Recruiter October 2014

October 2014

www.recruiter.co.uk

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE FOR RECRUITMENT AND RESOURCING PROFESSIONALS

Social care in crisis Recruiting g the ese frontline e workers cou uld be the hardest job b in the UK

ONSHORE CHALLENGES Recruiters discuss the recent onshore intermediaries legislation and how it is affecting their businesses

INCORPORATING 01_Recruit_OCT14_Covers.indd 1

GLOBAL TRAINING, LOCAL THINKING How to give your staff the best training — wherever you are based in the world

WORKING 9-5 But don’t ask Matt Churchward to do the simplest of office-based tasks out of hours

Recruitment Matters 07/10/2014 16:14

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A new model for regulating, inspecting and rating adult social care homes in England launched the same day that this issue of Recruiter went to press.

And quite right too. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) promises that the tick-box exercises are a thing of the past, and the ‘Mum Test’ will be rigorously and vigorously applied to care homes and community adult social care in England to ensure that the services provided are, in the CQC’s words, “safe, caring, effective, responsive to their needs and well-led”.

The impact this will have on recruiters and employers operating in the social care sector is significant. Yet what isn’t addressed are the crises of lack of staff and employee churn in the sector. Neither is the poor pay for social care workers challenged nor a means of boosting pride in the profession. Surely these factors affect the quality of care received.

The new model is a fine step towards setting the bar higher for the kind of care that recipients of care services in England must be able to expect. But CQC must also address the ‘hows’ and the needs of quality care service delivery.

In the meantime, we say “Well done!” to Mark Linden of Allied Healthcare and others in the field who are acting to bring about better care through better recruiting. Read about Mark on p7 and in our feature on p28.

Karen Robinson; Getty

Contents

34

28

NEWS ISIS Recruitment forced to make £1k rebrand

5

When it launched 14 months ago, this recruiter never dreamed of the connotations with its name

Rise of transport interims

6

The financial sector has a rival for interim managers

Allied to recruitment

7

Recruitment at Allied Healthcare is transformed under Mark Linden

Bleasdale case put on hold

7

10 Tech & tools 12 Recruiter roundtable Onshore Employment Intermediaries legislation

ANALYSIS 16 Sector Analysis Banking & financial services 19 Global Spotlight on France 27 Insight Inspired leaders show way to growth

FEATURES 28 COVER STORY Care sector timebomb Recruiting for the social care sector is arguably one of the hardest jobs in recruitment. How are employers and recruiters dealing with the challenges?

34 Training and development With the business world increasingly international, firms are looking at global training, but using local thinking

REGULARS 21 Interaction

Soapbox: Sam Burne James Ricky Martin Soundbites 41 Movers & Shakers 21 21 25

Industry moves 42 Bloggers with Bite:

Matt Churchward

WHO’S HIRING?

DeeDee Doke, Editor

38 Human Capital Investment

Group

Scan here to get your own copy of Recruiter

39 LA International 40 Recruiter Republic 12

EDITORIAL Editor: DeeDee Doke T: +44 (0)20 7880 7601 deedee.doke@recruiter.co.uk Reporters: Sarah Marquet T: +44 (0)20 7880 7606 sarah.marquet@recruiter.co.uk; Nicola Sullivan T: +44 (0)20 7880 7603 nicola.sullivan@recruiter.co.uk Contributing writers: Colin Cottell, Sue Weekes Production editor: Vanessa Townsend T: +44 (0)20 7880 7602 vanessa.townsend@recruiter.co.uk Art editor: Adrian Taylor ADVERTISING Business development manager: Tom Culley T: +44 (0)20 7880 7607 tom.culley@recruiter.co.uk Senior sales executive: Lisa-Jane Parker +44 (0)20 7880 7608 lisa-jane.parker@recruiter.co.uk Recruitment advertising: Amalia Zafeiratou T+44 (0)20 7880 7608 amalia@redactive.co.uk Fax +44 (0)20 7880 7553 PRODUCTION Production executive: Rachel Young T+44 (0)20 7880 6209 rachel.young@redactive.co.uk PUBLISHING Publishing director: Aaron Nicholls T: +44 (0)20 7880 8547 aaron.nicholls@redactive.co.uk RECRUITER AWARDS Events: Juliette Bond T: +44 (0)20 7324 2771 juliette.bond@redactive.co.uk CIRCULATION and SUBSCRIPTIONS To receive a regular copy of Recruiter, the leading magazine for recruitment and resourcing professionals, telephone +44 (0)20 8950 9117 or email recruiter@abacusemedia.com • Recruiter is also available to people who do not meet our terms of control: Annual subscription rate for 12 issues: £29.99 UK £35 Europe and Rest of the World • To purchase reprints or multiple copies of the magazine, contact Ryan Hadden T: +44 (0)20 7880 7618 ryan.hadden@redactive.co.uk

Total average net circulation between 1 July 2013 & 30 June 2014 – 18,994. Recruiter is also sent to all REC members

Redactive Media Group 17-18 Britton Street London EC1M 5TP

CONTRIBUTIONS 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. © 2014 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

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RECRUITER

OCTOBER 2014

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09/10/2014 16:28

60%

OF CEOS

LISTED INNOVATION AS THEIR COMPANY’S PRIMARY FOCUS.

YET, 93% USE THE SAME SOCIAL NETWORK FOR HIRING.

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LACK OF

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TECHNICAL SKILLS

IS THE #1 REASON EMPLOYERS HAVE TROUBLE FILLING JOBS. MEANING THE NERDS HAVE EVEN MORE POWER THAN WE THOUGHT.

2

WORKFORCE

PLANS TO LOOK FOR A

NEW JOB

THIS YEAR.

WHICH, BY HUMAN

NATURE, MAKES THE

OTHER 53% INTRODUCING

MORE ATTRACTIVE TO YOUR BUSINESS.

3

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News

ISIS RECRUITMENT FORCED TO REBRAND ISIS Recruitment has successfully rebranded after continued conflict in Iraq and Syria forced it to change its name just 14 months from its launch.

NICOLA SULLIVAN nicola.sullivan@recruiter.co.uk

ALAMY

The rec-to-rec recruiter will now be called Adoria Recruitment rather than continue to share its name with notorious terrorist organisation, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

In total, the rebrand cost the small startup of three people £1k, said Tracie Hope, one of the firm’s directors. The whole process took almost two weeks — time that should have been spent pitching for new business, she added. However, the firm has landed itself with two new clients and a “handful” of new candidates off the back of the publicity the rebrand attracted.

When clients were informed about the changes, Hope told Recruiter she received hundreds of messages of support.

Talking to Recruiter when the decision was first taken to rebrand, Stephanie Shaw, one of the firm’s directors, said the firm started receiving abusive messages on Facebook from people in the US. As the conflict in Syria and Iraq worsened, even the clients started saying that it might be time to think about a name change.

She said: “About three or four months after we started up the business, we

noticed ISIS cropping up on obscure news channels.” She added: “As the situation got more and more fraught, it was on everything.”

In a blog post, Shaw explained that ISIS Recruitment was named after the Egyptian goddess Isis, who in mythology was known for saving and protecting her children.

Shaw said: “Now though the name ISIS has been tarnished by recent news events, and the fact that we had the name first isn’t really a strong enough argument to stick by it, therefore we need to move away from our much loved brand.”

However, not all firms have experienced the same pressure to rebrand. After some consideration, ISIS Surveyors, based in Hampshire, decided not to change its name. The firm’s director David Bennett, said that its name has not affected its operations, including the recruitment of new staff.

He told Recruiter: “There are so many other companies in the UK that have ISIS in their name and I think we will just run with it. It certainly doesn’t seem to have affected our enquiries of late. I don’t think it is probably worth us changing at the present time.” He added: “The only person that has mentioned it is the postman.”

The so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has given the Egyptian goddess’s moniker a bad press

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CURIOSER AND CURIOSER

•

CURIOSITY IS THE strongest predictor of career or job potential, especially when recruiting leaders, says leading London headhunter Jill Ader.

A questioning nature tops the list of four personal Jill Ader qualities that are more important in today’s business environment than experience in a similar role.

“To know that the biggest factor in potential to grow is curiosity, it helps you see people in a different way,” Ader recently told Recruiter. “You’re going to probe deeper. What [is this person] curious about? Are they curious about what people think?

Are they curious about what people feel — and about other organisations, other sectors … about themselves? Do they ask for feedback?”

Ader is a senior partner and board member at international headhunting firm Egon Zehnder. She focuses on board work at the executive search practice. Ader was discussing key traits sought in leaders in the wake of the financial crisis, as organisations seek a different type of person to lead than they might have previously.

Other traits now sought are: • Insight: “Seeing things other people haven’t seen, and to know where to take an organisation or how to build the best talent management [system]” in an increasingly complex world, Ader said.

• Engagement: “Winning hearts and minds, getting people to come along with you on what you’re doing, managing stakeholders, who might be the regulator, government, organisations.”

• Determination, courage, resilience: “The financial services crisis really demonstrated who’s got that. If you’ve got the purpose and the values, in a crisis, they’re going to guide you. You can’t just call in your HR expert or lawyer — things happen in the moment. Those guiding principles are what is going to have to hold you in good stead in a crisis.”

DEEDEE DOKE deedee.doke@recruiter.co.uk

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RECRUITER

OCTOBER 2014

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News Events Recruiter’s Investing in Talent Awards 22 October, Congress Centre, 28 Great Russell St, London www.investingintalent.co.uk

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) annual conference and exhibition 5-6 November, Manchester Central https://www.cipd.co.uk/ events/annual

EMEA Global Mobility Summit 7 November, The Lancaster Hotel, London www.totallyexpat. memberlodge.com/ event-901063

HRO Today Forum 11-13 November, The Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, Edinburgh http://www.hrotodayforum. com/eu

Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) Out of Africa Charity Ball 28 November, InterContinental Hotel, London www.apsco.org

Institute of Recruitment Professionals (IRP) Awards 5 December, Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel, London, rec-awards.com

FOR MORE NEWS AND COMMENTS, GO ONLINE

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Thoughts from recruiter.co.uk, Twitter and beyond…

“A big brother house filled with recruiters, can’t see this going badly” @GILLTWISTREC TWEETS ABOUT A NETWORKERS INTERNATIONAL RECRUITER APPEARING IN THE US REALITY SHOW TOP RECRUITER

UNPRECEDENTED DEMAND FOR INTERIMS INTRANSPORT SECTOR The financial sector has long been the dominant industry for interim managers but the transport sector is quickly catching up, experts say.

Veredus transport director Karen Camilleri, and Penna director and head of interim management Simon Drake, both told Recruiter significant public sector investment, particularly in rail, had seen an increase in the need for highly experienced interim managers.

Camilleri labelled it an “unprecedented demand”. It has been a trend for a few years now, Drake said, but a consistent increase has occurred recently.

According to a recent Ipsos MORI survey, transport now makes up 15% of interim assignments, compared to 38% in the financial sector.

Camilleri said a lot of contracts were being put out, both short and long term, for interim managers, especially as companies put a “huge amount

of investment” into bidding for contracts.

She said part of the reason behind the demand for interims was Karen Camilleri companies needing additional skills when bidding for contracts, but not necessarily needing those skills permanently, especially when the securing of the contract is an unknown.

“You put in a bid and there’s really intense periods when you might need an interim but you don’t need them all the time,” she explained.

Though the bid process generates a big part of the demand for interims, other subsectors — infrastructure projects and programme development, change, commercial, operations — also are driving demand.

Both Camilleri and Drake said they saw some signs of movement between sectors for interims, from

Simon Drake

aviation to rail, for example.

Generally though, companies wanted a safe pair of hands, someone with experience in

the specific sector.

Both agreed there was a market for lateral thinking when hiring a transport interim.

“I think the industry would really benefit from a bit of fresh thinking from different sectors,” Drake said.

From his point of view as Interim Management Association chairman, Drake said “it’s great to see another sector chipping away at financial sector dominance”.

Although he expects the demand to continue increasing, he does not think it likely to completely overtake the amount of demand in the financial services sector.

SARAH MARQUET sarah.marquet@recruiter.co.uk

VIRGIN MONEY’S ‘BETTER OFF’ HR POLICY VIRGIN MONEY’S HR department is driving change through its “rigorous, innovative and forward thinking” •recruitment procedures, at the heart of which lies the company ethos ‘Everyone Better Off’, head of HR

operations and resourcing Joanne Hannant told Recruiter.

The UK-based retail bank, which employs around 2,750 people, has a 62-person HR team, all of whom are “extremely business focused”.

This has helped the business create and fill 450 new jobs across a variety of disciplines since January 2012.

Hannant said the company “recognises the importance of achieving diversity of thought to help encourage independent opinions”, which is why her team focuses on finding new recruits with a variety of skills and talent.

The company also aims to create opportunities for staff to develop personal and professional skills, and to build lifelong careers with the bank. They are doing that by creating a “positive and engaging environment”.

For their efforts and hiring strategy, the team recently won the Recruiter-sponsored Best In-House Recruitment Team honours in the CIPD’s Recruitment Marketing Awards. That strategy was to create resourcing partners from within the HR team, aligned to business areas, and then to develop clear plans of the requirements in each, specific recruitment campaigns, and success criteria.

The campaigns had to run concurrently, which meant the partners had to work independently and use their business engagement skills to gain buy-in to their proposals.

