Why the use of an External Consultant Makes Sense

Employment costs are probably the biggest overhead that any organisation has to cover taking on specialist employees such as Quality Manager, Environmental Manager, Information Security Manager or Internal Auditor are not only hard to find but attract a premium in salary and total package.

A number of companies are taking the view that it is better to use the services of a specialist consultancy where a consultant is used for a specific task or period of time. There are a number of advantages in this sort of arrangement; consultants are paid only for the work or time involved, consultants are not 'employed' so do not have paid holidays, sickness, time off for domestic or social reasons, do not require pension or other benefits. And as they are not employed, no disciplinary processes and/or extended periods of notice are required to terminate a contract. There is also no risk of the dreaded Employment Tribunal.

The consultant is usually an 'expert' in the chosen field and will often have a greater depth of experience than the equivalent employee.

Used on a short term basis a consultant represents good value for money as there are no overheads to take into consideration.

But be sure that the consultant is covered by the rules of a governing body such as the Institute of Business Consulting (IBC) and is covered by appropriate Business Indemnity Insurance.

Consultants Are Good Value