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War for talent leads to pay rises despite downturn |
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Date: 31/03/2009 |
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The war for talent rages on despite the recession as more than two thirds (67%) of employers are planning to award some form of pay rise in 2009.
Research from talent management firm Ochre House shows more than a third (34%) of organisations have the same HR budget as last year and 16% have a bigger budget. And while 19% are making redundancies, 14% predict their headcount will increase this year.
Half the organisations surveyed (50%) said they would be awarding pay rises of 2%-3% this year, down from 56% in 2008.
Eight out of 10 organisations are optimistic about the economy in predicting things will improve either in or before 2010.
Chris Herrmannsen, CEO of Ochre House, said: "Although we are definitely well into a serious downturn, there appears to be a general unwillingness to shed staff if it can be avoided."
www.hrmagazine.co.uk
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TwitterJobSearch gets the juice out of Twitter to help you find a job |
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Date: 25/03/2009 |
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So you've probably heard about Twitter quite a bit this year, right?! Whether it's from the news, presenters like Jonathan Ross and Ellen DeGeneres, celebrities such as Stephen Fry, Aston Kutcher and Demi Moore, or even friends and family, Twitter is fast becoming the 'next big thing'. But did you know that in amongst all the tweeting and twittering, there are thousands upon thousands of great job opportunities which often appear on Twitter before they go anywhere else?
Twitter is now able to help people find out about all these jobs by organising them onto a simple, searchable website. Twitter members know just how hard it can be to find information from the 1.3 billion plus (yes, really!) messages posted so far and trying to search for all the different words used to describe just one job takes far too long. And is it really worth spending all that time registering and finding the recruiters to speak to or jobs to apply for unless you're planning on using it regularly?
This is why TwitterJobSearch helps. Instead of needing to become a Twitter Master, just visit TwitterJobSearch to get hold of every single job opportunity that has been added onto the Twitter site. Find jobs by browsing through different industries, locations, salaries and more, or just type in the kind of thing you're looking for and TwitterJobSearch will do the rest. As a quick example, searching on Twitter for 'marketing manager new York job' gives 19 jobs, on TwitterJobSearch you get 4122. If being a Sales Director in London is the job you want, searching on Twitter gives you 4, yet TwitterJobSearch finds you 6202! Its clever technology knows that retailing can include shops or stores, sales also means business development and branding is part of marketing, which gives you much more choice.
Once you've found the right kind of job, it's quick and easy to sort out the results by date added, job type or skills for example to get the perfect shortlist together. On the site, you can of course choose to click over to the message on Twitter, or follow the person who posted it, but you can also jump straight across to the website that has the vacancy if that's why you came to visit the TwitterJobSearch site. Since the website came out just one week ago, TwitterJobSearch has already sent people to over 100,000 job opportunities, which shows just how useful it is!
TwitterJobSearch currently has over 30,000 jobs covering every industry and every type of job, about 3% of all the vacancies out there in fact. As more businesses use Twitter, more jobs will be added there, all of which immediately go on TwitterJobSearch. With bad news on the work front coming out all too often at the moment, the 100% free to use TwitterJobSearch is the first place to visit if you need to get a job this year.
www.TwitterJobSearch.com
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Ten signs you might be made redundant (and what to do) |
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Date: 24/03/2009 |
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As iProfile.org reveals nearly 30% of British workers believe there's a good chance they will be made redundant this year, the online CV expert highlights the ten signs you should be looking out for and how to be prepared.
With the British Chambers of Commerce predicting that one in ten of us could be jobless by summer next year, it's unsurprising that a recent poll by iProfile.org found that nearly 30% of workers believe there is a good chance they will be made redundant in the next 12 months. More worrying is that 61% are completely unprepared for losing their job and have done nothing to increase their chances of keeping it.
To help those worried about their job, online CV provider iProfile.org has identified ten signs that redundancy could well be on the horizon. Spotting the signs your job might be in danger, before it's too late, can put you in a much stronger position, either by allowing you to show your employer how valuable you are or by giving you a head start in looking for something else.
Ten signs to look out for:
1. Your company isn't doing well/the boss gives a speech on tough times ahead
2. Recruitment freeze
3. Rumours around work about potential redundancies
4. Your annual pay review is postponed/you're overlooked for an expected promotion
5. Your expense account/company car allowance gets cut
6. The annual party is cancelled
7. Your manager or boss does not include you in meetings
8. Large number of teams/people being reorganised
9. Unusual amount of off-site/closed-door meetings with senior management
10. Extreme micro management and criticism
While these signs may not always spell the end, if they do sound familiar making yourself indispensable to your employer can only work in your favour.
