“Spring, the sweet spring, is the year’s pleasant king…”

–Thomas Nashe (1600)

Though we at the Global Human Resources Outsourcing (GHRO) primarily staff the business office with professional talent, the first day of the sweetest season makes us think beyond the desk.  Here’s a round-up from CareerBuilder.com naming a few jobs that get you out and about:  “10 Great Jobs to have in the Springtime” by Rachel Zupek.  Our Top Six are:

1. Vendor

Springtime means enjoying the great outdoors.  Baseball season means hot dogs, cold beer, cotton candy and frozen lemonade. Education: On-the-job training

Annual salary*: $19,876

2. Sportswriter

Sure, sports take place year round, but for me, spring is when some of the most exciting sporting events go down. Exhibit A: March Madness basketball games. Exhibit B: Major league baseball spring training and season openers. Exhibit C: NHL playoffs. Exhibit D: NBA playoffs and draft picks. Exhibit E: The Masters golf tournament. Sportswriters can take their pick making predictions, following games or analyzing who is going to be the next Tiger Woods.

Education: College degree, preferably in communications, journalism or English

Annual salary*: $36,994

3. Florist

April showers bring May flowers, after all.  Springtime means blooming flowers, weddings and generosity (aka, bouquets of roses “just because”). Florists will stay occupied during this busy season, while enjoying the budding blossoms that have been buried all winter.

Education: High school diploma

Annual salary*: $33,859

4. Fashion buyer

Springtime is synonymous with fashion. Buyers get to shop through all of the new spring lines and buy clothes that have color, flowers and designs for our favorite retail shops — a far cry from the black and gray turtlenecks and tweed we’ve been sporting all winter.

Education: Requirements vary depending on the organization, but large stores and distributors prefer applicants who have completed a bachelor’s degree program with a business emphasis.

Annual salary*: $50,796

5. Landscaping worker

It’s growing season!  Snow is off the ground and grass, trees and flowers are ready to be planted and fertilized. Lawns need to be mowed, weeds pulled and trees trimmed, all of which add up to a lot of time outside, doing what landscapers do best.

Education: No minimum educational requirement, though most states require licensing or certification for workers who apply pesticides.

Annual salary*: $23,980

6. Construction worker

What’s better than being outside all day working on your latest project? It seems like constructing a house or building would be much more enjoyable in nice weather than in the freezing cold and snow.

Education: Most positions have no specific educational qualifications, but apprenticeships are encouraged and require a high school diploma or equivalent.

Annual salary*: $31,781

Rachel also includes on her list Meteorologist (Annual salary*: $67,004), College admissions counselor

(Annual salary*: $98,796), Pest control worker (annual salary: $28,056) and Housekeeper (Annual salary*: $19,619).

*U.S. national average salary figures based on data from CBsalary.com, powered by SalaryExpert.com

The economy has experienced one downturn after another and recovery hasn’t come as quickly as analysts had predicted, leaving business owners seeking to save every dollar possible. Many companies have chosen human resources outsourcing as one of their lead strategies so they can save money without sacrificing the quality of their product.

By outsourcing their human resources departments, companies are better able to manage their employees while focusing specifically on building and maintaining the rest of their business. A recent survey taken by the Society for Human Resource Management asked HR departments to list some of their reasons for outsourcing HR functions. The responses overwhelmingly pointed to one major theme: companies were seeking to save money and reduce the rising costs of maintaining full time employees.

Businesses who utilize human resources outsourcing are not only able to concentrate more fully on their core business, but experience up to 40% higher customer satisfaction because their employees are so well trained and efficiently managed.  Additionally, employers are able to increase productivity as much as 35% – 40% by integrating solid employee management strategies that allow companies to do much more with less. 

A growing number of companies are integrating outsourcing as into their human resources operations. The annual revenue for the North American HR outsourcing market grew from approximately $13 billion in 2000 to $23 billion in 2007, and is projected to surpass $40 billion by 2012.

Companies are taking advantage of hiring a Professional Employment Organization to help them save money with some of the following functions: benefits outsourcing, employee benefits, employee handbook, employee/labor relations, employee leasing, government compliance, payroll services, recruitment services, safety and worker’s compensation.

Hiring, training and managing staff for short-term projects can be costly. Outsourcing is providing many companies the cost cutting measures they need to survive this flat economy while allowing them the capital they need to invest into crucial revenue-producing operations.

To the relief of consumers, a large percentage of United States companies are bringing their call centers back to American shores. Many have found it difficult to interact with call center operators, as the operators often find themselves easily confused by slang and vernacular used by native English speakers.  Because of this disconnect in communication between caller and operator, callers are becoming less likely to use information or help hotlines and often ending their phone calls more bewildered than they began­– without the help, clarification, or instructions they were seeking in the first place.

In response to the widespread disappointment from American consumers, companies are bringing their call centers back home meaning ease in communication as well as an increase in jobs available across America.  While companies have previously found it very profitable to outsource jobs, the payoffs are now nowhere near as high as they used to be.  Inflation, as well as a rise in the pay expected in foreign countries, has pushed the cost of outsourcing to popular “call center countries” such as India and the Philippines through the roof.  Once companies began to take the cost and quality of service provided through their call centers into consideration, many began to bring their business back home to the States.

Another bonus for American firms seeking a solution to their call-center dilemma: they are now able to contribute further to strengthening the American economy.  Experts currently estimate that hiring someone in Nebraska to work at a call center costs only 15% more than hiring an employee in India.  Take into account any potential tax-breaks the company may receive for hiring new (American) employees, as well as the impact that employee could have on their local economy, and the benefits of an American-run call center begin stacking up.

American consumers are voicing their opinion about their feelings about outsourcing customer service overseas. Reports have been conducted that have found customers expressed more favorable feedback when they perceived a call center in the U.S.

A few facts about American Call Centers:

• Consumer satisfaction is 1/5 higher when calls are (or are perceived) to be handled within the United States.
• Consumers are more likely to have their problems solved when the person handling their call can understand the issue and properly articulate the solution.
• The opportunity cost of employing operators in other countries is beginning to far outweigh the benefit.
• U.S. companies are looking for cost-effective, economy-building labor solutions across the board.  Housing their call centers at home, rather than abroad, brings more employment opportunities for unskilled laborers and strengthens the lower classes.

While outsourcing call centers may have not been a viable option in the long run, companies are still looking for cost-effective options for their businesses.  Human resource outsourcing, such as benefits outsourcing, employee and labor relations, employee leasing, government compliance, HR audits, HR consulting, HR management, payroll services, and recruitment services, are becoming popular ways for companies to save time and money, allowing them to bring you better products and services for less.