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.

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."

NEW CHALLENGE FOR EMPLOYERS IN IMPROVING JOBS MARKET

There is some really positive news on the jobs front.

A monthly survey that tracks employment trends suggests that eight out of ten employers are planning to hire more people in the next three months.

The JobsOutlook survey, carried out by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) suggested that demand is increasing from a quarter or employers at the turn of the year to a third of employers surveyed last month.

Employers nationally are also expressing concern over skills shortages with one in five predicting a problem finding the right people to fill technical and engineering roles.

This national trend is mirrored locally.  The recently published Greater Peterborough Business Survey of 200 companies revealed that a third of businesses expected to recruit in the next 12 months.  And 21% of respondents to the local survey expressed concern that there was a shortage of specialist skilled staff in their sector.

The REC describe their latest survey results as the most promising since 2009 and advise companies to ensure their hiring processes are right to ensure they attract the right quality of candidates.

There is little doubt that employers need to plan ahead and act quickly and decisively when looking to recruit as candidate shortages will increase in the coming months.  All companies and organisations will need to work harder to win over and retain talented people.

We would suggest that companies need to:

• assess their business plans for the coming months in order to plan ahead
• allow ample lead time for a comprehensive recruitment campaign with realistic timescales when hiring
• improve the candidate experience
• review their recruitment processes to ensure they are fit for purpose
• review salary and benefits packages to ensure they are competitive to tempt talent – by using the ACR salary survey
• position themselves as employers of choice
• sell their own business to would-be employees

It is really important to remember that recruitment is a two-way process.  You may be choosing a candidate but the candidate is also making a decision about the employer.  Do you value well-being? Do you have a gym? Do you offer flexible working? Do you support a good work/life balance? It’s not just about the salary package.

Flexible benefits packages are also becoming increasingly popular, where candidates can pick and choose the package elements that suits them best.

Many companies are looking to use the increasing flow of graduates.  High Fliers Research suggests that some of the country’s biggest employers like Google, British Airways, John Lewis, the police and civil service alone expect to hire around 19,000 graduates in 2014 – an increase of nearly nine percent compared to 2012.

Here at Anne Corder Recruitment we recognise the importance of attracting the best talent – including graduates - and have specialist ‘talent spotters’ who are constantly trawling the market to ensure we can offer clients pre-qualified candidates of the highest quality.

The very fact that we are now talking about significant recruitment activity is hugely positive news and the fact that national and local surveys are coming up with the same conclusions, seems to validate this news.

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.

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.

2013 in review

As at the end of every year, the team here at ACR look to the media and to the industry’s professional bodies to see if their findings and forecasts match with what we have experienced in the past 12 months locally here in Cambridgeshire, as a good indication of what we can expect from 2014 both locally and nationally.

We have seen a steady growth in positive stats and figures coming from in-depth reports and surveys concerning employment levels undertaken by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

The REC’s end of year JobsOutlook survey shows that the number of employers planning to take on more permanent staff early next year is up nine per cent on 2012. Better news still for the temporary and flexible workforce, which benefits from a 17 per cent rise (to 47 per cent) in employer interest and engagement.

Confidence in the economy generally is also growing, with small businesses in particular demonstrating good faith. Many believe this is largely due to the changing attitudes in consumers and their increasing willingness to spend money, invest in a product and/or buy into a brand.

The Office of National Statistics also brings good tidings for the close of 2013, reporting the lowest level of unemployment in the UK for four years and the highest number of job vacancies for five years. Even more encouraging is the fact that the East of England reported the lowest unemployment rate of just 5.6 per cent compared to other areas.

This officially puts our county at the top of the employment ladder nationally. Having successfully placed many candidates this year, we are both delighted and unsurprised by this statistic. Locally, our employers are showing increased optimism in hiring new workers and keeping remuneratively competitive – as demonstrated by our salary survey results released in October.