The aim is to create a “better kind of bank”, she said.

The biggest challenge for the team, though, is how to be innovative and creative while delivering good candidate experience — something being shaped by serious consideration of feedback.

SARAH MARQUET

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK

09/10/2014 15:26

News

“@RecruiterMag We don’t have the ‘knead’ 2 cheat, our contestants ‘rise’ above any foul play… @SOLRECRUIT (SOLUTIONS RECRUITMENT) ON ITS ANNUAL CONSULTANT BAKE-OFF

“Given the appalling spelling and grammar of non-dyslexics, including BBC news texts, the pros of hiring dyslexics have to outweight the cons” TONI ANZA ON EMPLOYERS’ FEAR OVER HIRING DYSLEXICS

LINDEN’S RECRUITMENT REVAMP Faced with high attrition rates and a “fragmented” hiring process, staffing agency Allied Healthcare’s new interim head of recruitment Mark Linden has set about redesigning everything recruitment-related within the company.

A new office, a new team of professional recruiters, a new applicant tracking system (ATS) and a training system for new employees are some of his introductions. It is hoped the changes will streamline the recruitment process, remove some “administration burden”, and reduce attrition rates.

The agency has 18,000 workers on the books and recruits 7,000 annually, but it is done in a “disjointed way,” with each of the 130 branches responsible for recruiting its own staff, he said.

There are about 95 ‘recruiters’, he said, but they are not necessarily professional recruiters; many are former carers themselves who then fell into hiring roles.

But Linden is, in his own words, “stripping that function out” and centralising it, as well as onboarding operations in a new Stafford, West Midlands office, central to the company’s UK-wide operations.

“We have to get back to the

personal side of things … think about how I would want that person to be with my grandmother.”

In addition to the overhaul Mark Linden of recruitment, the company is investing in a training academy for all carers.

Linden explained that they will all be put through a “quite stringent” four-day training course, which will hopefully weed out those not quite suitable for the role.

They will be taken through a day in the life of a care worker and shown the unglamorous side of the business, “because we want people to know exactly what they are getting in for”. It is hoped that this will stem the high drop-off rate of people within the first few weeks in the job.

Following the initial training, if candidates are still interested, and if Allied is still interested in them, they will enter into a longer training period, including being mentored and coached by senior carers. It would be a month before they are sent out on their own, Linden said. Coaching will continue throughout the person’s career with the company, leading to formal qualifications if they wish.

The centralisation process is mid-implementation and is expected to be operational in early November.

As for the people currently doing the company’s recruiting, Linden said he would do his best to re-deploy them throughout the company. However, with the centralisation, most will not be able to continue in their current roles.

He will hire experienced recruiters to fill 60 roles in the new centre, forming a proactive, not reactive, team because “we need a steady pipeline within this business”.

There is a sector-wide attrition rate of 46%, he explained. “For us that means that we have to recruit 3,500 people a year just to keep up our hours but as a business, we have to grow.”

Aside from high attrition, the other problem facing the care industry in staffing terms was that “the world isn’t full of vocational carers”. To get around that, a focus will be put on marketing to help change people’s perception of the industry and hopefully attract people who already fill a caring role, but may not know it.

• For more on recruiting in social care, see p28.

SARAH MARQUET sarah.marquet@recruiter.co.uk

BLEASDALE BANKRUPTCY CASE ON HOLD A DECISION ON whether the •founder of Healthcare Locums (HCL),

Kate Bleasdale, should be made bankrupt was delayed following legal arguments at Kingston County Court on 23 September.

The long-running case involves Bleasdale and Debbie Forster, who seeks to make Bleasdale bankrupt claiming £4.1m in costs and damages from the entrepreneur.

Forster claims she was sacked from Stayput Solutions, a company she founded and in which Bleasdale had invested, for alleged misconduct.

District Judge Gold adjourned the

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case until an as yet undetermined date following legal arguments by Bleasdale’s counsel Alun Jenkins.

Forster told the court that Bleasdale’s counsel’s tactics were “just another stalling mechanism to mislead and waste the court’s time”.

The case is another chapter in the colourful career of Bleasdale who founded HCL in 2003. In March 2011, as executive vice-chairman of HCL, she was dismissed by the company after accounting irregularities were discovered at the firm.

This led to an ultimately unsuccessful £12m claim by

Bleasdale for unfair dismissal and sex discrimination.

On 30 July 2014, the court agreed that Forster could Kate Bleasdale petition for bankruptcy in an attempt to recover the money she believes Bleasdale owes her. This does not include sums owed to any other creditors that Bleasdale may have. HCL is believed to be a creditor.

Contract News AESC: Partnered with cloud-based executive search solutions provider Invenias…

Apprenticeships4England: Partnered with workbased learning sector job board FE Careers… Axis Partnership: Partnered with the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC)… Elevate Recruitment: Was acquired by its newly-created parent company, Elevation Consultancy Group, following a management buyout… EOS: The Staffline subsidiary was awarded a two-year contract with Suffolk County Council to provide employment services for young people…

Dillistone Group: Has acquired ISV Software…

Fircroft: Joined with the University Technical College Warrington to encourage more people into the engineering industry…

Harvey Nash: Bought AsiaPacific executive search firm Beaumont Japan… IV Offshore: Received £30k funding from the SCORE programme… Matchtech Group: Renewed and extended its contract with global consultancy Ricardo…

Morgan Hunt: Won the managed service contract for Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College…

Outsource UK: Bought digital recruiter Chrysalis Digital Recruitment…

Recruitive: Integrated its cloud-based technology with Londonersjobs. com and The GreenJobs Network… RED: Became an official SAP services provider for the UK… RSG: The recruiter won a contract to staff Towergate Insurance’s new Manchester office… Staffgroup: Implemented Bullhorn’s cloud-based software across its UK-based Eurostaff and Germany-based Earthstaff divisions…

COLIN COTTELL

RECRUITER

OCTOBER 2014

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30 AWARDS

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WINNERS OVER THE PAST 3 YEARS

18. Best International Recruitment Agency 19. Best IT Recruitment Agency 20. Best New Agency 21. Best Professional Services Recruitment Agency 22.

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News

Tech & tools

MANAGING YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE ON THE BOARDS THE IMPORTANCE OF MANAGING YOUR PRESENCE ON THE JOB BOARDS IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED BY DIRECT EMPLOYERS, BUT A LACK OF ATTENTION TO DETAIL IN THIS AREA CAN HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON EMPLOYER BRAND AND REPUTATION

1

2

Consider your message The advert is not just about the job description but employer brand. Are you communicating the right messages? Whitford recommends recruiters talk to corporate communication teams to find out what they are saying about the company and how recruitment’s message compares.

“They can offer tips about better use of content as well as guidelines,” he said.

3

Be vigilant A large part of managing your presence comes down to monitoring the behaviour and performance of the job boards. Kevin Hough, group head of resourcing at LV=, said the organisation takes its web presence extremely seriously and that it is crucial employers find out how they are going to be represented on a job board.

“Ask how you are going to be presented: for example, ‘is this going to be seen as an LV= job or will it be more white label or look like an aggregator pass-on?’,” he said. Check how your ad looks as soon as possible and contact the job board if you aren’t happy.

out there so it’s important to get it right in the first place.”

5

Dead jobs are bad news for candidates and employers Your vacancy may have been filled by a top performer but if the ad that attracted them is still live on the web, it could damage your brand with other jobseekers. “Filled vacancies have an impact on your presence and a candidate’s perception of you,” says Whitford. “It creates the wrong impression, so take the ads down when they are filled.”

6

GETTY

Take care of the basics Even though job boards have been around more than 15 years, many recruiters fall down on the basics such as writing for the web, spelling and grammar. “The web is about a quick scan and a quick read so people can find out if they want more information,” said Alan Whitford, recruitment strategist and managing partner of Abtech Partnership. “If people have to scroll down to get to the information, they probably aren’t going to bother.” And there was one piece of advice he would still offer today, it would be “read before you post”. “It sounds so obvious but is so true and so important,” he said.

4

Dealing with the march of the aggregators An aggregator will pick up your jobs whether you like it or not and employers must gain more understanding about how this could affect their brand online.

“They’ll get you more traffic but is it traffic from where you want it?” said Whitford. “Once

a job has gone to one of the aggregators, you don’t have control over the audience your message goes to.” Hough warns that when aggregators pick up your jobs, there is sometimes a mismatch in how the role or job description is presented: “Essentially though, they are only replicating material you have put

Why you need to manage your presence The digital environment means that organisations no longer own and control their brand in the same way they did 10 or even five years ago.

We live in an era when it’s become the norm for consumers to publicly rate and review an organisation’s customer service, products and general behaviour. And the same applies to employer brand. Even though organisations have their own career sites, in many cases the job board remains the first point of contact between a candidate and an employer.

Despite this, for too long some organisations have left their presence on job boards to look after itself rather than actively manage it. “The first question you have to ask is do employers understand what it means to manage their online presence?” said Alan Whitford of Abtech Partnership.

“For the most part, there is still very little thought about the employer brand and the messaging in a job advertisement.”

The return to a candidate-driven market means this is no longer acceptable. Kevin Hough at LV= said that the recruitment world is changing and employers must adapt to it. “It’s becoming more social, more information is being shared around, so there is a challenge to companies like ourselves to ensure we’re giving out the right message and, importantly, that we provide the candidate with a good experience.”

Understand the candidate experience Even though you had nothing to do with the build or design of the job board, if a candidate has a bad experience it can potentially reflect on your brand. “My concern is how it will flow for the candidate through the application process,” said Hough. Road-test the site yourself or carry out a mystery shopping exercise, including in the mobile space.

7

Are you in the right place for your message?

Choosing the right boards ensures you are seen in the right places for your audience. Giles Guest, director of Enhance Media, which publishes NORAS (National Online Recruitment Audience Survey), said many employers spend without understanding the data behind their job board choice. He said clients who invest in research upfront can save 30-40% of media spend while maintaining the same level of success. Data can tangibly prove you are in the right online spaces and Whitford urges recruiters to make use of it to inform decisionmaking: “If a job is up for more than a week with little success, you’ve got to refresh it or change it.”

SUE WEEKES

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Tel Email Web

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News

SPECIAL REPORT

Web comments

Sophie Tudor I drafted a contract on this basis, which has been popular in the US for some time, a year ago. On the face of it, you can appreciate the morale benefits of treating staff in this arguably grown-up way.

But it’s easy to anticipate the issues that could arise — not least that it could lead to staff taking less leave if they feel they aren’t able to or are concerned they may look less committed compared to the overly keen colleague a few desks away who never takes a day off.

ALL PHOTOS: AKIN FALOPE

Unlimited holiday may not work for recruiters (26 September) An interesting concept and great to see the boundaries of flexibility and staff engagement being pushed.

However, recruitment is an industry where pay is closely linked to performance and I believe successful consultants would still choose to work a similar proportion of a year even if unlimited holidays were allowed. And what about the potential impact on service levels to candidates and clients if this was adopted?

L-r: Andrew Midgley (TXM Recruit), Daniel Lewis (Longbridge Law) and Steve Zahab (Anderson Group)

OPEN AND FRANK DISCUSSION ON ONSHORE LEGISLATION A RECRUITER-HELD ROUNDTABLE, SPONSORED BY ANDERSON GROUP, GAVE RISE TO MANY ISSUES. NICOLA SULLIVAN REPORTS

Seth Roe A perfect example of ‘smiling knife’ management. Take the time if you need it (you can’t cope?), if it won’t interfere with your work (holidays do), so you end up feeling guilty.

Do you get paid for holiday if you quit, get fired? Nope, this is just a clever way of getting publicity and screwing the employees, while smiling.

James Robinson Is this news? Are these people commenting for real? Of course unlimited holidays won’t work and not just for recruitment. It’s pathetic that people are deeming this worthy of comment (including me).

Steve Kenny

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Just six months after the Onshore Employment Intermediaries legislation was introduced, recruiters have plenty to say about the challenges it has created for their businesses.

Recruiter recently brought together a number of recruiters to discuss the impact of legislation at a roundtable event, sponsored

by Anderson Group.

During the event, chaired

by DeeDee Doke, editor of Recruiter, recruiters operating in different sectors spoke candidly about regulations that make their firms liable for the tax and national insurance contributions for workers in the supply chain falsely operating on a sole trader or self-employed basis.

Unless evidence can be provided that a self-employed

worker is not under direction, supervision and control, any agency directly contracting with the hirer will fall foul of the regulations. Also, from 2015 agencies will be required to report all gross payments made to workers quarterly to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

Skills shortages Andrew Midgley, managing director of TXM Recruit, said that in the sectors his firm operates in — automotive, built environment, defence, engineering, manufacturing and rail — “huge skills shortages” mean contractors expect to dictate how they want to be paid. He said: “If we don’t conform to that standard the individual will go and register with another agency and that agency will

get the fee because they operate in a different manner.”

He added: “We are having to say ‘no’ more than we would want to do because the contractors are starting to dictate how they actually want to be remunerated.”

There was also widespread concern around the table that illegitimate recruitment businesses will take advantage of incorrectly appointing and paying contractors at the expense of compliant recruiters. “Why should the good guys lose out on business by conforming?” asked Midgley.

