Recruiter July 2019

Business intelligence for recruitment and resourcing professionals

July 2019

INCORPORATING Recruitment Matters

ALSO INSIDE

www.recruiter.co.uk

Has private equity finished with recruitment investment?

p01 cover JULY-new.indd 1

ath p t n e r e f f i d ng a o l a g n i k n i h T 11/06/2019 16:26

Saving Time & Money

One Click Payroll...

One Simple Solution

Advanced Pay & Bill Management Software for Umbrella Companies, RPO’s & Recruitment Agencies

Solutio is a cloud & app-based platform that automates the management of contingent workers, their assignments, timesheets & payments.

UMBRELLA COMPANY • Automated onboarding & assignment management • Fast & transparent ‘one click’ payroll processing • Solutio Analytics dashboards enable forensic reporting • Itemised payslips illustrating all statutory deductions

Information is accessed and synchronised across the supply chain via an online portal, thus ensuring accuracy, transparency & compliance.

RECRUITMENT AGENCY • Immediate worker registrations & contract management • Assignment documents synchronised with the supply chain

Workers manage their assignments, timesheets & pay on an app, which is both Apple & Android compatible.

Seamless & secure, Solutio transforms commercial performance and strengthens the relationship between worker, agency, client & umbrella company.

• Instant & real time payroll upload to umbrella providers • Seamless flow of fees & billing between all entities

CONTINGENT WORKER • App-based platform with self-serve onboarding • Unique ID number shared across the supply chain • Timesheet & expenses upload, plus contract information • Payment’s linked to worker’s bank accounts

Book Your Online Demo enquiries@solutio.com - 0203 819 7970 - solutio.com REC.07.19.002.indd 2

11/06/2019 15:36

38

R 18 A

05 Missing recruiter Whewell’s

06

07

07

08 10

B

C 16

17

FEATURES

Neurodivergent recruiting Employers are missing out on this untapped source of talent 24 Private equity interest wanes in recruitment The market for trade deals remains strong, despite the decline in PE investment

TRENDS

40 41 42

Winning business and influencing people Tech & Tools Monster Studios shows the true experience of video

INCORPORATING Recruitment Matters

18 THE BIG STORY

talents outside recruitment Missing climber Rupert Whewell was also in the middle of writing a novel Data helps cross-border talent acquisition Using data to understand candidates was just one of the themes at Cielo’s Talent Acquisition Summit Time for tea – and improved performance The value of human connections is vital for building strong teams Start-up of the Month: Recruitment Heroes Abbie McGann launches the specialist transport and logistics recruitment firm This was the month that was...

Contracts & Deals

12 Insight

15

D

NEWS

12

E COMMUNITY 28 Community: Upstart

33 34 35 36 38

Morson’s MorFit leads to more fitness Social Network The Workplace: Guy Hayward Workplace Innovation: Mark Braithwaite Business Advice: Alex Arnot My brilliant recruitment career: Jack Marsh, Source Group International Movers & Shakers Recruiter contacts The Last Word: Alan Furley

28

42

INTERACTION Viewpoint Aaron Bowes, director at Recruit Mint Soundbites

I M AG E S | I STO C K / G ETTY

p03_recruiter_contents.indd 3

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 3

13/06/2019 10:54

0114 478 0559

FUNDING FOR PAYROLL

Up to 4 Weeks Unlimited Free Credit FUNDING FOR PAYROLL

AĂìĨâſ ìĨìƏŞŖ 1.

Outsourced Payroll

2.

Up to 4 Weeks Credit

3.

Full Market Exposure

Simplify is one of the leading payroll providers in the UK with an unwavering commitment to compliance.

4.

Total Compliance

Į We also ĮƌìŐ ţō ŞĮ āĮţŐ ŹììĞŖ ţĨġċħċŞìè āŐìì âŐìèċŞ ŞĮ Ĉìġō âġċìĨŞŖ ħÆĨÆĂì ŞĈìċŐ âÆŖĈƐĮŹ ÆĨè ÆââìġìŐÆŞì company growth.

5.

Contractor Loyalty

6.

GDPR Compliant

7.

Marketing Initiatives

8.

Agency Support

HELPING RECRUITMENT AGENCIES SUCCEED D

Such generous payment terms empower agency bt, owners to invest in their businesses whilst free of debt, loans or factoring arrangements.

To ƏĨè ĮţŞ ħĮŐì ÆáĮţŞ ŞĈċŖ ţĨċŏţì ĮōōĮŐŞţĨċŞſʫ please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Please Contact Simplify to Arrange an Initial Consultation funding@simplifybusiness.co.uk - www.fundingforpayroll.co.uk REC.07.19.004.indd 4

11/06/2019 15:38

N E WS

UPDATE

WE LCO M E

LEADER

H

as your company adopted neurodivergent recruiting as a strategy in addition to implementing other means of diversifying your workforce? This month, we take a look at how neurodiversity is making its way into the consciousness of UK firms. A few organisations have done pioneering work into tapping into this little understood segment of the population – GCHQ, Microsoft, SAP, SAS, to name a few – but most are not yet sufficiently enlightened to value what they could bring to any workplace. Get ahead “This month, of the rush for this talent on p18. we take a Conferences and look at how neurodiversity seminars are a lifeblood of ideas, is making its and in June, way into the consciousness lightning struck, and struck hard. A of UK firms” fascinating two hours focused on influencer marketing, courtesy of media recruiter Aspire, which led to this month’s Insights piece by Archana Dhankar, the recruiter’s head of global marketing. Who would you consider influencers in your market?

And finally: we talk a lot about improving the recruitment industry’s reputation. Recruiter’s proud to support a charity each year – this year ASTRiiD, with funds raised through silent auctions and other channels at our gala awards nights. It’s shameful when some of recruitment’s best-known individuals bid, and then don’t pay on their winning bids.

It reflects badly on our industry – and is hurtful to the charity.

DeeDee Doke, Editor

I M AG E S | R E U T E R S / ISTOC K

p05_07_recruiter_news.indd 5

Missing recruiter Whewell’s hidden talents

BY GRAHAM SIMONS

Executive search specialist Rupert Whewell, one of eight climbers feared dead in the Indian Himalayas, was contemplating swapping the world of recruitment for a new career as an author.

In June, international news reports said a helicopter crew had spotted five bodies on Nanda Devi, India’s second highest-peak, believed to have been hit by an avalanche on 27 May. The group of eight missing climbers, of which Whewell was one, was last heard from the day before. Whewell was managing director of executive search firm Bateman Gray.

Speaking to Recruiter, fellow mountaineering enthusiast and Cambridge graduate William D’Arcy, revealed he hired fellow Cambridge alumni Whewell when working for executive search firm Hanover Search and Selection in 1998. After 18 months, D’Arcy set up his own search firm D’Arcy and Co, taking Whewell with him. Whewell eventually became a director, taking 25% of the company in equity.

But D’Arcy, who described Whewell as very good at his job and a “very clever, very articulate, fantastic wordsmith”, also told Recruiter Whewell was in the process of writing a novel.

“He was writing a book, which has gone through about five drafts, a book of fiction. He was quite private about his writing because essentially he said he was going to work less hard at recruiting and try and get a work of fiction published, so somewhere there’s about 85,000 words on his computer that someone should take a good look at.”

Climbers (back L-R) Anthony Sudekum, Rupert Whewell, Mark Thomas, Matt Powell, Kate Armstrong, Martin Moran, Richard Payne, John McLaren, Ruth McCance, (front L-R) Ronald Beimel, Ian Wade, Zachary Quain and Chetan Pandey, liaison officer of Indian Mountaineering Foundation, pose for a picture before leaving for their expedition in Munsiyari town in the northern Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, India 13 May, 2019.

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 5

13/06/2019 09:31

NE WS

UPDATE

38,096 FOLLOWERS AS OF 12 JUNE 2019

Data can help talent acquisition across borders

BY COLIN COTTELL

USING DATA TO understand differences in candidate expectations can be the key to more effective talent acquisition, attendees at Cielo’s Talent Acquisition Summit heard.

Geert-Jan Waasdorp (right), founder of Intelligence Group, unveiled research from across EU and the UK that showed clear differences in candidate expectations in different countries and between different demographic groups.

Given the diversity of candidates’ expectations, Waasdorp said, it was vital that recruiters took these factors into account when designing application processes and the candidate experience, and that they were as transparent as possible about the process so that they could manage candidate expectations.

The research revealed, for example, that on average jobseekers in the UK expected 2.4 interviews during the job search process. However, in France the

figure was 4.2. Similarly, UK candidates expected the application process to take 3.5 weeks, while those in the Czech Republic expected the process to last just over two weeks.

These sorts of differences between candidates in different countries helped explain why “for Dutch employers Belgium is the hardest market and why it is much easier for them to recruit German candidates”, said Waasdorp.

The research entitled ‘The European Candidate Experiences’ also identified major variations between men and women, with women prioritising an

easy online application process, and men wanting to feel important during the process.

The age of candidates was also a factor; older candidates prioritised a short application process, whereas younger candidates put more emphasis on the transparency of the process.

Waasdorp said that “knowing the differences can make a big difference to your talent acquisition”, and he went on to suggest recruiters “needed to have different application processes and to start to manage the expectations during the recruitment process”.

Another difference was that while 43% of candidates in Germany admitted they exaggerated their salary, only 14% of candidates in Portugal did so. In view of this, Waasdorp advised: “Tell candidates your policy up front, that your offer is always your final offer and ask them to bring in their latest three pay cheques, as this will inform candidates what to expect. It’s important to know your target group.

“Facebook does this fantastically,” producing a guide for jobseekers for some of its jobs. This included questions they would be asked, information about the hiring managers and even the wi-fi code of the interview building.

Self-confidence and excellence breeds success

BY COLIN COTTELL

IF YOU WANT to hire people who go on to be really successful, look for individuals who are self-confident and really good at what they do.

That was the clear message from Martyn Newman (right), a clinical psychologist, presenting at the Talent Acquisition Summit put on by strategic recruitment process outsourcing firm Cielo. These were among the 10 traits that “underpin the most successful people on the planet”, he said.

“Nothing more exciting has emerged from social sciences in the last 100 years,” said Newman as he revealed the findings of his Emotional Capital Report, which he described as “the latest evolution” of this accumulated evidence. “Psychology has shown us you have to like yourself, and believe that you bring something of value, and the second thing is being really good at what you do.” Psychometric assessments could help employers identify individuals with these traits, he said.

Good and successful leaders also scored more highly on self-reliance and optimism. “The capacity to imagine what is over the horizon and to dream what can be achieved, that is what sets people up for success,” he said.

This evidence was based on a survey of 8,000 successful people, Newman said.

6 RECRUITER

p05_07_recruiter_news.indd 6

JULY 2019

Find more daily news stories at recruiter.co.uk/news 13/06/2019 09:31

THOUGHTS FROM… RICKY MARTIN FO UNDE R AND MANAGING DIREC TOR , HYPER RECRU ITMENT SOLU TIONS

“It’s never too late to make it happen.”

WILLIAM D’ARCY FO RM E R RECRUITER ON HIS FRIEND MISSING CLIM B E R AND EXECU TIVE SEARCH SPECIALIST RUPERT WHEWELL

“He was very good. He specialised in M&A, finance.

Our biggest client in those days was Salomon Brothers.

He was just very good. He was very clever, very articulate, a fantastic wordsmith – one of the most articulate people I have ever come across.”

AMY GOLDING C E O, O PUS TALENT SOLU TIONS, WHO RE C E NTLY TOOK PART IN THE BBC’S CEO SECRETS SERIES

“The way I that I’ve been able to be taken seriously as a leader at a young age is by never pretending to know more than I did.”

Time for tea – and better performance

BY COLIN COTTELL

ALLOWING STAFF TO go on tea breaks together rather than as individuals is just one of the ways an organisation can improve the workplace and drive better performance, according to Bruce Daisley, vice president, EMEA, Twitter.

In his keynote address to TREC 2019 (Talent, Recruitment & Employment Conference), Daisley referred to a call centre, where allowing colleagues to go on breaks in groups of around 30 had resulted in a 19% reduction in stress and a 23% rise in performance, equivalent to 10 years’ experience in the job. This was a result of staff “simply being able to talk to each other” about work and other issues, said Daisley, and “showed the incredible value of human connections in creating strong teams”.

In a world in which work was “making more demands on people than ever before”, with resultant rises in stress and mental health problems, Daisley went on to make other suggestions for how to create a workplace environment and organisational culture that mitigated stress and boosted creativity and performance.

Allowing people to be their true selves at work was vital, said Daisley, citing a 15-minute exercise when staff in one company were asked to reflect on a specific time when they behaved “in the way they were born to act”, which had resulted in an a 12 percentage point increase in performance.

“The more staff are themselves, they better they can do their job,” said Daisley.

Workplace creativity could also be boosted by “understanding how we think”, said Daisley. “We have made the mistake of forgetting where our thinking comes from,” he continued. The best ideas did not come when people were in meetings or checking emails, he explained, but were more likely to come when they were “in a distracted state, and staring out the window, or on a train”.

I M AG E S | I STOC K / PA L HA N S EN

STA RT-UP OF THE MONTH RECRUITMENT HEROES Abbie McGann has set up warehouse, transport, logistics staffing specialist Recruitment Heroes.

“It’s a bit embarrassing because people have often have said over the years, ‘Oh, you’re my hero!’… by supplying them with decent staff, and do you know what? Everyone needs a hero – we’ll go with Recruitment Heroes,” McGann, who goes by the job title managing hero, told Recruiter, adding she grew tired of making a lot of money working at other people’s agencies.

According to McGann, while her agency supplies warehouse, transport and logistics sectors, she also does some rec-to-rec due to her nose for talent in the recruitment sector.

In terms of standing out in the sector, McGann reveals she is her agency’s unique selling proposition.

“I’m experienced. I’m knowledgeable. I don’t let people down and they get to work with someone who actually takes the time to get to know their business. If I say I can deliver something, I will. But likewise, if I can’t, I’ll say that right at

the start... I’m very, very open and honest.”

Looking ahead, McGann says she expects to hit £60k in billings this year but once she has hit £80k to £90k she will look at adding another recruitment hero.

“My ultimate goal is to have a couple of branches across the UK. I operate across the UK anyway, so I’m not limited to just one location. We’ve got real big growth plans. However, at the minute, I’m just trying to find my feet and do a bloody good job for my clients.”