Top tips for jobkeeping:
- Give your clients or customers the best possible service - it will be harder for your employer to make you redundant if customers like you
- Ask to take on more responsibilities - show that you have capacity to produce more than you currently are
- Shout about your successes - make sure your boss knows about your great new sales win by dropping it into conversation next time you're both in the lift
- Are you dressed for success? As the mantra goes - dress for the job you want, not the job you've got
- Ask for a mentor/offer to be someone's mentor to show your commitment to the business, and your eagerness to learn
- Volunteer for more training - it shows you're prepared to adapt and by taking on new responsibilities and skills, you're making yourself more valuable to an employer
No matter what effort you put in, you still may find yourself facing redundancy. The best preparation you can make is to get you CV ready before you get any bad news. If you're ready to hit the ground running this will put you one step ahead, giving you first pick of any relevant jobs against other colleagues. Worryingly, research by iProfile.org has shown that 83% of employees don't keep their CV updated.
The signs of redundancy and tops tips for keeping your job form part of iProfile.org's recent Recession Survival Guide for Jobseekers and Jobkeepers, aimed at addressing the gap between the number of workers who think they will be made redundant and the number who are preparing for it.
"We understand that facing unemployment can be a daunting time, but we're surprised by how little people are doing to help improve their situation," explains Daniel Elkins, co-Founder, iProfile.org. "Our research found that only 39% of those surveyed had taken measures to safeguard their job; just 16% had worked unpaid overtime; 8% of employees have postponed their holidays; a tiny 3% have bought smarter clothes for work; and 2% have volunteered to take a pay cut or switch from full time to part time employment."
Elkins continues, "One of the easiest and most effective things jobseekers or jobkeepers can do is update their CV, however, our survey results show that only 17% of workers have ensured their CV is up-to-date. Your CV is the key to securing a job, and in the current climate you never know when you might need it. If you're made redundant it's possible you won't be able to return to your desk, let alone collect any relevant information as evidence of your work achievements."
www.iprofile.org
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Jobcentres ask recruitment agencies for help |
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Date: 23/03/2009 |
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Following the Prime Minister's 'Jobs Summit' in January, the REC has been in regular dialogue with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) over proposed measures that could provide opportunities for REC members.
The DWP is now seeking expressions of interest from agencies who are interested in delivering additional support for Jobseekers from professional or higher-end of the jobs market.
The scheme, which will go live on 6th April, will use approved recruitment agencies to provide guidance on job hunting activities, skills needs and possible job opportunities. Candidates will be referred to the project through Jobcentre Plus advisers.
Recruitment companies will be expected to show past experience of working with the target group and an indication of the catchment area in which they operate. In addition, REC members can refer to the Code of Practice, industry qualifications and other quality measures to underline their credentials.
Participating recruitment agencies will receive £150 per person payable on completion of the provision and a customised action plan for the job-seeker. Although this will mainly be one to one support, some agencies may chose to provide some of the support through group sessions.
There are huge time pressures to get new initiatives up and running which is why the new scheme is being brought in at such short notice.
The speed of implementation has raised a number of concerns that the REC is currently discussing with senior DWP officials. Specific issues include what quality control measures can be put in place and how the referral process will operate in practice.
The REC is currently working with Government on other campaigns for example, extending the 'golden hello' payment that was announced at the PM's Jobs Summit to temp assignments. The Employment Minister Tony McNulty confirmed this week that the Government are considering the RECs proposals.
www.rec.uk.com
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Jobs.co.uk launches on Twitter |
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Date: 20/03/2009 |
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jobs.co.uk, the unique, employer only jobs portal, has now launched on Twitter.
The new jobs feed service means that you can now follow all of the latest jobs from some of the best known employers in the UK.
jobs.co.uk is exclusive to companies who use the web-cruit range of talent management solutions from kaonix and who all have one thing in common: a commitment to providing job seekers with the best possible job application experience.
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Employer branding still makes its mark |
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Date: 12/03/2009 |
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Not so long ago, brand identities had an air of permanence. Woolworths was seen as a reliable employer, working for Northern Rock made you the pride of a regional community, and RBS was an enviable destination for high-flying graduates. But now that such long-held reputations can be burst in the blink of an eye, has the logic of employer branding been undermined - or has the recession merely pushed other brands to the fore?
One company whose brand is flying high is KPMG, which has just been named top of the "Best Companies to Work For" list in The Sunday Times, for the third time in four years. But the consultancy is far from immune to the downturn: only two months ago it announced contingency plans to allow staff flexible working, such as four-day weeks or sabbaticals, to stave off economic pressure. So why do employees continue to view its brand so positively?
