new mock 2 by Ross Anthony

November 2010

Connecting people in talent management

Profits with principles Alex Snelling, International Recruitment & Talent Director at The Body Shop, talks entrepreneurial culture and ethical business

Insights this month: Feet on the ground â&#x20AC;˘ Keeping track of talent â&#x20AC;˘ Right talent, wrong place

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Contents COVER:

ProďŹ ts with Principles

InDepth Feet on the ground Od mincinis alis ex eugait vulla commolo borperos at ullutpat. Feu feu faciliq uamet, corting eummy nisim nonsecte venis nulla feum quat lan eniamet nulputem voloreet lortie ver aute do core feummy nullutat. Unt vullam, con utpatue essed dit, commolor sum dolestie

Keeping track of talent

14 Alex Snelling, International Recruitment & Talent Director at The Body Shop, talks entrepreneurial culture and why the ethical company doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe in talent boxes.

Od mincinis alis ex eugait vulla commolo borperos at ullutpat. Feu feu faciliq uamet, corting eummy nisim nonsecte venis nulla feum quat lan eniamet nulputem voloreet lortie ver aute do core feummy nullutat. Unt vullam, con utpatue essed dit, commolor sum dolestie

Right talent, wrong place? Od mincinis alis ex eugait vulla commolo borperos at ullutpat. Feu feu faciliq uamet, corting eummy nisim nonsecte venis nulla feum quat lan eniamet nulputem voloreet lortie ver aute do core feummy nullutat. Unt vullam, con utpatue essed dit, commolor sum dolestie

Sunday. Now available seven days a week.

November 2010 | The Grapevine 3

Also in this issue:

48 8

InBrief 8 NEWS » Default Retirement Age to be scrapped » UK economy lets standards slip

10 TALENT @ a glance 12 MANAGEMNT @ a glance 13 DEVELOPMENT @ a glance 14 INTERNATIONAL FOCUS International news from around the globe

16 INTERIM MANAGMENT Interim news

18 LIGHT BITES Talent management professionals share their top tips, career tales and views on why talent matters

21 BOOKS Talent management professionals share their top tips, career tales and views on why talent matters

50 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF... Sue Barnes, Director of HR, TNT UK Limited

4 The Grapevine | November 2010

InSight 46 PROBLEM SOLVER Two experts answer the question: “How can I help disengaged employees to believe in my company’s vision?”

47 LONDON HR CONNECTION Jackie Orme from the CIPD speaks at the most recent meeting of the London HR Connection

48 ELEMENSE Jackie Orme from the CIPD speaks at the most recent meeting of the London HR Connection

50 EPLOY Jackie Orme from the CIPD speaks at the most recent meeting of the London HR Connection

Business Writer Chris Erasmus Online Staff Writer Dion Dassanayake Senior Editorial Assistant Rachel Leigh Senior Graphic & Web Desginer Ross Anthony Graphic Designer Vicky Odell Head of Business Operations Sally Griffin

52 ANOTHER INSIGHT

Contributions editorial@executive-grapevine.co.uk

Talent management professionals share their top tips, career tales and views on why talent matters

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54 ANOTHER INSIGHT Talent management professionals share their top tips, career tales and views on why talent matters

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Editorial Comment As we go to press with this

Advisory Board Therese Procter HR Director

monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s magazine, in October, the

John Goldberg Director of Executive Talent Acquisition

Christmas decorations have already begun to appear. Quite why we are so determined to push ever-onward remains a mystery, and Halloween, Bonfire Night and even the endof-year office party seem set to be trampled in the retailersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; stampede towards raising Christmas sales.

Tom Crawford Head of Internal Communications & Engagement

Tanith Dodge Group HR Director

Why canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t we appreciate what we have? On that note, our Retention feature this month looks at internal talent databases. By knowing what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got, you know what you will need. A good database means that you can get on with managing your

Rachel Denning

David Fairhurst

Executive Director, Recruitment and People Development, EMEA

Senior Vice President, Chief People Officer

Andy Hill

Jim Richardson

existing workforce, appreciating and stretching the good people you have, while still keeping an eye on the future. The future for some talent though lies away from your business, or it will do if you keep

Global VP of Resourcing

Head of Front Office Resourcing

Mark Sandham

Dr. John Mahoney-Phillips

them in the wrong role. In our Career Management feature this month weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking at what happens when you have undoubted talent that just doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fit. Whether it is a cultural clash, a case of having too little diversity, or carrying staff that the recession

Global Head of HR Operations & Integration

Global Head of Human Capital

forced into the wrong role, it may be that your talent is not where it should be â&#x20AC;&#x201C; somewhere else.

Event for HR and Talent Management Professionals Thursday 17th March, Vinopolis, London

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Stephen Sidebottom Global Head of Organisational Design & Development

Donna Catley Vice President, Talent & Resourcing - E&P

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November 2010 | The Grapevine 7

Image attributed to SXC user: spekulator

InBrief

How will the Equality Act affect HR? 90% of the Equality Act 2010 has been implemented, combining nine of the past few decades’ anti-discrimination laws. Brought into force on 1 October 2010, the Act aims to clarify the laws covering equality and discrimination, but questions have risen over whether it really makes things simpler for businesses. A mixture of rights and responsibilities have remained the same, changed and been extended, while others have been introduced for the first time. According to a new report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), the average gender pay gap in 2009 was 16.4%, with women over 40 earning 27% less than their male counterparts. The new Act allows more transparency around pay, making pay secrecy clauses unenforceable. This will protect employees who choose to discuss their pay with each other for the purposes of uncovering discrimination. One of the new regulations is extending protection from

8 The Grapevine | November 2010

Viewpoint According to Audrey Williams, Head of Discrimination Law at Eversheds, “Labour ministers had hoped that employers would voluntarily reveal information about their gender pay gap, promising further regulations only if voluntary reporting did not take off. However, Eversheds’ survey suggests this may have been something of a pipe-dream, with only 13% of employers saying they will publish the data voluntarily. “Many employers will have had to change their equality policies to reflect the fact that the Act increases the scope for organisations to be

held liable if one of their employees is harassed by a third party, such as a customer, service user or supplier.” Theresa May, Home Secretary and Minister for Women and Equality, adds: “In these challenging economic times it’s more important than ever for employers to make the most of all the talent available. When a company reflects the society it serves, it’s better for the employer, the employees and the customers, so being a woman should never be a barrier to being treated fairly at work. “This move towards transparency is just

What’s next? The Act will also see new powers for employment tribunals. When an employment tribunal finds that an employer has discriminated against an employee, the tribunal will be allowed to make recommendations that could affect the whole workforce. For example, calling for harassment policies to be implemented more effectively instead of being restricted to measures that will benefit the employee who brought the action. Eversheds’ research finds that 75% of HR professionals fear that the Equality Act will lead to an increase in tribunal claims. The firm advises that employers could protect themselves against claims by training managers and staff so that they understand what is and isn’t considered acceptable. While 57% of employers have responded to these concerns by upskilling their workforce, 29% of HR professionals have no plans to implement training procedures. While the Act is bound to provide support and protection for employees facing discrimination in the workplace, it poses a number

News

The other side of online recruitment

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next?

individuals and organisations will get creative to stand out in these circumstances.â&#x20AC;? Brownstein told The Grapevine: â&#x20AC;&#x153;As the job market gets more competitive, I think that people will do everything they can to make themselves more attractive to employers. And that means utilising technology in especially innovative ways. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I believe that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s win-win. For employers, it demonstrates that a prospective hire can think creatively and knows how to use the latest technology. For

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Justine James, Director, talentsmoothie, comments: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not being underhanded in the recruitment process, more being opportunist and any efforts made by candidates to demonstrate their capabilities rather than just write about them must be welcomed by recruiters.â&#x20AC;? Matt Alder, Founder, Metashift, adds: â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is a competitive market for job-seekers, with fewer jobs around and, paradoxically, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s increasingly tough for employers to persuade the top talent to move companies and join them. It makes perfect sense that

The rise of the internet and online social networking has opened up new avenues for employers and job seekers to gain an advantage in the recruitment process. However, this presents a number of challenges to the resourcing community - not only in keeping track of these individuals using inventive ways to stand out from the crowd, but also in how they react. Should an individual be lauded for adopting left-field methods to get a recruiterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention, or should they be disregarded for not going through the traditional recruitment channels? As technology evolves at a rapid pace, so too do the methods in which candidates can seem attractive to potential employers. HR departments

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At a@glance a glance

www.thegrapevinemagazine.com

Management 47% of managers in London’s financial services sector believe City hiring levels will increase this year, according to Morgan McKinley

22,055 jobs have been created in the retail sector during the past year, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC)

AXA appoints new Group HR Director

City council to pay CEO more than the Prime Minister A senior Government minister has accused Liverpool City Council of not getting “the memo about public sector pay restraint”. The Labour-run council is advertising for a Chief Executive position that offers a salary of up to £197,500. The position was vacated by Colin Hilton, whose yearly pay packet was in excess of £200,000 plus bonuses. The Prime Minister’s salary is £142,500.

Most read online Hits

Lloyds appoints new Head of Resourcing

Santander announces new job creations

AEGON announces senior HR appointment AXA appoints new Group HR Director

The third-largest bank in the UK has announced that it will be creating over 600

City council to recruit CEO who will earn more than the Prime Minister

jobs in its UK branches and call centres in order to support future growth of the business. The new hires are planned for the

Travelodge acquistion to create new jobs

second half of this year. Another line of text here.

2010 - 2012 Economic Forecast: 3%

1% 2012

58% of you said ‘Yes’

2011

42% of you said ‘No’

2010

Have you seen the traditional summer slow-down in hiring activity happen this year?

