News and events

European Parliament votes to scrap UK working time opt-out

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Date: 17/12/2008

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The European Parliament has voted to scrap the UK's opt-out from the Working Time Directive (WTD), limiting the working week to an average of 48 hours per individual.

MEPs voted by 421 to 273 to end the UK's exemption to the WTD, which currently allows staff to voluntarily work more than 48 hours per week. The vote will now go to conciliation for a maximum of eight weeks while both the European Council and the European Parliament try to agree on the future of the opt-out.

Business groups including the CBI and manufacturers' body the EEF are hugely disappointed by the result and the Labour MEPs who voted to end the opt-out in defiance of the government.

EEF head of employment policy, David Yeandle, said: "By failing to follow their own government's stance, those Labour MEPs who voted in favour of ending the UK's opt-out have let down both employers and employees. Given the current economic difficulties, we need to be smarter than ever, and it seems odd that MEPs are taking away people's right to work overtime should they so choose."

Leah de Vries, employment lawyer with Pinsent Masons, says the scrapping of the opt out will hit employees who have got used to working overtime. "If employers are tempted to ignore the 48 hour week," she warns, "it could have serious consequences beyond the Working Time Directive."

John Cridland, CBI deputy director-general, said the vote was 'misguided'. "Trying to ban people from choosing to work more than 48 hours a week is a mistake, and would replace opportunity with obstruction."

"Many people want to work longer hours in professions ranging from manufacturing to medical research. They do so to further their careers or earn extra money, or to help their firm through difficulties. They should be able to do so if they choose."

Employers have previously told Personnel Today that scrapping the opt-out will lead to staff demanding pay hikes as they can no longer work overtime.

Jonathan Exten-Wright, senior employment partner at law firm DLA Piper, added: "Employers could now see their own costs soar as they are forced to cover the hours left behind by existing employees with additional appointments or agency workers to remain competitive."

However, calculating the number of hours an employee has worked on average would be done over a 12 month reference period if the opt-out was scrapped, giving greater flexibility for employing staff for long hours during busy periods. Potentially, employees could work for 79 hours a week over 29 weeks of the year. Currently, the reference period is four months.

Earlier this year the UK secured a deal with the European Council to keep its opt-out from the Working Time Directive after agreeing to the Agency Workers Directive, which will allow temps the same rights to permanent staff from just 12 weeks in a job. Those in favour of keeping the opt-out believe the EU Parliament has betrayed them.

Cridland added: "We hope the Council of Ministers stand firm against these amendments and back the compromise agreed in June in which the opt-out was retained."

The conciliation period will last until early spring next year. The directive will not have to be transposed into UK law for three years from the date of the directive's official publication, so it is unlikely to affect employers until 2011.

www.personneltoday.com

The Dubai Recruitment market - opportunities and challenges in the Gulf

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Date: 08/12/2008

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Dubai is growing rapidly under the guidance of its ruler and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Given its strategic geographical and time line position between East and West, the region has a good physical position for trading links. Dubai is in a period of rapid expansion - companies are given incentives to set up offices there and the world's major companies already have established themselves. Mindful that oil reserves are finite, the ruler has guided the region on a path of creating a new revenue stream for the region.

Recruitment is a key challenge as the indigenous population accounts for just 0.5% of the workforce, the balance will be drawn from outside the United Arab Emirates. This situation has created a strong recruitment agency industry, scouring candidates to fill the increasing number of vacancies. Companies are very aware they need to attract the best candidates from around the world, no doubt they will aim for a balance between agency and direct hires.

Onrec is therefore holding its inaugural 'Online Recruitment in Dubai Conference' in Dubai on March 3rd 2009. With recruitment crucial to the region's success, the Onrec conference will look at the issues from both recruiters and companies, where to look for candidates and how to make sure they get the best candidate experience whilst maintaining corporate identity and employer branding. Here is an introduction to the opportunities and challenges of recruitment in the region.

Larry Cucchi Managing Director - International Operations at Peopleclick Ltd says: "In the last year or two, we have seen that companies in the Gulf Region are now turning to the internet to look for talent; especially as they are increasingly targeting overseas candidates. This has led to a ground swell of interest from companies (both locally based and International companies) to implement technology to automate their manual HR processes and to ensure that their career site - which is after all the virtual 'reception desk' of their company's Recruitment department - reflects a modern and inviting image for that company. Although many locally based companies are conservative in their approach they are recognizing the need for reflecting a more dynamic image through their corporate website and the Careers section of the Recruitment portal as they compete for talent with some of the world's most attractive employers also located in the region. Peopleclick has 20+ corporate clients with many users based in the UAE and Dubai and over the last 12 months we have started to implement our e-Recruitment solutions for a number of large locally based businesses who are still looking to significantly increase their headcount over the coming months."

Gamal Abdulla from exec-appointments.com says that it established its Middle East operation in January 2007, responding to client demand in the region, and realizing an opportunity to provide an on the ground presence to the market and to provide a service to help clients tap into global executive talent. He says: "Two years in, we now provide a successful, online resource to headhunters, recruitment firms and corporate clients across the GCC, Middle East and India. We have firmly established ourselves as the first port of call for senior and executive online recruitment requirements."

Rick Helliwell, Vice President Recruitment, Human Resources, Emirates Airline and Group says: "In the UAE many new jobsites have been set up in recent years, mirroring the expanding internet penetration in the region. In 2007 it was reported that 1.4 million (36%) of the UAE population were on-line, and in August 2008 it was reported that 55% of the UAE population is using the internet on a daily basis. Not surprisingly 36% of the users are aged 21-30, with 18% of the internet population being UAE Nationals. This rapid growth will only continue as the new generation is more 'tech savvy' than the previous."

What challenges face recruiters in Dubai?

Currently the key challenge for recruiters in Dubai is still the tremendous skill shortage, which forces companies to look for talent abroad, says Larry Cucchi. He says: "The relatively slow uptake of internet recruitment in the region is a severe roadblock for them in reaching these individuals; and even though most larger multi-national companies would appear to cater for candidates via the Internet it would appear that there is still a great need to further introduce Online Recruitment technology, especially for local businesses. Further challenges arise when overseas candidates have been selected for a job, as the many practical and administrative processes involved in their relocation and introduction to the workforce are still very difficult to control. It is our expectation that the introduction of integrated Onboarding systems, that pick up where the recruitment process has stopped, will provide enormous benefits going forward."

Gamal Abdulla believes various challenges face recruiters in Dubai today: "The region was once a haven for expatriates taking advantage of high, tax-free salaries, low rents, many benefits and privileges living in the region. This is no longer the case. Inflation levels are immense, and candidates who once enjoyed a lavish, tax-free lifestyle are now finding their salary swallowed up by extortionate rents and increased prices, making the prospect less appealing. This in turn affects the level of candidate resource available to recruiters." However, reports predict salaries are expected to rise next year at the same pace in the Gulf as in 2008 - due to oil prices and talent shortages, which will help attract candidates.

From a client perspective, recruiters face the challenge of long, drawn out processes, says Gamal Abdulla. He says: "Recruitment cycles which would take 2-4 weeks in the UK can take up to 8 weeks and more in the Middle East due to the high level of bureaucracy and generally slower commercial pace."

One company that is already embracing technology is the Emirates Airline and Group. "The Recruitment team utilise online technology to maximise candidate reach when promoting our employment and destination brands across global markets", says Rick Helliwell. He says: "With over 1.3 billion web users globally in 2008 and internet users in the Middle East growing over 920% between 2000 and December 2007, we are exploiting online platforms where brand and role information can be customized, targeted and communicated instantaneously to candidates on every continent. These efforts have seen our online applications increase by over 30% in just the first half of our current financial year. Emirates receives around 30,000 completed online applications per month, with approximately 9,000 unique careers website visitors per day. Last year we received over 3 million unique visitors to the Emirates Group careers portal www.emiratesgroupcareers.com. Our 'convergence strategy' to steer all applications through our online careers portal, is supported by local and international advertising across global industry and generic job boards to promote our Group's brand and Dubai as a location to live and work. This ensures maximum reach to attract quality candidates to apply to our many vacancies."

Rick Helliwell believes talent is not 'nationality-exclusive' and using on-line vehicles to attract and hire talent is a strategy that closely aligns with Emirates' global business focus. He says: "The diversity of cultures and nationalities hired brings with it new ideas, innovations and thinking styles. Our 'global employee talent pool' of 155 nationalities now speaks over 100 languages and this is our competitive advantage in a market where non-human assets, such as aircraft, infrastructure and technology can easily be replicated. Online recruitment is a key part of our ability to establish international talent pools and pipelines to meet the ongoing demands across our Group as we expand our workforce. We are also using virtual careers fairs for brand and role promotion, and exploring the increased use of social networking sites to reach the newer generation talent pools."

Stuart Mockford, MD of Kaonix, also provides a case study. "Our client, part of a global organisation, recruits staff across the Middle East and North Africa regions and has recruited in excess of 1,500 middle to senior candidates over the last 18 months. Up until recently they were heavily reliant on the use of recruitment agencies to assist in this process but due to their parent company deploying technology to streamline and centralise recruitment, they investigated and selected a technology partner to provide a solution that meets their specific business needs in EMEA. As they were moving from a paper-based system, we recommended a phased implementation. This has been hugely successful with the initial phase up in running in less than 8 weeks. We are now nearing final stages which we see a thoroughly streamlined process from the point of raising a vacancy through to processing agency supplier invoices and finally integrating into our financial back office system."