"We've been working hard on internal communications with our people, and making our leadership visible," says Rachel Campbell, head of people at KPMG. "Recession does not necessarily have to mean reduced engagement - in fact, it can mean that engagement rises if your people see that it is tough outside and that all of us inside the company are standing together."
Campbell is in no doubt about the recruitment benefits of a strong employer brand - she says that success in the Best Companies list in recent years has led to an increase in applicants, and more diversity among them - but says that such branding must be more than skin deep. "We probably spend less on marketing than many of our competitors, but I would rather invest in the experience that people have when they come to work here," she says.
The Best Companies list measures engagement by asking employees about their managers, teams and companies. Pete Bradon, head of research at Best Companies, says that while feelings about managers, teams and workplaces are concrete, feelings about brands tend to be more fickle. "Employee engagement is integral to employer brand in that it's a measure of how proud people are to work there," he says. "In some companies the firm is synonymous with a brand - Microsoft, for example - but the difficulty is that some companies cross multiple brands, such as a car dealer selling four or five brands of car. You could absolutely love working for somebody but not want to buy their products."
Banks are the most obvious example of brands that have been hit hard in the past 12 months, and the Best Companies list partly bears this out. Morgan Stanley, at number eight, is now the only financial institution in the higher echelons of the list, whereas last year it was accompanied in the top 20 by Goldman Sachs, RBS Retail and Deutsche Bank, as well as Britannia Building Society. This trend is less a result of reduced engagement and more the fact that "three or four of the major players simply didn't enter this year", according to Bradon.
The inevitable effect of the past year is that graduates are now likely to think twice about choosing banking as a profession -that's if there are jobs available for them. Indeed, the phrase "employer brand" conjures up images of recruitment - snappy stalls at graduate-recruitment fairs, lavish websites and brochures and impressive advertisements. So when recruitment grinds to a standstill, is it still worth concerning yourself with, or investing money in, your employer brand?
"That view is based on a misconception and it goes back to the fact that, too often, employer brand is perceived as being purely recruitment related," says Martin Cerullo, director of resourcing communications at Alexander Mann Solutions. "It operates through an employee's whole lifecycle - retention is just as important. In years such as this, you could argue that even more needs to be done to manage your brand proactively. Hiring is down but it has not stopped, and there are more negative perceptions out there that need to be handled."
Spending on recruitment processes might be falling, but there may be a greater call for internal communications and leadership training, says Cerullo. Tough times could alter what people value in a job: if candidates and staff are placing a greater emphasis on security, for example, your brand should reflect that.
Julia Claydon, HR director at restaurant chain Nando's, is another believer in creating a strong brand (Nando's did not enter the list this year but received the maximum three stars in Best Companies' accreditation scheme). "For me, employer brand is what we stand for - what do you want people to say about you and feel about you when they work for you," says Claydon. "In our sector, we are quite well known, but good branding through awards such as this helps when you are recruiting outside of your sector, in support functions such as HR, IT or finance. Let's face it, our sector has not always had the best name in the world for the way it treats its people."
Indeed, whether it is Iceland, KFC, McDonald's or Subway, the evidence is that retailers of affordable food are doing best in the economy, and are taking on extra staff. But many still have overcome negative perceptions about their employer brand, as opposed to their strong consumer brand.
Susan Yell is HR director at Iceland, which came fourteenth in the Best Companies list. She says that the firm's employer brand and consumer brands both revolve around creating a "family feel". But she adds: "Our challenge is to ensure that people do not confuse our positioning as a low-cost value retailer and assume that they would be faced with a 'budget' experience as an employee."
The essence of a successful brand remains elusive, but even in tough times a good brand can be an undeniable strength.
Rebecca Clake, CIPD adviser, organisation and resourcing, says: "Employer branding is still important, and in times such as these it's more important than ever. Budgets are under pressure, and it's now that HR needs to demonstrate that it is true to its principles. If you cannot avoid making redundancies, then you will need to work hard to look after the people who are leaving and the ones who remain, to retain the impression of how good an employer you are."
The top 20 best big companies to work for:
1 (1 in 2008) KPMG
2 (15) Bourne Leisure
3 (7) American Express Services Europe
4 (14) Marriott Hotels
5 (8) Mott MacDonald
6 (4) Sytner Group
7 (11) PricewaterhouseCoopers
8 (9) Morgan Stanley
9 (12) Deloitte & Touche
10 (13) Atkins
11 (6) Telefónica O2
12 (-) Accenture UK
13 (18) Mothercare
14 (-) Iceland
15 (19) AXA
16 (16) Mouchel
17 (-) British Gas
18 (17) Vodafone
19 (-) Barchester Healthcare
20 (-) 3663 First for Foodservice
www.peoplemanagement.co.uk
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Using Facebook and Twitter for business relationships requires own kind of communication skills |
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Date: 06/03/2009 |
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One in 10 employees are now using Facebook and Twitter to manage professional relationships but 30% of employees feel harassed by the sheer number of messages they receive and are unsure of the best ways to communicate.