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 7

p05_07_recruiter_news.indd 7

13/06/2019 15:20

NE WS

THIS WAS THE MONTH THAT WAS… Here is a round-up of some of the most popular news stories we have brought you on recruiter.co.uk since the June issue of Recruiter was published M A Y •‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒→

TUE, 21 MAY 2019

TUE, 28 MAY 2019 T

REPORT ON DISCRIMINATING AGAINST OBESE WORKERS SERVES AS REMINDER TO RECRUITERS

LACK OF TIME PUSHES FIRMS TO CONSIDER BLANKET T APPROACH ON IR35 A

Recruiters should guard against discriminating against obese candidates or risk being brought to tribunal. The warning follows the release of a report by the Institute for Employment Studies, which uncovered evidence of discriminatory practices restricting promotion opportunities for obese employees, as well as stereotypical beliefs about such workers as being ‘lazy’ and ‘lacking self-control’.

Stephen Jennings, partner and solicitor at Tozers Solicitors, told Recruiter the prospect of recruiters being brought to tribunal for discriminating against obese workers depends on whether the candidate is overweight due to a disability.

“In general, it is not unlawful to discriminate against someone based on their weight if they are not disabled – but in practice, of course, few employers will be able to say with confidence whether an employee is disabled or not.

“An agency may not have much control over whether an applicant is rejected for this reason and may not be told the real reason – however, if an agency becomes aware of this, it may be worth considering giving the employer a ring and making sure they are aware of the potential risk.”

More than half of UK firms are considering taking a blanket approach and placing contractors within the scope of IR35 because they do not have time to assess cases on an individual basis.

This is according to a survey

by IR35 legal specialist Brookson Legal, released on the day HM Revenue & Customs’ consultation closes on implementing off-payroll working rules, which come into force in the private sector in April 2020.

However, the survey also shows 41% of those surveyed would not consider taking this approach as they do not want to wrongly assess any contractors for risk of losing them.

Around three-quarters (73%) of businesses agreed that IR35 will have an impact on the number of contractors they hire. Of these, 48% claim IR35 will encourage them to reduce the number of contractors they hire, while 39% anticipate that there will be fewer contractors available.

More: https://bit.ly/2Kc4TFM

WED, 22 MAY 2019

SURVEY SHOWS RECRUITERS UNSURE AROUND SOCIAL MEDIA SNOOPING RISKS Recruiters have been warned about complying with general data protection regulation (GDPR) when it comes to looking at candidates’ social media profiles.

The warning follows new research, which reveals a startling lack of understanding among HR professionals around the associated risks of searching candidates’ social media profiles.

The research, carried out by global provider of background and identity services Sterling, shows while 63% of HR professionals are not carrying out social media checks on candidates, 62% said that they did not understand the risks of searching a candidate’s social profiles.

Sinead Noonan, employment associate at law firm Kemp Little, speculated that HR professionals’ reticence to carry out social media checks on candidates may be due to increased awareness around the GDPR rules. She told Recruiter that while conducting social medial checks on candidates is not against the law, it should be approached with real caution.

“Accessing candidates’ social media pages is fairly invasive as the content is typically, by its very nature, personal.

Consequently, this form of monitoring should be clearly drawn to the candidate’s attention and the purpose behind the monitoring should be made really clear.”

But Julie Taylor, senior associate in the employment team at Gardner Leader Solicitors, warns recruiters carrying out such checks also open themselves up to discrimination claims.

“If a social media check is conducted early in the recruitment process, there is the possibility of discovering information about the candidate’s protected characteristics under the Equality Act (age, race, religion etc) that could lead to inferences that could form the basis of a discrimination claim if that candidate was subsequently unsuccessful.”

More: https://bit.ly/2WTPPCI

More: https://bit.ly/2wJssgf

8 RECRUITER

JULY 2019

p8_9_recruiter_month-that-was.indd 8

IM AGES | S H U TTE RSTO C K / E DF

12/06/2019 17:06

MON, 3 JUNE 2019

NUCLEAR ENGINEERING FIRM ON RECRUITMENT DRIVE IN UK One of the world’s largest nuclear engineering companies has launched a recruitment drive to fill 400 roles in the UK. Blackburn-headquartered Assystem revealed its recruitment drive is aimed at filling roles in the emerging EDF nuclear power plant, Hinkley Point C, where staff are needed immediately.

More: https://bit.ly/2X6c4Fv

31

DAYS

←‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒• J U N E

TUE, 4 JUNE 2019

RAF ALLOWS CANDIDATES WITH TATTOOS BUT WITH RESTRICTIONS

TUE, 4 JUNE 2019

EXEC SEARCH SPECIALIST ONE OF MISSING CLIMBERS IN HIMALAYAN MOUNTAIN TRAGEDY

The Royal Air Force has revised its policy to allow recruits to have tattoos on their eyebrows, fingers and neck.

Recruiter understands personnel are now allowed to have their eyebrows cosmetically tattoed, a single finger tattoo that could be covered by a ring, tattoos on the back of the neck that do not extend beyond the hairline, and tattoos on the side of the neck that aren’t visible when wearing a standard uniform.

Commenting on the new policy, an RAF spokesperson said: “We have revised our tattoo policy to ensure we continue to attract the right people for a career in the RAF, while promoting inclusivity and ensuring that the force continues to be representative of the modern-day society we serve.”

More: https://bit.ly/2Zhdla7

THU, 6 JUNE 2019

Rupert Whewell, managing director of executive search firm Bateman Gray, has been named as one of eight climbers feared dead in the Indian Himalayas.

The BBC reports a helicopter crew have spotted five bodies on Nanda Devi, India’s second highest-peak, believed to have been hit by an avalanche on 27 May, the day after the group of missing climbers was last heard from.

Those missing include Whewell, John McLaren, University of York lecturer Dr Richard Payne from the UK; US nationals Anthony Sudekum and Ronald Beimel; Australian Ruth McCance; British mountain guide Martin Moran and Indian guide Chetan Pandey.

Four other climbers, part of the group climbing the peak, who had turned back early because of the bad weather and were the last ones in contact with the larger group, were rescued on 2 June and have since been helping rescue efforts.

“Four bodies can be seen together and a fifth slightly away from the others,” a senior official for the nearby Pithoragarh region told Reuters news agency. The BBC adds rescue workers are now working on the assumption all eight climbers have been killed and expect to find the three other bodies close by.

METRO BANK SUPPORTS EXPRISONERS INTO SAFE JOBS

More: https://bit.ly/2Wy2zuk

More: https://bit. ly/2IzPMme

Find more daily news stories at recruiter.co.uk/news p8_9_recruiter_month-that-was.indd 9

A new platform backed

by Metro Bank has been launched to help secure prisoners starter roles in banks and fintechs on their release.

The challenger bank revealed the initiative – StrongTomorrow – has been independently founded by Metro Bank’s chief commercial officer Paul Riseborough in partnership with UK charity Code 4000, which teaches prisoners to code.

Metro Bank further revealed it was supporting the scheme by hiring at least one colleague trained via Code 4000 later on this year.

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 9

12/06/2019 17:06

NE WS

CONTRACTS

CONTRACTS & DEALS JobAdder Recruitment software provider JobAdder has partnered with recruitment investor Recruitment Entrepreneur to launch its new platform across 18 businesses. The firm says the decision followed numerous discussions with different CRM solution providers.

Alexander Mann Solutions Business outsourcing solutions and recruitment consultancy Alexander Mann Solutions has secured a significant working capital funding package from Lloyds Bank and HSBC to expand its client base and grow its global footprint. The firm says the package will enable it to continue its growth trajectory and further enhance its suite of solutions for clients.

Wagestream Flexible wage app Wagestream has secured additional funding.

The firm’s latest round – jointly led by early-stage venture capital specialists Balderton and Northzone – adds £15m resulting in a total amount raised of £40m ($52.5m).

Fortune Personnel Consultants Recruitment entrepreneur James Caan CBE has entered into a strategic partnership with US recruiting and franchise firm Fortune Personnel Consultants Worldwide aimed at helping FPC expand in the US and open new markets across the globe. While FPC is led by CEO Ron Herzog and president Jeff Herzog, the partnership between Caan and FPC was orchestrated by Doug Bugie, leader of FPC franchising.

Kingsley Consulting Northampton-based recruiter Kingsley Consulting has acquired energy & utilities staffing specialist Runrec Recruitment Group for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition sees Runrec managing director Andy Petit join the Kingsley team, heading up the firm’s Kingsley Energy & Utilities division.

Russell Rus ussell Taylor Holdings W Wirral-headquartered engineering, construction and logistics recruiter Russell Taylor Holdings has acquired Cheshire engineering, technical and manufacturing recruitment firm Perpetual Partnerships. The group says the acquisition will be followed by a targeted growth plan for Perpetual Partnerships, with the firm seeking to create 15 new jobs at its Knutsford base. Perpetual Partnerships managing director Garry Rogerson, who is also a shareholder, will continue to head up the operation.

The Curve Group Recruitment and HR outsource provider The Curve Group has launched an exclusive HR outsource solution for wealth management company Octopus Wealth. The agreement sees Curve Group provide Octopus Wealth with a configurable HR outsource solution including an HR administration service, and a phone and email-based HR advice line for line managers providing employee relations support.

DEAL OF THE MONTH

Indeed Job site Indeed has signed an agreement to acquire Syft, a recruiting platform for the hospitality, event and light industrial sectors in the UK. Founded in 2015, Syft’s proprietary technology provides a recruitment solution and shift management tool for part-time and flexible work, connecting

10 RECRUITER

p10 contract deals.indd 10

JULY 2019

and matching qualified and vetted jobseekers with available shifts through its desktop and mobile app.

Syft’s employees, including founders Jack Beaman and Novo Abakare, will continue to operate from its headquarters in London and regional office locations.

Spider East Anglian recruiter Spider has secured a national online recruitment advertising contract for container transport company Maritime Transport. This contract comes off the back of a number of successful advertising campaigns over the last two years, which saw Spider attract candidates for Maritime Transport in Liverpool, Manchester, Felixstowe, Southampton and Tilbury, among others. Spider is responsible for Maritime’s external online recruitment drive throughout the whole of the year.

More contract news at recruiter.co.uk/news 12/06/2019 17:07

Join The Clubhouse with a flexible membership option before Friday 30 August to receive ÂŁ250 of complimentary meeting room credit

REC.07.19.011.indd 11

11/06/2019 15:39

TRE NDS

INSIGHT

WINNING BUSINESS AND INFLUENCING PEOPLE Influencer marketing as a strategy can be a goldmine for recruitment businesses. Are you on board or are you missing out?

BY ARCHANA DHANKAR

ver the last few years, influencer marketing has emerged as a dominant trend, as it capitalises on the unmatched potential that social media today provides.

No matter what kind of business you are in, selling is no longer about driving purchase decisions but also about winning the trust of the consumers so that they can stay with your brand in the long run.

No wonder that YouTubers, celebrities, Instagrammers and Snapchatters are fast becoming brands’ top choices to promote their products and extend their reach, as their recommendations add authenticity power to marketing campaigns. As we all know, people trust recommendations from familiar faces more than they do the brands themselves.

Amazingly, the realms of influencer marketing are not confined to niches like fashion, travel, lifestyle, fitness and high-tech products. It has made inroads into B2B marketing too.

Going beyond the conventional methods, influencer marketing as a strategy is gaining precedence as a tool to communicate the organisation message to the audience. And when I say ‘organisation’, I also mean recruitment businesses, including both

O

12 RECRUITER

JULY 2019

p12-13_Recruiter_Insights.indd 12

in-house recruitment operations and recruitment agencies.

The fact that this strategy can drive engagement, reach and credibility makes it a vital element for employers who are now targeting millennials.

Here’s how this tool can be used in the current recruitment landscape.

Influencer marketing wins as hiring the best talent matters Whether an organisation has an in-house recruitment team or engages with an agency, the sole objective is to acquire the best talent in the industry.

Attracting talent nowadays has become a different ball game altogether, with jobseekers going social rather than hunting jobs through traditional channels like job portals and print ads.

Showcasing the organisational culture then becomes imperative for grabbing candidates by the eyeballs.

Using your internal staff to act as a medium to tell the story is a smart idea because it not only increases the reach but also adds authenticity to the claims that a business makes about its work culture.

Influencer marketing empowers recruitment with word-of-mouth marketing With decisions being significantly governed by word-of-mouth, what

people are saying about you online and offline matters to both candidates and clients, whether it is about deciding whether they would want to buy a product or considering a company as a prospective employer they would want to join. When a client or candidate says positive things about an organisation, the word is bound to spread. This can probably impact the footfall of potential candidates who are willing to explore opportunities.

Influencers connect recruiters with relevant candidates (and clients!!)

Reaching out to the potential employees (and clients in case you run a recruitment agency) is trickier than ever. With an endless pool of jobseekers IM AGE | GET T Y

12/06/2019 17:28

T R E N DS

INSIGHT

excellent way of engaging with the targeted audience and building the trust.

Strategy matters more than the influencer channels

INFLUENCER MARKETING

1

Leveraging the reach of influencers is useful in B2B marketing as well as B2C marketing because people tend to trust their recommendations more than what organisations say about themselves.

2 3

Collaborate with the right influencer who connects your organisation with appropriate candidates.

4 5

Don’t forget that the overall strategy is more important than the channel you choose.

6

Influencer marketing is undoubtedly going to be indispensable as a recruitment strategy in future.

Focusing on your business niche is imperative because you get more relevance by working with targeted segments of the audience who you want to reach. It all starts by understanding your target audience and pairing with the right influencer.

Social communities and business clients can also emerge as influencers, along with current employees, who can help pass on the message.

↗

out there, you need to identify the relevant segment that would fit the role and organisation. For recruitment agencies, they need to think beyond connecting with appropriate candidates, as onboarding the right clients is equally crucial for them.

Companies can work with an influencer, who has the right audience following, and use them to create buzz in their segment. An influencer, in this case, could be a candidate or a client with an extensive network, or a social media influencer with the right audience who is willing to share the story and success within their network to generate interest in specific career sectors and invite applications.

Showing a ‘behind the scenes’ image of the office or the desired role is an

When it comes to leveraging influencer marketing in the recruitment industry, the strategy matters more than channels itself. Instead of focusing on job boards, recruiters should think ‘out of the box’. The channels of communication on social media like LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook, including videos and podcasts, can be considered pathways to engage with the target audience. Interestingly, they can position current employees and happy clients as influencers too.

Positive recommendations from these sources can be even more useful.

Communities too play an influential role because these serve as platforms where people share genuine opinions.

Glassdoor is a good example, as this is a social platform that candidates usually access to explore the work culture of a company based on the reviews of existing and past employees and people who have been there for interviews.