Future developments in Dubai

Larry Cucchi believes that companies based in Dubai and actually all businesses in the Gulf Region are in a position to take advantage of the latest generation of Online Recruitment technologies: "While companies in traditionally strong economies are struggling as a result of the current economic climate, the Gulf Region is still growing, and this attracts great numbers of candidates looking to pursue career opportunities in the region. As the internet is the best solution with worldwide reach for dealing with the supply and demand of talent in the global talent market, we see a real potential for growth in the online recruitment market. We believe the addition of a world-class Onboarding solution will make Peopleclick's e-Recruitment solutions even better suited to cater for the specific needs of the UAE market."

With regard to online recruitment in the region, it is as much an educating process as well as sales offering, believes Gamal Abdulla. He says: "Online recruitment offers a speedier and more cost-effective proposition than traditional recruitment methods but is not as advanced in the region as in the West. However, this will change and will certainly be the main form of recruitment, particularly for Corporate firms who are starting to set up bigger, in-house recruitment teams and make an association with one or two job boards, replacing the high fees of recruiters. Online recruitment will certainly continue to grow and prosper, particularly global, international sites such as exec-appointments.com, which can provide not only regional candidates, but quality candidates from all over the world. This global reach is particularly important in the region as clients are able to stipulate exactly who they want and from where."

Rick Helliwell explains how his company are looking to the future and why. "Within the Emirates Group we are nearing the end of a major project that will see the launch of our new careers website in March 2009. There has been a major redesign to customise pages and content to target global employment markets, and add more visual imagery to better promote the employment brand of the group and Dubai's destination brand to drive more quality applications. The site will also more prominently showcase careers in different business areas and corporate departments and enable us to better communicate our benefits and career differentiators from competitors. Certainly on-line recruitment has enabled us to improve the quality, service and efficiency of communications to candidates, expanding our global reach, driving down the cost of hire and raising productivity levels."

www.onrec.com

How to survive the Christmas party season

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Date: 03/12/2008

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It's that time again. It's Christmas party time. Most office workers are thinking about where they are going, how to get your name on the guestlist at parties you're not invited to, which party you have to turn down, and the ever important question what are you going to wear?

In this slightly gloomy time we all deserve to be able to let our hair down. Most companies are providing their staff with some form of Christmas entertainment, even if it is slightly more low key than previous years. Something is better than nothing. And if your company are not having a party, there are plenty of shin-digs you can go to with your friends to get into the Christmas spirit. However that is where us Brits always go wrong! Any excuse for a good old fashioned knees up and we forget our manners, our morals and more importantly that you have to go back to work the next day to see your colleagues again!

You all deserve a good night out with work and to get into the spirit of Christmas, so to save any of those embarrassing moments when you go back to work, fish4jobs have compiled a list of tips on how to spare the shame!

• Pace yourself - remember it's not a drinking competition just because the drink is free. You can have as much fun on less alcohol, and have the added bonus of remembering the evening.
• Water - drink plenty of water in between the alcoholic drinks.
• Food - make sure you have eaten plenty on the day of the party and if there is food on the night do try and line the stomach with as much as you can! It really does help.
• Kissing under the mistletoe - just because you have had a drink and you fancy the guy or girl in Accounts, doesn't mean that you can launch yourself on them at the Christmas Party. If you think someone likes you, be subtle and approach with caution. Alcohol induced lust is often regretted the next day.
• Dancing on the tables - never a winner at a works do, even if your boss is up there grooving away to Abba with a bottle of champers in one hand and the receptionist in the other. Just because someone else is doing it, doesn't mean its ok!
• Taxi - if your company are not supplying you with transport home, pre-book a taxi before the night begins. You can always change the time if you are having more or less fun than expected, but its better to be prepared than be stuck somewhere with no way of getting home.
• Money - always make sure you have enough money to get home safely. This saves you having to stop outside cash machines when drunk. Never the best plan for safety.
• Phone a friend - if you are stuck somewhere or in a pickle, call a friend and let them know what you are doing. Best to be on the safe side especially late at night.
• Get a room - if you are at a party a long way from home, it can often be cheaper to stay at a hotel nearby. Check with colleagues from work who you get on with and split the cost.
• Sleep - no matter how hard you think you are, we all need our sleep, especially if you have work the next day. Allow enough time to get a little refreshing shut eye, a shower in the morning and a bit of breakfast. You will feel much better and look halfway decent and definitely better than your boss and the receptionist who were still dancing on the bar table!

www.onrec.com

Job boards concerned over Broadbean aquisition

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Date: 01/12/2008

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Independent job boards have expressed concern over digital consumer division of the Daily Mail and General Trust, Associated Northcliffe Digital's recent acquisition of job posting and applicant tracking software company Broadbean and its implications for competition in the market.

Jemin Popat, director of regional job boards CardiffJobs.co.uk and BristolJobs.co.uk, told Recruiter: "The information they have access to will give them an unfair advantage - they will know what clients are doing."

"The way the industry is going five or six key players are going to have a huge increase in size and it could restrict competition and increase prices."

Lesley Curr, business development manager at AND, who worked on the deal, told Recruiter: "It may be the case that we use the information in a generic, bellwether situation. If we go down that route, we will do nothing which effects the job board independent nature of Broadbean or Conkers."

www.recruitermagazine.co.uk

ATS sourcing data - 83% inaccurate

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Date: 28/11/2008

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The International Association of Employment Websites has reported that in a sample of almost 63,000 applications, only one out of six candidates correctly responded to the question - "Where did you find us?"

Comparing traffic reports with some of our major retail clients, we were astonished at the gross inaccuracies and distorted data that most ATS's report for their source of traffic.

As the leading job board for the retail industry, AllRetailJobs.com conducted a study to compare accurate tracking results versus those reported in drop-down boxes. In a sample of almost 63,000 applications, only one out of six candidates correctly responded to the question - "Where did you find us?"

Stuart Mockford, MD of Kaonix Solutions Ltd, commenting on the report, noted that "The idea of relying on jobseekers to accurately respond to the question "where did you find us" is fundamentally flawed and simply not acceptable. All applications should be automatically tracked in order to ensure accurate reporting information; something which is easily achieved using today's internet technology. In fact, our web-cruit talent management system has been doing exactly that for over eight years now."

www.employmentwebsites.org

UK jobs market figures show impact of first phase of credit crunch

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Date: 20/11/2008

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Official labour market figures published this week by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) provide further evidence of the strength of the lagged effect of the first phase of the credit crunch. But John Philpott, Chief Economist at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) says the shockwave from the second phase of the crunch this autumn is yet to show up fully and will be stronger still.

Dr Philpott comments:

"The UK just waved goodbye to a decade long flirtation with full employment. Today's jobs figures would be considered dire if it were not for the fact that last month's figures were even worse. But these figures, which take unemployment to an 11 year high, are bad enough and will sadly be followed by further bad news in the coming months."

"We saw the first phase of the credit crunch emerge in autumn 2007 but it has taken time for the shockwave to hit the jobs market. Worryingly, just as the impact was being felt, this autumn saw the second phase detonate with even greater negative effect on employer and consumer confidence. The shockwave from this second phase lies ahead and is likely to be stronger still."

"Today's figures show the extent of the underlying deterioration in labour market conditions, with vacancies down and redundancies up as well as evidence of falling employment and rising unemployment. Of particular concern is that unemployment is now being driven up by a combination of people joining the dole queue and fewer leaving - demonstrating that firms are sharply cutting back on recruitment as well as sending more people away with their P45s. More people in work are feeling insecure, and more people already without work are experiencing the pain of long-term joblessness. As a result today's separate good news from the DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) on numbers of people leaving welfare benefits in the year to May could prove to be short-lived."

"All but a handful of regions suffered a fall in employment in the latest quarter while all have seen a rise in unemployment. Employment has fallen for all age groups except those above state pension age for whom the strong employment growth of recent times has slowed to a near standstill."

"Claimant unemployment above 1 million by Christmas is now a dead cert, as is unemployment at least above 2.25 million on the government's preferred survey based measure by next spring at the latest. It is still the CIPD's expectation that, depressing as today's news is, the jobless total will eventually peak at somewhat below the near 3 million mark reached in the 1990s recession. But too many more sets of figures like today's, plus the likelihood of many more job cuts to come, and even relative optimism will start to evaporate."

"In view of the worsening jobs crisis it is time for policy makers to 'throw everything but the kitchen sink' at the problem. We need more coordinated international policy action and further cuts in interest rates. We also need UK politicians to stop quibbling over which party has the best tax and spending plans and agree on a package of measures combining elements of cuts in income tax, reductions in taxes on spending, and financial incentives to encourage employers to recruit and retain staff."

www.cipd.co.uk

CIPD echo Kaonix message re employer branding

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Date: 11/11/2008

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In competitive markets a reputable brand can act like a magnet, drawing top talent to an organisation.

According to this year's CIPD Recruitment, Retention and Turnover Survey the vast majority of those surveyed (71%) are already using the employer brand as a recruitment tool. But a brand is not simply a recruitment tool, it is integral to employee retention and engagement, and aligning a powerful employer brand to your corporate brand can make a measurable difference to the bottom line.