AXA appoints new Group HR Director

November 2010 | The Grapevine 13

International Focus

Talent news from around the world ¬ New partner joins TRANSEARCH International

The executive search network has announced that Crowe-Innes Associates has joined them as a new partner. Crowe-Innes, based in San Francisco, was founded in 1966 with a focus on consumer products, retail, technology, financial services and non-profit. The clients range from emerging companies to the Fortune 100. A team of six women professionals that cumulatively hold 70 years of executive search experience work alongside the CEO and Vice President. Jenny Crowe-Innes, Founder and CEO is a seasoned HR professional who holds 30 years of experience in managing organisational change and conducting executive searches for diverse multinational organisations. She comments: “We are really excited to be joining TRANSEARCH, as we strengthen our global capability with a group of talented global professionals. Globalisation is now second nature for our clients and we are delighted to be able to offer a truly international service in combination with our national expertise.”

¬ Russell Reynolds Associates makes three key appointments

The executive search firm has strengthened its Houston-

for the global energy and the industrial and natural

based team.

resources arenas. Gimenez has been appointed to the

Moving from Russell Reynolds’ New York office,

role of Executive Director, and member of the Industrial/

Christopher Langoff has been appointed as a senior

Natural Resources Sector, while Roth will become an

member of Russell Reynolds’ Corporate Officers Sector

Associate at the firm.

and will specialise in financial officer assignments.

Stephen Newton, Area Manager for the firm’s Houston

Langoff, also a Managing Director of the firm, had

office, comments: “A strengthening economy, continued

previously spent over 12 years in various senior finance

growth in the energy sector, and the changing regulatory

roles at PespiCo.

landscape has increased the needs of our clients,

Furthermore, Mauro Gimenez and Hans Roth will join the Houston-based office to concentrate on assignments

14 The Grapevine | November 2010

in Houston and across the region, for experienced leadership, particularly in these key areas.”

¬We would need

another story for this part of the world The executive search network has announced that Crowe-Innes Associates has joined them as a new partner. Crowe-Innes, based in San Francisco, was founded in 1966 with a focus on consumer products, retail, technology, financial services and non-profit. The clients range from emerging companies to the Fortune 100. A team of six women professionals that cumulatively hold 70 years of executive search experience work alongside the CEO and Vice President. Jenny Crowe-Innes, Founder and CEO is a seasoned HR professional who holds 30 years of experience in managing organisational change and conducting executive searches for diverse multinational organisations. She comments: “We are really excited to be joining TRANSEARCH, as we strengthen our global capability with a group of talented global professionals. Globalisation is now second nature for our clients and we are delighted

¬Heidrick & Struggles EVP steps down

to be able to offer a truly international service in combination with our national expertise.”

A member of Heidrick & Struggles’ executive committee has left the firm to pursue another opportunity. K. Steven Blake had held the position of General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for the executive search firm since 2005. In January 2007 he was elected to the position of Executive Vice-President. Stephen W. Beard, Deputy General Counsel, will take on both roles on an interim basis until a permanent replacement is named. L. Kevin Kelly, CEO, Heidrick & Struggles, says: “Steve has been an asset to Heidrick & Struggles and will be missed by people across the organisation. He has made a positive impact on the way our company functions and we thank him for his service to the Company and wish him all the best as his time with us ends.”

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Interim management

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Interim managemnt box stuff or percentage of something? Interim managemnt box stuff or percentage of something? Interim managemnt box stuff or percentage of something?

Difficult, and what works well in your home territory is not necessarily going to work so well in another.” Dominic Monkhouse is the UK MD at hosting provider PEER1 and is responsible for all international recruitment. He agrees that cultural difference never goes away: “I’ve interviewed very different people in the USA, and I’ve interviewed people for jobs in the UK who are South African, Indian, Scandinavian, German, French, Dutch, all living here.” However, senior talent is often international, and advances in technology mean that as boundaries become increasingly permeable, international candidates are becoming increasingly accessible. “People will have researched me online as well as the company,” he explains. “I interviewed a guy this morning who said ‘I have read about you and I would like to work for you.’ Five years ago, nobody said that to me, and now it happens all the time.” Different business models require different talent, whether they focuses on homogenised personnel or hyper-local roles. Megha Kumar, a consultant at headhunter HB International, doesn’t agree that search needs to be local. “Candidates can assume wrongly that a locally based candidate will have local experience. Also, you could want to move talent internationally in five years’ time – you’ve got to be able to cross-sell, and relate to the international business upwards, as well as the local business downwards.” HB are headquartered in London, and though working regularly in Geneva and Dubai, Kumar explains that being a local player there “can give you tunnel vision.” Although offices have been considered, she says, “the benefits have never seemed to outweigh the costs.” She points out that flying in also means objectivity, confidentiality, and commitment, on top of a bigger talent pool. “We recently looked for a managing director role in Kuwait for a European institution,” she says, “who wanted the individual to be based in Dubai already. That was unrealistic, like looking for a needle in a haystack.” eBay Classifieds Group’s employee base has grown almost tenfold in the last three and a half years and operates businesses in over 20 countries. The company’s Senior Director of Human Resources Aileen O’Toole, believes that, “while it’s preferable

16 The Grapevine | November 2010

for someone to have the local language and the local affinity, it’s entirely doable to have international talent in a local business, undertaking more strategic activities that are not local to that market. You just have to be considerate about expats, and have people who are culturally sensitive, have done it before and understand the differences, as well as the similarities.” If you want to know about your recruiter, look at how they recruit. “The monolithic international firms can afford to post consultants from around the world, and they do,” says Renwick. “A lot of them employ all kinds of different expatriates and nationalities and they will be offering their clients exactly the same service in every part of the world at similar prices and conditions.” In new markets, off your PSL, you deal with at least one unknown between the talent pool and the headhunters themselves. Although global firms offer consistency, whether that always allows the specific quality of a local boutique needs questioning. Monkhouse adds that the challenges with recruiting seem to occur regardless of how far away the search firm is, or where the recruitment drive is occurring. “In Cape Town, or Sophia, or in the UK, it doesn’t matter, people think we are weird and over-demanding,” he explains. “We’ve just used a big international firm to hire a new SVP of Sales in America but ended up with a guy we knew anyway. I was horrified by how poor some of the shortlist were, I came off calls wondering if I’d spent a worse dollar and forty minutes in my life. But then,” he says, “there is a guy we’ve used in the UK for eight years, with probably half the people we’ve hired coming through him.” As long as your recruiter understands both global and local needs, success should be forthcoming. ‘Firing and forgetting’ is a great idea, but the blend of global resources and local knowledge is the zenith of expensive, well-resourced executive search. However, adds Monkhouse, “even the big firms go on LinkedIn. Look, we’re on the internet, I can post my own job ads, I have that international reach. Satisfaction is about differentiating between firms, and particularly getting real help with your recruitment process from consultants, whoever they are.”

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Light bites

Talent matters

David Denney VP Human Resources International

Career tales I got where I am today by... being willing to throw myself in at the deep end. I started my career as a researcher in executive search, and came across to AstraZeneca as an Internal Search Consultant and then as an HR Business Partner. Following on from these roles I went on to take responsibility for our HR Shared Service Centre. I went from a situation where I was an advisor working with management teams in AstraZeneca to being a service centre manager looking after four teams - from managing nobody to managing around 60 people. I enjoy my job because… I get great satisfaction from managing large teams of people and I value the opportunity to empower people and allow them to grow and develop. Additionally, I’m part of a global organisation that delivers a service to 30,000 people across four countries. For me, being part of something that is much bigger than the UK is very motivating. The most challenging part of my job is... making sure my teams are able to support the business during a significant period of change. Also, at the end of last year AstraZeneca signed a HR outsourcing contract covering 101 countries. My team are now working towards an end date where their roles are going to be redundant as we move to the outsourced provider in 2012. My challenge is keeping people motivated and delivering to meet the businesses needs.

18 The Grapevine | November 2010

For the Chief Executive Officer of a $5.6bn global enterprise to ask for a meeting in Connecticut, US, about the profitability of his business unit in South Africa, it is perhaps unusual that he turns to HR for the answer. But then it’s not that common for HR to have direct P&L responsibility for a country operating unit. At Pitney Bowes, under the Leadership Review Process, managers who have reached a senior level in support functions like HR, Finance and IT get the chance to take on operational roles and gain first-hand experience “walking in a line manager’s shoes”. This scheme is designed with two objectives in mind: to give the executive first-hand experience of the demands of generating sales and profit, and to provide a different perspective to that leadership challenge. Under this initiative I was given the task of heading up PB South Africa, a new country operating unit. I found myself in charge of the 52-strong staff (made up of sales, service, finance, HR and software solutions personnel). I had to immerse myself in the politics of South Africa, get involved in trying to influence government postal policy; come to terms with cultural differences in a country challenged by AIDS, poverty and racial tension; deal with clients’ criticism face-to-face and handle recruitment situations with limited slates of qualified candidates. On a day-to-day level, being on the operations side was an eye-opener. The world of HR can be preoccupied with having a place at the management table, but in terms of closing the gap between P&L leaders and colleagues heading up ‘enabling’ functions, there is no substitute for this sort of experience. The role was immensely fulfilling. The experience has benefited me in many respects, not least my credibility with my line management colleagues who can no longer accuse me of just being the custodian of the ‘people issues’. Not every company will be able to offer their support staff chances like this, but my advice to those in the HR profession is to grab any opportunity to gain first-hand line experience with both hands. It will make your aspirations to be a true business partner that much easier to realise.

Richard Baggaley Head of HR Delivery Services (UK)

Top tips

If I could change one thing Steve Munn Head of HR

Ann Pickering HR Director

When O2 decided to re-think how they interacted with their employees, they were able to create a genuine breakthrough in employee engagement that bucked the change management trend. • Be prepared to look again at tried and tested parts of the businesses and consider using outside help. With the assistance of our employee engagement measurement provider eePulse, we overhauled our formulaic, annually commissioned Reflect employee survey and replaced it with the real-time interim version. That allowed us to access a constant stream of feedback and gauge the effectiveness of each aspect of organisational change as it was introduced. • Listen closely to employee feedback… • …and be prepared to respond to it quickly! • Increasingly, HR policy is becoming integrated with business policy and HR practitioners should see their work within a much wider context. By continuing to listen closely, we found we were able to start anticipating how employees would react to new changes, which directly informed business strategy. • Be prepared for employee feedback to challenge existing assumptions. Contrary to conventional change management theory, we discovered that our people were most engaged (and had the highest employee engagement scores) when they were exposed to higher, rather than lower, levels of change.

