Women’s Intimate Apparel Retailer

Outcome in Brief

• Nearly 40 field sales specialists were on-boarded, managed and trained
• Increased elevation of merchandising efforts and coverage in 200 retail locations
• Created a branded employee portal for training and communication
• Generated a branded career site for centralized application processing

Challenge

The client had no Employer of Record (EOR) experience in states where there were no retail stores. Legal department opted out of incurring the burden of additional headcount in states where they had no retail stores. The client also required a very fast paced scale and fill time-frame in order to achieve their sale goals for the season.

Results

Due to the client’s circumstance, the decision to find a company with EOR experience was unanimous. Due to a previous correspondence Headway had with the client months earlier regarding our EOR expertise in all 50 states, the client reached out and spoke to Headway about their needs.
Considering Headway’s experience nationwide, the client was confident in Headway’s ability to easily assume the extra cost and shoulder the burdens the client wished to avoid. Once an agreement was reached, Headway assumed HR administration burdens such as workman’s comp, unemployment filings, tax filings and compliance issues. Headway was able to help the client reach their goal by launching with 39 account specialists for the holiday 2014 season, to reach over 200 retail locations. And in times of higher awareness for special product promotions, Headway was able to accommodate the additional personnel needed for the endeavor.

Solution

The client initially needed to expand quickly to numerous locations across the U.S. where they currently did not have physical stores. Headway’s solution was to use our Contingent Workforce Solution, which incorporates recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) and employer of record (EOR) services. Headway sourced 100% of the required talent to their exact specifications within the short time frame provided. Additionally, Headway was able to shoulder the burden of all the HR and administrative costs, which included all W2 and tax fillings at the state and federal level, plus any workman’s compensation and unemployment payments. The manufacturer was also provided an account manager to have a single point of contact, allowing the account manager to develop a close relationship with both the specialists and the client.