Barry Roback, director of Anderson Group, pointed out that next year’s reporting requirements will give HMRC the basis on which to manage compliance, and agencies will be “culpable” for breaches

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%

43 TOP

of women in the tech or IT industries have witnessed or experienced sexism in the workplace, a new survey released today by online accounting firm Crunch reveals

5

MOST VIEWED JOBS ON OUR WEBSITE

1. Expedient

Recruitment Consultancy, Recruitment resourcer

2. EduStaff, Senior

consultant, Coventry and Warwickshire

dating back to April of this year when the legislation was enforced.

The panellists revisited the issue of non-compliant agencies benefiting from those following the rulebook several times during the debate. Lawrence Hargreaves, managing director at Nicoll Curtin, made the point that the non-compliance of others shouldn’t be used as an excuse.

“If you believe in the concept that people should pay tax and there is a contribution that is valid for someone that’s working in this country, then I don’t know if there is an excuse for it.”

In response, Midgley said: “I don’t think it is an excuse but it goes on and it is something we have to live with each day and each week of our working lives. In our market space candidates are registered with more than one agency — there is a high demand for their skills.”

Reputation matters Meanwhile, Richard OwenHughes, head of group strategy, Driver Hire Nationwide, challenged notions that the hirers didn’t care about the

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issues raised by the onshore intermediaries legislation. “I think an awful lot of hirers do care absolutely that they are buying overall from an organisation that is credible and that has a good reputation and adopts a position that is aligned with their own company values.”

While Steve Zahab, group commercial director at Anderson Group agreed, he said the “backdrop” of diminishing returns with margins that have fallen consistently over the last 20 years couldn’t be ignored, before pointing out that on occasion large blue-chip hirers put out to an e-auction the supply of labour, which he said represented an “entirely commoditised view”.

Daniel Lewis, MD of Longbridge Law, said: “I don’t think [clients] have ever once asked me or any of my colleagues how we pay [workers] or when we pay them what we do. It simply doesn’t occur to them because that is not in their remit.”

Another challenge, said Zahab, is that sole trading has become more prevalent in the healthcare and driving

markets. “Obviously the onshore intermediaries legislation drives a coach and horses through that particular choice for a contractor,” he says.

Sector specific problems There was an acknowledgement around the table that the severity of the problem would depend on what sector the recruitment firm operated in. For example, when Nicoll Curtin — an IT recruitment consultancy working across the banking, finance, commerce and public sectors — did a compliance review of its contractors it only found that a negligible percentage fell outside of the legislation. According to Nicoll Curtin’s Hargreaves, the affected contractors were only “marginally better off” under their current employment arrangements and all of them “turned”. “None of them run their own individual limited companies anymore,” explained Hargreaves.

During the debate it was also acknowledged that the onus is on recruitment firms to ensure any umbrella organisations their contractors use

3. Nova Contracting,

Business development manager

4. Become, Consultant, Central London

5. Cielo, Senior

recruitment adviser, West London

TOP

L-r: Greg Wood (Your World), Barry Roback (Anderson Group), Richard Owen-Hughes (Driver Hire) and Tim Millward (Extrastaff)

5

MOST VIEWED ARTICLES ONLINE

1. Ongoing conflict in

the Middle East forces Isis Recruitment to rebrand

2. Lawyers warn holiday pay may have to include commission

3. Unlimited holiday may

not work for recruiters

4. Legal wrangles over

placement fees are on the rise, says lawyer

5. Bleasdale back in

court but bankruptcy case delayed

RECRUITER

OCTOBER 2014

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News

SPECIAL REPORT

ROUNDTABLE PARTICIPANTS David Eglen, director, Arrows Group Lawrence Hargreaves, managing director, Nicoll Curtin Andrew Midgley, managing director, TXM Recruit Tim Millward, CEO, Extrastaff Daniel Lewis, managing director, Longbridge Law Richard Owen-Hughes, head of group strategy, Driver Hire Nationwide Barry Roback, director, Anderson Group Greg Wood, director, Your World Healthcare Lawrence Hargreaves (Nicoll Curtin) makes his point, while David Eglen (Arrows Group) listens in the background

to process tax and pay are compliant with the legislation.

This is particularly important because agencies are still liable for unpaid tax and NI even if an umbrella organisation is responsible for paying them.

Hargreaves, however, pointed out that it was easier to monitor four or so umbrellas

than hundreds of individual contractors.

It was also highlighted that elsewhere in Europe and the rest of the world the onus was on the hirer to ensure contractors’ pay was subject to the correct tax treatment.

Hargreaves also pointed out that agencies operating

IMPACT ON RECRUITMENT BUSINESSES Half of recruiters are no longer happy engaging with selfemployed contractors, although 69% claim that the onshore intermediaries legislation has not had a negative impact on their business, according to research conducted by Anderson Group and Recruiter.

The findings showed that 22% of respondents said the legislation has had an impact on their business but it isn’t as bad as they first feared. However, 8% said the impact has been significant and required major changes to be made.

Other key findings include: • 64% — proportion of respondents that said the legislation has not affected their appetite for risk • 36% — proportion of respondents that said the legislation has made them feel less likely to take risks • 53% — proportion of respondents that do not believe the HMRC was right to legislate in this way but accepted something had to be done to stop tax avoidance • 39% — proportion of respondents that said ‘yes’ the legislation is justified • 8% — proportion of respondents that said ‘no’ the legislation is totally unjustified

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in places like Switzerland enjoyed better margins, albeit to ensure they can withstand factors like redundancy clauses in contracts if necessary.

Meanwhile, in the UK, said Hargreaves, margins are “ever eroding.”

There was also dissatisfaction about the lack of clarity over what constitutes the worker being under the direct supervision and control of the hirer. Zahab pointed out that according to government guidance, a particular type of LGV driving would not fall under this remit and therefore is suitable for sole trading. The problem is, said Zahab, the legislation stipulates references to supervision and control can’t be mentioned in the contract of a self-employed worker.

However, many hirers have to mention supervision and control for insurances purposes to “make sure the liabilities are flowing in the right way”.

Someone may be “perfectly suitable” to operate as a sole trader but the “likelihood is that they are engaged under terms that prohibit this”.

Midgley made the point that drivers in vehicles were “surely under supervision and

Steve Zahab, group commercial director, Anderson Group

control because the logistics organisation is actually telling them where to go.”

However, Roback stressed the government had been very clear that route planning was “control” but A to B direction was not. “What about multidrop drivers?” asked Midgley, who received confirmation from Roback that they would indeed be caught by the legislation.

Roback said: “I think it is fair to say that the industry no longer tolerates self-employed drivers.” He added: “When we talk about compliance I think that the government have been pretty clever and got 100% of one industry cleaned up without any compliance — just by threatening the agencies at the end of the line with potential financial liability”.

While the general consensus is that the onshore intermediaries legislation is worthwhile, recruiters, especially those grappling with skills shortages, need further clarity and support to ease the burden of compliance.

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08/10/2014 14:40

Sector Analysis

Banking/financial services COMPLIANCE, RISK AND REGULATORY PRESSURES ARE FORCING THE SECTOR TO TURN TO EXPERTS IN THESE ROLES, WHICH IS LEADING TO A SCRAMBLE FOR TALENT IN THESE AREAS A raft of regulations and reforms affecting the financial services and banking sector has led to a spike in demand for risk & compliance roles and consumer credit and financial crime experts.

Brought in towards the end of 2013, the UK’s Banking Reforms bring in a number of changes, including the requirement for banks to ring-fence their retail operations from higher risk investment banking arms and make senior managers liable for criminal prosecution for reckless misconduct.

This increased regulatory pressure has left those in chief risk officer (CRO) roles “in the eye of the storm”, said Roger Russell, director — board practice & acting head of financial services at Green Park Interim Management & Executive Search.

He pointed out that because many banks have had to divert funds to strengthen risk and compliance processes, in some cases resources have moved away from chief finance officer (CFO) roles and more generalist positions towards the provision of risk specialists. Russell told Recruiter: “The scrutiny on CROs at the moment is unbelievable and they work unbelievable hours.” He added: “It is not just a technical skill, [CROs] need to have massive resilience. They need to have the leadership qualities to build teams fast.”

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is continuing to clamp down on firms for failings relating to anti-money laundering (AML) policies, with Standard Bank, which was fined £7.6m, becoming its first AML case in January. In light of this, recruiters like MERJE are seeing a big influx in job roles designed to help firms tackle financial crime. Edward Manson, a director at MERJE, told Recruiter: “I guess there is a big stronghold these days for the AML roles, with the FCA fining firms who don’t have the right procedures in place.”

A whole raft of regulations are also coming from Europe that financial services institutions are grappling with, including the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD), which covers the management, administration and marketing of alternative investment funds and has

a number of objectives, including preventing market instability and the build up of systematic risk in the European financial system.

Manson said asset management firms are making sure they are employing people who can ensure the business is compliant and can “translate” how it affects the business, and therefore help develop the appropriate internal structures.

Also having an impact are changes to the Consumer Credit Act, which now falls under the remit of the FCA, rather than the Office of Fair Trading. The new regime affects ways that businesses lend money to consumers or offer goods and services on credit. Manson said candidates with experience of the legislation are increasingly sought after by institutions.

Jo Sellick, managing director of Sellick Partnership Recruitment Specialists, said after a “torrid time” the financial services and banking market is fairly buoyant, with a growth in both permanent and temporary roles. Interestingly, said Sellick, there is an increase in “lucrative and demanding” project-led roles on a fixed contract basis either for six months, 12 months or in some cases two years. “[Businesses are saying] ‘we don’t want to recruit someone on the permanent side because we don’t know where that project is going to end up but we know it needs doing’,” said Sellick.

An increase is also seen in business partnering roles, said Sellick, which link the accountancy function to the wider business to ensure companies are “doing what they say they are doing”, so-called “forensic accountants” who review a set of accounts before they are made public. For these roles, banks and other financial services institutions are looking for qualified accountants with experience in the banking industry and are unlikely to look at different sectors, said Sellick.

While financial services recruitment has got a spring in its step, recent news that Lloyds Banking Group is poised to cut thousands of jobs is a bleak reminder that there are still challenges ahead.

Views from the market Commenting on CRO roles, Green Park’s Russell said: “It is not quite a war for talent but it is getting to a point where the competition for talent has turned it into a candidate market for the first time in probably four years. Headhunting is coming into play and as a result salaries are entering into premium territory.

That’s when you know it is a candidate market.”

MERJE’s Manson, said: “[Employers] are looking for people who have regulatory affairs experience that can look at how key regulations impact market and how they might impact their particular organisations.”

Commenting on the impact of the Scottish referendum, Jo Sellick

of Sellick Partnership Recruitment Specialists said: “People’s view might be that devolution is increasing more transparency in terms of money, which rather than being spent in Whitehall is being spent at the grassroots level.”

NICOLA SULLIVAN

16

10,505 Jobs

Applications - 110,397

Applications - 155,826

Applications - 195,624

Applications - 137,166

Applications per job - 10.7

Applications per job - 12.9

Applications per job - 15.8

Applications per job - 13.1

RECRUITER

OCTOBER 2014

16_Recruit_SectorAnalysis_OCT14.indd 16

Figures from Totaljobs

12,367 Jobs

August 2014

12,115 Jobs

August 2012

10,347 Jobs

August 2011

August 2010

BANKING, INSURANCE AND FINANCE

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09/10/2014 16:10

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Market Indicators

Global Spotlight on France

THE COUNTRY’S LABOUR MARKET APPEARS STUCK IN THE PAST TO MANY BUT THERE ARE SIGNS THAT RECRUITMENT IS CHANGING — THE SOONER, THE BETTER SAY RECRUITERS UK recruiters looking across the Channel at France might be forgiven for feeling a certain smug satisfaction. While the UK continues its economic recovery, who would be a recruiter in France, where economic growth has stalled, and hiring is in the doldrums?

Key indicators France 64.4m 0.00%

UK 64.1m 3.2%

2013 Annual average hours worked per worker

France 1,489

UK 1,669

Employment rates (% of workforce in employment) Men Women Age 55-64 Age 15-24

67.9% 60.4% 45.6% 28.6%

76.1% 66.6% 59.7% 48.8%

Population GDP growth Q2 2014 Source: INSEE (National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies)

Tina Ling, managing director of Hays France, says there are many disincentives for employers to take on staff in France. Not only do social costs, which can add 40% to salaries, make hiring people “extremely expensive”, the cost and hassle of getting rid of staff also dampens down recruitment activity. “Rather than take a chance by hiring someone and seeing how it goes, clients are hesitant,” she says.

Hubert Mongon, senior vice president, human resources, McDonald’s France and Southern Europe, says employers in France face three main difficulties.

“Firstly, the cost of labour is one of the highest in Europe. Secondly, the introduction of the 35-hour week brings additional challenges, particularly for small businesses. Lastly, the French Employment Code is very detailed and amounts to 3,000 pages in comparison to, for example, Swiss employment law that consists of 30 pages.”

Youth employment With more than one in five (22.8%) young people between the ages of 15 and 24 unemployed, Mongon says the position of young people is a particular concern. “It is virtually impossible to find a job without experience,” he says, blaming a lack of trust of young people by employers. “Often, young French people have to wait five years before being taken on in a permanent job,” he adds. “Educational qualifications continue to be the key factor in job applications whereas good skills for the job should be the determining factor.”

François Béharel, chief executive of Groupe Randstad France and an executive board member at Randstad Holding, says that young people and those without qualifications are being left behind.