This year's CIPD's Spotlight on Employer Branding Conference directly addresses the question of how to create and develop an employer brand and how to build a brand that drives long term employee engagement, fits with the business strategy and has measurable outcomes.

Rebecca Clake, Adviser, Organisation and Resourcing CIPD, says:

"The importance of a strong employer brand in today's business environment cannot be exaggerated. Talented candidates aren't just looking for a healthy pay package, their expectations go far beyond that."

"An organisation's attractiveness is strongly linked to its brand in the employment market place - what it is seen to stand for and how that matches up with the values of individuals. For the employer brand to be successful this external brand needs to be more than rhetoric, but to reflect the real experience of working for the organisation."

www.onrec.com

Social networking sites "good for businesses"

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Date: 03/11/2008

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Good news for workers addicted to Facebook, Bebo and MySpace - a think tank says bosses should not stop their staff using social networking sites because they could actually benefit their firms. The report by Demos said encouraging employees to use networking technologies to build relationships and closer links with colleagues and customers could help businesses rather than damage them.

Author Peter Bradwell said that while companies were using specific systems to share information, online social networking sites could also play a role, helping with productivity, innovation and democratic working. However, he said there should be practical guidelines to limit non-work usage.

"Bans on Facebook or YouTube are in any case almost impossible to enforce; firms may as well try to put a time limit on the numbers of minutes allowed each day for gossiping," he wrote.

"The answer is not to close down staff access to social network platforms, nor is it investing blindly in collaborative platforms."

"Rather, we argue that we need to understand how, once we accept the implications of social networks, we can manage the new challenges and trade-offs."

His research concluded that trying to control the use of sites such as Facebook, which alone boasts more than 100 million users worldwide, could even harm organisations.

"Smart" businesses recognised that social networking could not easily be separated from "professional" networking, he argued.

"In today's difficult business environment, the instinctive reaction can be to batten down the hatches and return to the traditional 'command and control' techniques that enable managers to closely monitor and measure productivity," he said.

"Allowing workers to have more freedom and flexibility might seem counterintuitive, but it appears to create business more capable of maintaining stability."

www.iii.co.uk

Retailers urged to act on business chiefs' skills plea

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Date: 24/10/2008

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Skillsmart Retail has urged retailers to invest in skills during the economic downturn following a plea from business leaders today.

Leaders of major business organisations, including Skillsmart Retail Patron Sir Stuart Rose, used an open letter in national newspapers to call on all industries to invest in training during difficult times.

Skillsmart Retail, the Sector Skills Council for Retail, has urged retailers to follow this advice in order to stay ahead as trading conditions get tougher.

Anne Seaman, CEO of Skillsmart Retail said: "While skills development may not be at the top of the list at a time of economic instability, the message from these industry leaders is very timely, and is especially relevant to the retail industry."

"As retail relies heavily on its people, continuing to develop both management and shop floor skills is an essential way of maintaining competitiveness as the market tightens, and I urge retailers to consider the advice highlighted today."

Today's call to invest in training was led by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills - a government funded group set up to advise on skills in the UK.

Published in national newspapers including The Times, The Financial Times and The Guardian, the letter was signed by Sir Stuart Rose, Chairman of Marks and Spencer and Business in the Community as well as Sir Michael Rake, Chairman of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, Mervyn Davies CBE, Chairman, of Standard Chartered plc, Brendan Barber, General Secretary of the TUC and Richard Lambert, Director General of the CBI.

In it they said: "In an economic downturn, there is always a temptation for businesses - large and small - to cut spending on staff training. When times are tough, it looks a simple way to cut costs. But it's a false economy. Research in 2007 confirms that firms that don't train are 2.5 times more likely to fail than those who do! Now is precisely the time to keep investing in the skills and talents of our people. It is the people we employ who will get us through."

"The skills of our people are our best guarantee of future prosperity - and the best investment a business can make in challenging times. We must not pay the price of failing to invest in the talent on which our future will be built."

Skillsmart Retail is working with employers, Governments and the UK Commission of Employment and Skills to make it easier for retailers to raise skills levels by helping them access high quality work based training and skills development.

www.skillsmartretail.com

Job seekers warned over CV theft

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Date: 21/10/2008

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Job seekers have been warned to be particularly careful when sending their CVs to employers' websites or online recruitment agencies.

An experiment involving a fake website lured 107 people into submitting their CVs, full of personal information that could have led to identity theft.

Of the CVs, 61 contained enough information to apply for a credit card.

The experiment was staged during the recent national identity fraud prevention week earlier in October.

It involved a company called iProfile, with the backing of the Police and the Information Assurance Advisory Council (IAAC), setting up a website for a bogus company called Denis Atlas.

The fake firm placed an advert in a national newspaper for a job as an office manager, inviting people to apply by sending in their CVs to the website.

Although 107 people did so, a quick search of the website would have shown that it was in fact a fake operation.

"Many people are happy to send their CVs 'blind' without thinking about the consequences if their information fell into the wrong hands," said Neil Fisher of IAAC.

The CVs that were submitted contained an average of eight different pieces of information that might have been useful to an identity fraudster.

The most common ones were full address and date of birth. One application included both a passport and national insurance number.

"We advise everyone not to post personal details on the internet which could collectively be used to clone your identity," said Det Supt Russell Day of the Metropolitan Police.

The most useful items of information for criminals, which should be omitted from an online CV, are date of birth, marital status, and place of birth, according to iProfile.

news.bbc.co.uk

Does your online profile sell you short?

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Date: 14/10/2008

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Could your future boss be making a hiring decision based on your online profile? According to a new survey from CareerBuilder.co.uk, 27 per cent of employers in the UK said they either currently use social networking sites to research potential job candidates, or plan to start. Specifically, 15 per cent of employers said they currently screen potential employees on social networking sites and another 12 per cent said although they do not, they intend to start.

Some of the content on social networking sites that employers have said caused them not to hire candidates include:

• Candidate had poor communication skills
• Candidate posted provocative or inappropriate photographs or information
• Candidate posted information about them drinking or using drugs
• Candidate bad-mouthed their previous company or a fellow employee
• Candidate shared confidential information from previous employers
• Candidate lied about qualifications
• Candidate used discriminatory comments related to race, gender, religion, etc.
• Candidate had an unprofessional screen name
• Candidate was linked to criminal behaviour

"Employers are not just using these sites to eliminate candidates, many are also viewing these tools as a way to get a more well-rounded view of a candidate," said Tony Roy, Managing Director of CareerBuilder.co.uk. "Social networking profiles can also give job seekers an edge over the competition. Candidates can use their profiles to better position themselves, network and provide additional information that cannot be found on a resume."

Hiring managers who said they researched job candidates via social networking said the following content helped to solidify their decision to hire a candidate:

• Candidate's background supported their qualifications for the job
• Candidate had great communication skills
• Candidate was a good fit for the company's culture
• Candidate's site conveyed a professional image
• Candidate had great references posted about them by others
• Candidate showed a wide range of interests
• Candidate received awards and accolades
• Candidate's profile was creative

www.careerbuilder.co.uk

UK staff urge employers to go green

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Date: 7/10/2008

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An increasing number of UK workers are lobbying their companies to introduce environmentally friendly practices, research has revealed.

More than half (51 per cent) of 1,027 people surveyed by Fujitsu Siemens Computers said they regularly urged their companies to purchase green IT systems, encourage energy saving and recycling. This is almost double the number of people (27 per cent) who said they did this two years ago.

Meanwhile, 80 per cent of respondents believe they're more environmentally conscious than three years ago.

Steve Kendall-Smith, UK managing director at Fujitsu Siemens Computers, said: "Our research shows that the gap between how green we are at home and how green we are at work is closing."

More than one in three (37 per cent) UK employees reduce their daily fuel consumption by lift-sharing with a colleague.

www.cipd.co.uk

Half of employees would rather work from home

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Date: 6/10/2008

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The traditional office environment could soon become a thing of the past as a new survey reveals almost half of employees would rather work from home.

Escaping the rush hour traffic, saving on travel costs and flexible working hours were the most attractive aspects of homeworking, according to the survey by travel company Cruise118.

Of the 1,000 office workers questioned, 46 per cent said they would prefer to work from home full time. A further 80 per cent said they would like the option to work from home occasionally but would miss the camaraderie of working in an office environment too much to do it permanently.

Only one in five said they prefer being based in an office full time.

Mal Barritt, director of Cruise118 which offers both home and office working options to sales staff, said: "With rising petrol prices, expensive child care and a stressful commute to the office each day, it's no wonder that many people would rather work from home.

"The majority of business is done via email and telephone these days and therefore in most cases staff can work just as effectively from home.

"Working from home can greatly enhance people's work-life balance, the reduction in commuting alone could save several hours each day which can be spent with family or on leisure activities."

Cruise 118

Kaonix is hiring

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Date: 6/10/2008

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Kaonix is looking for a talented individual with creative flair to join our web design team. Click here for further details.

jobs.kaonix.com

Pets at Home are lapping it up

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Date: 23/09/2008

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Kaonix is delighted to announce a new two year agreement for the provision of online recruitment services to Pets at Home, one of the fastest growing retail businesses in Europe and the most successful pet care retailer in the world.

