Workplace

The Workplace

BY GUY HAYWARD

THE DAYS OF exclusion or the feeling that you cannot bring your true self into work really should be consigned to the pages of history. Th e creation of building working environments that are inclusive are new chapters to be written. A place where we celebrate individual diff erences and ensure that the contributions of everyone are recognised and valued.

Th ere are a whole host of projects and initiatives that cover the equity, diversity & inclusion (EDI) agenda in the workplace. From ethnicity to gender and gender identity and from religion and disability, to sexual orientation – all making a diff erence and asking the question: Just how far must we still go?

June’s Pride month was a good example when we found ourselves exploring how the LGBTQ+ community fares in the workplace. Does full inclusion exist? Are we creating the environment where LGBTQ+ and trans employees do not feel isolated?

I wanted to share what we and others have been doing.

We have created our own internal community for LGBTQ+ employees and allies. Called Pride, it is chaired by one of our directors (Jake Freeman) and has a stated aim to ensure that Goodman Masson becomes a totally inclusive and comfortable environment, a workplace where all can be confi dent in being their true selves. To stand up to homophobia and transphobia, to engage and educate the wider business and as Jake says, “to party and celebrate Pride until the sun comes up”.

We have partnered with Trans in the City on their ‘Trans rights are human rights’ campaign; created new partnerships with the likes of interest.org; normalised and promoted the sharing of pronouns on email signatures and LinkedIn; and hosted an ally-ship seminar with D&I support organization Diversity Dreaming.

We launched our podcast series called ‘Real Lives’ with a discussion with Kathryn Downs about her transition journey (a married man with children, who transitioned to a woman, her story provides a real insight).

Accenture have more than 110,000 members of their global ally programme and through their own research they found out that LGBTQ employees are three times as likely to advance to a senior management position or higher.

Riot Games added rainbow fruit icons to allow players to show support for each other and are active participants in International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

Elsewhere, ice cream makers Ben & Jerry’s are a long-standing supporter of marriage equality, Newcastle City Council was named by Stonewall as the most LGBT inclusive employer in the UK, and IKEA has a real focus on transgender inclusion.

We’ve recently published our approach to ‘Transitioning at Work’ outlining the support available, such as telling friends and family, dressing diff erently and changing offi cial documents.

You can read many examples of what companies are doing, yet Glassdoor’s recent survey showed more than half (53%) of LGBTQ employees reported that they have experienced or witnessed anti-LGBTQ comments by co-workers.

Collectively, this should also be consigned to the pages of history. ●

“The creation of building working environments that are inclusive are new chapters to be written”

GUY HAYWARD – redefining the modern workplace CEO, Goodman Masson

DEALING WITH ‘FEAST OR FAMINE’ MENTALITY

BEING SUCCESSFUL IN running a recruitment business means living lean for as long as you can to help survive what I call the ‘feast or famine’ principle.

You may recognise the scenario: one month the money is pouring in and you’re convinced millionaire status is guaranteed; the next, you’re calling the bank asking for an overdraft.

As the world tries to return to normality, even recruitment leaders who have not experienced this to any great degree out of the pandemic will now be aware of this fi nancial rollercoaster.

Add in Brexit and IR35, and many organisations found themselves swinging between each extreme.

And it’s no wonder. Core data throughout the past 18 months period indicated a severe contraction of the recruitment market for both perm and non-perm roles – which we can call the famine.

Monthly market information off ered little hope and then: bang! Two months later, the same media is reporting exponential growth particularly in the perm sector and aggressively reporting skills shortages – the feast!

Today all we seem to hear about is skills and talent shortages and the war for talent raging again as businesses compete for the best people who don’t just deliver a good job, but fi t also with organisational culture and purpose.

Unsurprisingly, therefore, I’ve been asked a lot recently about how to navigate this polarisation in recent times.

Th e answer should be completely obvious, but is not always apparent to recruitment company owners, for it is simple: look after your people and your cashfl ow.

Th ese things are always easier said than done, of course. But if I had a penny for the number of recruiters I’ve seen set up on their own and, as soon as there’s cash in the bank, there’s a new sports car on the drive, I’d be going straight to the bank.

Th is is not the road to success. Th e way is much less glamorous but much more gratifying in the end. So, my advice for both areas is as follows: 1. Your people: be honest – how often have you sat in front of a client raving about inclusive hiring strategies that bring in the right people and employee engagement programmes that keep them in place, while back at the ranch your own business has high churn and staff dissatisfaction? Your hiring strategy is everything. How did you look after them during furlough? A top London restaurant reported recently (bizarrely) that they weren’t certain that they would be able to open because they didn’t know where their staff were – why not?! Employee engagement is so important in all market conditions, and eff ort made in diffi cult times will result in huge rewards in the good times for all concerned. 2. Your money: don’t spend it all as soon as it lands. Just because it’s in the bank does not mean it can leave as quick as it came in. Saving and investing is critical to weather storms and allows you to focus mainly on hiring and keeping the right people when the chips are down. Cash is your foundation; look after it, because without it your empire will fall.

Let’s face it, no one knew what was going to happen at the beginning of 2020. And, while we are still not 100% certain what the future holds, the decisions you make now will have a big impact a year or two from now.

Be prudent and cautious as you grow and you’ll sleep much better at night – even if it’s not in a deluxe king-size bed in your new penthouse fl at (yet)... ●“Cash is your foundation; look after it, because without it your empire will fall”

Mike Beesley

Founder TIMESTWO Consulting

MIKE BEESLEY is co-founder of TIMESTWO Consulting. He is also a serial entrepreneur and investor