Influencer marketing as a strategy is a goldmine for recruitment marketers as it can be leveraged as an employee branding tool, client attraction and retention tool as well. Passionate and engaged employees have much to say about the organisational set-up and culture, and the best part is they are happy to share their inputs with family, friends and even on social media. The strategy translates into subtle influence with a tremendous impact.

So if you are not already using or thinking of implementing this as a part of your recruitment marketing plan, you are probably missing a trick.●

POWER POINTS

ARCHANA DHANKAR is head of global marketing, Aspire WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK K 13

p12-13_Recruiter_Insights.indd 13

12/06/2019 17:28

REC.07.19.014.indd 14

11/06/2019 15:41

T R E N DS

TECH & TOOLS

Video screens candidates Monster Studios shows the true experience SUE WEEKES

Most recruiters agree that video enriches the recruitment experience but producing it has been cost and time-prohibitive in the past. This is starting to change with more accessible, easy-to-use tools emerging to capture video. The latest is Monster Studios, which has just launched in the UK. Since its release in the US in April, more than 200 videos have been created and posted on job ads. What makes it different is that it seeks to empower the hiring manager to make the video themselves.

WHAT STUDIOS ISN’T Studios isn’t a tool for creating a broad-based, branded video but rather focuses on showing a candidate what it might be like to work in a specific department or location, and with specific people. “If you watch a branded video of a major corporate you’ll find out how big it is, its revenue and how many people it employs but it won’t give you the perspective of working in a particular location,” says Scott Gutz, Monster CEO. Gutz believes this more micro-level approach has the

advantage of allowing the candidate to de-select themselves for a role before applying.

“It helps them make a decision as to whether they feel they belong there or not,” he says.

HOW DOES IT WORK? Monster Studios allows hiring managers to record, edit and publish video from their smartphone. They are sent a stand on which to place their phone, and once they’ve downloaded the app are ready to go. The application provides the option of uploading a script to read from and the individual can erase

and edit the recording until they are happy it communicates their message. It can then be uploaded to Monster.

Based on employer experiences so far, the process should only take 30 minutes or less to complete, says Gutz.

REACHING CRITICAL MASS Studios is included in the price of a standard job advertisement on Monster. Gutz explains that the company sees video as a “super-important” part of the talent acquisition ecosystem going forward and doesn’t want to put any barriers to gaining critical mass.

25 YEARS OF MONSTER Studios has been launched in Monster’s 25th year. The company was launched in 1994 as one of the first dotcoms by US entrepreneur Jeff Taylor. According to an interview on Mixergy.com, Taylor got his big idea at 4.30am and rushed out to a coffee shop to flesh it out. Today, 29 CVs are uploaded to Monster every minute and 7,900 jobs searched.

I M AG E | M O N ST ER .CO M

p15_Recruiter_TechTools.indd 15

“We want to lead in this category,” he says. “The creation of video across our global customer base is more important than a small incremental revenue stream.”

WHAT ABOUT CANDIDATE VIDEOS? Monster is evaluating whether to add a facility for a candidate to be able to record a video but has made no decision on this yet. Gutz says that as video permeates the recruitment landscape there will more than likely be a need and an expectation that candidates have the ability to record a short video that would be an attachment to their CV. “And maybe at some point in the future the traditional resumé [CV] really starts to go away in lieu of videos created

either at the request of the employer or because people feel video is the more effective way to get their message across,” he says.

LEARNING FROM OTHER SECTORS Talking more generally, Gutz could see the recruitment sector benefiting from some of the innovation used in other sectors, such as travel tech, in which he has experience. “There is more we could do around using technology to respond to supply and demand,” he says, highlighting how hotel booking sites will tell a user there are only two rooms left and make use of techniques such as real-time bidding. “For instance, this could help respond to a shortage of chefs in an area.” ●

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 15

12/06/2019 17:07

INTE R AC TIO N

C

VIEWPOINT

Move faster or lag behind UK’s education system must change in line with Industry 4.0

BY AARON BOWES

he introduction of computers and automated processes during the last industrial revolution transformed manufacturing beyond recognition and paved the way for significant disruption to the workforce. Now, on the eve of Industry 4.0, the convergence of technology, connectivity and the Internet of Things (IoT) enable computers to seamlessly communicate with one another and, ultimately, make decisions without human intervention. Will this wipe out the need for a human workforce? Categorically not.

Change of any sort inevitably brings uncertainty, and the speed of technological developments can spark concern for the very future of an industry. But through the years, we have seen time and again that this concern is mostly misplaced and that change results in improvements, efficiencies and advancements previously unforeseen. In our own industry, for example, many predicted that the introduction of Agency Workers Regulations (AWR) would signal the end of recruitment companies but the reverse is true; there are now 40,000 recruitment agencies in the UK and over 8,500 new businesses opened last year alone.

Despite massive advances in technology, the requirement for a human workforce will never be eliminated. The need for humans to perform some jobs will certainly diminish – these are most likely to be in lower skilled jobs, where robotics can be used to carry out the tasks in place of a production operator. However, there will always be jobs in any industry that need a human; after all, it is humans that control and

T

instruct the machines. So, in theory, human jobs will just become more interesting, dependent on the level to which we choose to deploy technology within our industries.

So rather than lamenting the potential for computers to replace humans, we need to focus on ensuring that the next workforce generation is receiving the right education and training to manage the challenges, and leverage the advantages, that Industry 4.0 will bring.

Estimates from the World Economic Forum indicate that 65% of children who entered primary school in 2016 will end up working in jobs that don’t yet exist.

At the Westminster Higher Education Forum in March, Paul Feldman, CEO of Jisc – a not-for-profit provider of digital solutions for UK education and research – told delegates that although many of the transformational technologies underpinning Industry 4.0 are not ready yet, there are still things universities and colleges can do to prepare, such as investing in data analytics, the IoT and virtual reality. Jisc’s response to Industry 4.0 – known as Education 4.0 – represents a shift in the way students learn, led by artificial intelligence (AI).

Think, for example, about the current changes in our manufacturing and engineering industries, where the role of manual machinists is changing to that of a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) programmer. Now ask anyone in the industry, and they’ll tell you that there simply aren’t enough CNC programmers to perform the jobs that already exist, let alone those jobs that will exist in the coming years, because young people are not leaving school equipped with the right qualifications or skills to be trained for these engineering jobs.

If education, in particular vocational education, doesn’t move faster to embrace new technologies, such as AI, our industries will find themselves lagging behind international markets and stuck with an increasingly urgent skills shortage. ●

+ AARON BOWES is a director at Recruit Mint

16 RECRUITER

p16 Viewpoint.indd 16

JULY 2019

I M AG E | I STO CK

12/06/2019 17:07

I N T E R AC T I O N

SOUNDBITES

L ET T ER S/ WEB CHAT

A recruitment agency has recently introduced a four-day week. Would you ever follow suit?

NATASHA WOODFORD MA N AG IN G D I REC TOR , CLOCK WORK TA L EN T

WE USED TO WORK 20 HOURS A DAY AT MILL FOR TUPPENCE A MONTH...

I read your article ‘Brits hold down two to five jobs to make ends meet’ (recruiter.co.uk, 4 June) in astonishment. UTTER CRAP! If you are as old as me you can remember real poverty – threeday week, Labour in hoc to the IMF with interest rates at 18%. Seriously readers… ask around your social circle. Anyone you know doing two, three, four, five jobs? Thought not.

I did 48-60 hours per week on average aged 25-50, and could not have fitted in any more work.

Bar the odd ‘foreigner’ on cars or house bashing at weekends, are we really ready to believe the current generation are 100-hour a week super-humans? I doubt it.

MIKE OTTER

IR35? CONTRACTORS ARE UP FOR THE CHALLENGE In your article ‘Lack of time pushes firms to consider blanket approach on IR35’ (recruiter.co.uk, 28 May), the survey revealed that 86% of contractors would challenge ‘inside IR35’ decisions made by their clients.

Hah, yes, I’d definitely challenge it, and go elsewhere if needed.

Alternatively, employers will just have to pay more to make up for the difference...

LARS VON PANZERBJØRN

The IR35 situation is an utter joke.

I haven’t been contacted and my accountant hasn’t got a clue.

PAUL

I M AG E S | I STO C K

p17_recruiter_soundbites-NEW.indd 17

“From candidate feedback, we know digital marketers have strong aspirations for better work-life balance, and flexible working is usually at the top of their list.

We also know there’s evidence of four-day weeks thriving, with businesses in the Netherlands doing it for years and still upholding a strong economy. Some of our clients have now implemented a four-day week, the results of which are still early but positive nevertheless!

I can see this working well in a recruitment agency too. clockworkTalent is a small team that already has flexible working options. We’re not yet at a stage where four-day weeks can be covered by the team but when we are, it’s definitely something we’d consider.”

JAMIE REYNOLDS MA N AG IN G D I REC TOR , P MP

“The essence of our business and the high-volume industry as a whole means our operators need to be available to meet the fluctuating demands of our clients – a four-day business week wouldn’t allow us to meet the expectations of our end user. However, there is no reason a four-day working week couldn’t be an option for colleagues. At PMP Recruitment we already promote a culture of self-management and role flexibility. We embrace job-shares, part-time contracts, working from home and lieu days, so that we retain talent within our business. We give our people the autonomy to manage their working day. As a purpose-led organisation we believe it’s important that colleagues can ‘cater’ their role to suit their personal circumstances. Flexibility improves efficiency and productivity and is a motivator for employees who appreciate work-life balance.”

ANGELA MIDDLETON FOUN D ER , MI D D L ETON MURR AY

“I think this is a great idea for so many reasons. For example, people want more work-life integration and will move jobs to get it, so it’s a big attraction for talent.

Secondly, it means the business can apply job share if they wish – ie. two brains for the price of one! Thirdly, firms want to lower overheads. If they settle and pay for just four days, they lower their people costs by 20%!

We are moving into a different era of work for everyone, and I think we’ll see more of these initiatives.”

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 17

13/06/2019 10:46

TH E B IG STO RY: N EU RODIVERGENT RECRUITING

ce r u o s t n e l a dt e p p ta n u e Th

18 RECRUITER

P18-23 recruiter feature.indd 18

JULY 2019

12/06/2019 17:08

T H E BI G STORY: N EUROD IV E RG E N T R E C RU I T I N G

Unless employers move away from hiring ‘people like us’, the strengths of neurodivergent individuals will go unused and firms will miss out on specialist talent. Colin Cottell investigates ecruiters like to think they have their finger on the pulse when it comes to tapping into previously untapped talent pools. With employment in the UK at record levels and skills shortages in many sectors, efforts to attract and hire under-represented groups such as BAME and LGBT under the banner of diversity & inclusion are now commonplace.

One under-represented group that hasn’t received this level of attention are those people that come under the heading of neurodivergent. This includes people with autism, Asperger’s syndrome, dyslexia, epilepsy, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), and other brain function and behavioural traits. According to the National Autistic Society there are 700,000 people in the UK on the autistic spectrum alone. However, only 16% are in full-time work and only a third in any type of work at all.

Research conducted by The Recruitment Events Co in association with the Resourcing Leaders Group (RL100) in October 2017 suggested that organisations and, by implication, recruiters and those in HR, shared some responsibility for this state of affairs. It found that that only 22% of organisations had reviewed their recruitment processes to ensure they were took into account the special needs of neurodivergent talent. Just 21% said there was a strong awareness of cognitive differences in their organisation – this despite 90% believing that cognitive diversity could help their organisation succeed.

Katrina Hutchinson-O’Neill, then group head of resourcing at Nationwide and RL100 chair, who now runs her own consultancy Yardstick Associates and is co-founder of insourcing firm JoinTalent, says that at a subsequent roundtable on neurodiversity it was clear

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 19

P18-23 recruiter feature-NEW.indd 19

13/06/2019 10:51

TH E B IG STO RY: N EURODIVERGENT RECRUITING

that even among senior HR leaders, aders, ers, awareness and understanding of ts the subject was very much in its infancy. She says much of the g an discussion focused on agreeing bout acceptable vocabulary to talk about g the subject, and whether being lity. non-neurotypical was a disability.

People like us?

Asked two years on what she thinks hinks about the fact that only 16% of neurodivergent people are in Katrina Hutchinson-O’Neill, full-time employment, Yardstick Associates Hutchinson-O’Neill says she is not surprised: “It is still an area where here people feel it is more acceptable e to discriminate, even though they y don’t see it as discrimination themselves.” elves.”

She continues: “I think it is a reflection of the fact that in the majority of organisations the recruitment processes have been developed around recruiting people who are ‘people like us’ and are unconsciously biased against people who are not neurotypical.”

In Hutchinson-O’Neill’s view neurodiversity is not yet part of either the diversity and inclusion (D&I) or the talent acquisition agenda, which she argues “should be synonymous”, although she acknowledges that at least “the conversation is now happening”.

However, Christos Tsaprounis, Auto Trader’s head ad of people & culture, is more upbeat. After starting to focus on autism two years ago, in April Auto Trader was the first business to receive the National Autistic Society’s Autism Friendly Employer Awards. “We are focusing on something mething that is close to our employer hearts, and see it as part art of our social responsibility to reduce the employmentt gap,” says Tsaprounis.

According to the National Autistic Society there are 700,000 people in the UK on the autistic spectrum alone ne However, only 16% are in full-time work and only a third in any type of work at all

20 RECRUITER

Tsaprounis, Tsaprouni who was named the winner of Recruiter’s Re Recruitment Impact ct Award A Aw in 2018, says the company comp mpany has targeted three main areas: a reviewing all of its pol policies and processes, including includ recruitment; increasing i rea inc awareness among colleagues, c which includes lots of training; and making mak physical changes to its offices.

Adjusting th the barriers One of the big barriers to autistic an and n other neurodivergent neurod people getting into work is employers’ em concerns about the adjustments th they might need to make. “They are worried tha that they will get things wrong, and also the cost,” he says.

However, many of the changes made at Auto Trader are straightforward and inexpensive, such as reducing the clutter on interview room walls, thereby reducing the sensory overload that some candidates on the autistic spectrum can experience.

In an attempt to reduce the anxiety that some within this g gro group ro oup p ffe fee feel e l abou about bou ut ““things thi tth h ng ngs th ngs tthat at are

Christos Tsaprounis, head of people & culture, Auto Trader

JULY 2019

P18-23 recruiter feature-NEW.indd 20

13/06/2019 10:51

T H E BI G STORY: N EUROD IV E RG E N T R E C RU I T I N G

unknown”, candidates ates are now given the interview questions ions in advance sso o they can prepare, something omething Tsaproun Tsaprounis ou u iss says has improved the candidate experience for all – not just neurodivergent – candidates, andidates, with a 100% satisfaction ction rate in n the last quarter. Other her changess are clearer signage within its its buildings, and awareness reness training for concierge rge staff.