Unemployment among older workers is also a concern, he adds. So far, the government’s response, which has “mainly consisted in setting up a ‘responsibility pact’ aimed at cutting back labour costs and corporate tax, and financing thousands of subsidised contracts for the unqualified youth” has had only a limited effect, he says.

“He talks a good talk, but nothing concrete has been done,” adds Ling of President Hollande’s efforts.

She warns that the economic situation and high income tax rates could have significant implications for the availability of talent in France. “If things don’t improve and improve rapidly, France risks losing a lot

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Source: OECD

of good candidates to other countries,” she says.

And there are even bigger problems on the horizon, warns Mongon. Europe’s so-called ‘workforce cliff’ when businesses simply “run out of people to hire” could hit France as early as 2020, he says. This is when McDonald’s predicts that the lack of young people entering the workforce combined with a bulge in the numbers retiring could see the supply of candidates begin to dry up.

Béharel agrees that problems with the French labour market run deep. “France is quite a conformist country with a lack of flexibility and agility, and so is its labour market. People tend to recruit lookalikes,” he says.

“Things are certainly changing for the better — though very slowly — but I think the French economy would be better off if we changed our mindset and dared to give their chance to people who got off the beaten tracks in terms of past experience, education and background. Also, we need to better value technical and manual jobs.”

Amid all the doom and gloom, Richard Yarsley, talent acquisition specialist at biopharmaceutical firm AbbVie in Paris, sees some positives. Yes, the country’s employment laws that give employees job security dampen down recruitment activity.

But on the other hand, “there is a much better chance they are going to be loyal and stay with you for a long time”. Many recruiters might argue that in a labour market requiring radical reform this is only scant consolation.

COLIN COTTELL

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RECRUITER

OCTOBER 2014

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09/10/2014 09:46

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Interaction

SOAP

BOX

Freedom to start up needs care

I recently attended a lecture at London’s Cass Business School by one of the charity sector’s more outspoken chief executives on mergers and the shape of the sector. Our sector is too fragmented, she claimed – there are too many of us and unsustainable levels of competition. The sector, she argued, needs two things to sort itself out: mergers, and for the government to make it more difficult to start a new enterprise.

The reason I’ve not given this chief executive’s name is not because she was speaking under Chatham House rules. Rather, it’s because she wasn’t the boss of a recruitment agency. Having moved in January from Recruiter to charities trade title Third Sector, I was there to listen to Lesley-Anne Alexander of the Royal National Institute of Blind People.

Alexander has led the RNIB through several mergers in recent years – she is of the view that consolidation improves efficiency and better serves the charity’s beneficiaries. She said that the presence of 733 registered charities in England and Wales with blindness or sight loss among their charitable purposes was a negative force. It meant the sector often felt “not so much like blind welfare, as blind warfare”, with charities competing over public goodwill and funding pots, and consequently getting distracted from their core purpose.

Her solution was to call for the charity sector’s regulator, the Charity Commission, to make it harder to set up a charity. This would mean that when new charities do enter the market, they actually contribute something to the sector, are certified as holding the welfare of the individuals they deal with above self-interest, and generally know what they are doing.

I can see where Alexander is coming from. But I think it rather

RICKY MARTIN

SAM BURNE JAMES is a senior reporter at Third Sector magazine. He was

previously a reporter on Recruiter. Follow him on Twitter @samburnejames

The power that social media can have in recruitment

With Facebook boasting more than 1.11bn users and Twitter over 500m, there’s no doubt about it, social media is certainly very powerful. So should recruiters use it?

Well it’s free so why wouldn’t you? Promoting your company through traditional means can be expensive. The world of social media is probably the quickest way to post new jobs to thousands of potential applicants without paying a penny. How else could social media help your business?

Word of mouth is the most effective way of promoting your business and products, but social media take can it one step further.

With so many people in one (virtual) place, positive feedback can be instant and easily shared among thousands of people at the touch of a button. If you provide your candidates, clients and suppliers with a great customer experience they will be happy. What’s more, they will recommend your business to family and friends. But this also applies to negative feedback.

Don’t forget, it’s also worth considering that your social media strategy must be more than just a sales pitch if you are to engage fully with your audience. No one enjoys talking to an automated answering machine and the same applies in the social media world. If used effectively, social media can provide an opportunity for your company to directly engage with your audience on a more informal and personal level.

For example, why not post updates about your company? Share information about the industry you are recruiting for. Not only will this show you are knowledgeable but also it will show your company

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heavy-handed and illiberal for government to make it more difficult to create a charity, much as such a move could ultimately better benefit charities’ beneficiaries – and I would apply the exact same view to the recruitment sector.

In my two-and-a-half years at Recruiter, talking to people in the process of starting up their own agencies was often a joy.

The enthusiasm was infectious and the sense of people about to start something big was always exciting. But, at times, it was a bit repetitive – the same people, the same cities, the same industries and often very woolly answers to why they were going to be different from their competitors.

Good luck to the start-ups, I’d say – but I can’t help but wonder if what they were doing might have had a detrimental effect on the sector, and might have done little but create confusion for the sectors they recruited into, or lest the jobseeker be forgotten. That said, it’s not the responsibility of individual recruiters to consider the broader health of their sector in the same way as charity workers should.

Charities already have more regulation than recruiters – and some want it increased. There are calls for compulsory licensing in the recruitment sector, but these rarely gain much traction.

Recruiters enjoy the wonderful freedom of being able to break away and start up their own agency, but it shouldn’t be taken for granted.

The only credible way, I argue, to exercise that freedom, is by being innovative, offering something different and always keeping the jobseeker at the forefront of your mind.

is genuinely passionate about recruitment. Final thoughts – have you ever wondered what will happen to this new online generation in the coming years? Yes, you’ve guessed it, it will be your future customer base. So, even if you’re new to the social media world, it’s essential that you embrace this new technology!

Here are some ways to use social media networks: • Twitter is a great way to promote your company and interact with your followers. Using the right hashtags will provide you with lots of opportunities to get involved with trending discussions and keeping up to date with developments in your industry. Moreover, it’s probably the fastest way of keeping in touch with your audience.

Don’t just limit yourself to posting jobs. How about continuing the conversation with your candidates? Wish them good luck with their new job. Why not follow up in a few months and ask them how they are settling into their new post?

• Facebook is a great way for you to interact with your audience on a more personal level. It’s also a great way of asking for opinions. Try starting a conversation – see if your audience gets involved.

• With more than 120m users worldwide, LinkedIn is not simply a social network aimed at business users, it’s an online network of influential people all over the world. As well as a great way of posting new jobs, sharing articles and information about your sector of expertise, LinkedIn can also help you to build a network of useful contacts.

RICKY MARTIN is managing director and founder of Hyper Recruitment

Solutions. Find out more at www.hyperec.com or @Hyperec_HRS on Twitter

RECRUITER

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Recruitment Matters Issue 29 October 2014

Trade Association of the Year

What’s inside The 2-3 Intelligence and REC Talk The changing face of temp work, looking at stats and recruitment issues from the party conferences

a social 4-5Berecruiter

iStock

Social media and recruitment

Waving the flag for co-operation across all regions of the UK

Foster flexible labour market The future of the labour market must remain a focus following Scotland’s rejection of independence last month.

All three party leaders in Westminster have promised to devolve powers to the Scottish parliament, while addressing the way laws will be created across the UK. Shortly after the referendum result, Downing Street announced that Lord Smith of Kelvin will oversee a process that will see the publication of draft legislation in January.

The Recruitment & Employment Confederation

(REC) says job creation across the country needs to be addressed.

REC chief executive Kevin Green said: “The referendum has unearthed a series of questions about greater levels of devolution and this will undoubtedly herald significant changes for Scotland and the rest of the UK. “We will continue to keep all members informed as the discussions move forward and we will engage and represent the recruitment industry at the highest level.”

The REC is calling on policy-

makers to foster a dynamic and flexible labour market with collaboration and cooperation across all regions.

“In all discussions about further devolution, policymakers must keep in mind that workers move across borders and businesses need to take talent with them, wherever they are operating,” Green says.

“The UK jobs market gathers its strength from the close collaboration between the different regions and nations of the UK and this should remain at the forefront in all deliberations.”

6

Legal lowdown and REC Business Partner

Social media and data theft, and REC business partner offering from Outsauce

Institute of 7 Recruitment Professionals Cassie Connell of Thorpe Molloy and Grahame Caswell of Search Consultancy

ng Industry 8 Staffi Analysts Executive Forum comes to London and REC City Conferences in Manchester

www.rec.uk.com RM p1-Oct.indd 23

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Leading the Industry

the intelligence Fig 1: Recruiter revenue growth

The changing face of temporary work

40 ■ Upper quartile ■ Median ■ Lower quartile 30

recent data from April to June 2014, the proportion of associate professional and technical occupations was the largest they had been for seven years.

It is too early to suggest a compositional change in the make-up of temps. However, two trends highlight a possible change in the way temp workers are used by employers, and the type of workers that are most in demand.

The REC JobsOutlook survey on employer hiring intentions highlights two interesting trends.

Firstly, in thinking about the importance of agency workers, 79% of employers use agency workers to access key strategic skills in the short term. This is the most popular reason given by employers. In August 2012, the main reason employers used agency workers was to cover leave.

Secondly, the number of employers who have temps that go on to become permanent has fallen. At the beginning of 2014, the proportion of employers that made at least one temp worker permanent was 83% compared to 55% in August 2014.

The trends could suggest a move towards a growing professional class of temp workers that are not substitutes for permanent workers but are called upon to plug skills shortages.

% of temporary workers

25

■ Managers and senior officials ■ Professional occupations ■ Associate professional and technical ■ Admin & secretarial ■ Skilled trades ■ Personal services ■ Sales & customer services ■ Process, plant machine operatives ■ Elementary occupations

20 15 10 5 0 Apr-Jun 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

2 Recruitment Matters October 2014

RM p2-OCT.indd Sec1:24

10 %

The labour market has undergone changes since the financial crisis and policy-makers are keen to influence how we view these changes and to shape how the labour market evolves. A key area for debate is temporary workers and the diverging views on the nature of them. On one hand, temp work is castigated by some commentators as involuntary, the fate of low-skilled and untrained workers. The counterargument is that temp work is a valuable opportunity to access work and affords people flexibility to manage other areas of their life.

The debate could benefit from some understanding of who temp workers are. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) provides an overview of the composition of the temp workforce as: agency workers, freelancers, seasonal and casual workers.

The graph below shows that temp workers are drawn from two main occupations: elementary and professional occupations. In 2007, professional occupations were the largest proportion of temp workers. More recently, professional occupations have nudged ahead of the elementary occupations.

Of note, the proportion of temp workers from the associate professional and technical occupations has increased. In the

20

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-10 -20 Aug 12

Oct

Dec

Feb 13

Apr

Jun

Aug

Oct

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Feb 14

Apr

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Fig 2: RIB recruiter employee growth 30 25

■ Upper quartile ■ Median ■ Lower quartile

20 15 10 %

By Nina Mguni, senior researcher at the REC

5 0 -5

-10 -15 -20 Sep Nov Jan Mar May Jul Sep Nov Jan Mar May Jul 12 13 14

Recruiter headcount grows Recruiter revenue growth (Figure 1) has been steadily accelerating since October last year, with the median recruiter revenue growth standing at 16.7% in July. The top quartile of recruiters have done even better with stunning revenue growth of over 30%. Unfortunately more than a quarter of recruiters are still seeing falling revenues, with the lower quartile revenue growth being down 4%, demonstrating the importance of understanding your key performance indicators that drive profitable growth. Those recruiters growing the fastest are those predominantly focused on providing temporary placements, perhaps a sign that employers lack confidence to take on permanent staff.

Figure 2 shows that recruiters have been increasing their headcount since August last year, and that the growth in headcount has been steadily accelerating to being up nearly 11% in July. Whether the higher headcount is driving the higher revenues, or is in response to a more buoyant recruitment market, only time will tell.

Despite this excellent news, we do have some concerns however, that recruiter productivity has been steadily declining. The median annualised total turnover per fee earner has been steadily falling for nearly two years, and is now 11% lower than a year ago. While this may, in part, be due to taking on new fee earners, and the average being dragged down whilst they find their feet and become fully productive, this is an area that we would suggest that recruiters keep an eye on in their own business.

• Chris Ansell is Chief Financial Officer at Recruitment Industry Benchmarking (RIB). The RIB Index provides bespoke confidential reports on industry trends. See www.ribindex.com; info@ribindex. com: 020 8544 9807. The RIB is a strategic partner of the REC.

www.rec.uk.com 09/10/2014 10:44

Leading the Industry

REC director of policy & professional services Tom Hadley takes stock of this year’s Party Conferences and looks at some of the ‘hot topics’ for the recruitment industry

Getting jobs on the political agenda

The View

We’ve been in amongst it in Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow.

With the general election less than eight months away, the last few weeks have been crucial in ensuring that the industry’s voice is at the forefront of key debates on jobs, skills and employment policy. What were some of the key messages and common themes at the Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem conferences?

Jobs and growth are priorities for all the parties, but with a few nuances. For example, Labour’s focus was on ‘good jobs’ and on creating more middle-income employment opportunities. One of our priorities in Manchester was to promote the benefits of flexible working arrangements by showcasing the findings of our ‘Flex Appeal’ report.