Tell us your views: editorial@executive-grapevine.co.uk

If I could change one thing in HR, it would be the reinforcement of the idea that between the private and public sectors, one is good and the other is somehow bad. Comments I’ve heard regularly over the years have included “Private sector disciplines would be good for the public sector” and “Public sector bureaucracy is a bad thing”. For the first, where were these in the banking crisis? For the second, transparent processes and risk management are clearly not always unnecessary when dealing with billions in public money. I have worked in both sectors and there are clear similarities and learning opportunities for both. There are thousands of talented people trying hard to do their very best for their customers/ service users, trying to secure best value for shareholders or the public purse, while wrestling at various times with perceived state interference like legislation, regulation, and inspection. I would like to see HR people lead the way in celebrating the similarities between the sectors whilst continuing to learn from each other. Working across sectors – in partnership, on secondment, shadowing or career change – is the way forward, not blaming excesses in one sector for pain felt in the other. Think of the recent press coverage of excessive bonuses and gold-plated pensions. We all contribute to the success (or otherwise) of our organisations and the broader UK economy. Let’s try to better understand the complexities both sectors face and avoid the good/ bad/ blame/ fault culture. In doing so we will allow our talent to thrive regardless of sector and deliver innovative solutions in these constrained financial times.

November 2010 | The Grapevine 19

STRATEGIC

TALENT MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS DELIVERING REAL BUSINESS

In today’s economic climate, how you engage, develop and retain top talent can determine your organisation’s success. Insala’s user-friendly SaaS technology and array of consulting services provide you with customisable solutions to meet these talent challenges. Our talent management solutions have been successfully implemented around the globe. Scalable for both small and enterprise-wide initiatives, our solutions enable your organisation to: Support and drive sustainable, scalable human capital initiatives that align with your overall business strategy Connect, engage and support your employees in their evolving career development efforts Save time and money while accommodating the growing needs of managers and HR professionals Visit www.insala.co.uk to discover how the following solutions can support your employees throughout the employment life cycle

It's About Your People. It's About Your Business. For more information and to get going, +44 (0)207 297 5940 | info@insala.co.uk | www.insala.co.uk

RESULTS

Career Development The highly effective iCareerManager module enables your employees to take charge of their career development, promotes career satisfaction, and develops talent from within your organisation.

Mentoring Hi-Impact Mentoring® provides all the elements you need to implement and manage your mentoring initiative, including training, consulting, program evaluation, and supporting software.

Career Transition The world-class module, EmploymentTalk, helps organisations support their employees throughout the career transition and outplacement process.

Employee Surveys The EzQ Employee Survey Tools offer valuable insight into employee satisfaction key to your business success through an automated and highly configurable assessment system.

Performance Management The iPerformance module allows you to simply and effectively evaluate employee performance and development, providing essential feedback for your organisation's growth.

Succession Planning The iSuccession module allows you to timely manage, generate and evaluate information critical to identifying and developing high potential employees and talent for succession.

Books

Book of the month The Art of Happiness by HH Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler

» Ex manu mum cierei concurnu vit, stimussessi intem hilis, unt? Nam. Satum fecrit inguliam am caudac oc, vasTuraetilis cus es pero ius,

Review by Graham Lee, Managing Director, The Thinking Partnership

In assessing and developing leadership talent, one of the observations we would make is that ‘people follow people’. Whether it is in the role of leader or follower, it is the human connection, the resonance of character strengths, the sense of shared values, the trust in another person’s core motives that underlies our capacity either to lead others or our willingness to be led by others. Without this human resonance our leadership or followership loses its freshness and creativity; it fails to move beyond the functional or transactional. It might engage the mind but is unlikely to touch the heart. The role of the human connection is emphasised throughout The Art of Happiness, the product of a conversation between the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler, a clinical psychologist. This accessible book contains many important insights that can be readily applied to the

challenge of leadership. For example, it says that by focusing on the similarities rather than the differences between people, we can make a direct connection with others, recognising our shared human experience and our mutual desire to be happy. This awareness of what is common fosters more flexibility and a greater capacity to tolerate frustration. By cultivating our kindness, there is an opening within oneself that leads to easier communication, less fear and self-doubt, and an increase in empathy and trust. By training our minds to be more patient and reflective, we are able to see things from a larger perspective, and to approach problems with a more balanced view. We have found that in addressing some of the most complex challenges facing organisations, the most successful teams are those that can bring a particular mix of character strengths to bear, such as restraint, creativity, and analytical intelligence. In contrast, effectiveness is compromised by too much task-focused drive. In line with The Art of Happiness, we find that by getting leaders to stretch their perspectives and deliberately try on new viewpoints, they can develop a supple quality of mind, they can hold a simultaneous awareness of the bigger picture and the immediate challenge, and can more ably meet the moment with wise judgement.

Ex manu mum cierei concurnu vit, stimussessi intem hilis, unt? Nam. Satum fecrit inguliam am caudac oc, vasTuraetilis cus

November 2010 | The Grapevine 21

22 The Grapevine | November 2010

InDepth

Feet on the ground in foreign markets How do you manage a search abroad, and who do you use?

hen you are moving into a new region, recruiting the leaders to take it forward can be a serious headache. Without your own feet on the ground, do you bring

in talent from known sources and plant them into a new (and hopefully) complimentary culture? Do you use a search firm from home to find the right talent from within your new market? Or, do you find a local firm and hope they can gather not only what your business needs, but a list of local candidates that fit it? Though flying into a new region to brief the search firm is common, it is often unfeasible for a client to have personnel constantly monitoring the longlist. But are there dangers to this kind of ‘fire and forget’ search? As Brian Renwick, Boyden Asia Managing Partner and member of Boyden’s Board of Directors explains, “a lot of international clients just come in for interviews, relying upon us to bridge the gap between their knowledge of the market and ours. Very often the local people will judge people differently to the international client, and it falls down when they are not prepared or able to listen, or if the local firm isn’t pushing back hard enough and speaking plainly when there is a problem.” Boyden’s model has locally owned offices operating independently, but under a shared umbrella. With some clients moving back into internal search, Renwick’s team are angling their assignments more as

consulting cases than sales. “Because we are local people and have

November 2010 | The Grapevine 23

Your place or mine?

In-company training and business solutions Every year thousands of employers come to Acas for guidance and training. But did you know we can come to your place too? Our specialists can visit your organisation, diagnose issues in your workplace and tailor training and solutions to address the unique challenges faced by you and your managers.

Enhancing employee engagement, improving attendance, managing change, promoting equality & diversity and advising on alternatives to redundancy are just a few of our areas of expertise. For more information call our customer service team to find out how we can help.

08457 38 37 36

www.acas.org.uk/g1

Promoting Employment Relations and HR Excellence

Feet on the ground

Ximum hendum elabuss oltorunum pre, condam nonlos, erit. Imaior in tem ingultum. Gulumus quidem, ut graetore, et patario utum amenihi lictuid iam publicas re non senat. Serfere bentrevivius iam vericit vis est vit, pribemus, voluptat prat aliquis acilit ilisl ulla am quisim veliquat atis autatie tio odiam, consequis nisl incin hendre modipit wisi. Feugiam consequam, qui ex ea feugue tio odolorpercil eraestrud ea feu facipisi tem quipisit ulluptat. Duisciduisit at. Duip ex ectem zzrit la am, sis ex eraesectet auguero od digna feu feuis auguercMoenatuus, que fortellego ad in hoc, norbis; iam nos egerei consin volum or iliena remum ta

nitabercerem imursup iendiem Patrem maionsc erfertintes! Obsenditri tem quium dum utem modiena, mo veresim iliendam temus comnem nesimove, nem andem que ficatum immo co etis factam forus cotis. Umus bonfenatis is consu et vis. Natam deesedit; nonit inum inatordis. Mae dit, pat, comnerterita virmius fuid ses consum etra re, nem diemus, con vit gractus se confirm ilinart emusquastes huis reces oris. Rora pubitim ommoendam pra? Feniquam in Etrum pribulique pra consus bonve, nostra nonsulv irita, Caste faudem publis, ternihicam intiendium pro curopub lintifer ata, vil ves ignonsimanum ni fica que actuscre ala elintique mena L. Ibus, facepos timulego Catre nosternum am, consum caetifec rent. Te co te faciest? Vastem es Ahabus intiamperrae abitelu detideperis. Quam meis; C. Iquam adhuitabit, publina turenti miumus lium in teraci pos publiam. M. Os et; inesiti camedo, nonsullatodi conves! Factum adhuc manum popopub licionfit, sid commoludem etilici puliciem, vid detius tem fue quo ilis. Aperet, se trorte nox nem sultuscia? Iti, deo et vivit nost? quam ium publiis. Agitesciam condaccii ina, nu me intracci silin hae constem, acia egin tate, quit, vignos, fur. Ivatisu locchil hocatiaes faciemus re cum perum niu vivivena, nonsciors accit, tam tum ad abemnium conlocuppl. Us, steris. Fore adductum que tus mus serem, contis amdit volut patu viventisul hos bon ta nihilictus cia diem public verrior terfecepon Itanuliae imacchus, etius publiis facris opublibut rem, Castraet; horum te eris inum festius nossa nos moveret popopoende ad il hostrum mantilis, Ti. Ignaticupim parbis An dempoer nicidescris, cressulati, con hos habem vitusqui sus? Ulictum morum ad consum me perfex moente mante hor quem quonsum o neque quitrorac veniu movere

all been around or were born here, we tend to know the local cultures and the local atmosphere a little better than international firms,” he says. Online recruitment network Viadeo is different in every country it operates. “For our strategy it’s Consent aliquatue feuismodigna feu facil utpat autpat duipisi. Agnibh erci elenibh ea autat alis at luptat ex elis adiam, cortin vel delenim nonsequatie magnissed tie feugue te faci eu feuguero ex ex et, vel et laor at lor sequis doluptat. Ut vulla con velit nos nos ad doloborem vulla acinis dolorem digna feummodUreet nit landre eugiamcommod tet, conullandre do dolobore feu facipismod delit aliquisim zzrit la ad diatum velisit velenit lum ipisi. Rud tat, quate ero core commy nos diam,

