How to stay ahead of the constantly changing HR industry

The HR industry is forever changing. There’s a steady stream of new employment laws to consider and updates on best practice to be kept on top of. As a recruitment agency we make it our mission to stay abreast of changes in employment, as we know it’s what affects our clients on a day-to-day basis. Of course, it also ensures that we do our job well too.

The past few months have been no exception to rule that HR is a constantly fluctuating industry. We’ve seen flexible working laws undergo huge changes and debates over zero hour contracts have received a lot of media attention.

In the last week alone there has been talk about employers discriminating against tattooed employees: the BBC covered a magazine story asking, Should tattoo discrimination be made illegal? The article mentions several cases in which employees claim to have been denied a job or dismissed from a current position because of their body art.

Although this is just one example in the press, we’ve seen many different case studies crop up recently with regards to employment law. The Recruitment & Employment Confederation recently featured several court cases that may affect the law with regards to holiday pay.

Evidently, there are always cases that spark debate over employment law. As hirers and HR professionals you will want to find out more about the stand out cases, which may effect how you employ staff in the future.

Similarly, new trends in work culture or the hiring process crop up all the time – and as a consequence they bring questions about whether these trends are compliant with the law. Again, it’s a process that the hirers and HR professionals need to stay ahead of: for example, one of our recent Lunch & Learn sessions focussed on the rising trend for using social media in the hiring process. We covered topics on whether it was ethical, within the law and how it can be done effectively.

Aside from keeping up with employment law case studies and changes to work cultures, there are a few other simple steps you can make that can help you stay ahead:

-       Network: Speaking to other professionals in the same field as you will help you to pick up on what the industry is talking about. Ask what other hirers have found challenging in the last six months: has auto-enrollment been a difficulty? Have they used social media when hiring? Have they seen an increase in flexible working requests?

-       Research: There are plenty of resources online, which will help HR professionals pick up on the latest ‘buzz’ surrounding recruitment. The REC blog is a fantastic place to start, with topics from recruiting women in senior leadership roles right through to the nitty-gritty subjects such as, “should commission payments be taken into consideration when calculating holiday pay?”. Other blogs that are worth a read include: UndercoverRecruiter, for something a little more light-hearted, and the LinkedInTalent Blog.

-       Speak with your recruitment agency: A good recruitment agency will be dedicated to staying in touch with their clients, and willing to help when they can with questions regarding employment. When you’re looking for a new recruit, speak to your agency about any concerns you may have and ask their advice on hiring issues you’ve had in the past.

-       Keep on top of your sector’s news: This is especially important for HR professionals in specialist industries. There will be different recruitment concerns depending on what industry you’re working in. Look in trade magazines and online for specific advice like this article in the Morning Advertiser, targeted at hiring in the hospitality sector: “Holiday entitlement - a pub employersguide”.

-       Make the most of industry events: Attending industry events can be a huge help to hirers. Not only do they provide you with an ideal networking opportunity, they will also provide you with the opportunity to take part in discussions and listen to presentations from industry-leaders. In fact, our Employment Law Seminar, in partnership with Hegarty LLP Solicitors, is a great example of such an event. This year’s Employment Law Seminar’s agenda is as follows:

o   Martin Bloom, partner at Hegarty’s LLP Solicitors, will tackle the employment law issues surrounding open plan working.

o   Emma Carter, solicitor, will be looking into some case studies from the past 12 months and reviewing the implications these case studies may have for your business.

o   Tim Thompson, partner, will be explaining the intricacies of flexible working and zero hour contracts.

Why not make it your goal to stay well ahead of the changing industry? Hopefully these tips will give you a great starting point. If you would like to attend the Breakfast Employment Law Seminar on the 9^th September, we would be delighted to have you. Simply email us on info@annecorder.co.uk or call 01733 235298 to register your interest.

WHY THE ‘JOB FOR LIFE’ CONCEPT IS FADING FAST

Our last blog focused on the right to request flexible working and the impact this was likely to have on both employers and employees. Inextricably linked with any discussion on this new piece of legislation is a wider comment on our ever-evolving workforce and its changing attitude and behaviours towards traditional employment processes.