Education and skills featured predominantly. Parties have differing views on issues like careers guidance in schools but there is consensus on the overall need to build links between businesses and education.

The contribution that REC members are making through our Youth Employment Charter is a great practical example of how recruiters can use their expertise and knowledge of the jobs market to help make a real difference.

One common theme was the need for more regional autonomy in areas such as skills budgets. This underlines the importance of building a strong regional voice (in particular, through the work of REC Regional Directors) and keeping a keen eye on new opportunities for specialist recruiters across the regions.

Fringe events and key speeches at all three conferences honed in on sector-specific proposals that will be of interest to specialist recruiters, including additional investment in the NHS, education policy, care standards, infrastructure investment (good news for construction recruiters!) and boosting skills in high-end sectors like technology, engineering and life sciences (through the development of high level apprenticeships). We will be working with REC sector groups to review how proposals might impact on future staffing needs across all sectors.

Having a strong industry presence at party conferences is a key part of our work to raise awareness and recognition of our industry’s contribution amongst the so-called ‘political elite’. The aim is also to influence the direction of travel wherever possible in terms of manifesto commitments and policy proposals. As the political machine hits full throttle ahead of May 2015, we will continue to work with members to monitor the political scene, drive awareness and to fight for the best possible outcomes for our industry and the labour market.

Jobs continue to be at the forefront of political debate and all of our data reveals that the jobs boom shows no sign of abating. Our monthly Report on Jobs with KPMG shows there is more great news for people looking for work, as we see more people being placed into jobs in the regions and in a range of sectors including construction, IT and engineering.

However, the UK’s post-recession problem is skill and talent shortages. The economy is going to be constrained by this ongoing talent crisis if employers keep doing business as usual. Hirers need to take on more young people and train and develop their employees like never before to ensure that they have a talent pipeline for the future.

The figures also show that our industry continues to play a vital role in offering solutions to the skills shortage and getting people into work. It’s clear that skills shortages are affecting the way in which employers use agency workers. Increasing numbers are now relying on temporary staff to provide short-term access to strategic skills, as well as usual reasons of covering leave and meeting peaks in demand.

This is a trend that is likely to continue, as it becomes increasingly difficult to source the skilled permanent staff that businesses need to grow. Recruiters continue to successfully adapt to the challenge of skills shortages with more than nine out of 10 employers reporting they are satisfied with the quality of candidates they are being provided by recruiters.

Our flexible and dynamic labour market must be recognised and supported. As skills shortages increase and employers struggle to find the people they need, politicians from all parties should focus on ensuring that we have a visa and immigration regime that supports UK businesses. We were pleased to hear that BIS secretary Vince Cable seems to be joining our calls for change at this issue. We hope his colleagues in government will heed these calls from business. The long-term solution us better training, education, more apprenticeships and effective careers guidance for our young people. But in the short term we must allow employers to access the skills they need from overseas.

• You can follow Tom on Twitter @hadleyscomment

• You can follow Kevin on Twitter @kevingreenrec

www.rec.uk.com RM p3-OCT.indd 25

Recruitment Matters October2014 3

09/10/2014 10:45

The Big Talking Point

Be a social recruiter A

Business Insider article from 2012 says: “Cold calling is dead”. Social media sites, particularly Linkedin, are forcing recruiters off the phone and onto the web. The site has more than 300m CVs and profiles, making it the largest recruitment database in the world.

When LinkedIn launched its Hiring Solutions platform – a premium service designed for headhunting talent – its revenue grew by more than £52m in the year to 2012. The service gives any subscriber the ability to search for candidates by company, job title or skill range.

“LinkedIn is disrupting the market for job boards, advertisers, recruitment service firms and recruitment software companies,” wrote John Bersin from Bersin & Associates.

But it is one thing to have access to such a massive database, it is another thing to attract talent. Recruitment companies know that the tenets of selling roles to candidates and working with clients are more important than ever.

That’s when they turn to experts like Social Talent’s Johnny Campbell and PHP Creative’s Dave Hazelhurst. Both

are specialists in using online sources to attract talent and business. They teach recruiters not to skimp on the basics, but to apply their sales skills to social media channels.

Both have cultivated a huge online following and speak around the world about getting the most out of social media.

Hazelhurst says the idea that online recruitment is as easy as entering search terms into Google is wrong.

“In online or offline marketing, there’s never really been an ‘easy way’ or ‘get rich quick route’,” says Hazelhurst.

“It’s all just down to understanding all the tools you have at your disposal, knowing how to use them, and working hard to apply the insights to your business.”

If anything, social media forces recruiters to be savvy in their approach.

They can ill-afford to treat online sourcing as an easy road to filling a vacancy. Online communication is easily done, particularly if a candidate is used to approaches through Linkedin.

“The really good corporate recruiters I know tell me that they average 25-30%

iStock

Applying old-fashioned recruiting sales skills to social media is not always that straightforward, but neither should it be ignored. RM ’s Michael Oliver investigates

reply rates. Not bad, eh? Wrong. If you’re only getting replies from one in five, then four out of five people are getting spammed,” says Hazelhurst.

Johnny Campbell says: “It is important to remember that the ability to search for candidates and identify their contact details is just the beginning of a long, complicated process that we call recruitment.

“You only get one opportunity to make a first impression, and when you are

The really good corporate recruiters I know tell me that they average 25-30% reply rates. Not bad, eh?

Wrong. If you’re only getting replies from one in five, then four out of five people are getting spammed Dave Hazelhurst

4 Recruitment Matters October 2014

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www.rec.uk.com 09/10/2014 10:46

Campbell’s LinkedIn lowdown * A profile with a photo is 11 times more likely to be viewed * Members with >2,000 connections report response rates higher than those with >500 connections * Members who share content at least once a week are 10 times more likely to be contacted for new opportunities * Members engage 7x more with content than jobs

Both Dave Hazelhurst and Johnny Campbell have been starring in the series of events for the Recruitment & Employment Confederation called Sourcing Talent.

Attendees learn how to use mediums like Twitter and LinkedIn to build a stronger portfolio of clients, and ultimately, grow their business.

approaching a potentially cold candidate, you need to make sure that you grab their attention and give them a really good reason to call or email you back.”

With any sales pitch, one style won’t do. Both Hazelhurst and Campbell advise recruiters to tailor their approach to suit the medium. The way you would engage a candidate through the serious world of LinkedIn must be different from the casual style of Twitter or Facebook.

Campbell describes Twitter as a little like a stream of consciousness. Recruiters have a very short window to make an impact, and must go about it in a very precise way.

“Think of Twitter as a beach bar where everyone is wearing board shorts and flip-flops and sipping cocktails,” says Campbell. “If you’re the recruiter walking in wearing a three-piece suit, clutching a briefcase and ordering Cristal, nobody will want to talk to you.”

The workshops will cover: • Finding the right candidate online • Using social media to generate a return on investment • Understanding your audience and honing your online persona • How to become digitally famous This is a rare opportunity to hear from two world-class recruiting experts, and discover how to turn retweets and likes into pounds and pence.

Registrations for the remaining events in London, and a special event in Manchester, are still open at www.rec.uk.com/sourcingtalent

Think of Twitter as a beach bar where everyone is wearing board shorts and flip-flops and sipping cocktails. If you’re the recruiter walking in wearing a three-piece suit, clutching a briefcase and ordering Cristal, nobody will want to talk to you Johnny Campbell

www.rec.uk.com RM p4-5-OCT.indd 27

Recruitment Matters October 2014 5

09/10/2014 10:46

Legal Update

Advice and warnings on social media and data theft

By Lewina Farrell, solicitor and head of professional services, Recruitment & Employment Confederation Social media is a powerful communications tool that allows individuals and businesses access to an infinite number of contacts. However, new technology doesn’t mean that we can forget usual principles regarding employee/employer behaviour.

In Crisp v Apple, the employment tribunal (ET) found Mr Crisp had been fairly dismissed after he posted comments on Facebook criticising Apple products. The ET found that (1) those comments could have damaged Apple’s reputation and (2) the employee had received specific training on how to use social media in his employment.

In contrast, in Whitham v Club 24 the ET found that an employee had been unfairly dismissed after she had posted disparaging comments about her colleagues. The ET found that her comments were mild, made by a junior employee and could not have damaged the employer’s reputation. Similarly in Smith v Stafford Housing Trust, the employer had wrongfully dismissed an employee who had posted comments about gay marriage on his private Facebook page. The ET found that the employer could not have been brought into disrepute by Mr Smith’s comments and furthermore, the employer’s equal opportunities policies should respect the rights of an employee whose comments reflected his religious views.

Separately, as in Teggert v Tele Tech UK Ltd, an employer will be vicariously liable when one employee posts offensive comments about another employee. Also employees who report offending posts must not be bullied or harassed (Weeks v Everything Everywhere Ltd).

Employers must have robust social media and disciplinary policies backed up by appropriate contractual obligations.

However, there is a balancing act to be done – businesses must balance their wish to protect and promote their business against an individual’s right of expression, particularly in a private setting and on non-work related activities or opinions. At the same time an individual cannot expect to make any comments they wish just because they are done in non-working hours or on a private rather than work account.

Data theft The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) recently prosecuted Mr Pickles who had illegally taken sensitive information belonging to 100 people before leaving to work at a new employer. The ICO prosecuted him under section 55 of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) under which it is a criminal offence to unlawfully obtain or access personal data. The court fined him £300, ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of £30 and prosecution costs of £438.63.

Recruitment businesses obtain lots of personal data. As data controllers they are required to process all personal data fairly and for lawful purposes, to store it securely and to delete it when no longer required. They should contractually require all employees to comply with the DPA, have an appropriate data protection policy and ensure all employees know how to legally handle personal information. Issues often only arise when a consultant leaves to start a new job or their own business, taking client and candidate data and so the issue is seen as one of commercial sensitivity. However, this case reminds us that breach of the DPA is a criminal offence, leaving the individual with a criminal record.

Business development: Outsauce Outsauce is one of the UK’s leading providers of financing, back office support and contracting services to the recruitment industry. Run by recruitment experts, Outsauce provides a comprehensive invoice financing service, including up to 100% funding for temporary invoices, and a full suite of back office support covering everything from candidate payroll to credit control.

The company also provides a compliant umbrella solution and accounting services for businesses and contractors.

Outsauce has developed a unique offering with the Recruitment & Employment Confederation that aims to support

6 Recruitment Matters October 2014

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members and attract new applicants; new Outsauce financing customers will be given preferential rates as well as a special offer for the REC’s Business Toolkit (Outsauce will cover the full cost for existing REC members and contribute 75% on behalf of non-members).

The REC Business Toolkit includes everything recruiters need to run their business, including key documentation, templates, advice guides and support materials. The offer is open to both existing and potential REC members.

As an added incentive to membership, Outsauce is also offering REC members zero set-up fees and a 25% discount on all fees for the first three months.

For more information call 0330 100 8686, email ask@outsauce.net, or go to www.outsauce.net

www.rec.uk.com 09/10/2014 10:46

Inspiration

Behind the scenes at the Institute of Recruitment Professionals

IRP top student Cassie Connell, Senior recruitment consultant Thorpe Molloy, Aberdeen How did you get into recruitment?

I graduated from the University of Aberdeen with a Law degree in 2010 but made the decision to indulge my passion for travel by joining a regional airline as cabin crew. After a year, I was keen to put my feet back on the ground and decided to find a new path that would combine my existing customer service and people skills.

What do you enjoy most about being in recruitment?

It is extremely rewarding when you can support someone in finding their dream job and especially when you can then track their career progression. Aside from recruitment I also manage to get involved with lots of CSR work to support local charities in Aberdeen and work with schools and colleges to deliver workshops on CV writing and interview techniques, which is a fantastic initiative.

Why did you choose to sit the Certificate in Recruitment Practice?

The Certificate in Recruitment Practice appealed as it not only covered the key aspects of my role but it also offered a greater insight into my key areas of responsibility as a recruiter – to interact with individuals in a compliant and effective way.

How did you prepare for the exam?

I spent a lot of time reading the course materials and making my own notes from them, which I then used for revision. The coursework helped to show I was on track, and I made full use of the practice tests and online webinar in the run up to the exam, so I knew what to expect.

How did you feel when you got your results and found out you were top student?

I was already over the moon just to have passed the exam; so I was totally overwhelmed when I found out I had attained the highest marks.

How do you think this will impact on your role/career?

Having the qualification has already made me feel more confident as a senior recruitment consultant and I hope that it shows my commitment to delivering the best service I can. I definitely want to continue to work in this field and remain as a credible point of contact within the Aberdeen marketplace, able to provide accurate and informed advice to the candidates and clients that I support.

IRP Award winner 2013 Best Company to Work for (more than 250 employees) Winner: Search Consultancy Grahame Caswell, chief executive, Search Consultancy Recruitment is on the up Search is performing very well this year and we’re in a great position to take advantage of the market upturn. In the past few months we’ve noticed a real leap of confidence across a range of sectors and it’s clear, as an industry, recruitment is on the up.

It’s our responsibility to give something back to the communities from which we recruit Our teams across the UK take part in charity activity through the year. One Day is a UK-wide initiative which gives employees the chance to volunteer for a charitable cause for a day.

We also have the Search Living and Giving Foundation – a charity committee which organises events, collects funds and donates to charities and organisations that make a difference to the lives of people all over Scotland.