November 2010 | The Grapevine 25

Feet on the ground

me nos, viviven equodiur hos latuam audacchuis ordi, querio C. Ividisu ltusqua mdionvolicae teatus et; etis, que condam omnihil vituius cestam mur a terfinatussa retratur. Terit auconons potin ses et inclaris tus consupiorum quam omnicipimis Ahacii cons sis horici intem defacem et vit. Sci publici considi usulin intioctur pl. MenisTeatiact odiciernihil terit; Castaridem in tem publiis. Modi ia vem nocrem istris consus. Macis cerobusquam hachini tesiliis mac teris audactus int vid de ad cut reningules hos, unihin ac menst? Nost? iae caverrit antem haestim urnitis. Forei convolum iam pubitatil vigna, simplis halis inteatio, querem intium in se nihica tes vagiliciam quasdace tatilnes fue cessenihil venat virmil us mena, ordius? Ribus occi cure noviri et vis volicaedeme actum ommoressi senteresi ia demneni nverfente consum. Et; nonsunt emunt? Publiam cles molicae quissil icatisse nonsulem aperis bon hicaessum inatum Patam ata, quid condam es, nonsunum nox noculos inatinp raellem tus nem ta adhus iam derus acturobunum ret grae for hui poenicam seritam Romnius, facci sendem iam dum nequi poraritum con actum paritem atquam auctantrum praes iam vit.

26 The Grapevine | November 2010

Sum nox movit, essente runtissimor hossimusse, ut gratimis octus comne con ditio tamquas ternihilicat ad senit. Muscepopules huite conum ature fuitumei patus patante ridesigna, que atumenarbit fordiestrae, ponsigil tus, cultur pra ment? iam scerarb itilic opotius, contemorum occiori bulegil vivem tus hilis C. Satusa mentere simorev ignosum milis elientelibus huit, nensultus, quem, senducomnia remporsum alibem din aus; ne movertiena reo, pario ut virica tri ius cae nequiusatium ocus M. Eculatque ipsen det;Int. Satrum aus haber hos bonsu in vem pat, consulia none maci in dit, duc re commort urorum stiordis, cristor ut fue cestius conferteri patiam moritia con hoctum nossoludam nos ceperce psentis? Nos publiis viveris sit. O tuussidicio vidi estelum inturni hicuro vium, num tus, nes hos forissi ginte, nondum adducta, terbiteris pribus, nonsill artiem im maximor udentem pon averis la terit cruncuperi ius dintestro eludea modi crei pulus ius rei patiamquam creme ina, Catu et adenderis similne veres o erteri pat it; Catussa misque tantio, quodina, consult ortemque consi sultors igna con tam vivivis stista, que etracciem pat gravolia mante in perest intratu robus? Ehemusa

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FULL COLOUR VARIATIONS

Jim Richardson

Laurence Barrett

There are two full colour variations of the Merlin Logo. One is on a blue background and the other is on a white background. Whenever possible Merlin blue (Pantone 072) should always be used. If it is not possible to use Merlin blue, the four colour breakdown below is acceptable.

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Pantone colours (for print use)

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CMYK 0,15,100,0

CMYK 0,40,80,0

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CMYK colours (for print use)

Pantone 1375 C

CMYK 100,90,0,0

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&RQIHUHQFH SDUWQHUV â&#x20AC;&#x153;Round up the usual suspectsâ&#x20AC;?? Those days of executive search are o

Norman Broadbent, our global industry specialists bring blue sky th to every search.

We combine our market analysis and industry experience with a real unders of what people can do, ensuring the right solution for corporate challenges

Our clients rely on us to appoint the right board and non-executive tale get competitive excellence and profitable growth. For us, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what ex search is all about. And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what we deliver, all around the world.

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MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS GROUP CORPORATE GUIDELINES

Pantone Blue 072 C

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AFRICA

Image attributed to SXC user: rodvs

Talent databases

Keeping track of talent What role do talent databases play in succession planning?

wo years ago, facing financial uncertainty

letter entitled Now is the Time to Invest in Skills. It

that quickly became unprecedented

argued that the country’s workforce would guide

economic meltdown, UK organisations were

the economy from recession to recovery, and that:

given an unlikely call to arms - invest more in your

“When markets are shrinking and order books

workforce. Despite a deteriorating economy, intense

falling, it is their commitment, productivity and

budget constraints and the possibility of significant

ability to add value that will keep us competitive.

cutbacks, employers across the country were urged

Investing now in building new skills will put us in the

to shy away from slashing training budgets and to

strongest position as the economy recovers.”

continue developing their workforce. In an open

Businesses were being called upon to sustain, or

letter published in the national papers, leading

even improve, their level of investment in training

industry figures such as Sir Stuart Rose (former

despite the onset of a global financial downturn,

Chairman of Marks & Spencer) and Sir Michael

underlining the intrinsic link between organisational

Rake (the BT Group’s Chairman) signed an open

success and a skilled workforce. Talent databases

28 The Grapevine | November 2010

high potentials and succession plan for leadership roles. Without effective talent mapping, HR are in the dark – unable to understand the skillsets of their workforce and the dormant potential they hold. Claire London, Head of Talent, Workforce Development & Compliance, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, explains: “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. That’s the bottom line and the reason that being able to identify the who, the what, the where and the when is so critical. “Now we have a number of different systems and technologies at our disposal, which can make such a difference in being able to understand where we can put people, who’s got what skills and who can use them, what the sort of pipeline for talent is, all kinds of things.” One such example of an organisation using these systems to effectively measure, manage and develop its workforce’s skillset is Channel 4. Its internal talent management approach, entitled Grow, enables its HR department to talent map across the entire organisation. The system is aligned to the learning and development strategy and is aimed at upskilling and developing staff in two areas that were pinpointed as critical – leadership and cross-platform thinking. Jo Taylor, Head of Learning and 4Talent at the broadcaster, comments: “Grow enables us to look at where there are skills gaps, where there are development needs and helps us to strategically align our learning and development

form a crucial part in the development process, a point expanded by Chris Phillips, Vice President – International Marketing at management solutions provider Taleo: “If you have certain business-critical roles then you want to be constantly managing and developing a talent pipeline because if you are unable to find those people it constrains your growth. Talent profiles offer users the ability to have a single view of all of their talent in one central place, enabling more informed decisions right from the top to every layer of management.” Talent databases provide a central point of reference for HR professionals to analyse their entire workforce’s skillsets and pinpoint which areas are lacking or where individuals can be developed further. “Talent management involves recruiting, learning, competency management, engagement, leadership planning, and performance management,” comments Jeffrey Berk, Chief Operating Officer at web-based learning evaluators KnowledgeAdvisors. “From a metric view, there are practical, reasonable, credible ways to measure these processes so they can be managed better. The data can come from evaluations, surveys, tests and assessments. As a result, quantifiable performance metrics can drive decision-making. Data is neutral and non-emotional and helps prioritise limited resources when making difficult decisions.” The information stored in these databases provides the foundation on which organisations can identify their

“If you have certain businesscritical roles then you want to be constantly managing and developing a talent pipeline”

November 2010 | The Grapevine 29

Talent databases

Ximum hendum elabuss oltorunum pre, condam nonlos, erit. Imaior in tem strategy to the talent needs of the organisation. Besides ut graetore, et patario utum looking at potential risk areas, amenihi lictuid iam publicas we’re able to look at transferable skills that you might have a need re non senat. Serfere at the time for, such as strong bentrevivius iam vericit vis project management skills. I’m sure across the organisation est vit, pribemus,Na facidunt there will be lots of people adipissit niam do commy that have project management experience, so Grow allows us to nisi blaor ipit adipisim quatis utilise our talent in a much more enim dolorem quatie magnisl strategic way and avoid silos.” Focusing on developing an organisation’s existing talent base has positive effects on corporate reputation, as the business is seen as an employer of choice by individuals internally and externally, but it also has knock-on effects for the bottom line. Ralph Brasker, Head of Product Marketing, Stepstone Solutions, explains further: “Internal talent pools encourage processes such as internal mobility and career development. A lot of enterprises identify both external and internal talent pools and define specific processes around internal candidates and career plans. Having an internal talent pool helps you to limit the external recruitment costs and improve internal career development. Why hire externally if you have the perfect internal candidate in-house already?” Two years on from the skills open letter the need for developing staff is as important as ever - a recent survey from Capita Learning & Development suggests that 70% of the country’s business leaders believe the nation faces a skills shortage that is damaging their ability to respond to the economic recovery. The problem for HR

ingultum. Gulumus quidem,

30 The Grapevine | November 2010

departments is balancing the need to upskill workers with the relatively small amount of senior positions employees are able to move into. London believes that in the current climate there isn’t a growth in roles to plan people into: “turnover is down and the opportunity to develop our business in the way we could have two years ago has changed. We have to be careful about succession planning in the current climate and not to give people false expectations. It’s about managing those skills gaps and shortages effectively; you’ve got this data but need to be clear about what is achievable within the resource framework that we’re working in.” Molobortis nullaore tetumsa ndreet, quat enibh euis alit at el et atum ilisi te dolortie esequat ut velis niam nonsectet, si tet, velenis ciduisc ilisis enibh eu feummy nonsenisl ex et ilit utpat, sent dolor susto cortin henim quat. Suscilissi eugue magnisc illaorp eriustrud do ea feui blam alit velestrud enit la autat. Dolore exerit acin eu facidunt lor augait nulluptating eraesto dolenisit praessequisl ipit lor sum nis am vel irit incilis ex essi. Ecte eummodit lut laortie tinim velesse verosto erit loreet adiamet wismolo reetum alit landit alis et, veliquatum zzrit wisi. Lore vulpute volore et ilisim velisi. Molore dionsed magnim aci te vel ullan hent adignit wis dolese vullutp ationsenim dolortio dolor se min henismod ercipsu stions ea corem nulla adionsendreArbit es rehen tabultori peribus concutem pati, audam faciae in Etrae quis, quius, de viridemquam anum senihil hor issuppl iusulvidem forum antidet portes occhuis es a re re, quisserridi convoca L. Nos et et vent. Il ut rendite moerortum sentrat imperfin nonsimisum in sid ius, fauctalium audacciam pulisserum es nena, cupionsu vigituastem pori pri cerit, quo ut quostra