Not only are we seeing an increasing number of employees and jobseekers looking for variability in roles, but also in employers themselves. Studies have shown that people new to the job market are rarely looking to find a ‘job for life’, favouring instead jobs that suit their lifestyle at the time. And with skill shortages becoming a major problem for employers in certain industries, there are a selection of jobseekers out there whose attributes are so in demand that they can afford to be picky about where they choose to work.

So the first important message for employers here is: make yourself an employer of choice. We shared our ideas on how to best do this back in 2013 for our regular business surgery column contribution and much of what we covered still stands true. What the past 12 months has taught us instead is how the modern employee approaches the ‘work-life balance’ quest, and how much more they now expect from an employer.

Allegis Global Solutions wrote a fascinating blog on this very topic, hitting the nail on the head with the following statement:

“The modern candidate wants an organisation to serve as a talent platform that allows them to fulfil their potential and are happy to move on to a different employer once they feel they have achieved this. You only have to look at the growing prominence of the contingent workforce for evidence of this change.”

Some see this is as a fickle attitude to have, but it is one that unfortunately has been borne out of the impact of the recession, with the millennial generation of workers having entered the job market at a time of instability and uncertainty. Now, as employer confidence grows, businesses must acknowledge that the ‘job for life’ mentality is no longer adopted by the majority of jobseekers, and so must adapt their offering to give and get the most out of employees within a more realistic timeframe.

With research from the New College of Humanities revealing that a staggering 19 out of 20 graduates now change jobs at least once in the first three years after graduating from university, it certainly gives weight to what has been discussed so far. The NCH research is the most recent in statistical reports on this topic, and it shows that career changing goes well beyond the first job. With a third blaming financial reasons for such rapid job-hopping and two fifths looking to gain new skills and experience from different positions, it reinforces the attitudinal change hinted at earlier in on this post.

Also testament to this is the advice that is being given to ‘modern’ jobseekers. Gone are the days where CVs are strictly templated with the main focus on a person’s qualifications. Our latest candidate newsletter tells jobseekers not to hide their personality, focus less on their educational background and more on ‘telling their story’ i.e giving greater prominence to personal achievements and examples of use of skills in real life circumstances. A good personality fit is now much higher up an employer’s tick list when recruiting for new staff, and has become an increasingly important part of the client briefs the team have been dealing with recently.

The decline of the ‘job for life’ is another intriguing and unpredictable way in which our industry continues to surprise and challenge us  - our job is to learn to adapt and move forward accordingly to make life for our clients and candidates as easy as possible.

RIGHT TO REQUEST FLEXIBLE WORKING

There was much media buzz surrounding the new rules concerning flexible working that came into place on June 30^th 2014. Questions were raised, predictions made and debates ensued. Understandably so, of course, given the rather large leap this piece of legislation has made as opposed to a slow burn of gradual change typical of so many other aspects of employment law.

What I mean by this, is rather than steadily increasing the minority of people who could request flexible work group by group, the government has decided that it will be a universal right for all workers, and in so doing completely eliminating the strict criteria that controlled this area previously. While on the surface this will be seen as a coup for employees, it is also a shrewd move for employers, as a rule for all reduces the risk of discrimination claims that could potentially be brought against them.

Nonetheless, there is a set of legal requirements that both employees and employers must follow under the new ruling. ACAS, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service has helpfully issued a code outlining what ‘must’ lawfully be done, and what steps ‘should’ be taken in order to maintain best practice at all times during the request process.

The rules for employees are as follows:

Any employee with 26 weeks or more continuous service has the statutory right to ask to work flexibly. This type of request can only be made once within any 12-month period and must state if and when they have made a previous application for flexible working. The request must be in writing, dated appropriately, and should outline the change to working conditions the employee is seeking, including the date they would the proposed new working pattern to begin.

In making their request, the employee must also consider how the employer will be affected with regards to the role itself, the impact on other team members as well as the wider department/organisation. The employee should also present thoughts on how this could be addressed by the employer.

The rules for employers are as follows:

All written requests must be carefully considered, and meetings should be set up to discuss the request with the employee further if necessary. If a meeting does take place, good employment practice would recommend that you allow the employee to be accompanied by a work colleague for this and any subsequent appeal discussion. The discussion should enable you to get a better idea of exactly what changes they are looking for and consider how this might mutually benefit your business and the employee.

During the deliberation period, employers should carefully weigh up the pros and cons for both parties, but particularly focusing on the likely impact, consequences and repercussions the requested change would have on the business in general.