Fundraising and volunteering motivates staff and provides a feel-good factor when they know they have made a real difference to those in need. It’s our responsibility to give something back to the communities from which we recruit.

Our biggest challenge is skills shortages As a recruitment company, our main remit is to find the right people for the right roles. Our biggest challenge is skills shortages. As we’re covering such a wide range of sectors, there are always going to be some sectors that are more heavily subscribed than others in terms of candidates and the roles available. Calibre and suitability come first – and meeting these criteria efficiently is our main objective.

What piece of advice would you give your younger self on his first day?

Get on the telephone, get out there and meet people, and start to build relationships.

To keep up to date with everything the Institute of Recruitment Professionals is doing, please visit www.rec-irp.uk.com

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09/10/2014 10:47

Events and training

Staffing Industry Analysts holds forum for first time outside the US – and comes to London The Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) Executive Forum Europe is coming to London in November.

It is the first time in 23 years a forum has been held outside the US. SIA executive director of Global Research John Nurthen (right) says the three-day conference will feature some of the biggest global names in staffing research.

“We are targeting the most senior-level executives, so a lot of the attendees will be CEOs or business owners.

Delegates will get a lot of useful content on trends on the staffing

industry, and a keen insight on where things are heading,” Nurthen said.

The conference also boasts a unique opportunity to network with some of the biggest names in staffing.

“We are targeting the most senior level executives, so a lot of the attendees will be chief executives or business owners.

“It also has a point of difference from any of the other Europe and UK events – it’s got an international focus,” he said.

Nurthen says delegates will hear from a world-class line up of speakers, including Microsoft’s international head of contingent staffing solutions Vincent Lattimore, and Neil Jacobstein, co-chair of AI and Robotics Track at Singularity University.

Registrations are open at www.siexecutiveforum.eu

REC City Conferences hit Manchester er The REC is coming to Manchester on 28 October as part of its City Conference tour.

This free event is designed to give members access to all the latest information and knowledge you need to develop their business.

Hot topics being discussed in Manchester include: • Market update – what’s hot, what’s growing and what’s not • How to use the Good Recruitment Campaign and charter to engage your clients • Policy – keeping you ahead of the game - What will the coalition do next?

- What is the EU up to?

• Sector updates – network and exchange ideas with peers in your sector • Skill development – we will be bringing together experts to help you develop more business and enhance the skills of your team REC chief executive Kevin Green will open the event, and highlight the latest industry and market trends.

Details are available at www.rec.uk.com/cityconferences, or by contacting the member services team on 020 7009 2100.

Recruitment Matters 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

8 Recruitment Matters October 2014

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Membership Department: Membership: 020 7009 2100, Customer Services: 020 7009 2100 Publishers: Redactive Publishing Ltd, 17 Britton Street, London EC1M 5TP. Tel: 020 7880 6200. www.redactive.co.uk Publisher: Aaron Nicholls aaron.nicholls@redactive.co.uk Tel: 020 7880 8547 Consulting Editor: Ed Sexton ed.sexton@rec.uk.com Editorial: Editor Michael Oliver michael.oliver@redactive.co.uk Tel: 020 7009 2173. Production Editor: Vanessa Townsend Production: Production Executive: Rachel Young. rachel.young@redactive.co.uk Tel: 020 7880 6209 Printing: Printed by Woodford Litho © 2014 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 09/10/2014 10:47

UK RECRUITMENT TRENDS 2013 UK Recruitment Trends 2013 is a detailed analysis of the past 12 months, reviewing vacancies, applications and salary trends from across 48 industry sectors.

Request your copy of the report today to ďŹ nd out when, and in which sectors the economic recovery started to take effect and how this has impacted salaries.

REQUEST FROM WWW.BROADBEAN.COM

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08/10/2014 16:41

Interaction

LETTER TO THE

SOUND

BITES

EDITOR

“Are recruiters practising what they preach on diversity and inclusion? If so, how are they doing it?”

Sarah Kirk Regional director for Diversity & Inclusion, PageGroup

Since Women@Page launched in 2012, we have witnessed overall improved retention rates, increased numbers of female employees holding management positions and maternity return rates up 17% in its UK operations.

Women@Page includes a Global Mentoring Programme and a global internal website to underpin progress, as well as a pre/post maternity programme, Coaching Maternity, to improve the retention of women returning from maternity leave. The success of Women@Page is our model for Open@Page which was launched in 2014 and spans five more diversity, inclusion and equality characteristics: age, disability, sexual orientation, families and carers and race.

We have established several partnerships with like-minded organisations, such as Stonewall, to provide benefits for our people and our commercial capabilities.

Christine Hayward Executive director, IIC Partners

IIC Partners firms have been very active in bringing attention to the issue of diversity and inclusion, with a particular focus on increasing the number of women on Boards and in leadership positions. Our UK-based firms have signed the voluntary code of conduct regarding gender diversity, which means when presenting a long list of candidates to their clients, at least 30% of the candidates will be female. In the US, our firms are active with the Women’s Forum of New York to address the issue of increasing the number of females that hold board positions.

Paul Forde Managing director, Forde Recruitment

Diversity/inclusion isn’t the main consideration for a recruiter when placing staff; their primary concern should be presenting the best candidate(s) for the job and not to discriminate, full stop. I don’t think diversity and inclusion comes into the equation, simply because how can a recruiter exert any influence on practising diversity and inclusion? All they can do is not discriminate — the end client has the ultimate responsibility. Where recruiters can practise diversity and inclusion is within their own organisation in their daily interaction with their co-workers.

We have a diverse mix of people working here and we all get along famously. If diversity and inclusion is promoted and practised among staff who work in a recruitment firm, then I believe these important values will automatically show in their decision-making when placing candidates.

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK

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I’m backing Cable’s call for a cap I am very happy to hear that the caps on skilled workers in the UK may be reconsidered (‘Recruiters welcome Vince Cable’s calls to scrap cap on skilled worker visas’, recruiter.co.uk, 30 September).

I came to the UK from the US to study for my MA in Education at the University of Roehampton in 2009. I have over two decades of qualifications and experience within the special education needs (SEN) sector in education, an area where there are considerable shortages in the UK. On graduating with my MA and earning a distinction, I could not be hired due to the new immigration laws, despite the fact that there is a severe shortage of people in the SEN education sector in the UK. After earning my MA, I also was awarded the QTS (Qualified Teacher Status) by the UK Teaching Agency, so I am fully qualified to teach at all levels within the UK. Although many recruiters have expressed a strong interest in me, they are not able to place me in a position due to the current visa restrictions. I am now back in the US and still receive daily notifications of SEN and deputy head teacher positions from UK recruiters as I am still on their databases.

I would love to return to the UK and help with this shortage, so I am encouraged by the possible movement to stop the visa caps on highly skilled workers.

In the case of the shortage of SEN educators, it is the UK children who are really the ones suffering because they are obviously not receiving the services they deserve when so many SEN positions are not being filled by qualified people.

Ann Little, SEN education specialist, Florida, US

WEB

COMMENT ‘Recruiters welcome Vince Cable’s calls to scrap cap on skilled worker visas’ 30 September Good to see UK recruiters voicing their support, although it might be a little bit late… A reduction in UK visa options over the past 5-6 years for people from non-EU countries may turn out to be costly. While the UK has been making it harder to work there, Australasian professionals have been increasingly looking at other options. Six years on from the Global Financial Crisis, Asia and the US are options for a growing number of Aussies & Kiwis, the mighty pound is not what it once was, and you don’t have to go to London to prove you can cut it in the big time. All goes some way to explain why half the number of Aussies & Kiwis now head to the UK, and why demand for their skills is the highest I’ve seen in 20 years.

Whatever plans the UK has to attract skills better be good.

Bernie Kelly I appreciate Vince Cable is talking about a high level of skills, rocket scientists and brain surgeons. Yet we have other important skill shortages in the UK. I am trying a novel idea with my ex-service candidates. I am identifying skill shortages in various industries — rail, logistics and others. I’m then looking to source funds to enable ex-service personnel to upskill to help with the shortage in these industries. Surely it must be more economical to take an ex-service person off benefits rather than importing skills from other countries.

Kevin Hartley

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www.itris.co.uk 09/10/2014 10:50

Insight

Inspired leaders show way to growth ATTRACTING SCARCE TALENT MUST BE THE PRIORITY FOR COMPANIES SEEKING TO BOOST PROFITS, SAYS PETER LOWMAN Many in the recruitment industry are prospering because of the skills shortage.

Most industry sectors are benefiting from the economic upturn but often their opportunity for growth is limited by the dearth of available talent.

The shortage of talent creates a real opportunity for recruitment businesses. It is also a major headache for us too as we face the same problem sourcing the talent we need.

From confidential interviews with more than 2,000 staff during 100-plus strategy and change programmes we have identified 10 characteristics that enable companies to attract and retain the best talent. What we have found out is that getting these factors right increases profit. Where they don’t exist or are weak then growth and profits are stifled.

The characteristic that we have seen make the biggest and most positive impact on a business’s performance is ‘inspirational leadership’. Based on our analysis only 20% of leaders are seen to be truly inspirational. Many staff say they are demotivated and often dread the thought of going to work because they are not inspired.

Seeking inspiration What simple steps can you take to determine how ‘inspirational’ you are? Look at attendance and sickness records. Are my staff happy in their work? Who will give me an honest view, confidentially, on how inspirational I am?

How well is my business performing? Do they contribute fully and freely in meetings? I could go on but I’m sure you see the theme here. If you are honest with yourself you will be able to place yourself on the ‘Inspiration scale’. If you don’t think you are over 80%, then there is an opportunity for significant improvement in your businesses performance.

What is an ‘inspirational leader’? You need to be really inspired by what you do and what you want your business to achieve. You need to have a vision for the future of your business that inspires you. If you are inspired by your vision for the business and what you want to achieve, your team will be inspired by you.

You need to engage all of your staff in the business. Communicate well using the right medium — not just email. Get out there and really interact. Listen to your staff. They want

to be heard and often have great ideas that will make a real difference.

The business also needs clear values that are ‘lived by all’ day in, day out, from the chief executive to the receptionist. This creates a powerful and harmonious engine in the business that delivers results. People know how to relate to each other, how to get things done efficiently and don’t have to waste time on ‘politics’.

An inspiring vision needs to be linked to a great execution plan that everyone can engage with.

What are our key objectives three years out, our detailed plans for the next 12 months and then our actions for the next 90 days? Do this from the top down and it is a great way of ensuring that everyone in the team is aligned and pulling in the same direction. An execution plan only becomes “great” when all staff are valued and given responsibility and the appropriate level of authority.

Personal development Through a great execution plan staff know what is expected of them and the performance standards for their job. This can be linked to focused and relevant training and development programmes. The opportunity for personal development is nearly always ahead of salary in staff attitude surveys. There is clear evidence that investment in staff development and the right benefits improves the bottom line and is one of the best investments a company can make.

Don’t keep your team in the dark. Make sure that business performance is communicated regularly and the positives and negatives are discussed openly. You’ll be surprised by the ideas that come forward to solve the negatives.

Business performance drives change in business and a business has to be continually changing to make the most of opportunities in the market.

The person — no matter how junior — doing the job affected by the change nearly always has the best ideas to bring about positive change.

Finally, if you are a leader in business please take time to reflect on how inspirational you are and be honest with yourself. If you feel you could improve, you can change. What habits do I need to stop? What habits do I need to start? Will an external mentor help?

Take action now and you will soon see the positive results across the business and the bottom line.

Power Points Your checklist to know if you can attract and retain the best talent. Does our business have: Inspirational leadership Clear values that are lived by all A clear vision that everyone buys into A great execution plan that the team can engage with Staff that are valued and given responsibility and appropriate authority Focused and relevant staff development Great communication and listening Transparent expectations of staff and clear performance standards An environment where staff ideas are welcomed and acted on Clear, regular and honest communication of business performance

PETER LOWMAN is co-founder and managing director of LoveWorkLife, a consultancy that supports business leaders in companies large and small to transform their businesses to deliver sustained growth and continually increase profits.

Share your insight and blue-sky thinking. Contact the editor: deedee.doke@recruiter.co.uk

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Cover story

Care sector timebomb FOR RECRUITERS AND EMPLOYERS WORKING IN THE UK’S CARE SECTOR, THE ONLY CERTAINTY IS THAT THERE ARE DIFFICULT TIMES AHEAD. AS MOST IN THE INDUSTRY BELIEVE THE SITUATION WILL ONLY GET WORSE BEFORE IT GETS BETTER, COLIN COTTELL INVESTIGATES HOW FIRMS ARE DEALING WITH THE CHALLENGES

With as many as a million more workers needed by next year, recruiters in the UK’s care sector could legitimately claim they work in the UK’s toughest sector.

Earlier this year a study by the International Longevity Centre and Anchor, a major care sector employer, warned that as the UK’s population ages, England alone could face a shortfall of 718,000 care workers by 2025. A staggering 40% of the projected rise in England’s working age population will need to enter the care profession to tackle what the report described as a ‘workforce time bomb’.

“The requirement for elderly and specialist care provision is forecast to grow by more than 3% per year over the next 10 years, driven by the needs of a growing elderly population,” says Ian Smith, chairman of Four Seasons Health Care, a major employer in the sector. “That’s a lot of workers in a sector that already employs 1.5m.”