Ryan Cheyne, Head of HR at Pets at Home, says, "Having worked with Kaonix for the last couple of years, we have found web-cruit to be a very reliable, effective recruitment solution that offers great value for money".

www.petsathomejobs.com

HR professionals earning more, but paying the price by working longer hours

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Date: 19/09/2008

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HR professionals are earning higher salaries and working longer hours, according to the Annual Croner Reward and Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) 2008 Reward Survey of more than 5,700 HR professionals.

Despite the economic slowdown, salaries in the HR profession increased by an average 3.25% in 2008. And there is a marked difference between the sectors: the private sector workers have experienced the highest increase with an average of 4% rise this year, followed by the voluntary sector with 3.25%. Public sector HR workers recorded the lowest rise with a 3% increase.

The survey shows that the profession is cautious about the year ahead, but still predicts a rise in HR earnings. Almost half (47%) forecast that they will expect a 3% pay rise in 2009, while only 19% of them foresee a 4% increase and 13% of them a 5%.

Bonuses also held up well this year. HR professionals received bonuses averaging 6.5% of their base salaries, compared to 6% in the 2007 survey.

The survey also reveals that HR professionals work longer hours than ever. Seventy-three per cent of the respondents work 40 hours a week or more, compared to 62% in 2007. And among the respondents in the 2008 survey who recorded working more than 40 hours, 44% worked between 41 and 45 hours a week.

This increase is reflected in all business sectors, with the majority of HR professionals in the private sector working 40 hours a week or more (80% compared to 68% last year). They are followed by the voluntary sector HR employees, 68% of whom work 40 hours or more (compared to 52% last year). In the Public sector, 61% of the respondents work more than 40 hours a week (compared to 49% last year).

Within job levels, Personnel Administrators are working harder than ever, with 65% of them working 40 hours a week or more, compared to 36% only in 2007. Personnel Directors showed a slight increase, with 84% of them working more than 40 hours compared to 82% in 2007.

www.cipd.com

Kaonix is hiring

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Date: 19/09/2008

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Kaonix is looking for a talented individual with creative flair to join our web design team. Click here for details.

jobs.kaonix.com

Website rankings of 100 retailers

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Date: 15/09/2008

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The July 2008 website rankings of 100 retailers has now been published by The Retail Bulletin.

The report can be accessed here.

www.theretailbulletin.com

The battle of the sexes continues in the workplace

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Date: 15/09/2008

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The Battle of the Sexes continues in the workplace according to a new survey from CareerBuilder.co.uk. Although employers are increasingly introducing programs to promote equality, 30% of female workers in the United Kingdom say they feel they are paid less than their counterparts of the opposite sex with the same skills and qualifications. 13% of men in the UK say they feel they are paid less than their female counterparts. The CareerBuilder.co.uk survey, "Workplace Equality," included more than 3,700 workers across seven European countries and also surveyed workers in the United States.

Overall, 38% of the female European workers surveyed, believe they experience pay discrimination when compared to their male counterparts with the same qualifications. Female workers in Germany (45%) were the most likely of those surveyed to report wage discrimination and women in the Netherlands (28%) were the least likely to report wage discrimination.

Percentage of women workers who say they are paid less than their male counterparts with the same skills and qualifications:

• Germany - 45%
• France - 43%
• Italy - 36%
• Sweden - 35%
• United Kingdom - 30%
• Spain - 30%
• Netherlands - 28%
• United States - 34%
• Europe Overall - 38%

www.careerbuilder.co.uk

More than half the UK workforce would use a right to ask for training at work

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Date: 05/09/2008

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Seven in ten (71 per cent) working people would like to see a new legal right to request paid time off for training and 53 per cent say they would be likely to use it, according to a new YouGov survey released by the TUC and unionlearn, its learning and skills organisation.

The poll shows that people aged 18-24 are the strongest supporters, with four out of five (82 per cent) agreeing that "employees should have a legal right to request paid time off for training". Three in five (59 per cent) agree that "if there was a legal right to request paid time off for training I would ask for more training".

The TUC/unionlearn polling follows the Government's announcement in June that it would introduce a new right for employees to ask for training at work.

Those earning less than £5,000 and those whose salaries are between £25,000 and £30,000 are most likely to be in favour of the right (at least 77 per cent) while those earning between £20,000 and £25,000 are most likely to say they would use the right (62 per cent).

People with no formal qualifications are also very supportive; 76 per cent support the right and 56 per cent say would be likely to use it. However, the TUC is concerned that despite this apparent enthusiasm to learn new skills, low skilled workers are the least likely to receive training at work. Just nine per cent of employees without formal qualifications participated in job-related training in the last three months, compared to 38 per cent of graduates, according to Government statistics released for 2007.

Women (75 per cent) are stronger supporters of the right to request training than men (67 per cent) although there is no significant difference in the likelihood of them using the right. Full and part-time workers are also similarly supportive.

The TUC and unionlearn are currently using their network of more than 20,000 union learning reps in workplaces across the UK to ensure that everyone has access to training at work.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "This polling shows that workers have a great zeal to learn new skills. The enthusiasm shown by people on low incomes, those with few or no qualifications and part-time workers shows that while those who most need training have the biggest appetite to learn, they receive the smallest share of the training pie.

"The Government must ensure that any new right to request training is strong enough to make a genuine difference. Otherwise, the one third of employers who refuse to train their staff will continue to shirk their responsibilities and overlook those that need training most. Meanwhile business groups will continue to moan about the lack of skills possessed by the UK workforce."

Permanent placements fall at sharpest rate for eighty-one months in August

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Date: 03/09/2008

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August's Report on Jobs, from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG, signalled further weakening of the UK job market. Permanent placements fell at the sharpest rate since November 2001, while temp billings declined at a survey-record pace. Declining demand for staff and strongly rising candidate availability dampened pay pressures, with salary growth the weakest for over five years.

The Report on Jobs, published today by the REC and KPMG, provides the most comprehensive guide to the UK labour market, drawing on original survey data provided by recruitment consultancies.

Kevin Green, Chief Executive of the REC, comments:

"The deteriorating economy is now having the expected negative impact on the labour market. The demand for both permanent and temporary workers is weakening, although it must be remembered that this follows a period of unprecedented high demand for staff. A positive benefit for the economy is the muted pay growth that the increase in the supply of candidates is creating. Even in these uncertain times, recruitment consultancies are still seeing continued demand for flexible staffing to meet businesses fluctuating people requirements."

Alan Nolan, Director at KPMG comments:

"The slide in the UK economy continues to hit the jobs market hard – with yet another sharp drop in recruitment. UK employers are continuing to control payroll costs through redundancies - and by refusing to take advantage of a growing (but increasingly unused) pool of skilled labour. These workers are starting to drift abroad in search of employment – and there is a risk that (when the market turns) the UK will be left behind by a skills shortage.

"Employers have to meet their fiscal obligations to HM Revenue and Customs in full and on time with stringent penalties and interest for non-compliance. It may now be time for Government to consider kick-starting the jobs market by relaxing this legislation - enabling the possibility of tax payment deferrals or 'holidays'."

Budding female "dragons" urged to leave lair

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Date: 20/08/2008

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British women are trailing far behind their male counterparts when it comes to setting up in business. Despite an abundance of skills, academic prowess and the high profile of businesswomen like Dragon's Den's Deborah Meaden, the gulf between the numbers of male and female entrepreneurs is significant. If women matched men's start-up levels, an extra £32billion* could be added to the economy, so why the gulf?

Lack of confidence is one of the main barriers recognised by NatWest and RBS, whose pioneering Women in Business Service has been introduced to encourage greater levels of entrepreneurship amongst females. Women starting up in business are also much more likely to worry about debt then men. Of the fifth of women who think about starting a business only half that number actually does. The service is endorsed by the government, Everywoman and Prowess. It provides experienced business managers dedicated to the specific needs and wants of female entrepreneurs.

For more information visit: www.natwest.com/business

* Average turnover of female run businesses is £209,678. The extra 150,000 businesses that would be generated if females matched male startup rates would have a combined turnover of £32 Billion. Sector statistics sourced from BERR (Department of Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform).

Employment market still buoyant

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Date: 20/08/2008

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Research from fish4jobs can confirm that although recruiters are being more cautious with their budget, there are still plenty of vacancies advertised in the UK. It appears that despite the credit crunch the employment market is still buoyant. When asked what methods recruiters have previously used to attract candidates over half (57%) of recruiters surveyed admitted to having used recruitment consultancies, the same amount (57%) used their own website and 54% used jobs boards.

According to the Monster Employment Index there was a further dip in Online Recruitment in the UK in July. The Monster Employment Index decreased by three points in July, following a four point drop in June, but the year-on-year growth rate was largely unchanged at 5%.

Source: www.recruitment-intl.com

People metrics help HR show what it knows about business

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Date: 06/08/2008

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New research released by the Institute for Employment Studies provides a detailed guide to raising the HR function's profile within organisations by closely aligning it with business strategy. The "Human Capital Measurement" report reveals the most effective ways to measure a business's people and skills.

Dilys Robinson, Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Employment Studies, says:

"Measuring the value people bring to a business can be tricky but is vital to monitoring the health of your organisation. HR plays a crucial role in making the links between things such as employee engagement, turnover and vacancy rates, and customer satisfaction, and measuring their impact."