Many of the changes es followed an n audit by the National al Autistic Ray Coyle, Auticon’s CEO Society, Tsaprounis says.

Proctor & Gamble e is another company to have made changes tto o help neurodivergent nt candidates feell more comfortable, with those attending g P& P&G P&G’s & ’ss assessment day for its Innovation Centr Centre re iin n Reading having the option of writing ng down their responses in a book rather than having to communicate mmunicate in the standard verbal way.

Although Tsaprounis i admits d it it iis still till early l d days ffor A Auto t Trader, he says the company’s efforts and the publicity about its award has already had a positive effect, resulting in more applications from people who are prepared to disclose their autism, while more current staff are willing to talk about their condition. A year ago, Tsaprounis says 7% of staff identified as neurodivergent, a figure that he expects to go higher.

Exclusive hiring While Tsaprounis sees the goal as supporting people across the autistic spectrum “to have the same chance e as everyone else, and to have a fulfilling career within the company”, other organisations put neurodiversity right att the heart of today’s talent acquisition agenda. One such organisation ganisation is utistic people, Auticon, a consultancy that exclusively hires autistic and then places them into companies around the world.

“There is an increasing awareness of the benefi efits that ys Auticon’s autistic people can bring to the workforce,” says CEO Ray Coyle. “More and more people are aware are that people on the autistic spectrum will tend to have ave certain a cognitive skills, such as pattern recognition, or attenti attention nt on n to detail that are way in excess of the average for or the population as a whole, and that if they are relevant vant for their roles they want to tap into the autistic skill set,” ,” he says.

It’s a message that has clearly struck a chord in the

te tec technology/IT h logy/IT ssector in particular hno wi wit with i h compan companies such as SAP and M Mic Microsoft, rosoft, EY and GCHQ being in the t vanguard when it comes to re rec recognising ognising th that hiring people w wit with h these particular strengt strengths can give them a compet competitive edge.

Dr Nan Nancy Doyle, a c cha chartered rtered p psychologist, ffounder fo fou nder of Genius Within, a specialist co consultancy whose mis mission i sion is to h help n neu neurodivergent rodivergent people maximise the tth their h ir talent, and a contributor to BB BBC B BBC2’s B 2’s Employable Me series, agrees ttha th that h t neurodi neurodiversity o versity sho should be seen as a tal ta talent a entt acquisition acqui q sition issue.

However, she says the stereo stereotype of the autistic coder is outdated. “To be hones honest, it’s boring and I have had enough of it,” she say says. Doyle says that while hil it is i good d that th t neurodivergent di people are now beginning to benefit from of this “form of deliberate inclusion and are being recruited for their strengths rather than their weaknesses”, there is also a danger that they could become “pigeon holed” by employers as only suitable for certain very limited roles such as coding. This, she warns, “could potentially become a barrier for them [neurodivergent people]”.

Doyle says the reality is that the sort of skills that people across the spectrum of neurodiversity have are well suited for a far fa wider range of roles.

Forr au autistic peopl people, op e, the op opl these hese he e inc include n lud l e the law law, w,

Dr Nancy Doyle, a chartered psychologist, founder of Genius Within

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 21

P18-23 recruiter feature.indd 21

12/06/2019 17:09

for CIS PAYROLL C O N S T R U C T I O N

Only

5

£

Just £5.00 per head per payroll

Flat fee regardless of earnings

Add your own margin/uplift (Profit Share)

No minimum number of contractors

FREE SMS notification of pay

Public liability insurance available

FREE emergency ‘out of hours’ payments

Payroll 7 days a week

Call us today on 01543 220903 or email info@propaye.co.uk for more information

www.propaye.co.uk ProPaye Outsourcing Ltd | Lombard House | Cross Keys | Lichfield | Staffordshire | WS13 6DN

REC.07.19.022.indd 22

11/06/2019 15:42

T H E BI G STORY: N EUROD IV E RG E N T R E C RU I T I N G

Thorkil Sonne, founder of Specialiststerne Foundation

writing accu accurate ccurat ccu rate ra rat em marketing arket ark eti ttin ng g co cop c copy o yo orr w working ork or r ing i in in finance, and not just IT orr eng engineering, gine ineeri in eri riing ng, n g,, sh g sshe e suggests. Whi W While le people with ADHD “are re e pa p passionate assi s ona ssi on n te and d tend to make very good teachers, and saless pe p people ople and entrepreneurs, and those with dyspraxia such as Daniel Radcliffe Radcliffe make great actors” actors”.

Doyle says there is a real opportunity for employers to use the particular strengths of neurodivergent individuals to create balanced teams. For example, employing a person in your HR team “who does not respond emotionally to things and is able to follow legal processes to ensure the company doesn’t treat people fairly [which might play to the strengths of a non-neurotypical person] would be very useful, but you wouldn’t want everyone in the HR team to be like that”.

Recruiting for specialist talent A barrier to more neurodivergent people being employed are the criteria used by recruiters in the selection process.

“Where they are going wrong is they are recruiting for Jacks of all trades when they need to be recruiting specialists,” she says, citing the example of looking for influencing ability when recruiting a data analyst, thereby putting an autistic

POWER POINTS ● Take a critical look at your candidate attraction and employer branding to ensure they are

neurodivergent inclusive ● Encourage declaration of any non-neurotypical condition ● Depending on the role, use work trials and make the selection process a test of the job

rather than social skills ● Tell candidates what to expect at the interview, and give them the questions in advance ● Change the interview room to reduce the chances of sensory overload ● Avoid management speak in favour of plain and clear communication ● Train your recruiters and hiring managers ● Make use of existing staff who have a passion for working with vulnerable people.

Could they be a mentor or a coach? ● If you don’t have the expertise yourself get advice from experts

person who perfectly capable of doing the job, but is less likely than a neurotypical person to have influencing skills at a disadvantage.

However, Thorkil Sonne, founder of Specialiststerne Foundation, a specialist consultancy based in Denmark that works with partners in 12 countries, says the message that neurodivergent talent can be a valuable resource and give companies a competitive advantages is getting through. “I think we have passed the point of no return,” he says. “So many big companies are now hiring and managing autistic people not so much because of CSR, but for talent acquisition. It’s catching fire right now, and particularly in the US in high-tech jobs,” he continues, citing commitments made by SAP (650 jobs), JP Morgan and IBM (300 jobs each), as well as Microsoft and eBay. With its aim of filling 1m jobs by 2013, Sonne says that the foundation’s efforts have led to about 10,000 jobs so far. Sonne says that while jobs in cyber security, data mining and similar jobs “are a good fit for many autistic people”, such roles are not for everyone. “Many autistic people love working with animals,” he says, adding that “one of the jobs we are most proud about is helping a large pig farmer fill a lot of roles in Australia. It’s only the imagination that limits the barriers to what kind of jobs these people can do”.

Sonne says that organisations that are good at managing autistic people will also be attractive to other people with similar talents, who face similar barriers as those faced by autistic people: “It could be people with anxiety, ADHD, dyslexia, schizophrenia, people who are very talented but not typically rounded in the way that recruiters expect when you look at job descriptions.”

Sonne accepts that big organisations with their HR departments, D&I policies and resources are well placed to tap into this talent pool, but that there are plenty of things that SMEs can do, he says. For example, he says they could ‘carve up’ existing jobs to create roles that would play to the particular strengths of a non-neurotypical person.

Another tip is to find people in your organisation who have a passion for vulnerable people, who could act as a mentor and provide support.

Coming from the leader of an organisation that has placed 10,000 neurodivergent people into roles around the world, the value of this advice cannot be underestimated. But how quickly it is taken up is another matter. As Sonne points out there is a problem: “We tend to like to hire people like ourselves.” And until that changes neurodivergent talent is likely to remain relatively untapped. ●

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 23

P18-23 recruiter feature.indd 23

12/06/2019 17:10

INV E STM E NT

PRIVATE EQUITY INTEREST WANES IN RECRUITMENT Private equity investment in recruitment companies is in decline, but the market for trade deals remains healthy. Colin Cottell ďŹ nds out why

p24-26_feature.indd 24

12/06/2019 17:11

I N V E ST M E N T

fter many years when private equity (PE) saw recruitment sector as an attractive investment destination, PE’s interest in the recruitment sector is on the wane, according to those involved in buying and selling recruitment companies, and providing funding for deals.

“Off the top of my head, I can’t think of a PE deal that has happened recently in the recruitment sector,” says Philip Ellis, owner of Optima Corporate Finance. In contrast, Ellis says he has completed six trade deals in the sector in the last two months. “There is a good healthy appetite for trade deals at the moment,” says Ellis.

John Bissell, senior partner at LBA, who buys and sells recruitment companies, says trade deals are holding up well. “Across the board I am seeing as much interest as this time last year.”

So far this year, Bissell says he has had 21 enquiries from new buyers compared to 23 in the whole of 2018. In August 2018, Bissell sold Quattro Group Holdings to Japan’s Trust Tech through its subsidiary gap personnel in a reported £7m deal.

It is a far cry from accountancy and business advisory firm BDO’s ‘Recruitment Sector Insights’ report in 2018 covering 2017, which noted that PE involvement in UK transactions generally had doubled on the previous year; notable deals included Graphite Capital’s acquisition of Empowering Learning and Timeplan Education.

And in 2016, specific deals in the UK included Growth Capital Partners’ acquisition of Shorterm Group and US-based TPG’s purchase of Frank Recruitment Group (FRG), the latter IMAG E | G ET T Y

p24-26_feature.indd 25

also representing a good example of overseas PE investing into the UK recruitment sector.

James Caan (pictured overleaf), founder and CEO of Hamilton Bradshaw (HB), has been involved in many deals in the recruitment sector, with HB’s portfolio including recruiters, such as Ignata, whose brands include Matt Burton Associates, SF Group and SJC Partners. Caan’s venture capital firm Recruitment Entrepreneur also invests in early stage recruiters. Caan says there are several reasons why PE, including HB, is not taking as much interest in the sector as in the past.

Caan says the main reason is that over the last two or three years very few recruitment businesses of sufficient size to pique PE’s interest have come to market, hence the number of deals involving PE has been falling. “In the UK, 73% of all recruitment companies are under 10 people in size, but PE requires a much larger scale,” he explains.

Caan says the small size of the typical UK recruitment business means that it is often over-dependent on the founder, something that PE firms such as his own “see as quite a high risk”. Caan says generally PE prefers to look at a business that has between 50 and 100 plus people, “then it becomes more interesting”. In contrast to the UK, Caan attributes the healthy levels of M&A and PE activity in the US to the less fragmented nature of that market. “There are fewer companies, but they are bigger, and the bigger the business is the more investable and the more tradable it is,” he explains.

Top of the curve According to Caan, even 2016, seen by some as the high-water mark of PE activity, masked the true picture of declining PE interest. “You will find that although 2016 was a good year in terms of the value invested, the number of deals was very low,” he says.

Caan says HB’s own interest reflects the view of recruitment businesses taken by PE more generally. Caan says the company is looking at fewer than the 10-12 businesses “it would normally be looking at simply because we are not seeing the size”. He explains: “Private equity needs an exit, and unless you can see an opportunity where you can take a business and really scale it, then you may be stuck with an investment.”

The lack of recruitment companies of sufficient size coming to market might not be such a problem for PE if the market as a whole was growing fast. However, Caan says that during the last two or three years, the fact that the sector hasn’t been growing at the same rate as in the past, with “a lot of businesses retrenching and reducing headcount”, is a further reason for PE not to invest.

Caan says two factors in particular are driving this lack of growth in the recruitment sector and that these are having a knock-on effect on PE activity. The first is technology such as LinkedIn and the second is the rise of internal recruitment.

However, despite what he sees as the declining importance of the traditional recruitment company, Caan says there are still good reasons why recruiters can still be WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 25

12/06/2019 17:11

BUSIENE INV STM SSE NT CRE ATIVITY

attractive to PE. In addition to firms such as Alexander Mann Solutions that have scale, he says, “the biggest thing that PE recognises is sector specialisation and expertise”. “The businesses that I am particularly interested our business invests in are businesses that have a very clear position in the market – that are considered to be a real specialist and market-leader – because that makes it resilient from both technology and internal recruitment.”

Get the scale right Karri Vuori, head of M&A at Liberum Investment Bank, agrees that for PE scale is vital. “AMS, which was acquired by OMERS Capital in 2018 in a deal that valued it at £820m, is probably the only deal involving PE of note that has happened recently, and that has massive scale,” he says, pointing out that the number of deals involving sub £10m EBITDA businesses “that changed hands between the various PE houses that used to number three to four a year has really dried up”.

Vuori agrees with Caan’s analysis about the type of recruitment businesses that remain attractive to PE. In addition to those on the scale of AMS, he says those recruiters most likely to appeal to PE are very niche or specialist. “I think businesses that PE are going to be most interested in are those that are most differentiated from the rest of s, giving firms that the market,” he says, ared workers provide security cleared ompany to “that is hard for a company mple. By dint of replicate” as an example. e says recruiters their greater size, he le geographies operating in multiple e attractive are likely to be more ropean PE especially to pan-European n those that houses, more so than arkets operate in single markets ing to that “are not appealing PE at the moment”.

James Fieldhouse, corporate finance DO director (M&A) at BDO ctor UK, says another factor ity dampening PE activity e is Brexit, with all the uncertainty that it brings. “PE need to make medium to long-term decisions,, nty and all the uncertainty around Brexit makess them nervous,” he says. “Itt makes nd choosy buyers more picky and hey want to about what assets they

26 RECRUITER

p24-26_feature.indd 26

spend time looking at and reviewing; they are cherry-picking, spending time on reviewing those with real USPs to add to their group.”

Ellis links Brexit to the wider point that PE is sensitive to the economic and business cycle. Historically, he says this has allowed them to invest, hold, develop and exit the company with the prospect of making a healthy profit typically over a 3-5-year period. “Recruiters are very cyclical businesses, and PE’s concern, and quite rightly, is that we are late cycle,” adds Vuori.

With PE activity in the sector in the doldrums, Caan says one prerequisite for its renewed interest is a stronger economy. Vuori says clarity is needed over Brexit and where the UK is in the economic cycle.

In contrast, Ellis says trade deals that are holding up comparatively well have no need for such a shot in the arm. “Trade deals are less sensitive to the economic cycle,” he explains, with one reason being that they are driven by personal reasons of the owners, such as wanting to retire.