If you reject the request it must be for one of the business reasons set out in the legislation, as below:

-       the burden of additional costs

-       an inability to reorganise work amongst existing staff

-       an inability to recruit additional staff

-       detrimental impact on quality

-       detrimental impact on performance

-       detrimental effect on ability to meet customer demand

-       insufficient work for the periods the employee proposes to work

-       a planned structural change to your business

Employees can appeal rejections, and it remains within the employer’s duty to allow and enable this to happen. Furthermore, all requests and their appeals have to be considered and a decision made within the first three months of receipt.

Hegarty LLP Solicitors’ Partner Martin Bloom wrote a business surgery column on this topic from a legal perspective, which can be read here on the Peterborough Telegraph website. Fellow Partner Tim Thompson will be discussing the theme of flexible working at our upcoming Employment Law Seminar, which is taking place at Peterborough Arena on Tuesday 9^th September.

For more information about any of the above, feel free to drop us an email at info@annecorder.co.uk

QUEEN’S SPEECH IS ‘REASSURING’ FOR THE RECRUITMENT INDUSTRY

Leading industry bodies have breathed a collective sigh of relief in response to the last Queen’s Speech ahead of next year’s general election. Matters discussed in the Palace of Westminster on Tuesday were as expected, revealing some positive news for recruiters and UK businesses.

Plans outlined by the Government on pensions, zero hours and National Insurance contributions all demonstrated a step in the right direction and have been welcomed by professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC).

The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill proposes to make life easier for small business starts ups, giving them fairer access to financial support as well as a share of the money spent on public procurement contracts. Measures to reduce bureaucracy will also be taken, and transparency around business ownership will be strengthened through the introduction of a public register of beneficial shareholders.

This corporate ownership bill should help to crack down on rogue traders, by increasing the fines on employers who abuse national minimum wage, and lengthening the time period for which they can be disqualified.

Exclusivity clauses are to be banned in order to make zero hours contracts much clearer for the employee. Such a ban has been declared as the most appropriate solution to the concerns raised, as it focuses specifically on poor practise as opposed to discrediting flexible work altogether.

It is nevertheless necessary, with a recent CIPD survey showing that nearly half of zero hours workers have had scheduled work cancelled without any forewarning, while a quarter say that even when their primary employer doesn’t have hours available, they are prohibited from finding work elsewhere.

Conversely, levels of job satisfaction amongst zero hours workers are comparable to that of the average UK employee – a stat that is regularly used in defence of the contracts. We blogged about this back when the debate at its peak, you can find it here.

The Modern Slavery Bill aims to help businesses be aware of and report on activities across their whole supply chain by insisting on a top down management process. This will work in cohesion with a wider, simplified criminal system in order to secure more convictions and make the protection of victims a main focus.

The National Insurance Contributions Bill will focus on the self-employed in particular by simplifying the collection of class 2 NICs. Powers will be given to Revenue and Customs to enforce payments in cases of tax avoidance, along with the introduction of rules to ascertain which arrangements are designed to avoid, and which are to minimise payments.

Terry Scuoler, chief executive of EEF, the manufacturers' organisation, welcomed the policies what he said were "a number of pro-growth and pro-work policies".

He said: "The government must now keep momentum going for the next 11 months and not stall just as the economy is beginning to motor.

"It is also essential that the legislation proposed does not load any extra burdens on to employers, or remove their ability to recruit and employ in a flexible way to suit their business."

LinkedIn member count reaches 300 million

You can’t knock LinkedIn’s ambition. In a recent press release announcing its 300 million member milestone, the social network site stated that it won’t be resting on its laurels yet, instead it hopes to “create economic opportunity for every one of the 3.3 billion people in the global workforce.”

When put like that, this latest achievement is really only a scratch on the surface of LinkedIn’s self-proclaimed potential, but certainly one to celebrate and appreciate. Most applaudable is how far the online platform has come in the past five years and how instrumental it has been in changing recruitment methods on a global level in particular.

The huge growth in membership is testament to its reputation as a reliable business platform for recruiters and jobseekers alike. Since 2008, membership has diversified to welcome more countries and more sectors to the site, resulting in measurable increases in job vacancies and applications towards record levels.