All of the above can only mean good news for the world of recruitment as we get ready for the year ahead. January is always traditionally a busy time for jobseekers and agencies alike, but we will strive as ever to maintain and sustain the positive, confident and resolute attitude adopted by so many when a new year comes around.  

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our clients and candidates for choosing to work with us in 2013, and look forward to doing so again next year.

ZERO HOURS CONTRACTS – OUR VIEW

You may have noticed we stayed rather quiet when the subject of zero hours contracts first crept into the media spotlight back in August. It was a purposeful silence, as at that time, we simply felt the matter had been exacerbated and had unfortunately fallen victim to ‘band-wagon’ mentality from the majority of the public.

That isn’t to say that the arguments for and against weren’t valid of course – far from it – there just hadn’t yet been enough research behind it to present a balanced and measured argument…until now.

A new report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has revived the topic using meaningful results from a survey of more than 2,500 workers, dismissing previous statements that vilified this type of employment and called for restrictive regulation. Instead, its focus was on the overall understanding and implementation of these contracts, highlighting any areas for improvement for employers.

REC Director of Policy, Tom Hadley, rightly summed this sentiment up with a comment of his own: “Rather than seeking to add further layers of regulation and getting bogged down in a debate over different types of contracts, the focus for government must be to ensure that workers have the right skills and awareness to progress within the jobs market – whatever the type of contract they are on.”

The rules and regulation surrounding the flexible work environment can be a minefield for both employer and employee. Last month marked the two year anniversary of the introduction of Agency Worker Regulations (AWR) - which were also initially met with scepticism. Yet while recent reports show that the legislation incurred significant cost for recruiters, demand for temporary staff is still strong, with 96% of employers planning to increase or maintain their temporary workforce over the coming year.

Couple this with 60% job satisfaction of zero-hours workers (comparable to the average UK employee) and we can begin to understand the real benefits behind a contractually diverse workforce. It certainly gets the ACR seal of approval!

Industry infographic reveals record turnover

The latest trends update from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has piqued the interest of many consultants and agencies across the country, with its market forecast findings presented as a dynamic infographic.

The results presented show a comparison between permanent and temp/contract recruitment, with some encouraging stats reflecting a sense of growing optimism within the sector that is stronger than ever.

Over the past 12 months, total industry turnover has grown by 3.1 per cent to £26.5 billion, of which the temporary and contract market contributed 91 per cent for 2012/3 with record gross revenue of £24.1 billion reported.

According to REC chief executive Kevin Green, whose comments can be read here , the robust nature and attitude of the industry as a whole has significantly contributed to its continuous improvement and year on year over achievement in terms of exceeding predicted revenue growth.

Confidence in the post-recession recovery made so far has resulted in a much more positive forecast for the next three years, with realistic growth figures of 7.3, 8.3 and 9.6 per cent respectively set to increase total industry turnover to an even bigger record high of £33.5 billion by 2016.

While the numbers are very impressive, it is the increased volume of people that are now in work following a period of crippling unemployment that is the real success story here. Demonstrating the unrelenting stability and dedication of recruiters are the 617,000 people who got permanent jobs, and those 1.1 million people in temp/contract assignments on any given day.

The job security and satisfaction of placed candidates and the growing investment made by employers into their recruitment processes have been the nurturing forces aiding the industry’s recuperation; setting the scene for a welcome and increasingly pacy return to the golden pre-recession years.

Take a look for yourself. You can see the infographic here and the accompanying presentation here. 

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.

#ACRseminar2013

Yes, it’s that time of year again! The team and I at ACR are busy preparing for our annual employment law seminar, held in partnership with Hegarty LLP Solicitors.

The seminar is a popular and well-respected event amongst HR professionals in the region, and we’re pleased to be hosting it once more in the Cambridge Suite at Peterborough Arena, on Thursday 26^th September.

Seasoned presenters Martin Bloom and Tim Thompson will be joined for the third 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.

The subjects on this year’s agenda are settlement agreements and the proposed changes to the tribunal process.

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

This year both ourselves and Hegarty’s will be tweeting updates before and during the seminar using #ACRseminar2013 so if you have any questions you would like to ask in advance, please let us know.

