HR is defined by both the strategic value it offers and the services it provides to the business. In order to highlight and reinforce the strategic value, the services offered must not only meet the needs of the organization, they must be provided efficiently. HR Shared Services is something that many large companies have struggled to implement. The following 10 best practices and benchmarks highlight how the best of the best approach HR Shared Services and how they have realized results.

1. 10 Best Practices and Benchmarks
for HR Shared Services
Edited by
Harrison Cates Withers III

2. 10 Best Practices and Benchmarks for HR Shared Services eBook
was edited by Harrison Cates Withers III
Copyright © 2014 Media 1. All Rights Reserved.
Harrison is the Vice President at Media 1 and a principal business operations consultant. He has over 20 years of
experience in the performance improvement space including managing learning and development activities on an
international scale. Prior to Joining Media 1 he was the Director of Training and Technology at the Domino’s Pizza
chain, giving him the unique perspective of both the business and advisor sides of the equation. He regularly writes
on the intersection of people, process, and technology, including in-depth perspectives on metrics and
measurement, use of social media in business, knowledge management, and the proliferation of mobile technology.
Harrison has a particular passion and talent for challenging the way things have “always been” and seeking the
unvarnished truth. Despite being an early adopter of new technology, Harrison is brutally honest with clients and
their expectations regarding “flavor of the day” trends. He insists on clear measurements that are linked directly to
metrics that align to business strategy, and driving behavior-based change to yield measurable financial results.
With contributions from the Media 1 ROP consulting team:
Scott Byers
Jordan McClure
L. Michael Wykes,
Cover and information design by
James Barnes
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
License. To view a copy of this license, visit
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send a letter to Creative Commons, 444 Castro Street,
Suite 900, Mountain View, California, 94041, USA.
Please share this eBook freely with leaders, innovators, and champions. Thank you!
Media 1 are experts in Return On People, a powerful organizational performance methodology grounded in Human
Capital Analytics. We apply ROP to increase long-term profit and fuel an empowered, agile, and sustainable work
environment for all contributors. Our clients include senior executives from companies who have grown through
merger and acquisition and emerging organizations seeking to implement leading people practices.
Return On People will help you create an accountable measurement culture for a greater return on your investment
in people.
www.media1.us

3. HR is defined by both the strategic value it offers and the services it provides to
the business. In order to highlight and reinforce the strategic value, the services
offered must not only meet the needs of the organization, they must be provided
efficiently. HR Shared Services is something that many large companies have
struggled to implement. The following 10 best practices and benchmarks highlight
how the best of the best approach HR Shared Services and how they have
realized results.
www.media1.us

4. 10 Best Practices and Benchmarks
for HR Shared Services
The HR Shared Services best practices model…
• Achieves economies of scale
• Enhances consistency and standardization
across the organization
• Improves quality
• Leverages technology investments
• Manages labor costs
Source: Bersin & Associates
The High-Impact HR Organization
www.media1.us

5. 10 Best Practices and Benchmarks
for HR Shared Services
Companies that adopt an HR Shared Services
model reduce process costs by as much as 80%.
60% of these companies report process savings
of 21%–80%.
Source: The Hacket Group via Business Week Research Services
The New Era for Shared Services

6. 10 Best Practices and Benchmarks
for HR Shared Services
Source: Media 1
2012 Fortune 50 Companies Operating with HR Shared Services

7. 10 Best Practices and Benchmarks
for HR Shared Services
Source: SSON
Big Data and Shared Services

8. 10 Best Practices and Benchmarks
for HR Shared Services
Companies with multi-function global
business service organizations vs.
single-function Shared Services.
Source: SSON
Big Data and Shared Services

9. 10 Best Practices and Benchmarks
for HR Shared Services
Top performers’ activity inside global business
Shared Service organizations
Procurement
Source: SSON
Big Data and Shared Services
Finance

10. 10 Best Practices and Benchmarks
for HR Shared Services
“World-class organizations
spent 13% less on human
resources costs per employee
than their peer groups in 2006.”
The Hacket Group via Business Week Research Services:
The New Era for HR Shared Services

11. 10 Best Practices and Benchmarks
for HR Shared Services
Aberdeen Group:
Building the Case for HR Shared Services

12. 10 Best Practices and Benchmarks
for HR Shared Services
Institute of Management Accountants: Implementing Shared Services Centers

13. 10 Best Practices and Benchmarks
for HR Shared Services
The quality of the workforce ultimately
determines Shared Services success.
Accenture:
Achieving high performance through Shared Services
Lessons from the masters

14. 10 Best Practices and Benchmarks
for HR Shared Services
Media 1 are experts in Return On People, a powerful
organizational performance methodology grounded in
Human Capital Analytics. We apply ROP to increase
long-term profit and fuel an empowered, agile, and
sustainable work environment for all contributors. Our
clients include senior executives from companies who
have grown through merger and acquisition and
emerging organizations seeking to implement leading
people practices.
Return On People will help you create an accountable
measurement culture for a greater return on your
investment in people. Learn more at ROIPeople.com.
www.media1.us

15. www.media1.us