Unsurprisingly, the main focus of the five year review was the network’s mobile offering, which is expected to account for 50% of views by the end of 2014. And with five apps currently in use, we can only expect that figure to keep increasing.

Without doubt, LinkedIn will continue to play a major part in the ongoing departure from traditional forms of recruitment in favour of innovative digital methods and processes.

Check out the ACR Linked In page for our thoughts and musings on this exciting industry in which we work and share your ideas with us – we’d love to hear them.

Budget 2014: More investment for apprenticeships pledged

An energy sector jobs boost, recruitment help for SMEs and Apprenticeship Grants for Employers (AGE) success rates were the main headlines concerning our industry from yesterday’s 2014 Budget.

And luckily for the Chancellor, predictions made last year about the growth of the economy and relief for the jobs market have been backed up by figures released by the Office of National Statistics yesterday also.

The report showed that between November 2013 and January 2014, unemployment fell by 63,000, with almost half of that figure accounting for 16-24 year olds. Average earnings also increased by 1.4%, with a rise in the number of self-employed also recorded.

The positive news for these two groups of people was the focus at least of the recruitment side of this year’s Budget, with the government pledging continued support of Enterprise Zones to help entrepreneurs and start-ups hire staff and grow their business through private investment.

Mr Osborne also revealed that the AGE scheme will continue to be a key focus in 2014, with an extra £85 million being invested to provide more than 100,000 grants over the next two years.

This in particular has been received well by leading HR and recruitment bodies and industry leaders, who keenly recognise the critical link between investment in young people and future growth.

British Chambers of Commerce director general John Longworth said: "With a huge confidence gap still separating employers from young job-seekers, we are very pleased to see the Chancellor heed our call to help firms take on and train tomorrow's workforce.”

On a less positive note, many were left disappointed to discover that the plans to remove under 25s from employers National Insurance Contributions did not form part of this year’s Budget as expected. Had it been included, the cost of hiring would have been dramatically reduced for many companies through lifting 1.5 million young workers out of the jobs tax. Allusions were made, however, to this forming part of next year’s reform plans – a pledge that campaigners will no doubt continue to keenly push for.

As ever, I welcome and applaud any initiative that serves to create jobs and strengthen our industry. Support must therefore also be pledged on a local as well as national level in order to keep this slow ascent towards recovery going.

Job vacancies rising at fastest pace since 1998

Despite its positive headline, the latest jobs report released on Friday (7th Feb) has been met with mixed reactions from industry professionals. Produced by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) in conjunction with KPMG LLP, the survey revealed that job vacancy numbers are rising at a 15 year high, with notable peaks in performance across a range of sectors.

Yet with many good news pieces, there is a downside, with declining availability of candidates and skills shortages becoming problematic for a number of industries. This subsequently raises concern for economic growth on the whole as businesses struggle to find and maintain the right workforce to make a meaningful contribution to recovery.

Interestingly, statements are now being made surrounding careers guidance - in particular, what sort of advice is currently being given versus what advice should be readily available.

Tom Hadley, director of policy at the REC, said: “Part of the solution is to develop a careers guidance network that is fit for purpose. People need to be made aware of the growing sectors and what skills will be needed in the future, they also need to be taught the mechanics of finding work.”

He added that job centres across the country needed support from local businesses and recruiters in order to equip their jobseekers with regionally relevant information and advice about what sort of jobs and careers there are in their area.

In the spirit of optimism, the team and I are focusing on the positives from the report, including the news that unemployment levels have fallen to their lowest in just under five years.

We will however heed the advice given by REC and its policymakers by continuing to actively support Peterborough’s economy and equipping our clients and candidates with expert, local knowledge. Our salary survey is one way in which we do this, providing local employers with incredibly useful data about pay and remuneration packages in their area.

Recent salary survey publications have demonstrated an upward trend in employer confidence, which is tentatively reflected in this newest report on jobs. Particularly pleasing are the further sharp rises in temporary billings –and with truly genuine benefits for both employer and employee we can see why.

All in all, a promising first report for 2014. Watch this space for further comments and updates…

The skills vs experience debate

Ask any recruitment consultant to tell you what common conflicts exist in the industry, and finding a balance between skills and experience is a likely answer. Google the two words and you’ll find a wealth of articles and blogs asking the same question, which is more valuable to a recruiter?

