"Outsourcing the Procurement of Agency Workers: The Impact of Vendor Managed Services in English Social Care"

by Hoque, Kim; Kirkpatrick, Ian; Lonsdale, Chris; De Ruyter, Alex (2011)

Abstract

In recent years marked changes have occurred in the way employers recruit and select agency workers, with this activity increasingly being outsourced to third party organizations providing ‘vendor managed services’ (VMS). Drawing on data from a study of English social services, this article explores the consequences of this outsourcing. The findings reveal that although VMS has delivered cost savings, it has also resulted in less effective placement matching, rising line manager workloads and concerns about service quality. In the conclusion the wider implications of VMS for the future development of partnerships between employers and employment agencies are discussed.

Keywords

Automation, Machines, Technology, Social Care, Outsourcing, Vendor Managed Services, English Context, British Context, Social Service, Civic Service

Themes

Outsourcing, Capitalism

Links to Reference

• https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017011407971
• http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0950017011407971
• https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0950017011407971
• https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0950017011407971

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