Human Capital Measurement (HCM) is one of the terms used to describe the practice of measuring employees' contribution. However the Institute for Employment Studies' research showed that this term is rarely used in practice within organisations. More common terms were "workforce data" or "key people indicators". The research, based on action learning workshops involving 14 of the UK's top private and public sector organisations including the Royal Bank of Scotland, BBC, and the NHS, took place over the course of a year and showed robust people metrics can pay dividends, but organisations should beware of a "one size fits all" approach.

The workshops enabled participating organisations to share best practice and debate how to overcome common obstacles. They were supported by research findings.

Dilys Robinson says:

"Our participants all found great value in focusing their HCM strategy around how people ultimately were adding value to the organisation. This guide contains case studies of nine organisations that have successfully implemented measurement indicators. These have helped the organisation to understand the contribution people make to organisational performance. Although it may seem daunting, with the right planning and working closely with management, people metrics can do a lot to monitor business health."

The report with accompanying case studies can be accessed at the Institute for Employment Studies website.

Source: www.onrec.com

It's official! Google Maps and postcode addressing is good for your applicant flow

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Date: 31/07/2008

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On Monday 14th July Kaonix launched a new service exclusively for web-cruit customers as part of our talent sourcing strategy.

The premise is simply to aggregate vacancies from carefully selected web-cruit customers through our portal at www.jobs.co.uk and enable job seekers to search and apply directly via the customers' own career site.

In less than three weeks we can already see that customers who have implemented our Google Maps and postcode lookup service are receiving between 15 and 60 times more applicants than those who have not yet done so.

In addition, you may be interested in the following traffic statistics for jobs.co.uk:

• Over 2,000 job seeker visits per day and rising fast.
• 59% of traffic is people actually typing www.jobs.co.uk into their browser.
• Already achieving top five and page one listings in numerous Google search results.
• Over 400 applications have been made since launch.
• Up 364,443 positions in Alexa's world website rankings.

AURUM go for Gold!

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Date: 28/07/2008

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Having used web-cruit for the past three years within Goldsmiths, AURUM Holdings Limited is now renewing for a futher three years and extending the service to cover the other main brands within the group, which includes Watches of Switzerland and Mappin and Webb. The existing career site is being completely redesigned as part of this new development and is due for release shortly.

AURUM Holdings is also extending usage of web-cruit to incorporate a range of other services including postcode search technology, google maps and artificial intelligence.

Karen Bates, Head of HR and Training, says, "We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with Kaonix and very excited at the prospect of the new developments planned for the coming months."

Survey finds average six week recruitment gap

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Date: 24/07/2008

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New research has found that on average, there is a 30 day gap between an employee leaving an organisation and their replacement starting.

Personnel Today reports that the Adecco PayCheck Survey 2008 questioned 700 employers and discovered that the problem is worse with skilled managers, who typically take almost seven weeks to replace.

In some workplaces this has an impact on other members of staff: one in five respondents said staff worked longer hours in the interim period, while 36 per cent reported increased workloads before a replacement was found.

Overall, the survey revealed that that the average length of employment tenure in Britain is 5.6 years.

Commenting on the results, Steven Kirkpatrick, managing director for Adecco UK and Ireland, said: "With the average time to replace an employee at a skilled manager level at nearly seven weeks, companies need to consider a more efficient approach for sourcing the right employees."

Jobs market continues to prop up UK economy

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Date: 22/07/2008

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The latest official labour market statistics, published earlier today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), show that the UK jobs market continues to be in good health. It has shown another rise in the number of people in employment and only a modest increase in both the number of people unemployed and the economically inactive. The number of job vacancies has dropped by around five per cent in the previous quarter, but the overall job vacancy landscape remains positive by historical standards.

Pay pressures also remain subdued in spite of recent hikes in the rate of inflation. The measures for calculating average earnings show a slight fall compared with the previous month.

Gerwyn Davies, Public Policy Adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) comments, "Yet again, the jobs figures continue to defy the woes experienced by the rest of the economy, which will provide some comfort to the Government and reassure the Bank of England that pay rises still pose little threat to inflation. While there has been an increase in the claimant count, the numbers classified as economically inactive have risen less fast, and the number in employment has continued to rise."

Davies continues, "However, despite the apparent resilience of the labour market, a loud note of caution should be sounded given that these figures do not include the swathe of redundancies that have been announced in the past month or so. And with a number of employers poised to pull the redundancy trigger in the next six months, the Government will be hoping for some better economic news as the year progresses.

One reason that employment remains high is the ongoing struggle employers have to attract and retain talent. This is discouraging employers from rushing to make redundancies. But each further knock to confidence in the economy risks triggering an avalanche of job losses. We hope that the labour market can cling on - but the next few months could be a white knuckle ride.

Curbing pay rises is one of the obvious ways in which organisations can minimise redundancies, so it is encouraging to see that pay restraint is being shown.

However, if such restraint is not shown, particularly in the event of a possible interest rate rise, the risk of an avalanche of job losses becomes even greater."

Davies concludes, "It requires a leap of imagination to compare this situation with the previous downturns when unemployment was measured in millions and pay levels rocketed."

www.cipd.co.uk

Debenhams are delighted!

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Date: 21/07/2008

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Kaonix Solutions Limited is delighted to announce the signing of a new three year agreement to provide online recruitment services to Debenhams Retail plc. Debenhams was one of the first UK retailers to implement an online recruitment system in 2002 and continues to maintain their position as the employer of choice for many thousands of individuals in retail, retail management and Head Office roles.

Debenhams and Kaonix work together to ensure that Debenhams remains at the forefront of online recruitment excellence and to actively promote the Debenhams employer brand.

"We are all really pleased to still be working with the team at Kaonix."

Sajida Akhtar
Resourcing Manager

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Mummy, where do jobs come from?

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Date: 02/07/2008

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Results of a study published today reveal that 68% of today's youngsters are in desperate need of advice on how to get a job, as over a fifth (21%) of British school leavers claimed to have received no career advice before leaving education. According to the research, from the UK's leading recruitment website, fish4jobs, 38% of those given guidance felt they did not know what to expect in the way of wages, opportunities and duties.

When it came to securing that first job, two thirds (69%) of candidates needed their parents' help to apply. In most cases, this involved the basics such as how to write a CV and cover letter - and even where to look for a job. Recruiters supported this, saying they are often sent applications from parents on their children's behalf and some had even received calls enquiring about vacancies. In most cases, this was because young job hunters were motivated to look for work but very nervous about approaching employers directly.

The study of recruiters, first jobbers and their parents by fish4jobs shows that those who dismiss the UK's school leavers as uninterested in getting a job are over-simplifying the issue. It reveals that although 52% of British teenagers had work experience whilst in education, they had been helped to secure positions by their school or college, and only 37% were given any advice on finding a job by themselves.

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True value of company perks lost on British workforce

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Date: 16/06/2008

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98 per cent of British workers underestimate the true amount that employers spend on benefits, according to new research released today by Aon Consulting, a leading pension, benefits and HR consulting firm. The findings reveal a large gap between perception and reality.

In Aon's national survey of 1300 working adults, when asked how much they think their company spends on their benefits as a percentage of their individual salary, over two thirds (69 per cent) said they thought it was no more than 10 per cent. Almost half (46 per cent) believed that just 5 per cent or less of their pay was put towards their benefits. Almost a quarter (23 per cent) put the figure at between 6 and 10 per cent of salary.

In reality, British companies are much more generous, typically contributing between 20 and up to 40 per cent of salary in additional benefits. Only 2 per cent of those surveyed by Aon believed that their employer spent at least 20 per cent of their salary on benefits.

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Employees to be given the right to request training

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Date: 29/05/2008

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The government has introduced plans to allow employees the legal right to request time to train from their employers. In a further announcement, apprenticeships will receive a boost under new legislation to unlock the potential of individuals and businesses.

The government will now consult on how workers can be legally empowered to request time to undertake training that will benefit them and their employer. The practical arrangements which employers would follow would be modelled on the existing right to request flexible working.

By introducing a new right to ask for time for training, employees will be able to talk to employers about their training needs, and employers will become more aware of the public funds available to support training. Employers will be legally obliged to seriously consider requests for training they receive but could refuse a request where there was a good business reason to do so.

Employers will not be obliged to meet the salary or training costs to enable a request for time to train but it is expected that many will choose to do so, recognising the opportunity to invest in their business.

Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills John Denham said, "If the job prospects of our workforce are to improve and the country is to succeed internationally, we have to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to rise as far as their abilities can take them. Learning starts before school and it should not stop when you leave. While it is right that we consult on this proposal, I believe that skills development has to become an integral part of working life for everyone. A right to request training will help ensure this becomes a reality. It will allow millions of employees to start a conversation with their employer about how they can become a more productive member of staff and in turn will encourage employers to better tap into some of the major Government supported training programmes available to them."

The plan has already drawn criticism from the EEF. Martin Temple, EEF Chairman, said, "Businesses will find it difficult to understand why government is adopting such a bullish approach to better regulation, whilst at the same time introducing yet more regulatory requirements which will inevitably create practical problems. It will increasingly require employers to adopt the judgement of Solomon in deciding who has time off for training."