According to a recent survey by XpertHR, experience wins out in the HR world, with close to 90% of respondents claiming it was experience that helped to advance their career. General business knowledge was also listed as an important factor in securing entry-level positions, over and above that of academic qualifications.

Professional qualifications however were heavily championed, with 75% of polled HR professionals feeling that a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) qualification was a prerequisite for promotion. Associated membership and fellowship status was equally encouraged, with only 15% saying they were not associated with any professional bodies.

Here at ACR we are firmly committed the continuous professional development of all our team members. We understand the value in equipping staff with the right knowledge and skills to progress within our ever-evolving industry, working closely with clients to promote and implement the same principles within their organisations.

LEARN WHILE YOU LUNCH!

As the reader’s of this blog will probably know, we enjoy a good working partnership with Hegarty LLP Solicitors, with whom we host our annual employment law seminar (see posts below for my write up on last month’s briefing).

In response to the success of these yearly updates, together we have decided to launch a series of workshops to give people the chance to learn more about a particular topic in a relaxed environment.

The Lunch and Learn sessions will be held at our Lynch Wood offices, where there will be an opportunity to network with other delegates as well.

We have been busy liaising with clients and other interested parties to find out what subjects they would like to learn more about.

Most requested was social media, which take the spotlight at the next two sessions to be held on Tuesday 26^th November and Wednesday 4th December.

The workshops will be headed up by Martin Bloom, who will bring delegates right up to speed with the latest updates and legislation.

To register your interest call us on  01733 235298 or email us. 

Diversity

The business case for diversity continues to be well articulated topic within the HR and recruitment sector. Yet while pledges, policies and codes of conduct are readily available for employers to engage with, there is still a significant discord between what is preached and what is practiced, particularly with regards to gender diversity.

Last month, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) held its second Women in Recruitment conference in conjunction with Recruitment International, during which a number of key themes were presented and discussed.

First and foremost was the reiteration of the indisputable business benefits brought about by the creation of a diverse workforce. Not only does it widen the talent pool, it also helps to remove the stigmas and prejudices surrounding both male-dominated industries and female-dominated industries.

It was rightly indicated that recruitment consultants have a duty to ensure that employers are fully informed and aware of the important issues surrounding diversity, particularly within their local labour markets. This is something that myself and the team at ACR directly identify with, working consistently with our clients to modify and enhance their recruitment methods according to the latest trends, research and legislation.

Most recently this has included the promotion of flexible working offerings and the support of mentoring in schools through careers guidance and work experience for young people. ACR has long been a vociferous advocate of temporary staffing because the advantages are extensive and the value high. Yet too often temporary work is regarded as a ‘women’s issue’ and wrongly attributed to return to work mums.

Clients who have recognised the benefits of employing both make and female interim workers have reported improved retention rates and increased productivity. There are multiple benefits for the candidate also – a change in career direction that began with a short-term placement being just one example.

With regards to school liaison, and the wealth of higher education opportunities now available to young people, more needs to be done to help advise and guide school and college leavers about which option to choose. And while gender crossover continues to be low within certain industries and along particular career paths, improvements must be made to the quality and availability of careers guidance and work experience opportunities.

ACR are regularly involved in school college liaison on a local level and continue to address the above points during our visits. It’s only by businesses taking on enthusiastic, hard working youngsters and discovering the benefits for themselves that they will be encouraged to invest in more and so widen the job market for that age group.

ACR is moving to Lynch Wood

It’s been a busy three months for the team and I as we have been preparing for our upcoming office move.

Now I am delighted to announce that we will be operating from our new offices at 25 Commerce Road on the Lynch Wood Business Park from Monday 17^th June.

This is an exciting move for us and simply reflects the way in which recruitment has changed. The digital revolution has transformed the ways in which we interact with both clients and candidates, meaning that a city centre base is no longer a necessity for the modern recruitment agency.

When Anne Corder Recruitment began life 18 years ago, the business advertised vacancies in the local media and relied on candidates dropping in hard copy cvs or faxing them through to our city centre offices.

The process – whilst being thorough – was slow and labour intensive.  Being in the city centre was important for us, keen to attract candidates looking to register with their cvs or apply for vacancies during lunch breaks or city centre visits.

Now, vacancies are advertised on our digital ‘shop window’ – our website – as well as in different specialist forums, to which candidates apply almost instantly with digital cvs and application letters.