You can follow us @ACRPeterborough and @HegartyLLP.

To book your place, please get in touch with us by calling 01733 235298 or emailing info@annecorder.co.uk.

Employers take note: how NOT to interview candidates

You would think that as the UK’s largest electrical retailer that Curry’s might know a thing or two about appropriate interview protocol. Yet recent media reports have revealed that a rather worryingly unconventional technique was used during a group interview at the company’s Cardiff store, where the candidates were asked to demonstrate their dancing abilities.

A number of articles, including this one here by the Independent have commented on graduate Alan Bacon’s shock and humiliation after being asked to dance to rap music during his interview. Alan said he felt he had ‘little choice’ after having been rejected from other jobs elsewhere due to fierce competition.

Having to do so had a negative effect on Alan, who had prepared properly for what he thought would be a normal face-to-face interview – spending time researching the company and reading up on new product launches.

This is exemplary behaviour from a candidate, which only serves to more strongly highlight the unorthodox approach taken by the store manager in question.

While Currys has publically apologised to all of the interviewees involved and invited them to attend another, more appropriate interview, it appears to be too little, too late for Alan who reportedly said he would not be taking them up on their offer.

It is an important lesson for Currys, who will now need to seriously review the way in which their recruitment policies are communicated both internally and externally.

Only by businesses choosing the right interviewing methods and processes, and investing the time and effort required to implement them effectively, can they hope to become a respected and sought-after employer of choice.

Our advice? Remember that you’re selling your business to candidates in the same way as you expect them to sell themselves to you; pitch it right and you’ll reap the rewards.

JOBS OUTLOOK SURVEY DELIVERS PROMISING RESULTS

Catching up on recent findings from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s (REC) latest JobsOutlook survey, I was thrilled to read that 56% of employers intend to increase their headcount over the next quarter.

It’s another encouraging statistic that serves to reflect increased optimism of businesses about the future of the economy and, more specifically, the jobs market.

A rise in the percentage of bosses who foresee agency staff headcounts will “stay the same” also shows growing confidence in the temporary labour market and the benefits agency staff can bring to businesses.

The summer months are a particularly busy time for temporary workers, who are most often employed to meet fluctuations in demand and to assist during sickness/holiday/maternity cover.

Temporary recruitment is something that myself and the team at ACR commit a lot of our time to, as we recognise the value that flexible work can offer both clients and candidates. And while we know there is a demand for it here in Peterborough, it’s great to see that the benefits are becoming more widely recognised, as reported by the REC.

Over the next year, one in three respondents plan to increase the use of agency workers, while 60% predict no change in their use of temps. This leaves just 6% who expect to make a reduction - a pleasingly low percentage.

ACR inputs data into the JobsOutlook survey on a monthly basis so it’s always interesting to see if our findings match those on a national level. We continue to be reassured by the latest results, and look enthusiastically forward to what the next quarter will bring.

ACR unveils new offices to the city’s business community

It’s been exactly one calendar month since we moved from our Park Road offices in the city centre to our new home on the Lynch Wood business park.

To celebrate, we hosted an evening drinks reception for clients and guests yesterday, on Tuesday July 16.

The team and I were delighted to welcome over 70 invitees – including Lord Brian Mawhinney and Cllr Marco Cereste – to the new offices at 25 Commerce Road for drinks, canapés and a guided tour.

It was a proud moment for the business, bolstered by the many compliments we received about the design and layout of the new building. We have Peterborough based designers QED and Tim Lloyd to thank for that, who were also there for the evening.

Their hard work made for a smooth transition as we quickly settled in to our new working environment. The ground floor is entirely open plan, making it easy for us to meet our clients and candidates as soon as they arrive for appointments.

The first floor boasts a range of bespoke meeting rooms and interview suites, as well as an IT training space for candidates.

Thank you to all those who attended the official unveiling yesterday. While this latest move means a fresh and modern look for the company, our intrinsic business values remain firmly the same.