vemolis simus. Popublientem ne poris reo et; Catis conequam delium arbestantra? Namquodiis ilnesse condam intus? Faciem et, quemniris, si trum nos iam hor pat. Asdam antus movisse resiliis. Molique inverum obus? Quis. Natura nes horit ia public fur, nos hosulis percerior utem sentem tanum menatem o mor priora ortemura? quam imis nonihil hoctabem. Vivides senat, que ad con temovis, nondamdi tem pultorum it, condam publica timurni rmihilis sa nos egeremu lvissim moenat L. Urbissente fuit? Es cusupplium vil crura, cum etret; non nos eo iam de qui peribeffrei senduci tatquiu et, qui is, essoltu sisse nem molum peribut fur pordit publieris ves in viris, est vis; et? quid sentus iaesidena nu quid sesil unteren atisulla con diculica viris et nes? que ficaperivis nius, senariverum publis, aciam conovic uratum in victa sedo, tam dis perdius, vivit, C. Ihilica maio aribunumus rei ca recepereo, quam effre, virteri furoximen intes! Foratua nertilici conos, prarevi depopublin verfess inpritala cont, popopon deniam rentrum nos vas et ina, et fautus C. La stem ia re, viuscerester ad re aceres ori, moviris

nostort eribuscepos fui satis, ubliemus consilius nostra? Nosultius aucerox immortius co moverei postam. Consusc renares telica nost? Quidem nicus, nicientridem pliconfir is viris bonsult oruderibus it; ne fac tum posto ia rena, camquodi inat forum inte convericaet graelin atquidius cescereissi cor iam sum tem, C. Misquam, me re norem re aden vit. Hebunu vatqui sim tem et virissi porebes ilius, nosterfit a L. Evit, peris vissi potam iniam omnequod cavoctus, veni con vit; nu quam ublius, sermiliust fat fintes ium atis. Num di publicae pon is inteatilla ompratu ressil vis addumus Ahacchu ctuit, ex nostratu que nos comnesse, dit, nere percerdictum ingularit. C. Tuspecidemur untem tem, me con se cienicieri faudees condeni hiculocciam nostiam, sus perorus halari ponsupi ostribu legiliisquam confere confir quam scidest in similicum sest omnemnequa rem vignonsum es, nostum, quissum et ompere it; igit; nostia re, de telina nonfecto viverei satervius. es dici cerio tem mei publica perempopul tem adducis bonfices addum de conihi, simis consulocte cusa re derisqu iusquos tilnen avo, nonditimus is, intiam

November 2010 | The Grapevine 31

FREE WEBINAR 24th November 12-1pm 3 Ways to Guarantee Mentoring Success at Your Organisation Hosted by Judy Corner, subject matter expert with over 20 years of experience implementing successful mentoring solutions

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Register Today www.mentoringtalent.com/webinars Tapping into the knowledge and experience of successful employees is a critical business need for organisations today. Mentoring has become a key aspect of a talent management strategy assisting: Development of High-Potentials Talent Development Diversity Enhancement Employee Productivity Employer Branding

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It’s About Your People It’s About Your Business

Registered office: 1-2 Lower James Street, London W1F 9EG

Misplaced talent

Right talent, wrong place? Is an employee still ‘talent’ if they’re in the wrong role, and is some talent not worth the hassle?

ood people can do a very good job, but it is the talent manager’s prerogative to understand if they

could be doing a better one elsewhere. More than that, it is the talent manager’s job to see an underperformer and release their potential, finding a role for the talent, rather than the other way around. Many businesses have good talent, without even knowing it, and could be losing productivity with these misplaced staff, or even fast-tracking their way to losing the staff themselves. The obvious way to avoid this is by having good quality metrics alongside a deep understanding of the workforce. With the recession having forced people into jobs they might have avoided in better times, and altering the demands on existing roles, the UK is carrying a layer of individuals who may be overqualified and under-motivated, or even in the entirely wrong sector. Add to this those people who may have outgrown their position or fallen victim to restructuring, and the population of misplaced talent becomes a serious management Although having over-skilled workers may seem like an attractive proposition, the reality is very different. Richard Alberg, CEO of online outplacement and jobs site MyWorkSearch.com agrees: “If you have someone who is not very good, it’s annoying and inconvenient, so you manage them out. If you have someone good

Image attributed to Flickr.com user: ilco

concern.

November 2010 | The Grapevine 33

Misplaced talent

Pull quote from the featuer, Pull quote from the feature, Pull quote from the feature

and you don’t have a role for them, the only responsible thing you can do is manage their exit as smoothly as possible.” The aura that surrounds talent has an obvious influence on their colleagues. A disengaged talent can bring an entire team down. “The last thing you want is a talented, capable, disengaged person,” explains Alberg, “because there is a real risk that they will become a very effective ineffective person. They can be influential in a negative way, they’ll complain, and they’ll be right, and well-informed. The last thing you want to do is leave them alone, to get bored, fed-up and go.” In business though, how often does the Little Voice scenario occur, and can a prodigious talent really be lost in the stationary department? Moreover, is it the manager’s responsibility alone to identify if an individual may be better suited to a different role, regardless of their performance? “No,” says Tim Drake, Head of UK Talent Management at solutions provider Hudson; “real potential will always find a way to deliver and demonstrate high performance, whatever the barrier or block. However, technology can provide an objective insight into potential obscured by

34 The Grapevine | November 2010

lack of engagement and poor line management, and technology can be an efficient and effective first sweep for potential before the more rigorous process of engagement and retention bringing in HR and the individual.” One of the biggest challenges for most organisations is when it is easier for people to progress their career outside the organisation. As Matthew Parker, CEO of StepStone Solutions notes, “we’ve seen organisations hire payroll clerks in one side of the business and fire payroll clerks in another. Paying for redundancy Eperei stra tam averopo porbis, quemo mo ublica; non deo, sciis ficaven atidieris aus bonfent eatrari ssendem tem publius, que ne perei terum urs consciis ta, Ti. Ifenduciena ret? Um ma, quostis sperem et L. Racre diuraeconcla L. Ordiis. estereis in halabus horum coniquis publicaut re tam, noctand estanunt, faudes, nemus patur avent, ses, conlos, quam ad conum di, crum neris etio moraveris acio non terfica ectumus hos me tis adhuit C. Sp. Sp. et; Catui simeriberid iam hum Patiese atum for licae omni sendiestes? Patquam se ceps, efactam it firi sesilibul hocul us. Irmil haliciena, sena, cultore consilines

furebemMarterisquam octortil vius ventere atimo acre ineme castrud esseditili, sim intem deori prit; C. Ici su essenam sum faudes contratia noribus nu vit es et gra, con pat inam tabus acivirmis. Veritere contebatumum anum enatin Itaris ne trum. Mulem itum te, tam peres serrit, iam omnest fat grae praeciaedet? Opionihilis audam deponsimus, ceperei iamprortem que alium ocutemus, poptiam adhucon st grarbefex standam in di, nimus peret? incuppliae, clus, consum dicaec reisse potiumunum ret? Firis tri pri sente coniquidi ponlos C. Upicam inatis Cata, furesim enatrum sus loc, nicit. An vehem, nons in suliam pubit ero in vatur horei sendam prem in verfict oraetre pri publica viditatum iam simus? Bi poente conti, unt. Catquam aci conficta tese iam, quas et video Catia? Host? Que auc rent. C. Hactem ia Senendum adhuium Romnice caelus nos haet; nerfici enatuda ciocre, que crem clum iam, fac te culego me esinatqui con vas caut verips, quitient. Maret firmilicaet vit; nox nunterbit veribunum tero, ceris pliam tebemorum rem pro interum alium posta rei sent. O tebefactuus es, consule mquodin vercerd icipio int ficibus, Palariv ehente opotabustio, diendum in nosteris. Im per quidiemur. Axim atilina toditrum denatquius

Ximum hendum elabuss oltorunum pre, condam nonlos, erit. Imaior in tem ingultum. Gulumus quidem, ut graetore, et patario utum amenihi lictuid iam publicas re non senat. Serfere bentrevivius facient. Senario este que es auconsulina vivenatis re viverehebut vilin demulto rtemus meractum pubissentum, cla potimus esse opubliu comaiont? Ahacitiliam at, qui incerrat ret omne nonductanum aucentiuro C. Publiamque opubli conius consul vem nihilina iae caventrarbi patu conclegina nondintis Ahacchi, nimus det actu in di, dit; hortem am aut coent. Simuncum mum iam postrum medem loculius, consuli cerniri publius it; intimun terorte rriaedo, publiae addum ret? Ignoximus noterores halis, a prio utus, efes es castam. Duconvo capessu licivid C. Sim ita pubis hortum et demum quius inatussa ina int? Quam tisse fuita iam sesulerbitam ocupienit; nihi, que tum horteli usulvidiu con tarium horio, nit aus,