Even psychometric testing is done digitally nowadays.  Location is less important in this modern world of recruitment.

Our new premises have been immaculately refurbished to provide a fresh and contemporary office environment that is much more user-friendly. We have more space; more interview and conference rooms and we are in the midst of many of our existing and potential business clients.

There is ample parking space to make attending interviews that much easier and the business park has excellent public transport too.

Technology is a wonderful tool but it is only ever as good as the diligence of the people using it – and that is where there is simply no substitute for recruitment experience when interviewing candidates prior to presenting them to clients.

And that is where professional recruitment agencies add real value to clients and candidates. Clients require short lists of qualified candidates to speed up the recruitment process and find the right person. Candidates are equally keen to ensure the potential employer is right for them. Bringing all those pieces together is the real art of recruitment.

Budget 2013: relief for the jobs market

While George Osborne’s ‘aspirational’ budget may not have convinced the entire nation, it has revealed some positive news for those still struggling to find work.

The Chancellor opened his speech with some encouraging statistics for 2013: an additional 600,000 people to be employed by the end of the year, 60,000 fewer benefits claimants and six private sector jobs being created for every public sector one lost.

All of this indicates some relief for the jobs market and a welcome reduction in the level of competition for individual roles. And with additional supportive measures such as the new personal tax and employment allowances, we are expected to see “more people in work than ever before,” according to The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC).

Locally, business leaders and politicians in Peterborough have largely embraced the budget and recognise its value in boosting the city’s economy. In particular, the reduction in National Insurance Contributions has received praise from small businesses and firms, who will now be in a better position financially to create jobs and start hiring.

It’s these kinds of measures that will help to generate a much needed boost of confidence in our local jobs market, confidence that the team here at ACR will naturally support and help to implement.

As REC rightly observes, “tweaks to the tax code that cut the cost of hiring, rewarding workers with more take-home pay and reducing the corporate tax burden on businesses are positive examples of some targeted steps that our industry should welcome.”

We’ll be working closely with our clients to encourage and develop future job roles, as well as providing our candidates with new and exciting opportunities for work in the local area.

What to expect in 2013

January is always a busy month for recruitment in general, and it’s no exception here in the ACR office.

For starters, we've been dealing with a number of instructions from clients who are starting to think about their recruitment needs for the year ahead. Our Recruitment Partners will be working closely with businesses over the next few months as they consider their staffing strategies and employment requirements for 2013.

The local job market also remains buoyant, with a surge in number of CV’s arriving in our inboxes over the past week. This is to be expected however, as many people adopt a ‘new year, new job’ mentality, with ACR staff on hand and ready to help.

As usual, we've been keeping up with the latest news from REC who have released some interesting thoughts on recruitment trends for the year ahead.

Encouragingly, we’ll continue to see a growth in the industry, albeit a slow and steady one. The growth in part-time and temporary work is set to be the most significant – something that the team and I are more than familiar with and will continue to dedicate time and energy to.

Meanwhile, our salary survey continues to go from strength to strength as more and more companies from a range of sectors take part each year.

For 2013, we’ll be teaming up with PAYDATA again to produce an additional interim report in January, with the focus being on pay reviews.

Designed to be a shorter study than the salary survey, it should take no longer than five minutes to feed in the relevant data. The results will give participants an extra insight into what is happening in the local market in order to prepare and plan their 2013 pay reviews more effectively.

If you would like information about taking part in the study, please let us know via email or alternatively call us on 01733 319 888.

Also on the agenda over the next few weeks will be discussions surrounding our Employment Law seminars, held twice a year in conjunction with Hegarty solicitors. If there are any topics you feel it would be particularly relevant to address this year, do let us know.

As we get into the full swing of the new year, I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank all who worked with us in 2012 - we appreciate your custom greatly and look forward to working with you again in 2013.

Salary survey shows businesses are exercising caution

No news is good news, apparently, Certainly in the case of this year’s local Salary Survey that is the case.

Last year there was a levelling out of salary increments following two or three years of quite severe dips and troughs across different industries.

But this year’s Peterborough Local Market Survey, which we produce in partnership with specialist reward consultants PayData Ltd, shows a ‘cautious’ response to the economic conditions.

While a quarter of participants revealed they had frozen pay, the survey revealed an overall average 2.5 per cent rise in salaries over the past 12 months.