“PE is a fair-weather industry; they only invest in recruitment if the economy is looking good, whereas trade takes a different view – they look for strategic acquisitions,” says Bissell. Caan adds that smaller firms that are coming to market would be more attractive to the trade. “A A business of 2 25 to 40 people will be much easier for a trade buyer to look at becau because they can integrate, they can consolidate, they can add value by centra centralising the back office, and they can cross-pollinate from a cu customer perspective, whereas with PE you can’t do any of these things because effectively the business is a pure standalone.”

Businesses that PE are going to be most interested in are those that are most differentiated from the rest of the market

Misplaced fears According to Bissell, whi while some sectors are seeing less activity than others, especially the ind industrial market, because of “misplaced fears” over the scarcity of m migrant workers from Eastern Europe, “the market hasn’t fall fallen off a cliff ”. “There are always dark clouds but you always g get the steady stream of buyers who buy regardless,” he says. s Bissell says B Brexit is not really a concern to buyers, with worries wo over President Trump and the USA’s relationship w with China, and the effect on the world economy more mor of a factor. Bissell says that a bigger concern is how ho to persuade sellers who are reluctant to sell because o of Brexit.

On the other oth hand, the fall in the pound is giving the market a shot sho in the arm by making UK recruiters more attractive to overseas trade buyers, with foreign buyers only paying “two-thirds “ of the price they were paying three or four years ago”.

“The Japanese want to be the Manpower of the Japan future, and to do that they need to do a lot of acquisitions… acquisition and they see the UK as an important market,” says Bissell. ● s

JULY 2019

12/06/2019 17:11

THE VIEW AND THE INTELLIGENC E

Why there’s opportunity for good recruiters P2 BIG TALKING PO INT

Why the apprenticeship levy needs to change P4 LEGAL UPDATE

RECRUITMENT MATTERS

The dos and don’ts of rolled-up holiday pay P6 Issue 75 July 2019

TR AINING

Dates for your diary P8

FU T U R E O F JO BS

Recruiters can respond to government calls for better jobs I

n May, the Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd called for a new government focus on helping people better themselves in work, moving to higher paid, higher skilled roles.

The REC was invited to host the speech, reflecting the shared commitment to making sure the Future of Work delivers for workers and building on their long-term partnership in this area.

“Thanks to globalisation, digital technology, automation and connectivity, the world is being transformed,” Rudd said. “And there are huge opportunities for all of us: new and flexible ways of working, better services, and more inclusivity.”

Rudd focused on three guiding principles behind the government’s labour market strategy for the 21st century: “First, better access – so everyone who can work is able to get that vital first job, wherever they live and whatever their background.

“Second, better opportunities to

@RECPress RM July 2019.indd 1

“We need a safety net and a springboard to support people as they navigate the changing labour market”

succeed and progress in work – we don’t just want people to get a job, we want them to get a good job, with opportunities to progress.

“Third, better protections for those who will struggle to manage these changes. We need a safety net and a springboard to support people as they navigate the changing labour market.”

Rudd also recognised the role REC members play in helping clients with innovative and inclusive recruitment.

The REC is committed to continuing its work with the DWP and other government departments, particularly around flexible working and how to support people through career changes.

“Having the speech hosted at REC HQ was great recognition for the industry’s role and voice on jobs,” said Neil Carberry, REC chief executive. “The REC is all about brilliant recruitment, because it offers people opportunity and generates economic growth and prosperity. Building a progression nation is a vital part of this – addressing skills needs, gender gaps and regional disparities.”

He added: “Flexibility and good work go hand in hand. Driving the good recruitment agenda across all sectors can remove existing barriers.”

www.rec.uk.com 13/06/2019 09:48

L E A D I N G T H E I N D U S T RY

the view...

There’s all the more reason to be the best, says NEIL CARBERRY, REC chief executive

J

ust getting on with it. That’s the sense I get from recruiters across the country right now. Never mind the Brexit furore – there is business to do. Clients to support. Workers to help with new opportunities.

That’s not to say our new Brexit D-Day of 31 October isn’t in people’s minds – REC is running well-attended practical sessions around the country to help firms find their way. But there is a sense that the difference we can make is by being the best recruitment industry we can be in uncertain times.

This is my view, too. There is a lot we can achieve that is good for Britain and good for REC members.

Our studies show that client demand is reasonably robust at the moment, albeit stronger for temps than permanent roles. And with fewer than half of potential client firms using the sector to recruit, there are still big opportunities out there for firms who get things right.

On 4 June, REC hosted our annual TREC conference with agency and internal recruitment leaders from all over the country. And this theme of opportunity and the step-change in delivery we can drive stood out across the day.

It’s increasingly clear that high employment and lower labour supply (driven by there being fewer young people to replace the baby boomers as they retire) is creating more of a candidatedriven market. Hiring is getting tougher and candidate journeys matter ever more.

But client needs are also changing as new technology reshapes jobs – and firms use how and who they recruit as a tool to deliver on their goals on productivity, inclusion and corporate culture.

This ought to be music to the ears of the brilliant recruiter – a chance to become a trusted workforce adviser with a deeper, more strategic relationship with clients. At REC, we’re here to help – our pioneering Good Recruitment Campaign is now helping almost 500 major firms recruit better from REC members.

These changes also underline how important it is we hold ourselves to high standards. We’ve recently removed a few dozen members from the REC who haven’t met our compliance standards – and we won’t hesitate to hold the line on that.

The new recruitment industry is high-skill, high-value professional services. Let’s work together to deliver it!

If you want to keep up to speed with all things recruitment, then follow me on Twitter @RECNeil

2 RECRUITMENT MATTERS JULY 2019

RM July 2019.indd 2

Brilliant recruitment is at the heart of economic growth, says TOM HADLEY, REC director of policy and professional services HADLEY ’ S C O MMENT

Fuelling the UK’s business engine Enhancing perceptions of recruitment as a discipline will enhance its perceptions as an industry. So how to do we shift the dial? Building the link between good recruitment and productivity and using our Good Recruitment Campaign to talk to the client side are just two priorities.

Below are six ways that the UK’s £35.7 billion recruitment sector is already supporting business growth across the economy.

1. Providing strategic support According to JobsOutlook, 80% of employers cite ‘expertise’ as a determining factor when choosing a recruitment partner. Helping clients identify and meet future staffing needs to drive future growth is an example of this.

2. Understanding evolving business needs As business models evolve, skills and management requirements do too. For example, 40% of employers predict growth in project-based activity which will further fuel the need for specialist project managers, according to a recent survey by the Association of Project Management (APM) and PwC. 3. Taking a lead on inclusive growth There is increasing recognition that diversity is a key characteristic of high-growth businesses. By delivering inclusive recruitment practices and promoting flexible hiring, recruiters are driving the necessary change.

4. Building leadership capability Effective leadership and management are key to productivity and growth. This underlines the key role of executive search professionals. But access to interim managers and high-end contractors is just as important.

5. Looking at the longer term Recruitment professionals can inspire the workers and leaders of tomorrow who will drive future growth.

Just under 200 REC members are already registered as Future of Jobs Ambassadors and working with local schools and colleges to build better bridges between education and work.

6. Practising what we preach In a recent poll, a significant number of members (22%) flagged building future leadership capability as a main strategic imperative. Good to hear; this is key to driving productivity and growth within the recruitment sector itself.

This is just a starter for six. Every day, REC members are fuelling the UK’s business engine and we will continue to showcase the importance of effective hiring practices. Let’s demonstrate that brilliant recruitment is at the heart of economic growth.

You can follow Tom on Twitter @hadleyscomment

www.rec.uk.com

13/06/2019 09:48

26%

the intelligence...

The future of jobs, skills and training

In the UK just 12% of jobs could be completely automated in the next 15-20 years. However, a further 26% could change significantly, creating both new methods for completing tasks and new jobs.

BY JOSH PRENTICE, RESEARCH OFFICER

R

ecently we have seen two interesting reports come out of the OECD. Both give us valuable insight into how the world of work looks right now and how it could look in the future. The first, the Employment Outlook on the Future of Work, touched on a wide variety of topics relating to how technology, demographic change and an evolving labour market are affecting the world of work, and how the dangers of these changes can be mitigated.

This report stresses that we should not be bracing ourselves for a jobless future, estimating that in the UK just 12% of jobs could be completely automated in the next 15-20 years. However, a further 26% could change significantly, creating both new methods for completing tasks and new jobs. Alongside this, innovation and disruption from new businesses, as well as the changing preferences of workers, mean that more flexible ways of working are becoming more prevalent: over a third of workers are now in non-standard employment. When we add in the UK’s ageing population, it becomes clear that the labour market could look very different in a generation’s time.

This transition will undoubtedly come with a number of challenges; some are already affecting us today. Many people will have to be retrained or upskilled, either because their role has been automated or just to keep pace with the changes to their current role.

Worryingly, the Employment Outlook found that six in

AVERAGE TENURE OF AGENCY STAFF INCREASES

40

50.1

38.2

60 50

51.8

70

30 20

Worryingly, the 10 workers Employment Outlook currently lack basic found that six in 10 workers currently lack IT skills, which are basic IT skills, which essential for many are essential for many emerging jobs. emerging jobs.

In addition, the OECD’s Skills Outlook, published in May, found that only 37% of workers in the UK have good literacy and numeracy skills, ranking it 16th out of 29 countries behind Estonia (11th) and Slovakia (9th).

The Skills Outlook also found that 14% of UK workers are in jobs at high risk of automation and need access to training if they are to transition to a lower-risk position – that’s compared to an OECD average of 11%. Both reports stressed that lower-skilled workers, older workers and people

The latest information from Recruitment Industry Benchmarking’s RIB Index shows that the average tenure of staff working for the median industry recruiter continues to increase. In Q1 2019, it was recorded as 51.8 months – or around 4.3 years.

Set into historical

from working class backgrounds tend to be at a higher risk of automation in their roles, and yet it is these groups who are least likely to participate in training and adult learning. Research from the Social Mobility Commission in the UK backs up these findings.

All this points to a worrying state of affairs, but as the Employment Outlook indicates there are measures we can put in place to mitigate the dangers. It is essential that all workers have more opportunities for training and retraining throughout their careers, but adult learning and training must be targeted at those who are in more vulnerable positions, for example by incentivising employers to train groups who are more at risk.

We must also tackle unequal access to training for people in non-standard work, including agency workers: the REC is continuing to push for reform to the apprenticeship levy to allow recruitment agencies to do just that.

context, the average tenure of median RIB recruiter staff across 2017 was 40.8 months (c. 3.5 years) whilst across 2018 it averaged 51.0 (c. 4.25 years). In contrast, the average tenure in lower quartile RIB recruiters was 37.3 months (just over 3 years) – up from 29.5 months (c. 2.5 years)

in 2017, but down from 41.8 months (c. 3.5 years) recorded last year. And among RIB recruiters in the upper quartile, the average tenure was 66.9 months (just over 5.5 years) in Q1 2019, up from an average of 58.4 months (just under 5 years) across 2017 and 60 months (5 years) in 2018.

10 0 Q1

Q2 Q3 2017

Q4

Q1

Q2 Q3 2018

Q4

Q1 2019

Average quarterly tenure of staff in the Median RIB Recruiter, in months

www.rec.uk.com

RM July 2019.indd 3

BELINDA JOHNSON runs employment research consultancy, Worklab, and is Associate Knowledge & Insight Director of Recruitment Industry Benchmarking (RIB). The RIB Index provides bespoke confidential reports on industry benchmarks and trends. See www.ribindex.com; info@ribindex.com: 020 8544 9807. The RIB is a strategic partner of the REC.

JULY 2019 RECRUITMENT MATTERS 3

13/06/2019 09:48

APPRENTICESHIP LEVY

big talking point

Why the apprenticeship levy needs to change The latest statistics from the REC reveal the scale of the problems recruiters face when spending what they have paid in

pril 2019 marked a significant point in the REC’s campaign to transform the apprenticeship levy into a more flexible training levy. It was the date when, 24 months after the scheme was launched, the first tranche of unused funds in employers’ digital accounts was wiped.

From then on, companies stand to lose tens of thousands of pounds each month if they aren’t able to use their funds because of the current restrictions in place. The latest research from the REC shows that many recruiters are finding themselves in that boat.

Frustratingly, the payments made by buisnesses with payrolls of over £3m are only able to be used for apprenticeships, which by their very nature and structure do not lend themselves to short-term contracts. And for those

4 RECRUITMENT MATTERS JULY 2019

RM July 2019.indd 4

agency workers who do remain in post for more than 12 months (fewer than 10%), the time specified for off-the-job training is at odds with the very reasons they are employed – to meet peaks in demand, cover leave or absences and access key skills in the short term.

As such, the recruitment industry continues to pay a disproportionate share of the levy while the nearly 1 million people out on assignment on any given day are automatically cut off from the training and development opportunities the levy provides.

More than nine in 10 levy-paying REC members place agency workers, and for nearly two-thirds of them, doing so constitutes the majority of their business. So it comes as no surprise that nearly half have not been able to use any of the funds they have paid into their accounts. And when 90% of these businesses are SMEs, the wasted opportunity is particularly hard to take, especially in a time of candidate and skills shortages.

The chance for change When the apprenticeship levy was launched, the government declared its intention to support 3 million more apprenticeships by 2020. That target is unlikely to be met, and in the 2018 Budget the Chancellor announced the levy would be reviewed post 2020.

At the time, the REC welcomed the opportunity to reshape and reset the levy so that it works better for workers, businesses and the wider economy.

And the organisation is not alone. The Matthew Taylor Review into modern working practices also called for the broadening of the apprenticeship levy – highlighting it as a way to boost progression opportunities for all workers irrespective of what type of contract they are on.

By enabling recruitment businesses to use unspent funding on training programmes for temporary agency workers, the upskilling and progression opportunities provided to these workers could be substantial. In turn, the

www.rec.uk.com

13/06/2019 09:49

APPRENTICESHIP LEVY

Recruiters face a disproportionate hit: 1 in 25 levy payers are REC members With short-term contracts, most agency workers fall outside the levy’s remit… yet 94% of levy-paying REC members place agency workers, and for 64% of them temporary assignments account for at least 75% of their placements … leading to levy money going unspent 95% have been unable to use funds on apprenticeship programmes for agency workers due to current restrictions 47% have been unable to use any of the funds paid into their account And only 10% have been able to use more than half of the funds in their account The picture for the current financial year doesn’t look all that much better 37% anticipate they will not be able to spend any of the funds in their account 38% expect to spend only up to a quarter of funds available. www.rec.uk.com

RM July 2019.indd 5

WHAT IS THE APPRENTICESHIP LEVY • All employers with a payroll of over £3m are taxed 0.5% on that pay bill • The levy applies to anyone you pay via PAYE – permanent staff, as well as any contingent labour on your payrolls • Business pay into the levy on a monthly basis and from April 2019 will begin to lose money that has been in their account for longer than 24 months • The levy can only be spent on accredited apprenticeship programmes, which are a minimum of one year long and demand 20% offthe-job training

introduction of a flexible and inclusive training levy scheme would support businesses by addressing skills shortages and boosting productivity.