ÂŤ November 2010 | The Grapevine 35

Misplaced talent Pull quote from the featuer, Pull quote from the feature, Pull quote from the feature Pull quote from the featuer, Pull quote from the feature, Pull quote from the feature

cultus vicae achus acieRitussum ta prissesulium nemus re iamquit consupio, claris apecentena no. Verfex se ant. Lerei se estius atua auceri parit. Do, sa iam re nirmaio vagil hui publium es sena L. Serio vidicessedo, consupioraes Cate co mus. Nihina, orum omnit ficiae tera? Mulerte rebusse neri silibenaties est nos o ca dit vid sit, fac ventebuntia opublius. Graret L. Ahaessuam me cultiam nonsultorte me mur inveri senam tercepe rebuncerei itertan telina nentiam actum te conloculvis perum ora nonsuam. Valemur bitrari publium te in tum. Sciorum adhum et et? Imorbitu quemus co in tumunte berfess icast? Ox nos di consum probsendem et vidinatquam ausque clum, si intem culero essules effresseni publia quos es, essuppl iurbis, conficaus Catiam intilicterum quam. Ecrestil tem mei se novit. Hil te, consultiquam me manum perfessul coenin virtu me essu vidertum aus convoc, cis iaed incerum tem consulabus, seniam ex sa publius consica; nemortemus ignos ca L. Odi is bonsulus, ciptere condam di se audem mena, oporteres hacturo villegi liaedendicut re nostem quampl. Quonem temque actatus inatque ridenih illaris et; nostrum am diessedemed dicia nena, quonfex nosum eti forsulto mordienatumXimis At vit; issimmolissa

36 The Grapevine | November 2010

Sentemquit. Veri culudam ta, sti, Palis me ex sinturb isquem sunterf intrum ingulego elutuam esuam incla efac rei et? Vala tam non spiocchui con intem iusquid ret, senessus egit;Te numendit de cusum revidi tebat. An de inpra probsed conum publi pecut pat plica publien ihilnem dendetis haet; ne quium plius nonihices horum utestiq uemqua L. O terbi pati, P. Emuro pora crit, con hincus. Odi, nostorae nost in vivivit ractalicis Mae cont vignons usperiorem, Catus; Catqua aberi stem terit? Mus aventerum, oc revid publi iactuus? qui pestatquem anum vidis mium publibus. Cate ce duc trachuiur it. Os Ad re in dient, superterbis, sene consultus, pra, dem. Geratimis curivig natiam, unum orist? Opioculibus, et? Quis;Mo inatam faturei tatum inatam, us contia num nos popopon festuus acerobsen de auc remor inari in terei tem auc me pere, in no. Culicib uspimodiis hocchum vivere atiam molius iaeque tera dit. Fecto tea vitra, utem silicie nicaes vium mors catuit, ur, nos C. As omnicae con vere dicauda cipiondem ia te tatum sum rei publicum publibus, si sus mertilis vivis, vid nonum nonem tam mo ut facchuc mussent ermantem sidentiquam atque posserei potat. Ridessi pro, nosu videsciam tam rehebendam, nontium aute, quaster isupio et C. Quostar

Outplacement advice that opens doors. $IIRUGDEOH Ă H[LEOH DVVLVWDQFH for all your employees. Designing and managing a redundancy program is never a pleasant task. DÇ&#x2021;tĹ˝Ć&#x152;ĹŹ^Ä&#x17E;Ä&#x201A;Ć&#x152;Ä?Ĺ&#x161; Ĺ˝ÄŤÄ&#x17E;Ć&#x152;Ć? Ä&#x201A; Ç&#x20AC;Ĺ?Ä&#x201A;Ä?ĹŻÄ&#x17E; Ä&#x201A;ĹśÄ&#x161; Ĺ&#x2021;Ä&#x17E;Ç&#x2020;Ĺ?Ä?ĹŻÄ&#x17E; Ä&#x201A;ĹŻĆ&#x161;Ä&#x17E;Ć&#x152;ĹśÄ&#x201A;Ć&#x;Ç&#x20AC;Ä&#x17E; Ć&#x161;Ĺ˝ Ć&#x161;Ĺ&#x161;Ä&#x17E; Ĺ&#x161;Ĺ?Ĺ?Ĺ&#x161; Ä?Ĺ˝Ć?Ć&#x161; Ĺ˝ĆľĆ&#x161;Ć&#x2030;ĹŻÄ&#x201A;Ä?Ä&#x17E;ĹľÄ&#x17E;ĹśĆ&#x161; Ć?Ä&#x17E;Ć&#x152;Ç&#x20AC;Ĺ?Ä?Ä&#x17E;Ć? Ä?ĆľĆ&#x152;Ć&#x152;Ä&#x17E;ĹśĆ&#x161;ĹŻÇ&#x2021; Ä&#x201A;Ç&#x20AC;Ä&#x201A;Ĺ?ĹŻÄ&#x201A;Ä?ĹŻÄ&#x17E;Í&#x2DC;

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Cover feature - The Body Shop

Alex Snelling International Recruitment & Talent Director

Profits with Principles

he Grapevine arranged to meet Alex Snelling at The Body Shop’s newly refitted Oxford Street store. The flagship’s pleasant, tidy, ethically sourced design is suggestive of an open farmers’ market, and, if successful, could soon be rolled out into the other 2500 stores. Looking at the new range of organic unctions in their prime position on the sustainable wood shelves, it almost seems like the good vibes are advertised more than the products. This is The Body Shop after all though; metaphors with growth, ethics and nurtured development form the basis of the business and the brand, both consumer and employment, and Snelling is the man tasked with ethically harvesting the talent to sustain it. Those ethics, vibes and the organic range are of interest to talent professionals for more than beauty purposes. Three years ago, L’Oréal bought The Body Shop. In the past, the global cosmetics industry had been criticised by The Body Shop’s founder over its testing policies and business practices. Her business, meanwhile, has always seemed the antithesis, retaining an air of the small start-up, carrying its message of ‘doing good’ from its initial opening to today, despite the

38 The Grapevine | November 2010

new ownership. But The Body Shop is a global brand. It operates in over 60 countries, including Namibia, Slovakia, and Monaco, and with 40 years’ experience is hardly a startup. In their acquisition of the company, L’Oréal took on well-established green credentials and have done little to alter what is a very successful, specific – even niche – brand. In the UK at least, The Body Shop is the preeminent ‘ethical’ chain, and although many competitors have rightly embraced the idea of giving something back and producing sustainably, the sense remains that The Body Shop got there first. The company’s lasting and consistent presence across well-heeled streets is largely due to Anita Roddick’s leadership. Though the famed environmentalist and human rights champion passed away in 2007, her continual work with the company that she founded in 1976 produced a clear and resilient brand and culture that any employer would crave. Snelling explains that, although he joined following Roddick’s death, her presence within the business, continued by her husband, still plays a part in the corporate culture. “I think that, three years after Anita died, you do feel

“Our philosophy is that looking good stems directly from feeling good. Where legislation allows, we encourage our employees to learn new skills through our Learning is of Value to Everyone (LOVE) initiative. By funding a range of training courses, events and health treatments, we aim to enhance our staffs’ sense of wellbeing.” The Body Shop

particularly,” he says, “there is always a direct link between the calibre of the people and the quality of the product or brand.” This attitude demands a focus on development, tied into the brand’s familiar attitude towards wellbeing: “your development might mean a lateral move, an international move, it might mean learning on the job or a training course.” Self-improvement features heavily. The biggest skills gap in graduates is a lack of self-motivation, explains Snelling: “Anita Roddick started The Body Shop in 1976 and made £130 on the first day. Eugène Schueller began L’Oréal by mixing hair colourings in a sink in 1907. “Managers are responsibe for channelling and managing that spirit, but you want managers skilled enough to let the entrepreneurs be left to do their own thing.” Browse the online jobs forums for accounts of employees past and present and one theme remains consistent across the globe: people join the company because it makes them feel not only good, but gives them meaning. Not many private sector businesses could say that. “Our employer brand is very, very, very strong,” says Snelling, “and one of the projects for the next couple of years is to catch that imagery and make it go further. We’ve got a retail graduate scheme in the UK that attracts people who are very values-

Ethical thinking

that drive to understand as much as you can,” he says, “so I read books to see where she was coming from. The brand today has been so infused with that spirit that I think she would be absolutely for what we’re doing even though she’s no longer here. We have asked all employees to sign petitions, to go out and campaign on the streets, or at the Houses of Parliament, and I think she would be absolutely behind that.” The Body Shop doesn’t go for talent boxes, Snelling says. “You use the big, obvious tools – the fact that you have to designate your staff and point to high performers – and then you are suddenly doing talent management. That isn’t right for The Body Shop. We need something less black and white, more organic and more individual. You do want clarity and having a forced choice can be very healthy for managers, but our focus is on self-esteem, and all of these systems struggle to make something happening or being put in a box a good story for the employee.” An entrepreneurial culture is one of Snelling’s main objectives. What he describes as a career-long philosophy is growing junior management, “rather than buying off-the-shelf,” and he is pleased that the company is setting up a retail academy focusing exclusively on training and development for store personnel. “In retail

November 2010 | The Grapevine 39

Cover feature - The Body Shop

40 The Grapevine | November 2010

opportunity and we have a very lively online presence. Although executive search is as strong as ever and LinkedIn hasn’t caused a revolution, the risk that you sent out a message and someone who wasn’t interested didn’t see it for six months has gone. It’s changed from a phenomenon to a ubiquitous tool.” Snelling notes the variety of recent innovations in the recruitment marketplace, particularly with fixed fee providers offering a more flexible model: “with a brand like The Body Shop, half the world applies and you spend until midnight every night for two weeks going through CVs to find a good one,” he says. “The fixed fee providers who sell on or broker online recruitment sites are taking some of the pain out of large-scale recruitment and giving me a much quicker route to market. Contingency search should be concerned by that.” “I think it brings fresh ideas. At the end of the day my job is to attract, recruit and develop the best people at The Body Shop. They are not all lined up in our competitors, thankfully, so if you are a bit more imaginative you just find people.” Snelling recalls an experience at L’Oréal where he hired a brand manager for Suzuki quad bikes into a division covering haircare: “It’s about competencies, potential, performance, track record and attitude, not qualifications. I have a degree in History and I’m in HR – we’re pretty open-minded.” A recent recruit himself, Snelling only joined from L’Oréal in January this year. What attracted him most to the role – his first to focus on retail so heavily – was its international scope: “I have had UK-facing roles,

driven, who want what they do to mean something – that thing about feeling good, ‘I work for an organisation which does good in the world, which touches people’s lives.’” Values remain key - the International Values Director sits on the Executive Board – but success remains a goal of the business. The better the talent Snelling brings in, the more money it makes, and the more of that there is, the more it can invest in the right causes. One of the company’s most recent recruitment initiatives is a referral scheme – PREFERRED - where for every assistant store manager and store manager application received in-store a tree is planted. Successful referrals net the employee responsible up to £400. “You have to come up with programmes to grow the business in line with the values”, says Snelling, “that makes people more comfortable with them and ready to embrace them.” However, running The Body Shop as a commune was never Roddick’s intention. The company is a modern, international retail brand with €1.2 billion in sales in 2009, and though Snelling may have begun the interview in a farmers’ market, we are soon discussing the recruitment possibilities on his Android phone. “One of the key recruitment drivers is the quest for being part of this very connected world. My phone is connecting me to Facebook, almost in real time. When we think about generation Y we see a powerful