That suggests a plateau has been reached. Rather than companies trying to bring salary levels back in line or attract staff in certain areas, they now seem to be rewarding loyalty and hard work while keeping one eye on costs.

There are always the odd discrepancies in this type of survey. Advanced accounts clerks have notched up around 12 per cent extra in their pay packets while marketing assistants, IT assistants and production managers have noticed a small slip. But having studied the results, I suspect these blips could be more related to the shift in our sample. Some new businesses signed up to take part in this year’s salary which is always good news.

The survey is such a valuable benchmarking tool - one which has been part of the business landscape for 15 years – it is good to see the continuing involvement of some big names.

We are now working on the production of an interim report, concentrating on pay rises, to be produced in the new year. If you would like to take part do get in touch with us.

By participating in the full survey next year your company is entitled to see the entire results document. There is also the option to receive a comparison of your results against those of others.

Unemployment crawling in the right direction

The drop in the UK’s unemployment rate by 0.1 per cent represents a crawl in the right direction rather than a freefall – but at least it is the right direction. And it represents an ongoing downward trend which can only be positive.

Levels of unemployment are still high at 8.1 per cent and they do also need some clarifying. For instance, the number of people out of work for more than a year stands at the highest for 16 years and the number of people working part time hours is the highest since records started in 1992 at 8.12 million. Around 1.42 million of those are working part time hours because they can’t secure a full time post.

However, the overall figures do reflect the resilience of the current labour market, while also suggesting that those companies operating in the private sector are perhaps more confident than many commentators are suggesting.

Certainly we’re finding locally that the recruitment market is improving in specific areas. In particular, local businesses in the engineering sector are on the hunt for new staff in a number of different departments. And smaller IT companies are obviously coping with larger work loads as there has been an increase in demand for those with IT sales and web developer experience. Interestingly, that reflects the national situation in those industries.

Even cautious employers are hanging on to staff, obviously anticipating an upturn so making it financially worthwhile to pay staff through the lean times rather than go to the expense of re-recruiting in the near future.

It does feel that these two elements of the market are shoring up the continuing poor performances in the public sector and industries including construction and hospitality leading to the almost static overall figure.

Bonus payments, tribunals and bacon butties

The finishing touches are being put to the plans for this year’s employment law breakfast briefing.

As usual it means an early start for the ACR team, but one that always feels worth setting the alarm clock for!

Presenters Martin Bloom and Tim Thompson will be joined for the second year by their colleague from Hegarty LLP Emma Carter. All three are experts in their field ensuring that delegates receive the most up to date information. Martin’s role as an employment tribunal judge gives him a valuable insight into the most frequently occurring issues and the challenges employers face which makes him the ideal person to address a room full of HR professionals.

The subjects on this year’s agenda are bonus payments and the proposed changes to employment tribunals. 

There will also be discussions around case law and recent changes to employment law legislation.

The seminar has grown in popularity over the 15 years or so we’ve been holding it. We now have well over 130 companies represented and around 200 attendees who, we like to think, don’t only come for the bacon butties and coffee!

If you haven’t booked your place, there are a few seats left so do get in touch. The date for your diary is Thursday, September 20 with registration starting at 7.30am.

Recruitment drive launched in the city

We are delighted to be part of a new recruitment drive launched in the city.

A long standing client has announced expansion plans which will create a total of 30 new vacancies. These are support roles for the contact centre so the hours are Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm rather than shift work. The aim is to fill the roles between now and the summer – some on a permanent basis and others on contract.

This is perfect timing for the city. As in so many places, the number of available jobs has been in continuing decline. The announcement that a raft of new roles is being created can only be a positive – not just because it offers new opportunities to job seekers but also as a demonstration that companies are investing in the city and in the future.
We’re now working with the client to pinpoint the right people for the new roles which will be supporting contact centre staff.

Again this sits perfectly in Peterborough which has become something of a ‘service centre’ hub over the last few years. The skills – customer service, admin and IT - are there among the workforce to be utilised.

We’re now busy organising an open event for next Friday. We will be inviting candidates whose CVs match the required skills to attend on an appointment basis. Those we deem suitable, both in terms of their skill set and their personality, will then be passed through to the client.

This is a really exciting opportunity for us, job seekers and the city – I shall look forward to reporting back on how it goes.