Richard Lambert of the CBI commented, "Employers will be pleased that the government has ruled out compelling them to train staff irrespective of their circumstances and opted to introduce the right to request instead. The most effective spur for training is the mutual benefit derived by both employer and employee, not regulation."

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Portal Resource Consulting

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Date: 27/05/2008

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Portal Resource Consulting has been taking big strides in the recruitment world since its launch in 2006.

The company aims to deliver a portfolio of consulting and resourcing services that can help to transform an organisation's ability to identify, attract, select, retain and manage their talent.

Karl Whelpdale, CEO commented: "Many organisations, particularly SMEs, struggle to meet the challenges of defining and operating an effective resourcing strategy, and as a result fail to attract high-calibre individuals to their organisation, or retain those they have. "To help solve this problem, in addition to providing some of the more established solutions including Neutral Vend and RPO, Portal offers a comprehensive range of consulting options aimed at addressing specific aspects of the resourcing cycle, from attraction through selection to induction".

With over 20 years' experience in the global recruitment market, as both a procurer and provider of resourcing solutions, Karl's aim is to utilise the considerable corporate experience of his team to assist SMEs in thinking more strategically about how they resource and how they are perceived by the candidate market.

Portal recently commissioned a report, entitled Analysing the Contribution of the Human Resource Management Function to the Attainment of Strategic Corporate Objectives. Authored by Susan Marlow, Professor of Small Business and Entrepreneurship HRM at De Montfort University, the study explores the extent to which the HR function operates as a 'business partner' in the development and articulation of business strategy. "The study was carried out across a variety of regionally based SMEs and public sector organisations from a number of market sectors, and involved a series of in-depth interviews with senior board and HR professionals," says Karl. "The findings should significantly improve our ability to understand and address the key issues facing employers in the region today".

Portal has also recently secured one of the largest recruitment outsourcing contracts with Transport for London (TfL). Portal will provide high-response recruitment to TfL's business operations, placing over 2,000 customer service, operations and support staff each year. Sharon Syal, head of resourcing for TfL said: "We chose Portal above other outsourcing providers because they were consistently able to respond positively to our tender requirements."

"In our opinion, their key areas of strength were strong account management, continuous improvement, service efficiencies and candidate experience".

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The Agency Workers' Equal Treatment Bill

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Date: 23/05/2008

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The Temporary and Agency Workers (Equal Treatment) Bill proposed by Andrew Miller was withdrawn yesterday following an announcement at Prime Minister's Questions. The death of the Bill was inevitable following yesterday's announcement that there had been an agreement between business organisations including the REC and the trade unions.

Attention will now revert to agreeing a workable Agency Workers Directive in Brussels. Anne Fairweather, the REC's Head of Public Policy said: "The Private Members Bill was so broad and far-reaching that it would have been disastrous for the recruitment industry. The fact that it has now been abandoned is a welcome development".

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Sickies and long-term absence give employees a headache

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Date: 14/05/2008

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Gap between public and private sector absence rates hits new high.

Absence from work cost the UK economy £13.2 billion last year as the average employee took almost seven (6.7) days off sick, while the gulf between absence rates in the public sector and the private sector grew to a record level, new research revealed today (Wednesday).

The latest CBI / AXA Absence Survey showed that average absence levels across the public sector stood at nine days, which is 55% higher than the 5.8 day average of the private sector. The private sector improved its absence levels over 2007, while the public sector stood still. £1.4bn of taxpayers' money could be saved if public sector organisations matched the private sector average.

The survey also revealed that of the 172 million days lost to absence in 2007, more than one in ten (12%) are thought to be non-genuine. These 21 million "sickies" cost the economy £1.6bn and two-thirds (65%) of employers think that some staff are using them to extend weekends. 60% said that fake sickness was used to extend holiday, and a third of employers (34%) suspect that sickies are used for special events like birthdays and major football games.

Long-term absence (20 days or more) also continued to be a serious concern for firms. Although only 5% of absence spells became long-term, they accounted for a massive 40% of all time lost, costing £5.3bn. Long-term absence accounted for half (50%) of all time lost in the public sector, but under a third (31%) in the private sector.

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Communicating your employer branding & recruitment proposition via your websites

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Date: 09/05/2008

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The following are some of the key factors to consider in specifying and implementing your careers website:

• Articulate your employer proposition and obtain 'sign-off' for the proposition from your organisation ensuring consistency with your organisation's existing brand proposition / statement. Ensure that your employer proposition can be adapted to online and offline concepts.
• Provide the website designers with appropriate access to your organisation so they can capture the salient messages when they design your careers website.
• Consider what candidates will need, what will lead to appropriate self selection, how do you engage them, how to make them stay, how to make them come back to your career homepages, how to make them invite others, how to convert them from a browser to an applicant to someone you can hire?
• When applying innovative technology make sure the site remains user-friendly and accessible by candidates.
• Balance ease of use with depth of information.
• Design your careers website to enable regular updating.
• Signpost your careers website prominently within your organisation's website.
• Define a "go live" starting point and vision for your careers website.
• Ensure you factor in a section where candidates can provide their feedback either on the pages or on the recruitment process and consider how you are going to deal with this feedback and respond to questions.
• Ensure your website complies with data protection, equal opportunities, age discrimination and accessibility legislation and is secure, resilient and speedy.
• Metrics - measuring success: monitor the number of visitors to your careers website, what has been of interest in the different sections, monitor which advertisements are working, and conduct online satisfaction surveys.

http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/publications.aspx

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Technology is cool in the playground but not in the careers centre!

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Date: 06/05/2008

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Research launched today by Research In Motion (RIM), the company behind the BlackBerry® Women & Technology Awards, reveals that nearly 90 per cent of girls aged 11-16 think using technology is cool and regularly talk to their friends about it. Just over a third (38 per cent) of them chat about the latest technology on a daily basis - anything from social networking to online gaming and mobile downloads. Despite this love of technology, only a quarter (28 per cent) of girls have considered a career in technology compared to more than half (52 per cent) of boys.

Over two thirds (73 per cent) of girls aged 11-16 believe that there is a gap between the playground and careers centre because the UK lacks smart female role models in the technology industry who they long to emulate. Over half (55 per cent) also think that there should be fewer celebrity role models and more inspirational business role models. This becomes more pertinent with age, with 71 per cent of 14-16 year old girls thinking this. Other key findings include:

• 43 per cent of young people didn't consider a career in technology because it was 'not exciting'.
• 30 per cent of young people deemed a career in technology as 'too geeky'.

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Internet job board popularity continues to grow

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Date: 25/04/2008

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The following data compiled during March 2008* by comscore represent UK unique visitors (000) to the top 5 job boards:

Jobcentreplus - 2,704
Fish4jobs - 1,795
Totaljobs - 1,631
Monster - 1,418
Reed - 1,108

Total UK Internet audience - 33,761
Total visiting job related web-sites - 11,099

* Survey excludes users less than 15 years old and people using public computers

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reed.co.uk advertising campaign goes regional

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Date: 25/04/2008

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reed.co.uk has launched its first regional advertising campaign as it continues to build awareness of the reed.co.uk brand.

Initially focusing on Greater Manchester, Bristol, Bath and Swindon, the latest burst of activity follows the hugely successful launch of reed.co.uk's 'Love Mondays' campaign in London earlier this year. The current burst features a variety of media, including radio, outdoor and press advertising and a repeat of activities across the capital.

reed.co.uk has the most responsive jobseeker audience in the UK, with an ABCE audited figure of over 1 million job seeker applications per month and more than 4.4 million job applications already in 2008. The current investment aims to boost awareness of the reed.co.uk brand and ensure reed.co.uk continues to deliver for all of its clients.

Also launched this month is a branded online campaign to complement existing digital marketing activity. 'Love Mondays' themed advertising, using a range of formats, is running across social networking and other premium websites. The 'Love Mondays' campaign is supported by reed.co.uk's continued investment in advertising across search engines, directories and portal sites.

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Talent Management to become key differentiator for companies competing in global marketplace

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Date: 22/04/2008

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Finding, developing and keeping talent will be the new role of Human Resources (HR) management in the future. This "talent management" - the assessment and long-term planning of a company's workforce needs - rather than the traditional filling of vacancies, will become a key differentiator for companies competing in the global marketplace. "This new role of HR management comes as a consequence of three trends converging: globalization, demographic change and skills shortages", says Donna Murphy, Managing Director of the Adecco Institute, referring to the result of a study based on interviews with 5,000 HR professionals.

Globalization in developed countries increases the demand for skilled and highly qualified labour, while the demand for unskilled work shrinks. This increased demand for a qualified workforce is compounded by demographic effects: older workers already comprise the fastest growing workforce segment in most developed countries. Older, more qualified workers are retiring and fewer young people are replacing them. Due to years of falling birth-rates, the majority of people in Europe in the next ten years will, for the first time ever, be older than 40. In the United States the number of workers in the 55-and-older group is projected to grow by 47 percent in the next eight years - approximately 5.5 times the 8.5 percent growth of the labour force overall.

These developments lead to an increasing shortage of skilled workers. While global demand is growing, the supply is shrinking. As a consequence, companies are facing more and more competition for the best talent.

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Private equity firms playing a 'bigger role in recruitment' as economy turns

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Date: 22/04/2008

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Private equity firms are taking an increasing role in the recruitment process of the companies they back, say executive recruitment experts.