What the money could be used for Employers and recruiters participating in the REC’s monthly surveys have reported persistent skill shortages in both permanent and temporary roles as a major concern. And when it comes to temporary staff, its Report on Jobs highlights occupations repeatedly in short supply across an array of industries including accounting/financial, blue collar, construction, hotel/catering, engineering, IT/computing and nursing/medical/care.

And although they can’t yet spend their levy funds in this way, members have identified a range of skills and relevant qualifications required to meet demand of temporary staff. For instance, a flexible training levy could support the provision of shorter training courses, including: • Teaching assistant training courses and supply teacher qualifications • Healthcare assistant training courses • Training for HGV and forklift truck drivers in logistics • Catering courses in hospitality • Health and safety courses for those who work in construction or transport • Manufacturing and production management courses.

Employers and recruiters recognise the importance of training to beat the skills gap, promote career progression for all, boost productivity and support economic growth. But the statistics from the REC’s latest research speak volumes about why the current levy needs to change.

JULY 2019 RECRUITMENT MATTERS 5

13/06/2019 09:49

IR35 CHANGES

legal update

Rolled-up holiday pay

By EMMA CLAPHAM – Legal adviser, REC

T

he Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR) made under the Working Time Directive 2003 (WTD) entitle a worker, including an agency worker, to 5.6 weeks of statutory annual leave each year.

Can the pay relating to holiday pay be added to the hourly pay rate as an additional percentage, known as ‘rolled-up holiday pay’, or should it be paid at the time the worker takes annual leave?

Prior to 2006 conflicting case law existed on whether rolled-up holiday pay was lawful under the WTD. Marshalls Clay Products v Caulfield

LOOKING AFTER THE MENTAL HEALTH OF THE RECRUITMENT SECTOR RICHARD GOULD

6 RECRUITMENT MATTERS JULY 2019

RM July 2019.indd 6

2003 approved rolled-up holiday day pay but MPB Structures Limited v Munro 2003 003 determined that rolled-up holiday pay was as unlawful and should be paid when holiday is actually taken under the accrual method.

A referral to the European Courts of Justice in Robinson Steele v RD Retaill Services and Others 2006 established the current authority that rolled-up holiday pay is unlawful under the WTD and holiday pay should be paid when annual leave is actually taken. However, it held that sums already paid under a transparent rolled-up holiday pay arrangement could be offset against a claim for unpaid

Mental health is becoming an increasing priority for the recruitment industry. Research has identified the sector as the most stressful working environment with 82% of consultants claiming to be stressed.

Triggers include heavy workloads, long hours that threaten work/life balance and pressure to meet targets. So what can businesses do to help?

• Boardroom buy-in is essential.

Seek out a senior sponsor to champion your wellbeing

holiday pay. Transparency required, for example, agreement from the worker to the arrangement and for the amount to be clearly itemised on their pay slip. But the decision to offset does not apply to arrangements after the Robinson Steele decision – you cannot now continue to roll-up holiday pay and try to rely on the offset provisions of Robinson Steele.

The Robinson Steele decision relates to statutory annual leave entitlement not to additional annual leave. This means that pay for holiday entitlement above the statutory minimum could be rolled-up and paid in lieu of physical ttime off provided it is done in a transparent manner. man Note, under the Agency Worker A Regulations 2010, R parity rights after the qualifying period others, annual leave include, among other physical time off. This pay and the physica means that despite being able to roll up holiday pay rrelating to leave above the statutory minimum if done transparently, you will still need agency worker to ensure that the ag receives the physical time off.

Despite the above information the REC advises members not to roll up holiday pay for either statutory or additional annual leave entitlement but instead pay the amount due as and when the agency worker takes annual leave.

strategy from the outset.

• Create a culture where employees can talk about their mental wellbeing without stigma. This is often the biggest challenge but Mind offers free resources to help.

• Understand your data, including the make-up of your workforce.

Identify the specific challenges your employees face. It’s the only way you can create an effective strategy. This might include training or first aiders, Employee Assistance Programmes,

signposting to available resources and letting people know that ‘it’s ok to not be ok’.

• Involve your employees at every step in the design and roll out of your strategy.

Addressing mental health issues in their early stages is best way of preventing them escalating. It pays to have a long-term strategy in place.

Richard Gould, director of commercial, Howden Employee Benefits and Wellbeing

www.rec.uk.com

13/06/2019 09:49

I N S P I R AT I O N To keep up to date with everything the Institute of Recruitment Professionals is doing, please visit www.rec-irp.uk.com

TRACEY GEORGE, chief operating

RM July 2019.indd 7

KIERAN MCCORMICK, director of

officer at TPP Recruitment, on working in the third sector

operations at Balmoral Healthcare, on the importance of reputation

Preconceptions about working in third sector recruitment need to be challenged.

How are you dealing with the challenge of the nursing shortages?

Salaries and chargeable fees in the sector are as competitive as they are for recruiters in the commercial sector. It’s also a relatively robust sector when it comes to economic downturns.

It’s a dynamic sector to get involved with. The diversity and variety of clients you get to work with – whether that’s in terms of the type of charity, the company structure or the influence of younger trustees on boards – it’s miles ahead of what I experienced in the finance & accountancy sector, for example. It’s also often a lot easier to open doors – people are friendly, organisations are willing to engage and they value the human touch.

www.rec.uk.com

Q&A

What I know

BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE INSTITUTE OF RECRUITMENT PROFESSIONALS

People – especially younger generations – increasingly want work that has social purpose.

In the third sector, they can directly see how their work impacts on the organisation’s ability to deliver its valuable services. We give all our staff five volunteering days so they can feel part of it, and better understand client needs in the process.

We can learn from clients as much as our clients can learn from us.

Because we’re so immersed in the third sector, we’re aware of the importance of flexible working, diversity and inclusion and mental health. We embrace these best practice approaches, just as we can help our clients understand how to tackle skills shortages by looking for transferable skills from the commercial world.

We have to be creative around retention. We provide our services to the NHS under tender, so we can only pay our staff the rate that’s in the contract. So we currently offer free training and free uniform, and are considering providing free CRB/Access NI checks and reimbursement for annual registration fees. A £35 fee can be a lot of money for some people.

Our clients obviously care about the quality of the people we provide – but by investing in staff, and helping them upskill, we’re ensuring they have what they need to do the job well, which is important to them as professionals too.

As hospitals are increasingly dependent on agency staff, the flack on the

recruitment industry around cost and quality grows – what do you think is the answer?

It’s frustrating when we’re a compliant agency, and a long way from being the most expensive. We value ourselves on the quality of service we provide. I know that if our agency provides a nurse, they can perform everything that is expected of them – and as a nurse myself, I know there is nothing worse if they can’t.

Our clients know we’re one of the best, and that’s ultimately what matters most.

So how important is that reputation for your business?

Given the current climate, our reputation – built up over 20 years – has greatly influenced the sustainability and growth of this business. It’s a very powerful thing to have.

JULY 2019 RECRUITMENT MATTERS 7

13/06/2019 09:49

TRAINING

Upcoming training The courses that will help you to perform at your best, and deliver for your team before the summer is out 2 July - Customer Service for Recruiters (London) 3 July - Interview Skills (London) 4 July - Telephone Sales (London) 9 July - Business Development Planning (Leeds) - Essential Skills for Temporary Recruiters (Bristol) 10 July - Consultative Selling (London) - Essential Skills for Permanent Recruiters (Bristol) 11 July - Candidate Sourcing & Management (London) - Recruitment Law: Understanding the Essentials (London) - Social Media Recruiting: Mastering LinkedIn (London)

16 July - Balancing Act (London) 18 July - Develop and Win: Tenders and Large Contracts (Manchester) 6 Aug - Social Strategy & Branding (London) 13 Aug - Introduction to Recruitment Practice (London) - Successful Account Management (London) 15 Aug - Telephone Sales (London) 20 Aug - Business Development Planning (London) 21 Aug - Essential Skills for Temporary Recruiters (London) 22 Aug - Essential Skills for Permanent Recruiters (London)

4 Sept - Management Essentials (Glasgow) 10 Sept - Essential Skills for Temporary Recruiters (Aberdeen) - Telephone Sales (Belfast) 11 Sept - Essential Skills for Permanent Recruiters (Aberdeen) - Perfect Client Meeting (Manchester) 12 Sept - Interviewing Skills (Leeds) - Telephone Sales (London) 15 Sept - Essential Skills for Temporary Recruiters (Newcastle) 16 Sept - Essential Skills for Permanent Recruiters (Newcastle) 17 Sept - Social Media Recruiting: Mastering LinkedIn (London)

Upcoming events Preparing for IR35 series… in Birmingham (2 July), Manchester (10 July), London (16 July), Glasgow (10 Sept), Edinburgh (11 Sept), Bristol (24 Sept), Cardiff (25 Sept)

Webinars: 14 August: Talking Recruitment Sector meetings at the REC, London:: 3 July: Education 4 July: IMA 10 Sept: Drivers 17 Sept: Education

- Introduction to Recruitment Practice (Leeds) 18 Sept - Balancing Act (Birmingham) 19 Sept - Recruitment Law: Understanding the Essentials (London) - Successful Account Management (Leeds) 24 Sept - Business Development Planning (Manchester) - Management Essentials (London) 25 Sept - Recruitment Law: Understanding the Essentials (Cambridge, Enhanced 2 days) 26 Sept - Candidate Sourcing & Management (Bristol) - Recruitment Law: Supplying Limited Company Contractors (Edinburgh, pm)

REC Masterclass with Greg Savage & Chris Savage A must for any recruiter who wants to grow and futureproof their business and career 17 Sept: Glasgow 18 Sept: Manchester 19 Sept: London

For more information, visit www.rec.uk.com/training-and-events

RECRUITMENT MATTERS

8 RECRUITMENT MATTERS JULY 2019

RM July 2019.indd 8

The official magazine of The Recruitment & Employment Confederation Dorset House, 1st Floor, 27-45 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NT Tel: 020 7009 2100 www.rec.uk.com

Membership Department: Membership: 020 7009 2100, Customer Services: 020 7009 2100 Publishers: Redactive Publishing Ltd, Level 5, 78 Chamber Street, London E1 8BL Tel: 020 7880 6200. www.redactive.co.uk Editorial: Editor Pip Brooking Pip.Brooking@rec.uk.com. Production Editor: Vanessa Townsend Production: Production Executive: Rachel Young rachel.young@redactive.co.uk Tel: 020 7880 6209 Printing: Printed by Precision Colour Printing © 2019 Recruitment Matters. Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy, neither REC, Redactive Publishing Ltd nor the authors can accept liability for errors or omissions. Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the REC or Redactive Publishing Ltd. No responsibility can be accepted for unsolicited manuscripts or transparencies. No reproduction in whole or part without written permission.

www.rec.uk.com

13/06/2019 09:49

EXTENDED ENTRY DEADLINE 4 July 2019 www.investingintalent.co.uk L@RecruiterAwards | #investingintalent | +44(0) 20 7324 2764

AWARDS ENQUIRIES: Lauren Tandon T: +44 (0) 20 7324 2764 E: lauren.tandon@redactive.co.uk

REC.07.19.035.indd 35

SPONSORSHIP ENQUIRIES: Paul Barron T: +44 (0) 20 7880 6213 E: paul.barron@redactive.co.uk

11/06/2019 15:44

E UPSTART EARPIECE CO M M UNITY

MORSON’S MORFIT LEADS TO MORE FITNESS

BY COLIN COTTELL

n recent years, health & wellbeing has risen inexorably up the agenda of many recruitment companies. A healthy and happy workforce is also a more engaged and productive workforce goes the thinking, while employees and candidates increasingly see it as an important aspect of being a ‘good’ employer.

However, while such programmes, involving gym or spa membership, free fruit in the office and perhaps access to some sort of independent advice or counselling service have become more commonplace, some companies are endeavouring to take health & wellbeing to the next level.

Three years ago engineering and technical recruiter Morson International launched MorFit, a fitness programme for staff. Morson’s COO Adrian Adair hails MorFit’s success “in introducing some fitness into the organisation, and in showing us that we could really have an impact on staff ”, but says this is just the beginning. Determined to build a programme that was more than just for “people that were interested in fitness”, he says the company has set the ambitious goal of providing health & wellbeing “that is personalised for individual employees”.

Three years after MorFit launched, that journey is well and truly underway. Although still early days, staff can enjoy not just the use of the company’s gym in the basement of its Manchester HQ, and fitness classes, but benefit from Morson’s new much broader and all-encompassing programme. Unusually, Morson also offers elements of its programme to clients, with some of its apprentices also seeing the benefits. To drive its health & wellbeing agenda and to build it into a long-term strategy, in February the company appointed its first health, wellbeing and engagement partner.

I

28 RECRUITER

p36-39_recruiter_upstart.indd 36

JULY 2019

Adrian Adair is COO at Morson

Mathew Leavis is Morson International’s group head of UK Training

Heather Deering is Morson’s health, wellbeing and engagement partner

Mental health key Mental health is a key aspect of Morson’s programme, says Matthew Leavis, Morson International’s group head of UK training. “When you consider that one in four people will suffer from mental health issues, it’s a significant challenge,” he says. “It is something that we are particularly proactive about at the moment.”

The company used Mental Health Awareness Day in May as the catalyst to help break down the stigma of mental health, by encouraging staff to talk about their personal experiences. “A lot of personal stories came out, and people came out and said how supported they felt, including senior people,” says Adair.

The company also launched a network of mental health first aiders, usually mid to senior-level managers “to act as a reference point to spot some of the trigger points within their team”. The ambition is to expand the number of mental health first aiders to 80. “Gone are the IM AGE | ISTOCK

12/06/2019 17:12

CO M M U N I T Y

UPSTART

E

services,” explains Adair. Taking this further, Leavis says there are plans to launch a mental health training division.

Outside the office

days when you just asked ‘How are you?’, because most people won’t really answer that question. We work in quite a stressful environment, so I think it is really important for line managers to be able to spot signs within their staff,” explains Leavis.

A typical trigger would be a change in personality, appearance or attitude to work, he says.

Unusually, Leavis says the company also allows its clients to take advantage of its growing expertise in mental health, by giving their line managers the opportunity to attend training courses for Morson’s mental health first aiders. Leavis says that one client has asked Deering and Morson’s mental health practitioner to do some work with them on mental health.