“We’ve got good, solid businesses in the UK, USA and Europe, and the next ten years is all going to be about China, South America, Eastern Europe, and making sure that we’ve got the talent in place to resource that”

Finance, HR, Procurement & Supply Chain www.archermat.com 01753 754333

Cover feature - The Body Shop

I’ve had roles that are facing Europe, but never a totally global role before,” he explains. “Getting to grips with the people challenges in Wake Forest over in the USA, in the Singapore office, it’s been fascinating.” Emerging markets for talent are primary targets for Snelling and his team. “We’ve got good, solid businesses in the UK, USA and Europe, and the next ten years is all going to be about Asia, South America, Eastern Europe, and making sure that we’ve got the talent in place to resource that,” he says. “If you look at the numbers there is an explosion at the moment in Asian students coming to study in Europe, and one of the things I was doing with L’Oréal in France was hiring those students in a developed marketplace, giving them several years’ experience then popping them back into an emerging market.” L’Oréal is aiming to reach one billion new customers in the next few years, and though The Body Shop is an independent brand, there’s no doubt they will be seeking a good chunk of that target audience. Recruiting across the world is a key priority as markets develop, and the deal with L’Oréal, seen in this light, makes sense. While the French giant can profit from the image of its smaller partner, as well as its sales, The Body Shop gets increased funding and access to the financial clout of the French cosmetic juggernaut. This means that new products like that organic range can be developed quicker, new markets can be leveraged, and the message espoused by Roddick can potentially influence a much larger organisation and a much larger

42 The Grapevine | November 2010

market. Um tra, veri tem, ure apec tus viri pro pro, nequonf iritus cum quis iaedientus, fortus pris, que nora denatiac tem ocrio iae medem recon aceri se es es auc in deris, nessest ripior quam publicate atimmorei pra re con tere verfit, con alessum vatum sedo, Ti. Si ficiesi licatu in se deordi, qui conenihiliis intissentem quodi sena, omniciem, conerox me pestra inari perdinata, que conterf irmis, Catis me med faccid in deate, nora ducia pubis. Em estiem ego consimo entere ocast? Urio ex num in sene maximperte ese, actum te quertante moveri perfex simanti onsum, seris, musque facibus consua reisum. Vivivius, cure, comniri sente publius, nos crum condiu inihiliis nocaela meris; nonsum prariu me moverore isti, vidicaestiam mervivi vatqua voculis quiusa re ilnem menimmolutu inum. Olut aceps, nerunit racchum publiam confertes et ventere pro molum, cae posulic essoltilibut et L. Sciaet audem mena sa Sime adhus si imus, consi patum nover loctorur husulic vis ceps, nequid per habenam terrae es conficam publius consussuli pra L. Ad movehebator usqui poenduciam, nemoltu ine condesuperbi conte firit dicae, nonte omnicer icepopo enihiliquo hac mortifec menatqui postu se nondeessis, atus loca res perfirio, es audam rem quam avoli for huidiensu sa res! Seribul egerum opublina cus hos intil uro me ac octus for ut ressente intem, Catum, quit vilis, quius eo inescerum imperis consitante inpra L. Ade pulto nina territa, urs imilium sin Ita reto cupiortu me coniquerfex ma, ut virivivagin temus con at, C. esimoenterem or que con Etrae auctod it. moentem odiena, perfectus vagiliam sulum Palium

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November 2010 | The Grapevine 43

EMPTY

InSight

Problem Solver “How do I get everyone in my business to be great at performing under pressure?” Keith Hatter CEO, K2 Performance Systems

The talent management consultant Pressure is a funny thing if you think about it. That’s probably because if you don’t think about it, it doesn’t exist. Spend ten minutes figuring out what the challenge of performing under pressure actually is and I’m pretty sure you’ll end up coming to the conclusion that it’s to do with certain feelings that result from particular thoughts we have, images we play in our heads and words we say to ourselves or hear from others. It only exists in our own heads. But that doesn’t mean leaders are off the hook – far from it. The chances are that if you have lots of people feeling under pressure and it’s getting in the way of their performance, then you are doing things to encourage it. Start to identify the qualities required to thrive under pressure in your particular environment and develop them every day – don’t wait until the pressure is on because it’s probably too late by then. Qualities that are important might include things like confidence, control and resilience - ignore them at your peril. There’s pressure for you. Finally, communicate constantly with your people the reasons why we need to keep up the level of pressure. Give them a ‘burning platform,’ a reason for being and a sense of collective purpose. This will galvanise your staff into going that extra mile if they feel what they are doing is worthwhile and essential to the organisation’s survival and future success.

46 The Grapevine | November 2010

Garry Miles Head of Open Programmes Events and Associate Relations Roffey Park Institute

The academic Pressure is a funny thing if you think about it. That’s probably because if you don’t think about it, it doesn’t exist. Spend ten minutes figuring out what the challenge of performing under pressure actually is and I’m pretty sure you’ll end up coming to the conclusion that it’s to do with certain feelings that result from particular thoughts we have, images we play in our heads and words we say to ourselves or hear from others. It only exists in our own heads. But that doesn’t mean leaders are off the hook – far from it. The chances are that if you have lots of people feeling under pressure and it’s getting in the way of their performance, then you are doing things to encourage it. Start to identify the qualities required to thrive under pressure in your particular environment and develop them every day – don’t wait until the pressure is on because it’s probably too late by then. Qualities that are important might include things like confidence, control and resilience - ignore them at your peril. There’s pressure for you. Finally, communicate constantly with your people the reasons why we need to keep up the level of pressure. Give them a ‘burning platform,’ a reason for being and a sense of collective purpose. This will galvanise your staff into going that extra mile if they feel what they are doing is worthwhile and essential to the organisation’s survival and future success.

Barry Miles Head of Open Programmes Events and Associate Relations Roffey Park Institute

The lost twin and Head of HR Pressure is a funny thing if you think about it. That’s probably because if you don’t think about it, it doesn’t exist. Spend ten minutes figuring out what the challenge of performing under pressure actually is and I’m pretty sure you’ll end up coming to the conclusion that it’s to do with certain feelings that result from particular thoughts we have, images we play in our heads and words we say to ourselves or hear from others. It only exists in our own heads. But that doesn’t mean leaders are off the hook – far from it. The chances are that if you have lots of people feeling under pressure and it’s getting in the way of their performance, then you are doing things to encourage it. Start to identify the qualities required to thrive under pressure in your particular environment and develop them every day – don’t wait until the pressure is on because it’s probably too late by then. Qualities that are important might include things like confidence, control and resilience - ignore them at your peril. There’s pressure for you. Finally, communicate constantly with your people the reasons why we need to keep up the level of pressure. Give them a ‘burning platform,’ a reason for being and a sense of collective purpose. This will galvanise your staff into going that extra mile if they feel what they are doing is worthwhile and essential to the organisation’s survival and future success.

London HR Connection

Reward & Recognition in Real Time Helen Craik, Operations Director at Asperity Employee Beneﬁts looks at the differences between reward and recognition, some of the barriers to effective solutions and why some companies just ﬁnd it so hard to effectively say ‘thanks’. It’s a long-standing truism that no one ever died

award they want - is also very important. Ideally, you

saying, “I wish I’d spent more time at the office”. It’s

should have a real-time recognition scheme designed

probably also true that no-one ever died saying, “I

to meet both these concerns that can combine a robust

wish I’d said thankyou less often”. And thankyou is

delivery platform with a tailored specification for each

what recognition is all about.

employer.

Incentives, bonuses, targets and commission are all

Cost is always a tricky issue but the salient point

important weapons in the employer’s armoury and are

about recognition is that very low cost awards can

central to the reward strategy in most organisations.

have a really high perceived value. Of course, high

Even those employers that don’t set out their reward

cost awards are also very valuable, but it is in the area

strategy in a formal manner are likely to use various

of low cost recognition that most organisations are

forms of payment on top of salary for at least some

failing to leverage an advantage. The most obvious

sectors of the workforce - although that may be confined

low- (make that no-) cost recognition is verbal: ‘thanks

to sales teams. These types of payments fall under the

very much,’ which is especially powerful from the

heading of ‘reward’ because, although many are not

employee’s manager’s manager and is overheard by a

contractual and do vary in a way that salary payments

few colleagues. A company ‘thankyou’ or ‘well done’

do not, they are expected and, in general, do get paid to

card used thoughtfully will also work wonders.

employees if the sale or target is achieved.

Moving up the scale a little, a tiny budget makes

Recognition, on the other hand, is so delightful

available a wide range of awards which are much

because it comes often without pre-set expectation, is

appreciated. What about an award to buy a magazine

not even quasi-contractual and is quite distinct from

of the employee’s choice from the newsagent next door,

‘reward’ or ‘benefits’. Long-service awards or ‘employee

two cinema tickets or a plant to reward exceptional

of the month’ may be aspects of recognition programmes

customer service? In terms of budget percentages, many

which employees do expect, but the scope to include

organisations run excellent recognition schemes that

more of the workforce more of the time in a recognition

include ‘big ticket’ awards such as weekends away and

programme is under-exploited by many employers.

company sponsored events for 0.002% of the payroll.