Adrian Hitchenor, CEO of Hitchenor Wakeford, said:

"There has been a dramatic increase in the number of private equity firms getting involved in the recruitment process. Private equity firms that have backed companies in the region are increasingly reviewing the management teams they have backed. In many cases they are adding additional management to their companies or in some cases replacing people or changing roles and responsibilities within the existing management team.

With such large sums of money at stake it makes commercial sense for them to take a proactive position during the recruitment process as it is these appointments that will generate their return on investment.

There is a real need for private equity firms to ensure the company they are investing in employ a strong management team. Track record is increasingly important and executive teams who have performed successful exits are in high demand and can command significant packages.

It's the quality of the executives and non-executives that improve the probability of generating a good return on the initial investment made and reduce the risk of business failure. In a market environment that is more competitive private equity firms require stronger people to run the companies."

Already this year, the company has placed people in businesses backed by leading private equity players. Hitchenor Wakeford also boasts a client list including ASDA, Manchester United, United Utilities, UMBRO, Jet2.com, RBS and KPMG.

Outside of the Square Mile, Manchester and Leeds have the largest private equity communities in the UK. Top players Montagu, 3i, ECI, LDC, Altium, Zeus Capital, Barclays Private Equity, Aberdeen Murray Johnstone, ISIS, Gresham, Endless LLP and Phoenix are all located in the cities.

According to the BVCA (British Venture Capital Association) The UK private equity industry has invested over £80 billion (over £60 billion in the UK) in around 29,500 companies since 1983. £21.9 billion was invested in 2006, in over 1,600 companies, of which over £10.2 billion was invested in over 1,300 companies in the UK.

It is estimated that firms backed by private equity employ around 1.1 million people (8% of the private sector workforce).

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Writing for the Web

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Date: 08/04/2008

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In what ways does 'writing for the web' differ from writing brochure / promotional copy?

People rarely read Web pages word by word; instead, they scan the page, picking out individual words and sentences. In research on how people read websites it was found that 79 percent of test users always scanned any new page they came across; only 16 percent read word-by-word. A good rule of thumb is web text should be half the word count (or less) than conventional writing.

Be seen
Highlight your keywords - get your point across fast. Hypertext links serve as one form of highlighting, typeface variations and colour are others.

Write only one idea per paragraph
Web pages need to be concise and to-the-point. People don't read web pages, they scan them, so having short, meaty paragraphs is better than long rambling ones.

Put conclusions at the beginning
Think of an inverted pyramid when you write. Get to the point in the first paragraph, then expand upon it.

Use action words
Tell your readers what to do. Avoid writing in a passive voice. Keep the flow of your pages moving.

Format
Use lists instead of paragraphs. Lists are easier to scan than paragraphs, especially if you keep them short.

Limit list items to 7 words
Studies have shown that people can only reliably remember 7-10 things at a time. By keeping your list items short, it helps your readers remember them. Bullet points are a great way to emphasize lists.

Write short sentences
Sentences should be as concise as you can make them. Use only the words you need to get the essential information across.

Include internal sub-headings
Sub-headings make the text more scannable. Your readers will move to the section of the document that is most useful for them, and internal cues make it easier for them to do this.

Make your links part of the copy
Links are another way Web readers scan pages. They stand out from normal text, and provide more cues as to what the page is about.

Always proofread your work!
Typos and spelling errors will send people away from your pages. Make sure you proofread everything you post to the Web. Most website packages will not contain a spell-checker and spelling errors will be an instant turn-off to visitors.

Nikki Perry

Creative Media Manager - REC

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UK businesses fail to take age discrimination seriously

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Date: 03/04/2008

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Despite being illegal, age discrimination remains rife in the UK workplace according to the latest findings from the Recruitment Confidence Index (RCI), produced by Cranfield School of Management. Respondents which included HR professionals and senior managers admitted to still having stereotypical views of older and younger workers. Older workers were seen as having wide experience, being loyal, having better time keeping and being interested in having a work-life balance. Younger workers were seen as open to new ideas and ambitious but inexperienced and not likely to stay in the job long.

The latest research found that a quarter of respondents were aware of a current policy or practice within their organisation that could be perceived as discriminating on the basis of age.

The support of the Board or CEO was seen as the most important factor in eliminating age discrimination at work, followed by the awareness of issues, policies and lastly, education or training. Generally all of these four factors were seen as important or very important by the majority of respondents. A fifth of respondents believed that their Board or senior management remained uncommitted to eliminating age discrimination at work.

In most organisations the elimination of age discrimination was sponsored by the HR department (61%), followed by the Board or CEO (27%). Only a fifth of responding organisations had a project or task group on age.

Is your web-site attracting or losing talent?

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Date: 28/03/2008

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Top retailers including Marks & Spencer, O2 and House of Fraser are losing out on thousands of talented job candidates because of badly designed websites, research has revealed.

Only 40 out of 100 retail recruitment sites evaluated by independent adjudicators were deemed good enough to attract candidates. Even many of those judged attractive to jobseekers were said to be far too difficult to use.

At some famous high street names, less than 2% of visitors to their recruitment pages complete an application form, equating to a cost of £300 per job applicant.

A British Retail Consortium spokesman said: "Retailers have created half a million new jobs since 1995. Retail has the best record of any sector of offering flexible working and employing people who traditionally find it difficult to get back into work. That confirms they are doing a good job. But no retailer would want to lose customers or job applicants because of website failings and they are always looking to improve their sites."

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HR professionals are key to successful mergers

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Date: 28/03/2008

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Human resources can contribute to the success of mergers and acquisitions through the integration and transfer of knowledge and practices, according to a new report from the Charted Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

The last few years have witnessed a sharp upswing in international mergers and acquisitions, with 172 cross border deals worth more than $1billion in 2006 alone. Yet many international mergers have encountered problems due to their complex nature. CIPD research shows that HR's contribution to mergers can be substantial, particularly on the issue of employee integration.

Frances Wilson, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development's International Manager said: "Mergers and acquisitions transcend national cultures often making the integration process challenging and problematic. HR can play a key role in making this integration a success for employees at all levels and in particular lead the transfer of knowledge so that organisations' personnel learn from the operations they acquire."

The report International Mergers and Acquisitions: How can HR play a Strategic Role? shows that 60% of overseas owned organisations growing through acquisition have already made deliberate attempts to share and integrate with the acquired firms' knowledge in the UK.

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Jobcentre Plus ready to receive new online advertisers

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Date: 27/03/2008

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VIEW WEBSITE

Jobcentre Plus has informed Kaonix that their capacity planning and usability review is now complete and that they have fast-tracked Kaonix customers through the government gateway process where they have to apply to advertise their vacancies on the Job Warehouse.

Kaonix customers have responded very positively to this news and we have already configured Travis Perkins, Sheffield Galleries, Debenhams, Focus and Tragus with their required user names and passwords. Testing will be completed by the end of March and we will be posting hundreds of new vacancies on behalf of our customers by April 1st.

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The attractive people get the job

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Date: 18/03/2008

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Almost 9 in 10 bosses admit to have given the job to the most attractive candidate as Peninsula, the employment law firm's latest research shows. The research which polled 2266 employers across the UK throughout February found that many employers have at some stage given preference to someone because of their attractive looks rather because of skills and experience.

• 88% of respondents who interview admit that they have at some stage chosen candidates because they were attractive rather than based on skills and experience
• 92% of respondents say that appearance at the job interview can influence their decision on who gets the job

David Price, Head of Diversity for Peninsula said today: "Are you discriminating against potential employees because of how they look? If so then you're not alone. It seems that many interviewers are guilty when it comes to looks influencing their decision. I was surprised at the number of people who have based an employment decision on looks and it's turning into a new form of modern discrimination. Using such a strategy is not without legal risk. Most employers know better than to base employment decisions on appearance that is related to legally protected factors such as race, age or disability but it seems occasionally these factors are abandoned."

Here is the exception that proves the rule.

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Kaonix in the Sunday Times, again

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Date: 18/03/2008

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VIEW E-BROCHURE

For the eagle-eyed out there, you may have noticed Kaonix were featured once again in the Sunday Times last weekend. Having sponsored the online version of the HR outsourcing supplement back in June 2007, there we were again, this time show-casing our shiny new logo in print and online.

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What is talent? How can recruiters and employers spot it and quantify it?

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Date: 10/03/2008

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Dave Ulrich, professor of business at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, has devised a formula: Competence + Commitment + Contribution = Talent.

Competence means that individuals have the knowledge, skills and values required for today's and tomorrow's jobs.

Committed or engaged employees work hard, put in their time and do what they are asked to do.

Contribution occurs when employees feel that their personal needs are being met through their participation in their organisation.

The whole person is involved, says Ulrich: Competence deals with the head (being able), commitment with the hands and feet (being there), and contribution with the heart (simply being).

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Eligibility checks - new legislation

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Date: 06/03/2008

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VISIT WEBSITE

New laws governing the checks that UK employers must conduct on their workers came into force on 29th February 2008 and replaces the existing Home Office guidance of 2004. The fines and penalties for non-compliance have also risen and are now up to £10k per individual recruiter - not the organisation.