We look forward to the opportunities our new location will bring, and hope to welcome many more faces through its doors.

If you weren’t able to attend the unveiling, please get in touch with one of the team on 01733 235298 who will be happy to arrange a suitable day/time for you to have a look around. 

Paris Brown: A sobering lesson for us all

IF you ever needed an example of the dangers of social networking in the recruitment industry look no further than the case of Paris Brown – the 17-year-old appointed Youth Crime Commissioner by Kent Constabulary.

When she was 14 or 15 she tweeted inappropriately about racism and homophobia and when her past caught up with her as the media scrutiny intensified on her life – she was left crying and embarrassed and eventually resigned from her post after only a week.

It’s a sobering lesson for Paris – who will now fully appreciate the enormity of the implications of inappropriate social media activity.  But it should also serve as a sobering lesson for the Police Commissioner for Kent Constabulary – who should never have allowed the situation to arise in the first place. 

Whether Paris should have kept her role as a bridge between police and young people and seen out the media storm with support from Kent Constabulary or whether she was right to walk away from the position, are arguments open for lengthy discussion.

What is indisputable however is the renewed focus on the implications of apparently casual tweets or Facebook postings which can be used by employers to provide a deeper insight into the personality traits of job candidates.

Had the Police Commissioner for Kent Constabulary checked out Paris’s social media history before the appointment, a more measured approach could have been adopted and a media storm avoided.

Concerns over city’s unemployed

While our recent pay trends mini survey revealed some positive news about Peterborough and its businesses, the latest statistics regarding unemployment in the area have resulted in concerns being raised.

A total of 6,710 people are currently unemployed, making up for 5.6% of the local population. It is only a slight increase from the figures released this time last year, but one that reflects poorly on the city in comparison to the rest of the region.

Lincoln, Cambridge, Northampton, Grantham and Stamford all reported figures that were more representative of the national rate, which currently stands at 3.9%.

A number of local organisations were contacted to comment on the news, including ACR. Recruitment partner Nel Woolcott spoke with BBC Radio Cambridgeshire on our behalf, talking candidly about why the figures were so high.

Much of the discussion focused on the impact of seasonal roles, many of which will have recently come to an end following the busy Christmas period, as well as the recent influx of people without jobs moving into the area.

We can certainly relate – having had a busy start to the year – but we still have a variety of job roles currently available and have even identified some skills gaps in the market.

In short, we still have something to be confident about in spite of these disheartening statistics. We know that Peterborough is a job creating city, with a 17% increase in the number of new companies being set up within the last 12 months.

We’ll be keeping cautiously optimistic as we continue to work with clients and candidates alike towards a much-anticipated boost in the city’s economy.

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.

ACR is moving!

I’m delighted to announce that the ACR team will be moving offices in a few short months.

Work is now under-way at our new premises on the Peterborough Business Park at Lynch Wood.

It means leaving our city centre base on Park Road, however the move will be instrumental to our ongoing business development plans by bringing us closer to our existing and potential clients. And with all candidates now sending in their CVs digitally, a central location is no longer a necessity.

The accessibility of Lynch Wood was also a contributing factor to the move, as it is close to the A1 and boasts excellent public transport links. The new building has ample parking space and more interview rooms to make life easier for our meetings with clients and candidates.

Having launched the business 18 years ago, I have witnessed first-hand the many ways in which recruitment has changed and the adjustments that have had to be made in our day-to-day operation as a result.

Our latest move reflects our long-term commitment to remain fresh, modern and contemporary without losing the intrinsic business values which have helped us retain so many clients over the years.

We are hoping to make the move late spring/early summer, with business continuing as normal at our Park Road office in the meantime.

We will be making sure we keep everyone up-to-date with the latest news regarding the move but please do get in touch if you have any queries, either via email or by telephoning us on 01733 319 888.

With 2013 already off to an exciting start, I look forward to what the rest of the year will bring as we welcome clients and candidates to ACR’s new home very soon.