Phil Porter, director of adult social services at the London Borough of Brent and co-chair of ADASS’s (Association of Directors of Adult Social Services) Workforce Development Network, warns that with social service budgets under pressure, the situation “is going to get more challenging”.

Number of jobs 2013: 1.5m Needed by 2025: 2.5m • The number of people in England aged 85 will increase from 1.24m in 2013 to 2.3m by 2030, according to the Office for National Statistics • Between 2012 and 2025 the care workforce will need to increase by between 765,000 (47%) and 965,000 (59%) to meet the needs of England’s ageing population, alone • Care workers and home carers, who account for 700,000 of the total workforce, are paid an average of £7.90 an hour, but 40% are paid below £7.00 an hour • 30% are on zero-hours contracts • 19% staff turnover across the sector • 37.2% of care workers have no relevant qualifications • 82% of the care sector workforce is made up of women Source: The Future Care Workforce report 2014

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KAREN ROBINSON

CARE SECTOR’S WORKFORCE CHALLENGES

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Social care in crisis

L-r: Graeme Finlay, Fiona Bailey and Joanna Naismith at Care UK’s Field Lodge care home

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Social care in crisis

Pressure on budgets have contributed to operators not being able to pay care staff “the rates they deserve”, says Smith. And with 40% of workers earning less than £7 an hour, this makes it difficult to attract staff. “You can’t get away from the fact that pay is an issue for some entry-level jobs,” says Annette Baines, programme head of recruitment, retention and international at Skills for Care, the sector skills council for the sector. An average staff turnover rate of 19% across the sector only adds to recruiters’ problems.

Lack of funding to pay for the growing numbers of carers needed is not the only issue facing employers in the sector, says Mark Linden, head of recruitment at Allied Healthcare, an employer of 18,000 domiciliary care workers. There have been a number of high profile investigations in recent years, which have highlighted staff mistreatment, bullying and abuse of vulnerable care home residents, and painted a very unflattering picture of the sector.

“This makes it very hard as an industry to recruit,” says Linden.

SOFTWARE CAN HELP As financial pressure on UK social services departments grows, the need to find cost-effective ways to build the UK’s carer workforce becomes ever more pressing.

Proc.Net, a software tool used by Birmingham City Council, is one example of innovation in the sector. The tool devised by Matrix SCM allows care providers to bid to supply care packages for individuals requiring care.

When asked by Recruiter whether this e-auction type process favours suppliers who make the lowest bids at the expense of quality, and therefore inevitably makes it more difficult to attract good candidates because providers can’t offer competitive pay and conditions, Matrix SCM replied in a statement: “Even the lowerpriced offers meet the quality requirements for any given care package.”

The company goes on to say that of the 5,153 social care contracts awarded by Birmingham City Council via Proc.Net since 2012, “93% were awarded to the best quality provider and only 6% simply because they offered the lowest price”.

A Birmingham City Council spokesperson adds: “Those care providers will inevitably have a range of differing business models and return-on-investment expectations and, as such, Birmingham City Council does not impose any requirements other than the need for them to pay the National Minimum Wage to all staff they employ.

“As a commissioner, Birmingham City Council manages the quality of care delivery using a Provider Quality Framework, which will be available to the public [in October].”

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The Holly Bank Trust The Holly Bank Trust found that its own staff were the perfect ambassadors for dispelling myths and preconceptions about the sector that act as a barrier to recruitment. “The Care Ambassador Project involves care staff volunteering to go into local communities and speaking to schools, colleges and community centres about their work,” says Katie Coombes, head of HR. “People think it is just personal care, taking people to the toilet and helping them with their shower, but it is much more than that — it is going shopping with them, it is whatever they want to do. People think it is probably what it was like in the 1970s and 1980s, with everyone watching TV in a big room but residential care has moved on so much since then.”

Coombes says the initiative launched six or seven years ago has not only resulted in applications from those attending events, but has also put unsuitable people off applying. It has also led to care ambassadors themselves feeling “more engaged and proud of working for the organisation”, thereby helping the charity’s own staff retention.

Coombes says the previous approach to visiting colleges and schools was “very hit and miss”. “We played it by ear, nothing was prepared, and we waited to be asked.”

Baines agrees that the overall image of the sector dissuades people, and particularly men, from entering it. “They get this image of women’s work, low paid, not a career but a job,” she says.

While Baines says the reality is that the care sector encompasses a wide range of work settings, client groups and job roles, this lack of understanding of the sector and the opportunities it offers is a barrier to entry, she contends. “It’s about helping people to understand what the sector is about,” she adds.

For Linden, the big issue is not the numbers of applicants — the company receives 110,000 a year.

“We don’t struggle to get candidates through the door, but where we do struggle sometimes is with quality.

“Care work is not right for everyone,” says Linden, something that the company acknowledges during employees’ initial staff training. “We ensure that their eyes are opened to what the role is. It does cause us to lose some staff at this stage, but we would rather lose them then than when they are in front of our customers.”

Baines says another barrier to entry is the assumption that you need formal qualifications.

However, this is not the case, she says. “If you have people with the right values you can build on that,” she says. Indeed, she says the sector can broaden

Dominique Kent

Mark Linden

Ian Smith

THE REQUIREMENT FOR ELDERLY AND SPECIALIST CARE PROVISION IS FORECAST TO GROW BY MORE THAN 3% A YEAR OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS, DRIVEN

BY THE NEEDS OF A GROWING ELDERLY POPULATION

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Social care in crisis

its pool of potential recruits by supporting the ‘recruiting for values’ initiative that the government is pushing across the health and social care sectors.

Linden recognises the importance of widening the candidate pool. “We try to recruit people who don’t necessarily come from a care background.”

Older workers represent one of the company’s “prime target areas”, he says.

In an effort to meet their workforce needs, many employers have turned to migrant workers, often from Eastern Europe. This has led to concerns that some care workers lack the ability to speak good English, and according to Baines helped foster an attitude among some candidates of “it’s social care, employers are desperate, and they will take anyone”.

“Perhaps this was the case a few years ago,” says Baines. However, today she says there is a minimum standard for English and Maths.

Matthew Fazackerley, director of Invictus Consulting, a white collar recruiter in the sector, says it is very easy to attract migrant workers, particularly from Eastern Europe. However, he suggests that more could be done to help them stay and progress in the sector. He suggests that recruitment agencies should agree a development plan for them in conjunction with the client, and keep in touch with them.

“For far too long people just walked off the street and became a home carer,” says Dora DixonFyle, cabinet member at the London Borough of Southwark, whose responsibilities include adult care.

This year, in an initiative to improve its homecare service, the council launched an ethical care charter.

The charter includes a commitment to abolish zerohours contracts, which according to BIS (Department of Business, Innovation and Skills) make up 30% of contract in the sector, and training programmes designed to produce a better skilled and more stable workforce. “I am confident that if we treat our

LOOKING AT SUPPLY MODELS New models of supply could help address the care sector’s workforce timebomb, says Phil Porter, director of adult social services at the London Borough of Brent, and co-chair of ADASS’s (Association of Directors of Adult Social Services) Workforce Development Network.

“We can’t just keep bearing down on costs, we have to look at different models of supply,” he says.

Porter says one example is for individuals to take advantage of their ability to buy care services direct.

“They can usually employ somebody at a higher pay rate because they are not having to factor in providers’ operating costs, and profit margins,” he says. An expansion in the use of Direct Payments could also allow more care workers to work as freelancers, he says.

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The Good Care Group The Good Care Group re-engineered its recruitment process to identify people who have the grit and tenacity needed to stay the course in an emotionally and physically demanding role. Despite a raft of measures to train and engage staff, Dominique Kent, director of operations, says that in 2011 the company was experiencing unacceptably high levels of staff churn.

The first step was to find what distinguished really good carers from those that “were acceptable but didn’t set the world on fire”, says Kent. The company turned to psychometric testing, which found that its top performers tended to be “warm, conscientious, self-assured, self-sufficient, open to ideas and emotionally stable”.

These results were mapped onto the interview and selection process. This now consists of a basic telephone interview, a face-to-face interview and a psychometric test. Successful applicants then progress to a written case study and a team exercise designed to test how they would react in a crisis.

An example of a question used to identify those with the traits needed is “what would you do if you knocked on a client’s door at the start of your shift and they kept throwing you out?” says Kent.

As a result of the changes Kent, says staff turnover fell by 30% between 2012 and 2013, and continues to fall in 2014.

workforce better, recognise what they are doing and skill them up, we will get the people we need,” she says.

Baines agrees that better career development will make the sector more attractive. She points out that there are already a range of pathways for those who want to develop and progress either further into social care or into managerial positions.

Porter suggests that a new Care Certificate, a key recommendation of the Cavendish Review, which looked into how to build a sustainable workforce among support workers in the sector, could be a way forward. “This would replace the common induction standards, and put a more robust process in place in terms of induction and core minimum standards for care workers.” This could be a good platform on which to transform caring from simply being a job into a career, he says.

The clock is ticking on the UK’s care sector timebomb and recruiters face a massive task to defuse it in time. The only certainty is of challenging times ahead. And with a possible shortfall of 67,000 registered nurses alone by 2016 — and that’s not even the worst case scenario — there seems no escaping that reality, says Four Seasons Health Care’s Smith. “The situation is going to get worse before it gets better,” he says. For recruiters, the UK’s care sector is definitely no place for the faint hearted.

Phil Porter

Ian Smith

Dora Dixon-Fyle

I AM CONFIDENT THAT IF WE TREAT OUR WORKFORCE BETTER, RECOGNISE WHAT THEY ARE DOING AND SKILL THEM UP, WE WILL GET THE PEOPLE WE NEED

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Training and development

Go local for global training SETTING UP AN OFFICE IN A FAR-FLUNG DESTINATION REQUIRES A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF THE LOCAL CULTURE AND SURROUNDINGS BEFORE ANY THOUGHT OF TRAINING STAFF CAN BE ENTERTAINED. COLIN COTTELL INVESTIGATES

Luc Jones, a partner in Antal Russia, says that training staff in international locations is not as simple as importing what works in the UK and off you go. “I have seen people with no experience of the Russian market come here and say ‘we are going to do it our way’, but the reality is it often backfires,” he says.

“The important thing to understand for anyone entering an international market is that unfortunately one size doesn’t fit all.”

Jones says any staffing company that came to Russia and tried to train its staff in the aggressive sales approach more typically associated with US and UK recruiters would be wasting its time. “Selling is not in the blood in the ex-Soviet countries. It doesn’t come naturally. It doesn’t exist, and it would get you precisely nowhere,” he says.

Amy Gilman, learning and development manager for international specialist staffing company SThree, agrees that training needs to be tailored to local cultures and ways of doing business. However, this doesn’t mean that SThree, with multiple offices abroad, needs

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to reinvent the training wheel for each and every location, she explains.

“We have core training programmes that are consistent and go out globally,” she says. For example, the company’s core sales induction programme is delivered through video conferencing right across the company. ”This is delivered by us to wherever our staff are located in the world because we are a sales company, and 75% of recruits join as associate recruitment consultants,” says Gilman. How to successfully obtain a meeting with a client is another example, she says.

CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

GETTY

Hardly a month goes by without a UK recruitment company opening an office in some far-flung corner of the world. Earlier in September, Antal Russia, part of the FiveTen Group, opened its doors in Kazan, capital of the Republic of Tatarstan.

Establishing a new office is always a tall order, but it is undoubtedly made even more challenging by the need to train new staff. Moreover, in recruitment’s frontier territories, they are likely to be new to the profession.

That said, SThree’s training does take local cultural differences into account. Gilman points to its MENA (Middle East North Africa) region, particularly Dubai and Qatar as locations where this is essential. “There, it’s about how you build rapport with clients and candidates … there is a whole different set of skills needed to tee up the face-to-face element of your business,” says Gilman.

FOR ANYONE ENTERING AN INTERNATIONAL MARKET, UNFORTUNATELY ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL. SELLING IS NOT IN THE BLOOD IN THE EX-SOVIET COUNTRIES. IT DOESN’T COME NATURALLY. IT DOESN’T EXIST, AND IT WOULD GET YOU PRECISELY NOWHERE Luc Jones

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Gilman highlights the role of SThree’s eight L&D (learning and development) facilitators in collecting this knowledge and incorporating it into standard training material. In addition to carrying out research, and talking to senior managers in a region, they “spend a lot of time questioning the people they are training to understand how best to help them learn”. Gilman says she tries to assign a facilitator to a specific region so they can build up their knowledge on the ground.

Andrew Hairs, group managing director of Monroe Consulting, part of the Empresaria Group, based in Jakarta, Indonesia, describes the company’s approach to training staff in South-East Asia as “taking good principles and work processes and adjusting them to the local culture and market”.

This means toning down some of the UK-based sales training material that is too aggressive for the

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Asian market, he says by way of example.

However, at the same time as altering the firm’s standard training material, Hairs says a lot of work goes into changing the mindset of staff, the vast majority of whom are local people rather than ex-patriates. “Where we need to train is where we need to work against the natural culture,” says Hairs.

A case in point is how the company trains staff to overcome the prevailing culture in South-East Asia of natural deference to older and more senior people. As he explains, a willingness to ask questions, particularly to get information from clients, is an essential element of a good recruiter’s make-up.

“We spend a fair amount of time with consultants in these countries, helping them get past this barrier so they can have this conversation on an equal level,” he says.