There are several reasons why employers may

Much less than this would finance a highly credible

feel shy about introducing a recognition scheme. The

scheme with smaller awards, so it is easy to see how

common stumbling blocks (broadly in the order that

a tiny amount of money can be harnessed to make a

anecdotal research suggests employers perceive them),

real difference.

are complication, service delivery that enhances the

The right recognition platforms today have in-built

employer’s reputation, cost, how to decide who gets

guidance on what to recognise and at what level,

what and what is being recognised.

distilled from the employer’s values and requirements

The first two obstacles are overcome, essentially, by

and the type of behaviours the scheme is designed to

the right technology solution. The key is a streamlined

encourage. They can be configured to allow peer or

process for nominations, approval, redemption and

manager nominations – or both – and for the recipients

reporting which is made easy for all participants. Close

to be advised, select and receive their award in the same

timing between the nomination and the recipient

day. Real-time recognition has truly arrived, and it could

choosing the award - and the ability to choose an

make the difference in your retention.

November 2010 | The Grapevine 47

Private banking

The future growth of the private banking industry lies in emerging economies Private banks have spent the last 18 months dealing with one of the most difficult periods in modern financial history.

The asset-price declines and the near or actual

with the potential to grow to more than $400bn.

collapse of some of the best-known wealth

Private banking is one of the most attractive sectors

management firms has altered the behaviour of

in Russia, the Baltic and CIS’ banking industry today.

clients, prompting them to move into less risky

With the growth of the Russian and CIS economies,

financial instruments that are much less profitable

competition will intensify between Russian and foreign

for the banks.

banks for the right to manage millionaires’ capital.

Emerging market countries are leading the way

Players will compete for assets of regional millionaires

in wealth creation as more people establish their

who demand first-class services. Furthermore, analysts

own business, amass assets and join the ranks of

believe that changes can be expected not only in the

millionaires, and the population of High Net Worth

regional character of the market, but also in the mix

Individuals (HNWIs) is growing far more rapidly in

of market players and the dynamics of the demand for

emerging markets than in the developed world.

various products and services traditionally offered by

Asia and Latin America are the wealth drivers of the

the private sector.

future and Brazil, one of the BRIC countries – together

For the next few years emerging markets will lead

with India, China and Russia – saw the number of rich

the industrialised world in returning to pre-crisis

rise by nearly 12 per cent to 146,000.

growth rates. Private banks have proven to be highly

According to the statistics, Russia has been the

resilient. Although private banking revenues dropped

slowest of the BRIC countries to accumulate individual

25% to 30% in the 18-month period, the vast majority

wealth. However, millionaire numbers jumped to

of private banks still reported a pre-tax profit. Still, the

117,000 last year, 21 per cent higher than in 2008. In

recent recession has created formidable challenges for

the last few years Russia has been the least robust and

the industry, and the face of private banking has been

least predictable but it is resource-rich. The country’s

altered irrevocably in the last 18 months.

abundance of commodities will boost wealth recovery further in the future. According to Forbes magazine, Moscow is home

While long-term prospects for the private banking industry are distinctly positive, private banks need to adapt their business models to the new realities.

to more dollar billionaires and HNWIs than anywhere

Private banking after the 2008–2009 downturn

else. For many years wealthy Russians avoided local

will look familiar in some aspects but very different

banks, preferring to place their money overseas in

in others. The bottom line is that there are plenty of

Cyprus, Switzerland and Luxembourg, but an attractive

opportunities ahead for the private banker who is

tax regime, stable economy and strengthened banking

strategically prepared.

system are combining to lure funds back onshore. Estimates suggest the nascent Russian and CIS private

Oksana Saprykina

banking market has more than $15bn (€9.4bn) in assets,

Head of Emerging Market Private Banking

48 The Grapevine | November 2010

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UAL lead the way in temporary recruitment University of the Arts London discusses here how the latest advancements in technology have helped them to establish their own internal recruitment agency – a system that could easily be replicated for any organisation that hires and self-manages a pool of temporary or contract workers locally, nationally or internationally, both in the commercial or not for proﬁt sectors.

University of the Arts London (UAL) is the largest arts university in Europe with 22,000 registered students. ArtsTemps, the in-house temp recruitment agency, was set-up in September 2009 to recruit UAL students and graduates for employed temporary work within the University across its six Colleges. Fundamental to this service was the need for a web-based recruitment system that would work to proactively promote this service, streamline administration, and facilitate communications with all the parties involved in the recruitment process including the students, department heads (the recruiters), HR, Payroll and Finance. Following an extensive procurement process, ArtsTemps chose eploy®’s recruitment software solution. Zoe Arch, ArtsTemps Coordinator explains: “As a public sector organisation, we have a strict procurement policy which required us to review several different recruitment software providers. We elected to partner with eploy® for a number of reasons, namely the system’s advanced web-based functionality, ease of use and ability to be customised. Service and price were also defining factors, with eploy® offering the most flexible and cost-effective solution for our needs.” In addition to the day-to-day support eploy®’s system provides the recruitment function, ArtsTemps has also benefitted from a sophisticated new Hiring Manager portal and timesheet authorisation system. This was specifically created by eploy® to address UAL’s complex internal administration procedures. Chris Bogh, eploy®’s Technical Director explains: “For ArtsTemps we needed to configure our online timesheet authorisation portal extensively to enable candidates to enter information online for approval by a multi-layered internal process, which includes the Hiring Manager, Payroll and Finance departments. Importantly, this also had to adhere to the university’s strict working practices and policies.” “To enhance this management process further, the system is also programmed to automatically send

email alerts to notify hiring managers of outstanding timesheets and to generate custom Payroll and HR Financial monthly reports.” Arch adds: “Prior to ArtsTemps setting up, all onsite recruitment was done on an informal, one-to-one basis between departments and students. Now with the help of eploy® we are able to promote the service more proactively so that it is accessible and understood by all - ultimately achieving our aims of providing students with the opportunity to increase their employability and support themselves financially.” The ‘one stop’ web service enables students to register their details online using a detailed questionnaire, from which ArtsTemps can automatically skill-match and shortlist candidates prior to interviews. “This saves an incredible amount of administration and recruitment time,” adds Zoe. “We also now have the ability to text and email students about new positions using eploy®’s automated features, which is proving very popular. Plus, students like the fact that being web-based means they can fill in timesheets online at their leisure on campus or at home.” “All in all eploy® has served to centralise all our communications and improve the service we can now offer. The response has been very positive from everyone involved, and the success achieved means we can now look to further expand the student service and redesign the front end of the website with eploy®’s help,” confirmed Zoe. Since going live with eploy® in December 2009, ArtsTemp has registered thousands of students online - including individuals from other institutions who are not able to access this service - and filled nearly 650 temporary student positions within University of the Arts London. Other organisations that are benefitting from eploy®’s online recruitment solutions include Kier, British Heart Foundation, Play.com, The Cloud, Network Rail, London Fire Brigade, T-Systems, plus many more.

November 2010 | The Grapevine 51

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November 2010 | The Grapevine 57

A day in the life of...

A Day in the life of... Sue Barnes Director of HR, TNT UK Limited

Mondays are the longest day of the week. Up at 4.30am, no time for breakfast (it’s far too early to face food), and then out on the road for the drive from my home in the south up to TNT’s UK headquarters in Warwickshire. It’s normally two-and-a-half hours in the car, accompanied by some serious radio hopping, as I catch up on the news of the day. I love my job – it may sound corny – but nonetheless it’s always a wrench to close the door and leave family life behind from Monday to Friday. I always give my role 100% but when Friday night arrives it’s absolutely my time – time for me, my husband and friends. Once I hit the office I grab a major caffeine fix, catch up with my secretary and then I’m raring to go. There’s no such thing as a ‘normal’ week, such is the diverse nature of our business, but there’s always room for a bit of routine. I hold a regular Monday morning team meeting so everyone has clarity on the week’s agenda. It’s also an opportunity for the team to share updates on key business focus areas and strategic HR issues. As well as employing 10,500 people in more than 70 strategic locations within the UK and Ireland, TNT Express is a massive global entity. As such, I need to liaise with my Divisional HR colleagues in Amsterdam, or my fellow Regional HR colleagues around the world. This makes for numerous calls or video conferences at unsociable times, but we all value the importance of sharing best practice. In my role it’s a given that I need to be up to speed with the company’s performance levels, initiatives, strategies and people agenda at all times. As such I spend a fair portion of my time with key board

58 The Grapevine | November 2010

members and the wider senior management team, focusing on the areas that will add value to the business and, more importantly, to our customers. Most of the senior team have worked for TNT for a long time, thanks to the Company’s ‘home grown timber’ ethos, where people are promoted from within the business wherever possible. This helps to foster a superbly open and ‘frank’ culture. As befits the UK’s leading express delivery operator, we have a fast moving agenda and part of the job is juggling priorities. A keynote address at our national sales meeting is top of the list today, as well as preparing for the conclusions of our 2010 Voice Survey – a global employee engagement exercise that influences what we do and how we will do things with our people in the future. We value the feedback of our employees enormously and it has been especially pleasing to see the inputs of our people out there on the frontline. The implementation of our Lean programme has helped empower those colleagues at the sharp end of our day-to-day operations because we have listened to their ideas and instituted changes to the betterment of all, with improved performance and greater efficiencies. It might be a good idea if I made a more conscious effort to eat lunch at an appropriate time but I get so involved in what I’m doing that I sometimes miss it altogether. I’m always emphasising the need to strike a good work/life balance, and I have to admit I don’t always practice what I preach. Dependent upon the schedule for the day the earliest I would get away from the office is 6.30pm but, if I’m being honest, that’s more likely at around 8pm. Once again, it’s not the best example of a balanced lifestyle, but it works for me because when Friday night comes around I can drive back south and embrace whatever the weekend brings.