Jobless figures up but hope on the horizon

The good news is that opportunities in the job market do exist but, being at the front line, we know they’re not particularly easy for job seekers to find, or secure.
The latest rise in unemployment reflects this.

Figures, covering the three months until November 2011, show an increase of 118,000 in the number of people out of work. The jobless total, according to the Office of National Statistics, now stands at 2.68 million.

While the private sector has continued to create new jobs it is not in sufficient numbers to compensate for the 67,000 shed by the public sector. So the scales don’t balance. As I said, the opportunities do exist but not in the quantities necessary to reverse the upward trend.

The outlook may appear gloomy but we have noticed some sectors bucking the trend. And, according to news from the industry body Recruitment and Employment Confederation, we’re not the only ones.

There is strong demand in IT, for office professionals and in engineering and surveys reveal encouraging signs in terms of hiring strategies for the coming months.
Around 40,000 permanent positions each month are being filled by recruitment agencies – which does prove we’re working hard for our candidates!

Of course, I’m realistic. The job market is tough at the moment. And the general thinking is that it will continue to get worse before stabilising later in the year.
In the meantime, we are doing what we can to help lessen the impact of the difficult economic times on both clients and candidates.

An interesting year…and another to come

The introduction of the Agency Workers Regulations in October was the biggest national event affecting our industry in 2011. So far, the figures don’t suggest it has made any real dents in the demand for temporary and interim staff. But we’ve only just slipped into the 12 week time frame for ensuring temporary staff receive comparable pay and benefits to permanent staff. Once the reality of that starts kicking in, there could be knock on effects and we will be watching closely for them.

It has certainly created a huge volume of work for us and our clients. We have spent much of the year discussing compliancy with businesses we work with – and others in the Peterborough region. Processes have had to be put in place, record keeping amended and information gathered to ensure the regulations are adhered to. By the time the regulations were written into legislation we were very pleased we’d spent so long preparing.

I don’t think there’s any doubt that 2012 is going to throw up its own challenges.
There is a general concern within the industry that the labour market will remain fragile certainly in the early part of the year.
There is also a worry that all the talk of that will rock employer confidence which is key to job creation.

Training will be vital. We know that while there are a lot of people looking for jobs there are some vacancies which can’t be filled because of a lack of candidates with suitable skills. This is something we will be discussing with those we work closely with in education and higher education.

Our industry body, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) is predicting unemployment will peak at around 2.75 million.

Our region didn’t fare too badly in 2011, when compared with the rises in unemployment elsewhere in the country. We can only hope that trend continues.
Of course, much of what happens nationally – and as a result locally – will depend on the European situation which we shall be watching closely.

And just a little note about what’s been happening here at ACR. Looking back it has been a year of changes. We have said goodbye to some familiar faces, hello to a clutch of new ones – and congratulations to a number of new mums and mums-to-be among the team too!
Throughout all that we have continued to strive to provide our clients and candidates with the excellent service they have come to expect from us.

And that’s just what we will continue to do in 2012.

Happy new year!

AWR: the first impact figures

The Agency Workers Regulations (AWR) have been in place for a couple of months now so we are able to start looking at the impact they are having on the sector.

The REC launched AWR Monitor at the same time the Regulations were implemented. Along with other REC members, we’ve been feeding our data into it, and the first monthly snapshot has now been produced.

The good news is that the demand for temporary staff remained relatively strong – temporary and contract staff billings increased in October at a similar pace of growth to that shown the previous month.

Demand was strong for both temporary and contract staff in engineering and construction, blue collar, IT and computing, secretarial and clerical, and for medical staff.

More than eight in 10 employers were planning to maintain or increase the number of temporary staff in both the short and longer term while just three per cent were planning to substantially decrease their numbers within the coming three months.
This is obviously good news for those who are career temps and have been concerned that demand for their services would fall in light of the new rules.

And it’s also cause for celebration for those who are using temporary, interim or contract work as a route back to longer term employment. The knock on is, of course, that those people are working rather than becoming another addition to the unemployment figures. It’s good to see that 84 per cent of people believe, as we do, that more needs to be done to support the use of flexible working as a bridge into employment.

* We are still working with clients and contacts to ensure the correct processes are in place to be compliant with the Regulations.
Do get in touch if you’d like more information about how we can help.