“It is available as part of our menu of services outside the normal recruitment

In a similar vein, Morson has extended the boundaries of health & wellbeing beyond its own staff working within its own offices, by introducing a fitness programme for a number of its rail apprentices, who are deployed on clients’ sites. Leavis says the initiative was launched in response to a spike in the numbers of rail apprentices, who left during the first couple of weeks of beginning their duties.

“The youth of today are perhaps not as physically active as they used to be,” Leavis explains, “with social media, computers and online gaming, so we find that a lot of the young lads and ladies who come to our training centres are not prepared for the physical nature of the job, despite wanting to do it.”

There were also concerns that this lack of preparedness for physical work risked injuries or accidents.

Working with a gym in Manchester, Leavis says the company came up with a six-week physical fitness programme that would give apprentices “some core strength and basic functional fitness to help them adapt to their roles”. Comparing their performance at the end of the six weeks using a simple test, Leavis says some apprentices tripled their score. He says the programme has also boosted apprentices’ confidence.

Partner for health Underlining the seriousness with which Morson takes the health & wellbeing of its staff, in February it appointed its first health, wellbeing and engagement partner to oversee the programme, and to develop a coherent long-term strategy. In addition to physical fitness and mental health, Heather Deering’s brief includes mental health, nutrition, work-life balance and employee engagement. “It’s not that MorFit is going away, it’s more about taking things to the next level, and that’s where I step in,” says Deering, who while working for Morson as an internal recruiter qualified as an associate nutritionist. Supporting Deering across the Morson Group are two mental health champions.

With its emphasis on putting staff at the centre, Deering says her first task was to undertake a consultation exercise with staff, using the feedback “to determine the priorities of the programme and what WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 37 29

p36-39_recruiter_upstart.indd 37

12/06/2019 17:13

CONNECTING YOUR RECRUITMENT BUSINESS

Practical Software Solutions is a revolutionary new back-office solution for recruitment agencies. Our fully HMRC compliant and accredited payroll software is here to make your business work faster, better and smarter.

With features like automated invoicing, real-time reporting and full white -labelling, our bespoke solution means that you can automate all your back-office needs like payments, expenses and contracts.

PSS are always working to save you time and money, and make you more efficient. Leaving you to focus on the important things like connecting your business, winning new clients and managing relationships.

Join one of our weekly demos to find out more about our software, how it can help you save time and maximise revenue.

For more information or to book a one -to-one demo visit practical.software, email our client team at info@practical.software or call us on 0330 124 3506

PRACTICAL.SOFTWARE

REC.07.19.038.indd 38

13/06/2019 12:54

CO M M U N I T Y

UPSTART

the initiatives should look like”. To get an outsider’s view she also canvassed the opinions of new entrants.

Deering says the feedback indicated that mental health ranked high on the staff ’s agenda.

Although Morson had done a lot of work on mental health in the past, she says, including training staff and publishing a white paper, the message that came back was that “the training was a little academic and theoretical, whereas they were looking for something more practical”.

In addition to the mental health first aiders, one practical result is a mental health tool kit that provides advice about how to approach mental health in the workplace. Deering says one example is how to welcome back a member of staff, who has been absent for mental health reasons.

Leavis says a lot of the time just being able to talk to someone about the issues they face in their lives and how that can impinge on their performance at work makes all the difference to staff. The introduction of mental health first aiders has already led to an increase in the numbers being referred to the company’s counselling and support team, he says.

To measure the effectiveness of the mental health first aiders, Deering says the plan is to collect basic data, such as the reason for the contact. “Is it anxiety or depression, and what follow-up action is needed?”

E

Adair recognises that in recruitment there is a risk that hard-pressed line managers in particular focus on hitting targets at the expense of the physical and mental wellbeing of staff. However, he says that the focus on health & wellbeing, which started three years ago with MorFit, has now become embedded in the business. “Line managers are encouraged to talk to their people, and it’s about the line manager understanding both the business’s needs and their team’s needs.”

Deering says what has helped line mangers embrace health & wellbeing is commitment from the top of the organisation. “I have not really encountered resistance; in fact, people are excited about it,” she says. “It’s about presenting the argument that looking after health & wellbeing makes commercial sense. If you want to attract the right people, keep them present at work, productive and here for the long term the research shows that if staff are healthy and happy, they are going to be engaged, have fewer accidents and perform better, which is all good news for your bottom line.”

Adair says the key work for him is “productivity”. “One of Heather [Deering’s] goals is to minimise sick days, so actually if you make people more healthy, they actually spend more time at work.”

Going forward, Deering says her personal vision is “to create an environment where nothing is taboo”, including embarrassing subjects, such as cervical screening and testicular cancer.

Deering accepts that what she has embarked on is “a mammoth task” but she remains excited rather than daunted. “It’s about not rushing in and trying to fix everything at once because it is not a quick fix, but taking things bit by bit and by having a calendar of events each year we can cover all the different elements so as to build a long-term strategy.” ●

“It’s about not rushing in and trying to fix everything at once because it is not a quick fix”

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 31

p36-39_recruiter_upstart.indd 39

12/06/2019 17:13

Search 13 million CVs and advertise jobs in all sectors!

REC.07.19.040.indd 40

11/06/2019 15:46

CO M M U N I T Y

SOCIAL NETWORK WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO? GET IN TOUCH!

E

Whether you’re helping educate the young or making waves for conservation or charity, you’ve certainly been busy since the last Recruiter…

CASTLE EDUCATION DONATES LITERACY TOOLKIT

SMART MARINE CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP

Gill Bell, head of conservation in Wales, with HR officer Beth Whiting and HR manager Jade Oliver-Morris from Smart Solutions

Recruitment and workplace management consultancy Smart Solutions has partnered with UK charity Marine Conservation Society (MCS), which will see every member of Smart Solution’s staff given a day of paid leave to participate in one of the charity’s employee volunteering schemes.

Education recruitment specialists Castle Education presented the pupils from Braeburn School with a Literacy Toolkit from the National Literacy Trust and Walker Books to inspire pupils to enjoy reading, and help teachers and parents to support children’s literacy skills.

I NSTAGR A M

HR GO2, the winning Dragon boat

STHREE FUNDS EDUCATION FOR GIRLS STEM recruitment company SThree has donated more than £120k to fund education for underprivileged girls in Africa. Just six months after it launched its charity partnership with the African Science Academy (ASA), the company has revealed the impressive total raised by staff across 42 teams worldwide.

lord_sugar The momentum is rolling for the #HRS team as @RickyMartin247 and I have scooped another award as the “Best Recruitment Agency” at the @recruitermagazine annual #RecruiterAwards. Judges recognised the team’s focus on being lifechangers and making a difference to the sciences! If you want to make a difference too, come join the team now.

HR GO MAKES WAVES Two teams from recruitment and business services group HR GO took part in the first-ever Dragon Boat Challenge in Ashford, Kent, with one claiming bragging rights by crossing the finishing line first.

HR GO raised more than £1k for good causes, including Wooden Spoon, the rugby charity that helps disadvantaged children.

sunshineiow Perfect timing from @recruitermagazine today! A #Recruitment Technology guide through the letterbox, just as I’m prepping to go on the #MyCRM Business and Technology Show @R @RecruiterMag instagram.com/recruitermagazine/ ins recruitermagazine.tumblr.com/ re

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 33

p41_Recruiter_Social.indd 41

12/06/2019 17:13

E CAREERS CO M M UNITY

The Workplace

BY GUY HAYWARD

34 RECRUITER

p42 RecruiterWorkplace.indd 42

new opportunity is good – running away from something isn’t.

So many times you see people move for the wrong reasons, and years later they are doing the same job – their careers have flatlined. ‘Career road mapping’ stops this. We should help our people understand what they want to achieve and where they want to go – and what personal experiences and successes they need to deliver to reach their aspirations.

I like the way all the employees at Digital Ocean have to map out what they want to accomplish each year, and understand how that links to their professional objectives and career destination.

And I love the approach that Amazon has taken through its ‘Career Choice’ programmes – people can choose their direction of learning even if it doesn’t relate to a job back at Amazon. The company sees their time at Amazon as a chapter in their career, where it can help them to reach their goals with the knowledge that their goals may take them elsewhere.

Of course, controlling our career is about ‘getting things done’, performing and building a sustained track record of success. But we must know what it is all for, and

“So many times, people move for the wrong reasons, and years later they are doing the same job –their careers have flatlined. ‘Career road mapping’ stops this” where our performance will take us. “You are ultimately responsible for your own career – not the boss – but only once you know what success means to you can you construct a roadmap and a clear vision of where you want to be in the next one, five and 20 years,” says Joyce Maroney, director of the Workforce Institute.

We must help our people construct their own bespoke, personal development plan that records what they wish to accomplish over the course of their working life.

This is the long-term future of the people at the heart of making our businesses successful – and it is our responsibility. ●

↗

I WONDER TO what extent we know what our future will look like, and where we will all end up? What path, and what direction, will our careers take? Are we able to control and influence this or are we taken on a journey where we have no say?

The recent Great Places to Work survey told an interesting story. It found 64% of people thought that their careers were being developed and looked after within their current company. Or, looking at it another way, one-third of people felt the opposite.

Imagine not really knowing what the purpose of coming to work is or being unsure what all the effort is really for.

My belief ? We have an obligation to help our people answer all these questions.

Careers are full of chapters: a new chapter beginning when we take on more responsibility, choose a particular path (sales or management) or, indeed, join a new company. These chapters should last many pages – we shouldn’t be starting a new one every year or two. And if we manage careers in the right way, our people can write and enjoy a significant chapter in their own career journeys by staying within their company. Moving towards a

GUY HAYWARD – redefining the modern workplace CEO, Goodman Masson

JULY 2019

12/06/2019 17:13

CO M M U N I T Y

WORKPLACE INNOVATION

E

BRING ON THE BRILLIANCE

↗ MARK BRAITHWAITE is the Asia-Pacific managing director of global executive search firm Odgers Berndtson and author of Leadership Disrupted

“People from other industries can be more open to learning new ways of doing things than incumbent experts” I M AG E S | I STO C K

p43 Recruiter_innovation.indd 43

Staying ahead of change with a ‘future mindset’

BY MARK BRAITHWAITE

GETTING MANAGEMENT TEAMS and workforces to embrace change fast enough to stay ahead of accelerating disruption and change is a global problem. The pace of change is outstripping our ability to adapt, and everyone struggles with mindset, because nothing is certain except constant technological disruption and adaptation.

The impact this is having on leaders tasked with steering established companies is huge. To understand this more clearly, I spent more than 100 hours in discussion with 70 leaders across the Asia Pacific region, discussed in greater detail in Leadership Disrupted, published earlier this year by Odgers Berndtson.

These CEOs, all fully engaged, high achievers, lead companies with combined global revenues of more than $1trn across multiple sectors. This success, of individuals and organisations, is the result of achievements in the past. Now, they all face a highly uncertain future, driven by the accelerating pace of disruption resulting from technological innovation.

Our most important finding is that in facing this challenge, the number one factor for achieving future success is the mindset of leaders. The key to managing change is no longer skills but mindset, which is the main prerequisite for effective leaders today.

Hiring for mindset Mindset is very different from skillset, which can essentially be measured from a CV, summarising experiences a candidate has had.

However, measuring mindset is something that we are not equipped as humans to assess in others, and requires a more scientific approach.

There are many psychometric tests available that can measure the right things; at our company we have developed our own Leaderfit model for this. The challenge for the hiring manager is to define what the tests are looking for, and make sure they assess correctly for this.

It helps to align internal thinking if the hiring manager uses a common model and language across all of the stakeholders in the hire, testing candidates in this same language.

But even so, the concept of hiring for mindset adds interesting dimensions.

An individual may struggle to unlearn things when expert in a subject, but learn quickly in a new field. Thus people from other industries can be more open to learning new ways of doing things than incumbent experts, who may be locked into what they already know.

Neuroscience has a lot to say about this phenomenon – most importantly, that people only adapt well in a crisis. The challenge for companies is that they need people to change before reaching crisis point.

Embedding new mindset Helping CEOs to bring in new senior leaders with the right mindset to stay ahead of change goes beyond simply assessing for mindset. Firms and HR directors must also ensure new-style leaders are helped to succeed and don’t fall prey to old sharks – subconsciously or otherwise radiating “we don’t do it that way here”.

Support from the very top is critical if an organisation is to have any hope of shifting the mindset of its senior leadership teams. If new individuals, hired for their new and more open mindset, fail to transition effectively, they will make little impact on the collective.

Hiring for mindset happens because a company is in the midst of change and is looking for catalyst people to help accelerate that change. In a highly competitive global market for leadership talent, where finding new hires with the right mindset is critical, the CEO and HR director must hold open the door to lead change. ●

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 35

12/06/2019 17:20

E BUSINESS ADVICE CO M M UNITY

ASK THE EXPERT Our senior management team is becoming fractious and this is paralysing the business.

What should I do?

I’m assuming you already have values and a three-year plan. Next on my list would be getting your board meetings running constructively, as that is where decisions should be made about where the company is going. These monthly meetings should be the catalyst for all the organisation’s activity, dealing with questions such as: what do we need to do to achieve our targets, who is responsible for delivering those actions, and by when?

Alex Arnot The SME Coach

STRUCTURING THE AGENDA

A CONSTANT CYCLE

Board meeting agendas are generally formulaic but it is important to allow plenty of time, with the most business-critical issues discussed first. The draft agenda below will fit 95% of board meetings, which should last between two and three hours, maximum: • Attendees and apologies • Approval of previous minutes • Follow-up on key actions from previous

Board meetings should be some of the most important hours of each month, but preparation is as important as the meeting. Use the following cycle: • One week pre-board meeting: circulate to all attendees the draft agenda for the coming meeting plus the minutes of the last board meeting.

• Three days pre-board meeting: all attendees circulate any reports that are to be discussed during the meeting, so others can review them. If you’re up to speed before the meeting, you can move straight to discussion.

• Day before the board meeting: circulate the final agenda – can include time slots for every agenda item.

• Board meeting: see above.

• Within 48 hours of the board meeting: circulate the draft minutes, actions, person responsible, and any deadlines to all attendees. Give attendees 48 hours to comment. Also confirm the next board meeting date.

• One week after the board meeting: file the minutes and actions together with the associated reports (hard copy and digital). Share the finalised meeting notes and actions with the appropriate people.

meeting • Finance: profit and loss; balance sheet; cashflow, debtors and creditors; performance vs budget and same period last year; key client performance; and key ratios.