The major changes are as follows and affect people recruited on a temporary or permanent basis after 29th February 2008:

The eligibility documents for candidates who have limited leave to remain in the UK must be checked every 12 months. Adoption certificates issued in the UK are now acceptable as an alternative to full UK birth certificates. Therefore, a UK adoption certificate confirming parentage along with an official document confirming a candidate's National Insurance number will satisfy that candidate's eligibility to work in the UK. The front cover of the candidate's passport must also be copied and retained on file.

For further information visit http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/

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8 out of 10 Graduates only search for jobs online

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Date: 05/03/2008

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UK businesses who are investing in newspaper advertising to recruit graduate talent may be wasting their money according to new research from Reed Employment of almost 400 graduates registered on www.reed.co.uk. 89% of graduates claimed that they only ever search for jobs online; 18% use specialist recruitment agencies; 8% apply in person and just 3% regularly check newspaper job sections. 80% of respondents also claim to be avid users of social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube.

It seems that speed is the name of the game for graduate jobseekers, with 57% stating they spend less than an hour researching for jobs; 18% spending between one and two hours; just 15% spending over two hours and 9% claiming they just turn up at interviews, without having researched the company at all.

Whilst this could be down to laziness, it does appear that graduate jobseekers want more information provided in job descriptions and from recruitment consultants.

A half claimed they were not given enough information before their interviews. The kinds of information most in demand were details about training and development opportunities (40%); the office location and surrounding amenities (17%); the office culture (15%), and the salary on offer (12%).

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CIPD welcome move to long-term solutions for long-term unemployed

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Date: 29/02/2008

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The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) welcomes government incentives, to encourage voluntary and private firms to offer employment to long-term job seekers. The CIPD also supports the move to give the largest grants to those companies which employ job-seekers for longer than six months, signalling an emphasis on long-term solutions rather than quick-fixes.

Private and voluntary organisations that specialise in employability will play a greater role in preparing the long term unemployed for work and giving them access to jobs. CIPD Skills Adviser, Dr. John McGurk believes this offers the government a promising route to getting the 1.5 million currently on welfare into work.

"Welfare to work schemes should be based on what works in practice. If the private sector can deliver better outcomes for individuals and employers than Whitehall then we should embrace that change.

Existing New Deal providers are already working with the government and helping to get people back in to work. These organisations will increasingly take the burden, incentivised by the government to ensure that people fill the jobs that the economy generates.

The focus however should be on getting people into work and there is nothing wrong with firms profiting from placing people in long term employment. We are glad to see that expansion will be sustainable. The danger of short-term fast-buck operators is something that government is alive to. This agenda is too important to be spoiled by the fraud which occurred in some earlier programmes. Overall this new strategy can only help the government achieve its stated aim of getting 1.5 million back in to work."

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MP to meet employment experts PPDG

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Date: 25/02/2008

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Birmingham Lib Dem MP John Hemming has been invited to see how people facing the misery of long-term unemployment are being helped to find jobs and transform their lives.

The MP will visit the offices of Pertemps People Development Group (PPDG) in his constituency of Yardley and speak to former unemployed people who have turned their lives around, and the employment coaches who have helped them to succeed.

PPDG managing director Steve King will also explain how the company has become one of the UK's leading providers of Government-funded Welfare to Work initiatives.

They will also discuss the problems faced by long-term unemployed people and what more could be done to tackle the benefits culture. A report last week claimed that in some Birmingham constituencies more than 30 per cent of children are growing up in homes dependent on benefits such as Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance, Incapacity Benefit and Severe Disablement Allowance.

Launched in Solihull in 1998 with just a handful of employees, PPDG has grown significantly and now employs 650 staff. Working in partnership with Jobcentre Plus and other organisations, it delivers employment and training initiatives helping disadvantaged job seekers in Birmingham, Solihull, West Bromwich, The Marches, Liverpool, Teesside and Islington access the workplace or self-employment.

More than 60,000 job seekers have been helped into sustained employment since the projects began. PPDG delivers a range of initiatives including Employment Zone, New Deal and Lone Parent mentoring, and Learndirect training programmes.

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Executive Attitudes Changing Towards Job Boards

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Date: 22/02/2008

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A recent article on OnRec.com, the recruitment industry magazine for online recruitment, finds that far from being the province of just the younger, less senior jobseeker, job boards are increasingly used by experienced executives to mount a pro-active job search. Read the article.

It cites shelf life of an online advert, accessibility anywhere, and the ability to sift adverts online and via e-mailed job alerts as among the benefits of online recruitment. A raft of specialist job boards targeted specifically at executives, and offshoot executive sites from large generalist job boards, are attempting to capitalise on these trends and benefits. The recent acquisition by the FT of leading executive board Exec-Appointments demonstrates the growing value in this advertising sector.

The article goes on to say that many traditional executive recruitment firms discourage the use of online recruitment in order to retain their hold on the market - perpetuating what the authors refer to as a "cloak and dagger" myth around executive search.

With executive search taking on average 6 months to get a new executive in post, and charging hefty fees up-front and along the way, clearly there's scope for alternatives.

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Global Survey of CEOs and CIOs Shows Staffing Problems and Inadequate Skills are Biggest Problem

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Date: 19/02/2008

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VISIT WEBSITE

A new worldwide survey of CEO-/CIO-level executives commissioned by the non-profit, independent IT Governance Institute (ITGI) has found that more than one-third (38%) of CEOs and CIOs worldwide point to problems relating to staff with inadequate skills while 58 percent say that insufficient number of staff remains the most common problem experienced in the last 12 months, compared to 35 percent in a similar survey conducted in 2005. In addition, 48 percent said that IT service delivery problems remain the second most common problem.

ITGI commissioned a global survey of 749 CEO-/CIO-level executives in 23 countries to determine executives' IT governance priorities and IT-related problems their organizations have faced. The IT Governance Global Status Report 2008 is available as a complimentary download at www.itgi.org.

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Marketing your Website

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Date: 07/02/2008

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Your company website may be the most useful resource and excellent public face on the internet. The trouble is that if people don't know about it, you are unlikely to get many visitors, no matter how good it is. The tips below will help you get your website to the forefront of your field and in front of your key audiences or you could ask Kaonix to do it for you:

1. Use email or an old-fashioned mailshot to let a targeted list of potential customers know about your site. By law, you must obtain your recipients' prior consent before sending them marketing emails.
2. Provide incentives to attract visitors, such as discounts for online buyers.
3. Register your site with the search engines - the starting points for keyword-based information searches - so people can find it. Each search engine site offers you a simple online registration form to fill in.
4. Announce your site on the search engines' 'what's new?' pages.
5. Negotiate to exchange links with relevant but non-competing organisations, e.g. your trade association or industry body.
6. Plug your site in all company literature, letterheads and business cards, as well as flyers and advertisements.

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Update on job market

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Date: 07/02/2008

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The UK labour market continued to slow at the start of 2008, according to January's Report on Jobs by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and KPMG.

The research revealed that softer growth of demand for staff resulted in subdued rises in permanent placements and temp billings. Meanwhile, pay growth weakened further, in part reflecting easing skill shortages.

It showed that the growth of permanent staff placements remained lacklustre in January, and was only marginally sharper than the four-and-a-half year low recorded in December. Temporary and contract staff billings increased at the slowest pace for 22 months.

Alan Nolan, director at KPMG, says: "Whilst the rate of expansion continues to slow, January's data still shows growth in both permanent and temporary placements. Despite predictions of redundancies and the financial market gloom, employers still remain optimistic. For example, many companies are planning to take on an increased number of graduates this year.

Different sectors carry on being affected in different ways. Whilst workers in the construction industry remain in demand, investment banks are seeing a reduction in graduate salaries in a bid to level out the playing field. Employers will wait and see whether the uncertainty in the job and the financial markets will lead to further interest rate cuts."

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Mind the Gap - The breakdown between HR and the Business

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Date: 30/01/2008

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Although there has been much talk over recent years about HR stepping up to take its place at the leadership table, new research from activ8 highlights that there is still some way to go on this journey before HR can truly say they have arrived. Despite wide spread talk about becoming a strategic value-adding function, it appears the reality is very different with operational necessity rather than strategic value being king. The result? A startling gap between the opinions of human resources professionals and those in business management roles on a range of issues, including the recruitment strategy and the overall contribution of HR to the business.

The area of recruitment in particular threw up some worrying results. Of the organisations surveyed, 72% of HR respondents assigned a high priority to the statement 'Anything that gets vacancies filled more quickly', while only 28% of businesspeople felt this was relevant.

Efficient or effective?

So why after all the endless debates, restructures, outsourcing/in-sourcing and change programmes that HR tackle each year, is there still such an alarming gap between what HR think they need to do to add most value to their organisations and what the businesses think is important?

One potential reason that the research highlights is the focus HR are still placing on efficiency inputs rather than effectiveness outputs. Whilst one in 5 HR managers stated that improving recruitment administration was one of their top 3 priorities for the year, just 4% felt that improving the person-role fit role was one of their priorities despite the fact that over a third of line managers thought this was vital for the success of the business. Laurence Collins says "Whilst the focus for HR continues to be on reducing the time it takes for recruitment paperwork to be passed around the organisation, rather than on ensuring the recruitment process is delivering the right talent at the right time in the right roles in order to achieve business objectives, HR will continue to be seen as a cost rather than a value add function."

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