
Staff leasing, also known as employee leasing or permanent employment leasing, is a practice where a staffing agency transfers a worker to a client company, akin to body leasing. The distinct feature here is that the worker holds a permanent contract with the staffing agency.
This arrangement offers flexibility to the user company while providing the worker with greater contractual stability. The resource is “loaned” to the client either for a medium to long term or to complete a specific project. In some instances, the company may choose to utilize the resource indefinitely.
One of the key benefits for the user company is that training costs and responsibility for the worker rest with the staffing agency. This allows the company to access already qualified skills and save on administrative expenses, making it an effective model for managing sudden increases in workload.
When not assigned to a client, the staffing agency continues to compensate the worker with a monthly availability allowance, the amount of which is determined by the national collective labor agreement. These workers also enjoy standard health and maternity protections. However, since they are not directly employed by the company where they work, they do not possess the same union rights and decision-making authority as their in-house counterparts.
IT Outsourcing
Outsourcing, particularly prevalent in the IT sector, offers a range of benefits to companies that leverage it. This practice involves utilizing external resources to manage IT projects within a company. When a company lacks specific skills, it can delegate the management of IT processes to a partner firm responsible for training resources, legal aspects, and ensuring project completion.
This approach allows for the delegation of individual projects or the entire IT infrastructure to specialized professionals. Economically, it’s beneficial for companies to use already-trained personnel, cutting down on operational, research, and training costs without the need for direct hiring, yet maintaining control over the project.
Outsourcing enables a company to focus on its core business, directing its efforts towards growth and competitiveness, without being sidetracked by secondary activities like digital project development.
An IT expert, in this context, lends their skills to the client company by providing a service, without being a direct employee. They physically integrate within the company, augmenting the existing IT department for the duration needed to complete the project.
Moreover, outsourcing serves as an educational opportunity for the internal team. Working alongside external experts exposes them to new methodologies (like Agile), information, and skills applicable to future endeavors, thereby saving on specific training costs.
Quality assurance is another key benefit of outsourcing, as external resources bring diverse skills often not present within the company’s own staff. Specialized IT skills ensure access to the latest technologies in a rapidly evolving field.
Flexibility is a significant advantage; external resources can tailor their skills to meet the client’s current needs, working in harmony with the company’s requirements and personnel.
Well-trained resources from a reputable IT partner can also guide the company in selecting optimal solutions, drawing from their experience across various sectors.At Hermes, talents are fully at the disposal of the client’s specific needs. Before beginning work, a technological assessment is conducted to deeply understand the company’s operations and recommend the most appropriate and efficient processes for each unique client.