• Sales: actual revenue by team versus target; pipeline versus target for the next reporting period.

• Talent: progress against talent management plan and budget; identify internal talent concerns (training, development, underperformance, churn and retention).

• Operations: identification of any structural threats and opportunities; discussion on key initiatives.

• Marketing communications: marcomms dashboard review; active and new initiatives.

• Any other business: including a risk and opportunity review.

• Summing up: review of actions agreed, person responsible and deadlines.

• Future meetings: Date of next meeting.

IN THE BOARD MEETING

36 RECRUITER

In board meetings, the only reason to review the past is if it will improve performance going forward. If meetings risk becoming a finger-pointing exercise, or you cannot get the board working together, then employing a credible expert with a track record of growing a recruitment company to chair meetings – and provide wider advice – can be transformative. ●

↗

To ensure the board meeting is both efficient and effective, every meeting should have: a chairperson: responsible for keeping the discussion focused on the agenda and for timekeeping. a minute taker: responsible for recording the meeting, in particular all actions agreed.

What about an independent board adviser?

ALEX ARNOT is founder of MyNonExec and board adviser to more than 30 recruitment companies

JULY 2019

p44 recruiter_careers ASK EXPERT.indd 44

12/06/2019 17:14

Looking for senior talent?

Choose the right solution to reach the best executive level candidates

exec-appointments.com, the dedicated recruitment site of the Financial Times, is the leading job board for executive-level positions across multiple sectors with an average of 33 high quality applications per C-suite role.

Our recruitment advertising packages target a broad and talented group of C-suites, business leaders, banking and finance professionals that can add real value to any business, maximising the exposure of your role and providing you with a great branding opportunity.

Contact us at +44 (0)207 873 4909 to discuss advertising opportunities on exec-appointments.com

REC.07.19.045.indd 45

11/06/2019 15:46

E CAREERS CO M M UNITY

“The people in California are more relaxed d and laissez-faire compared with typical Brits rits – we are more straight to the point” MY BRILLIANT RECRUITMENT CAREER Have you always wanted to work in the US?

↗

Yes. I trained as an actor 10 years ago and came to LA to seek that at path – but then never went down n that route. I fell in love with h LA, in particular. It was always the end goal for me.

JACK MARSH, managing director, Source Group International, based in Los Angeles, US

Is this your first time working ng in the US? Yes – it’s great but definitely different. There are a lot of cultural al things and legislation that we’ve had ad to get used to. But in general, it’s a llot more rewarding – financially as well as working with great companies in tech.

In particular, the people in California are a lot more relaxed and a little bit more laissez-faire about things compared with typical Brits, where we are more straight to the point and don’t beat around the bush.

Sometimes we’ve had clients who have said “we’ll do it tomorrow”, but don’t always commit to what they say. That’s been very different to manage.

Also, they generally work fewer hours or at stringent times – they may get in at 10.30am and finish at 5pm.

With legislation, the hardest thing to get used to is that no-one has any notice periods in their contracts, so if they wanted to fire a candidate today, they would be out of work tomorrow, whereas in the UK it is more notice-driven. It’s great, actually, because it affects starters for us. If we have a hire, we can get them in next week, and it’s great for billings.

38 RECRUITER

JULY 2019

p46_recruiter_careers_mybrillcareer.indd 46

Jack Marsh Is there a figure in the US you regard as a role model – in life or in recruitment?

Elon Musk – what he is doing is fantastic in terms of technology and innovation.

What do you love most about your current role?

The growth and autonomy – making decisions on staff hires, expansion plans, market sector and focus, and planning for this year and next.

What would you consider to be the most brilliant moment of your career out in the US? When we signed on a larger office from a two-person wo person to an eight eight-person. person.

What’s hat’s your top job b to fill at the moment? oment?

Robotics botics engineer in San Francisco.

What is your signature dish?

Tacos.

Laugh or cry, what did your most memorable candidate in the US make you want to do and why?

I could have cried when a candidate left me hanging over the weekend, went quiet on me and dealt with the client directly – it’s another cultural thing out here. But he accepted in the end.

What’s the best or worst interview question you’ve ever heard in the US? It wasn’t a question but more of a statement. Someone I interviewed said “I don’t really like micro managers”, starting the interview with a negative when I hadn’t even asked a question about that.

What would you regard as your Hollywood Hollywoo film theme tun tune?

California Love by Tupa Tupac.

IM AGES | ISTOCK / SH U T TTE RSTO C K / AL AM Y

13/06/2019 11:27

REC.07.19.047.indd 47

11/06/2019 15:47

E CAREERS CO M M UNITY

AIRSWIFT The global workforce solutions provider for the energy, process and infrastructure sectors has made a number of promotions across its business. Peter Denham is promoted to vice president of Europe and Africa from regional director for Europe.

Recruitment director for EMEA Andy Greenwood becomes regional director in the Middle East, and Paul Murphy is promoted from recruitment manager to recruitment director for Europe and Africa.

was previously head of talent acquisition, HR shared services, learning & development at the firm.

Grahame Caswell (pictured) is to step down as CEO at nationwide recruiter Search Group from September and will be succeeded by Richard Vickers.

Vickers, a former regional managing director for North America with international recruiter PageGroup, will take up his new role on 23 September.

Caswell, who has been Search’s CEO since the turn of the century, successfully completed a management buy-out of the business while securing new investment from H2 Equity Partners in May 2017. He has presided over the group during a period in which it has delivered more than £200m turnover with 800 staff across 16 offices nationwide.

In a statement to staff, Caswell, who was also previously UK MD at recruitment giant Kelly Services, said his departure was part of a long-term retirement plan. He added that after a short handover period he would continue to remain involved with the business as a shareholder and non-executive board member.

AUTOGLASS The windscreen repair firm has appointed Jo Fryer as people director. She was previously head of leadership partnering at the firm.

search firm as partner and practice lead.

GROUPM WPP’s media investment group welcomes Carmelita Lubos as chief talent officer in the UK.

BULLHORN

AA The winner of the In-house Recruitment Leader of the Year at the 2019 Recruiter Awards Craig Morgans has been promoted to director of talent acquisition, emerging talent & employee experience at the British motoring association. He 40 RECRUITER

The cloud computing company has promoted global account managing directors Gretchen Keefner and Shaun Weise to regional vice president, and account directors Gregory LaGarde and Tim O’Brien to MD. Javid Muhammedali joins as vice president, artificial intelligence.

EUROPA WORLDWIDE GROUP

HEIDRICK & STRUGGLES

Laura Watkin joins the independent freight forwarder as head of talent at the firm.

The executive search, leadership assessment and development firm has named Adam Warby chairman of its board of directors, effective immediately.

GATENBYSANDERSON Barry McNeill joins the public sector executive

Email people moves for use online and in print, including a short biography, to recruiter.editorial@redactive.co.uk

LILIUM The Munich-based start-up developing an on-demand air taxi service has hired Anja Maassen van den Brink as chief people officer.

JULY 2019

p48-49_Recruiter_MoversShakers.indd 48

12/06/2019 17:16

SUPERTEMPS

NATIONAL LOCUMS The medical recruiter has appointed Mark Casey as head of nursing.

The North Wales-based recruiter has made Victoria Lycett business manager at the firm’s Colwyn Bay headquarters. She joined the firm as construction business manager last October.

CONTACTS

TALENT WORKS INTERNATIONAL

Contributing writer Sue Weekes Production editor Vanessa Townsend

The talent attraction and recruitment process outsourcing business has appointed Ken Kane as business development director.

XPERTISE RECRUITMENT NET TALENT Darren Dalrymple, who first joined the specialist IT recruiter as a graduate trainee, is promoted from associate director to director.

PENRHYN INTERNATIONAL The global network of retained executive search firms, has appointed Yanouk Poirier, a partner at Leaders International, a pan-Canadian firm based in Montreal, as chairman.

Frank Beyer of LAB & Company in Germany is appointed vice chair. Also joining the board is Greg Gabel, managing director of US firm Coleman Lew Canny Bowen. Current chairman Michael Herst of Osprey Clarke in the UK will remain on the board as treasurer. The board is completed by Luce Nordon (Agora Search, France) and Rikke Dolberg (Unique Human Capital, Denmark).

Redactive Publishing Ltd 78 Chamber Street, London E1 8BL 020 7880 6200

The digital and IT recruiter welcomes Richard Jenkins as head of its IT/technology practice at its new Manchester office.

YO U R NE X T M OV E A selection of vacancies from recruiter.co.uk Hunted Hong Kong Talent advocate Rec-to-rec, recruitment process outsourcing, resourcing partner Hong Kong H$250-300k

EDITORIAL +44 (0)20 7880 7603 Editor DeeDee Doke

RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING Recruitment@recruiter.co.uk

+44 (0)20 7880 6215

deedee.doke@recruiter.co.uk

Reporters Colin Cottell, Graham Simons colin.cottell@recruiter.co.uk graham.simons@recruiter.co.uk

vanessa.townsend@recruiter.co.uk

Art editor Sarah Auld Picture editor Akin Falope ADVERTISING +44 (0)20 7880 6213 Sales manager Paul Barron paul.barron@redactive.co.uk

+44 (0)20 7880 6245 Sales executive Jonathan Adebayo

PRODUCTION +44 (0)20 7880 6209 Senior production executive Rachel Young rachel.young@redactive.co.uk

PUBLISHING +44 (0)20 7880 8547 Publishing director Aaron Nicholls aaron.nicholls@redactive.co.uk

RECRUITER AWARDS/ INVESTING IN TALENT AWARDS +44 (0)20 7324 2771 eventsteam@redactive.co.uk

jonathan.adebayo@redactive.co.uk

CIRCULATION and SUBSCRIPTIONS Recruiter is the leading magazine for recruitment and resourcing professionals. To ensure each issue of Recruiter magazine is delivered to your desk or door, subscribe now at https://subs. recruiter.co.uk/subscribe. Annual subscription rate for 12 issues: £35 UK; £45 Europe and £50 Rest of the world • Recruiter is also available to people who meet our terms of control: http://bit.ly/RecruiterCC • To purchase reprints or multiple copies, or any other enquiries, please contact subs@redactive.co.uk or +44 (0)1580 883844 CONTRIBUTIONS

DNA Recruitment Senior consultant, marketing Marketing London up to £40k RedCat Digital Junior recruitment consultant Digital/interactive Shoreditch, London up to £22.5k + commission

For more jobs, people moves and career advice go to ● recruiter.co.uk/jobs ● inhouserecruiterjobs.co.uk ● internationalrecruiterjobs.com

Contributions are invited, but when not accepted will be returned only if accompanied by a fully stamped and addressed envelope. Articles should be emailed. No responsibility can be taken for drawings, photographs or literary contributions during delivery, transmission or in the editor’s hands. © 2019 Redactive Media Group. All rights reserved. This publication (and any part thereof) may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in print or electronic format (including but not limited to any online service, any database or any part of the internet) or in any other format in any media whatsoever, without the prior written permission of Redactive Media Group.

Redactive Media Group accepts no liability for the accuracy of the contents or any opinions expressed herein. The publishers cannot accept liability for any loss arising from the late appearance or non-publication of any advertisement for any reason whatsoever. ISSN 1475-7478

Total average net circulation between 1 July 2017 & 30 June 2018 – 14,837. is also sent to all REC members

Recycle your magazine’s plastic wrap – check your local LDPE facilities to find out how.

Scan here to get your own copy of

p48-49_Recruiter_MoversShakers.indd 49

12/06/2019 17:16

E THE LAST WORD CO M M UNITY

We no longer exist in a world where high levels of churn are an acceptable part of how we do business

Alan Furley With employees now expecting high levels of cultural fit, it’s essential to sort any retention problems out before scaling up

s recruiters, we face many issues in the ever-demanding arena of employee retention both in advising our clients and for our own businesses.

The recruitment profession has changed dramatically in the time I’ve been working in it. We no longer exist in a world where high levels of churn are an acceptable part of how we do business, and the industry has become much better at recognising the impact of a culture that creates burn-out.

And things have moved on even further in the ‘real’ world.

Employees expect much higher levels of cultural fit, and in certain sectors are able to easily vote with their feet by walking out the door and into another role.

A

42 RECRUITER

p50_recruiter_lastword.indd 50

This is particularly true in the IT sector. We recently surveyed almost 200 people in this sector who had left their role in the previous four months. The findings showed us that 80% of people leave jobs because of the work culture.

Effect on hiring It’s made us think again here at ISL as we scale up: what are the challenges we face in recruiting for our own team? There’s having to get the right remuneration to attract people, but also hiring for cultural fit, and what that cultural fit is as we grow. How do we keep a hold of this crucial element of our company to ensure expansion continues?

While producing the ‘Retention Report – Tech Scaleups 2019’, we took the key findings of the survey to

several tech companies to ask for their views. It was insightful to see how differently each approached it, while at the same time as coming to very similar conclusions.

Me? The decision I’ve come to is that you’re basically a bit stupid if you attempt to scale without being clear on how you deal with retaining staff – past, present and future. This is pretty much irrespective of industry or sector, skill base or expertise levels.

Long-term risk There undoubtedly remains a danger in recruitment that the money cart is put before the horse that pulls it – and with so much competition in the market from our own industry’s startups and scaleups, it pays to ask if you are risking the long term in

order to hit your monthly targets.

It was an interesting exercise going through the process of putting the report together – those of you who have done this before will know it takes much longer than you think, and comes with more detailed analysis than first anticipated.

But the benefit of looking at this in detail for our clients, coupled with creating a host of specific solutions, has re-lit our passion for understanding our own ‘retention issues’ and the part we play in both causing – and sorting – them, so we are truly prepared for the next stage of growth. ●

Alan Furley is a director at ISL Recruitment

JULY 2019

12/06/2019 17:16

WE’VE GOT A LOT MORE TO SHOUT ABOUT...

TIMESHEETS

FUNDING

REAL TIME MI

Remove the stress from timesheet management

Risk free funding for contractors & temporary workers

Combine your systems and data sources for better insight and operations

PAYROLL

ACCOUNTANCY

100% BACK OFFICE

We offer services for both temps and in-house employees

Maximise your earnings from day one

Smooth, efficient and seamless back office integration

RISK FREE FUNDING FOR CONTRACTORS & TEMPORARY WORKERS...AND MUCH MORE To find out how we can help grow your business, call us now on 01242 279890 CONNECT WITH US BoomerangFundin BoomerangFunding

Boomerang Funding

www.boomerangfunding.co.uk

REC.07.19.051.indd 51

11/06/2019 15:48

PSL

REC.07.19.052.indd 52

11/06/2019 15:49