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However, on the other side of the coin, the firm’s policy of hiring local people brings benefits too. There is no need to train these staff in the importance of faceto-face contact with clients, because that is how they naturally behave anyway, he explains.

COSTLY BUSINESS

For a UK-headquartered company, training staff abroad in several different continents can be costly, says SThree’s Gilman, particularly if trainers are expected to fly around the globe to deliver it. Gilman explains that cost is an important reason why much of SThree’s core training is delivered from either the UK or Germany to the company’s regions by video conference or webinar.

However, even with the aid of modern technology, with only eight dedicated L&D staff to serve a global organisation of 2,000, she accepts that she and her colleagues can only do so much.

“We work hard to provide them with online material, but it’s local managers who are expected to develop and upskill their staff all the time,” she says.

Nathan Byrne, regional director of Africa for PageGroup, points to the continuous work by himself, his managers and regional director. “By doing this internal training we are able to raise the calibre and the performance of our people over time,” says Byrne, who is based in South Africa.

Byrne says that training must also be adjusted to the needs of staff in individual countries. Experience levels, education and even general sophistication of staff vary greatly between countries, he explains. Not only does this mean that PageGroup’s South African staff who, unlike those in Australia and the UK are unlikely to have a degree, need more training, but also that it needs to be pitched at a different level.

“When you’re a graduate you usually wear a shirt and tie, and you are probably well versed in how to prepare for an interview,” he says. But in South Africa, Byrne adds, this knowledge cannot be assumed.

It is also about raising the expectations bar, he says. “Whether it is how they deal with clients, how they interview candidates — anything to do with recruitment, they probably have a lower set of quality in their minds as to what they need to do,” says Byrne.

In comparison, PageGroup’s workforce in Hong Kong and Australia is “full of ex-patriates, who have been witness to other best practice environments”.

Against this background, Byrne says he has taken to ‘South Africanising’ the training material used by PageGroup in Dubai and Australia. This has resulted in a one-page best practice guide outlining key performance standards, such as returning all calls within five hours, he says.

While all the UK international staffing companies interviewed here accept the need to tailor the training of consultants to prevailing cultures or market conditions, Myke Trinder, talent manager at global executive recruitment and professional services group Harvey Nash, says the company takes a different approach to training and developing its leaders.

Indeed, given this group’s vital role in imparting the group’s vision throughout the company, Trinder

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KEY POINTS • Don’t reinvent the training wheel for every location: tailor it to local conditions • New recruits in emerging markets will have different training needs to staff in the UK or ex-patriates • Recognise that most training will be carried out by local managers • You are likely to get more bang for your training buck in emerging market locations • Training and developing your leaders and managers may require a different approach to that adopted for consultants • Use modern technology to deliver training cost effectively across continents

Andrew Hairs

Amy Gilman

says “it is important that its L&D is not tailored too much because we want the message to be the same”.

Hence, Harvey Nash flies 80 of its senior leaders from around the world to London every year for an event combining L&D and a conference. This November, 16 leaders will also attend a newly launched executive development programme.

MORE COMPLEX

For the UK’s band of international staffing companies, training staff across the world’s disparate regions is undoubtedly more complex than for a company that hasn’t ventured beyond its domestic shores.

Simply replicating what works in the UK in Jakarta, Moscow or Johannesburg is probably doomed to failure. However, for those that have taken the plunge overseas, Monroe’s Hairs says that it is well worth the extra complexity and effort.

“My recollection is that training is something that people do initially and then try to avoid for the rest of their careers,” he says, referring to his early career back in the UK. In comparison, he says consultants in Asia take training more seriously and are more demanding in wanting more of it. Managers who develop their staff also get a greater sense of satisfaction as they can see it having “a real impact on someone’s life”, he adds. Moreover, it has “a massive impact” on attracting and retaining talent.

Great training and staff development is a prerequisite for any successful staffing company and a vital building block in professionalising the UK recruitment industry. However, it seems that UK recruiters abroad have even more reasons than those purely domestic operators to get their training right.

Luc Jones

Nathan Byrne

WE WORK HARD TO PROVIDE THEM WITH ONLINE MATERIAL, BUT IT’S LOCAL MANAGERS WHO ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AND UPSKILL THEIR STAFF ALL THE TIME Amy Gilman

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09/10/2014 09:54

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At HCIG we believe that our recruitment consultants are our greatest asset so we focus on giving our people an edge. As investors in people, we believe in attracting, developing and retaining top talent. We pride ourselves in driving motivation and inciting passion in our people by providing incentives and expert training at every stage of your personal career.

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OCTOBER 2014

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09/10/2014 10:49

PLAN YOUR NEXT MOVE

on the move See latest job listings Create job alerts by email Save and email jobs from mobile Apply for jobs by saving your CV to your profile Keep track of your activity

Âť Go to www.recruiter.co.uk/jobs WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK

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DOES YOUR PERFECT ROLE EVEN EXIST?

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09/10/2014 10:49

Movers & Shakers

ALIUM PARTNERS: The global •interim management provider has

ARGYLL SCOTT: The multi•sector recruiter has promoted

Rachel Weightman to head of the financial services technology team.

INTERIM MANAGEMENT: •TheBOYDEN global search firm has hired

David Jensen as partner.

Carey as principal consultant in the insurance division.

DE POEL CLARITY: The vendor •neutral temporary workforce

management firm has appointed Erika Hemsworth as senior account manager; Denise Turnball, Suzanne Haughton and Mike Tunney as account managers; and Mike Worrall as project manager.

specialist recruiter has taken on Sarah Greensmith to lead its commerce and industry and professional services divisions.

PRIMARK: The high street •fashion retailer has hired Barry

EXIMIUS ENERGY: The oil & gas •recruiter has appointed Az Lasmi

MICHAEL PAGE: The global •recruiter has promoted Ben Carr

to lead its new technology oil & gas practice.

and Gareth Davies to operating directors.

FORDE RECRUITMENT: The •Sheffi eld-based industrial and

PROPEL LONDON: The digital recruitment consultancy has promoted James Webb to managing director and Thomas Chambers to chairman.

engineering firm has appointed Jonathan Wright as non-executive director.

NORMAN BROADBENT: The global senior and board executive recruiter’s CFO and chief operating officer James Webber joined the company’s board.

FOX RODNEY: The legal •recruiter has hired Portia White

RECRUITMENT SOLUTIONS: •TheOPUS IT and oil & gas recruiter has

as director in the private practice partner team.

taken on Craig Harman to lead its new Sydney office.

•Mike Steen joins the talent

•

•

PEDERSEN & PARTNERS: The

•

•

RECRUITIVE: The recruitment software provider has hired Gemma Rushton as partnership manager.

• services group has appointed

•management firm has hired John

David Slatter as associate director in executive search; Sandeep Bhandal as head of strategic development, managed recruitment; and Jason Wheatley as HR lead on the public sector executive interim team.

Schonert as associate director of its executive search team.

•

Kaplan joins the executive search firm’s board.

• KNIGHT FRANK: The global property consultancy has hired Ashleigh Bennett as head of recruitment UK.

• MCGREGOR BOYALL: The global

Huw Rothwell •joinsPETROPLAN: the global oil & gas recruiter as regional director for Houston.

gap personnel Divisional driving manager Transport/distribution/ logistics sector £28k-£35k Midlands

ONLINE RESOURCING: The online recruitment specialist has hired Lorien Lightfoot as marketing manager; Charles Yeoman as FMCG, property and construction client account director; and Jessica Hartley as client account manager.

recruiter has appointed Aileen Ryan as office manager and Beatrice Zornek as associate.

PENNA: The global HR

First Recruitment Group Head of IT recruitment £comp salary & package Birchwood, Warrington

•

HASSON ASSOCIATES: The •marketing and market research

HEIDRICK & STRUGGLES: Robert

Alexander Mann Solutions Headhunting recruitment specialist executive Recruitment process outsourcing £competitive + benefits Horsham, West Sussex

Flack as head of talent acquisition and employer branding.

international executive search firm has appointed Paul Mewis as client partner in London; Yen Pin Ng as Singapore country manager; and promoted Alexei Dolgikh to head of CIS.

management firm as chief financial officer (CFO).

A selection of vacancies from recruiter.co.uk

Global oil & gas recruiter Oscar Associates has appointed David Waterfield as regional director for the American region to drive the strategic direction of the region.

His previous experience includes roles across the Americas, Europe and Africa with large oil & gas recruitment companies.

On his appointment, Waterfield said it was an exciting time to join the firm as it had a clear strategy for global expansion and enhancing levels of service. He hopes to deliver a more pro-active recruitment approach.

The technical recruiter •hasCITITEC: appointed Denis Goncharov-

HARRIER HUMAN CAPITAL:

Your next move?

OSCAR ASSOCIATES HIRES REGIONAL DIRECTOR

appointed Amanda Johnston as head of its HR practice.

•

REDLINE GROUP: Natalie Tyler joins the tech recruiter as head of sales and marketing.

RUSSAM GMS: The interim

SERVICE CARE SOLUTIONS: The •social work and health recruiter

has promoted Craig Dootson to divisional manager of healthcare and Mark Bateson to divisional manager of housing and trades.

• SHEFFIELD HAWORTH: The

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

global executive search agency has appointed Rob Sloan as New York-based managing director; Peter Schibli as managing director, asset management in its Boston office; and Justin Gault as managing director in London.

•

TAYLOR ROOT: Stephan Graefer joins the global legal and compliance recruiter to set up a compliance division in Dusseldorf, Germany.

TWIDDLE & CO: The York-based •talent management firm has

hired James Buckley as business development director.

•

XPERTISE: The technology and engineering recruitment firm has appointed Julian Harrison as director.

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

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK

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RECRUITER

OCTOBER 2014

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09/10/2014 15:16

Bloggers with Bite

DON’T ASK ME TO FUNCTION PROPERLY OUTSIDE 9-5 Why do we find it so hard to do the simplest of things when we’re not in the office?

W

have to pass on watching the football today as I need to check out what Kim [Kardashian-West] and Kanye [West] got up to on their trip to Thailand”. *

orking in recruitment requires many things: tenacity, strong communication skills, energy and organisation to name but a few. However, skills so essential to our profession often desert us when we leave work, faster than you can say ‘sorry, we have a PSL [preferred supplier list]’.

Pride in our profession In work we explain to clients and candidates that we are the best at what we do: we are true consultants, adding value at every stage, significantly reducing your cost-per-hire. But, as soon as we rejoin the civilian ranks, this self-confidence shrinks faster than the margin on a vendor-managed temp.

Outside work we try to explain to our parents for the hundredth time what it is we actually do, while swerving what we do to those who actually know recruitment. As the charity worker, the doctor and the vicar ask you what you do for a living, the phrases “help companies become more profitable” and “help people earn more money” shoot to the front of the queue. “Recruitment you say? What’s that?”

Here are my Top 5 missing skills: The ability to make a phone call At work we happily pace up and down sporting headsets. Type as you talk, if in doubt dial out. Most contingency recruiters regularly leave work with a mouth drier than the material at an AWR [Agency Workers Regulations] conference. However, step out the office door, and a transformation occurs.

Your phone vibrates, a quick glance and it’s back in your pocket. Speaking on the phone out of hours is like Kryptonite to recruiters — it’s nothing personal against our friends and family but not even a David Beckham voicemail would get a call back on a weekday evening.

Negotiation We spend our days negotiating for everything — rates, rebate terms, start dates, interview times, salaries etc. Outside work it’s too much like hard work. When our jobs rely on it and with a manager looking over your shoulder, we often surprise ourselves at the levels we can negotiate. Take away the necessity, and we revert to type: “£18 for the taxi? Will you take £20 cash?”

Daily Mail Online Ok, so this isn’t technically a skill but is there a more viewed webpage in the browser history of a modern-day recruiter? This evil combination of scandalous headlines and mainly seminaked photos spares no one.

How many people would be as keen to keep so up-todate over a weekend? ”I’m sorry lads, I’m going to

TO POST YOUR COMMENTS, GO ONLINE

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Matt Churchward is a director with The Green Recruitment Company

Administration Not all of us are naturals when it comes to good admin, but it is an essential element of our job.

Making sure our candidates have all the correct interview information, ensuring our contractors are compliant… the list goes on. Peek behind the curtains of our home life and the results are markedly different. Unopened post, wedding invites not RSVP’d, passports expired, utility bills overdue.

Put short, a recruiter’s home (particularly when in their early 20s) can often resemble a house frozen in time. You are pretty sure someone lives there but the dates on the letters offer no clues.

In our defence to all of the above, no one wants to go home and do more of what they did at work. In short, we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves — we expend so much energy throughout the working day sometimes it is hard to even finish a… * Ok, I know Kanye didn’t go — just keeping you on your toes.

Most contingency recruiters leave work with a mouth drier than the material at an AWR conference What would you like to have a rant about?

Tell us at recruiter.editorial@redactive.co.uk

In November: Who will come out on top in Recruiter’s inaugural Investing in Talent Awards and the HOT 100?

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK

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ALL OF

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1. Gov.co.uk press release, 2014 - http://www.gov.uk/government/news/improving-economy-sees-2-million-more-private-sector-jobs; 2. Workforce Intelligence Consortium, Human Capital Management Institute, June 2011: http://www.scribd.com/doc/161229443/Top-5-Human-Capital-Metrics

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