According to a report from BT Business, 15% of people aged 18 to 24 use social networking to manage customer relationships - six times the number of over 45s that do likewise.
Bill Murphy, managing director at BT Business, said: "It is great to see business taking up new technology to build profitable relationships but many are missing out on the opportunity to get rid of the clutter and unify their communications."
But psychologist Gladeana McMahon added: "It is important people recognise the difference between communicating virtually and face-to-face. We often read others body language to gauge what people are saying, adapting our response to get a better result. In the virtual world we don't have the same clues to help us modify our behaviour so we must try to identify 'digital personality types' in other ways to ensure business success."
www.hrmagazine.co.uk
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Thoughts on Employer Brand |
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Date: 05/03/2009 |
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Some thoughts on Employer Brand by Matt Burney, Sales Director, Onrec.com / Online Recruitment Magazine.
Strong organisations are built around employees that understand your employer brand values. Sounds obvious right? Well, really it is and there are a number of companies out there that live and die by that credo but for every one that does there are hundreds that don't.
Some people will argue (believe me they have this week) that it's pointless to consider employer / employee branding at the moment, everyone is so desperate for a job that they'll do anything to keep it and there are so many candidates available that they don't have to try very hard to find the right person. Terrible attitude but I'm 100% certain that everyone in the staffing industry can name at least 2 companies off the top of their head who think that way.
So, in this climate, why is employer brand worth discussing? According to Maritz 39% of polled employees felt that brand image and reputation helped them decide to join the organisation they worked for. Net result, there are happier employees who stay in their jobs longer, have more company loyalty and will increase their productivity. That's the given, in this market though it's actually deeper than that. When there are so many candidates out there applying for roles and people feel a level of insecurity they have, perhaps, not felt before good employers need to step up to the plate and reassure current employees and really create a sense of community and dialogue about what is going on within an organisation. How many people have looked at their company's share price and felt the fear in the pit of their stomach that it can only mean one thing, whispered around the water cooler "cutbacks"?
It always amazes me that when times get tough the knee jerk for a lot of companies is to pull their heads in and shy away from being open with their staff, Jackie Orme from the CIPD was recently saying that the HR dept needs to be "more than and emergency room" and "professionals in the industry need to focus on sustainable performance, innovation and leadership." This is all absolutely true but I wonder what the HR industry has been doing all this time if it's not been doing that. I did several pieces of consultancy work (pre Onrec) with large employers discussing employer brand and reputation and it was surprising that HR usually found the employer brand conversation something new and exciting but something they had not explored, in most cases HR and Marketing had never spoken and had not considered that they should beyond the marketing team possibly providing them with an image for a press ad.
Internally changing the way you speak to your staff is easy to do, low end rewards and time taken by management teams to discuss concerns and issues can be put in place over night, creating an internal company blog that is both informative and not overly corporate in feel can break down a lot of barriers and really HR should be looking at how they can do thing like this with a low or nominal cost that can show a near instant benefit to the company.
Externally the issue is possibly even more important. As we all know a poor candidate experience leads to companies gaining a poor reputation. When I worked as a high street recruiter (many years ago), I remember one particular and very large employer who no one wanted to work for. When I met them I was impressed with their offices, attitude to their staff, training and benefits, the problem was when people applied to work there the recruitment process was so clunky and inefficient that by the time they got around to replying to applications (if they did at all) people had either got another job or decided that if they were going to be treated that way then they didn't want to work there anyway as they perceived (wrongly) that the experience of working form them would be similar. As a recruiter they were very frustrating as it could take them over a month to decide to interview pre selected candidates we had sent them.
In the world we live in right now and with a huge number of candidates in the market our response to an applicant is more important than ever.
Protecting your brand image should be at the forefront of your mind. Poor candidate experience may damage the core brand, and no one can afford to lose potential customers.
Despite the volume there will be some people you wish you could employ. O.K. So you don't have a job for them right now but when the markets are more stable and you wish you could have that person on board what would make them consider a job with you and what have you done to keep them engaged and interested?
Creating a buzz through employer branding. How many times have you seen a great recruitment site and forwarded it on to someone? I know I have to people in the industry but also to people I know are looking for work.
Engaging with your future employees. Having a dialogue is a great idea and using that to understand why people want to work for you is invaluable. Alumni groups, fan pages, review sites, they all feed into your online brand reputation, if you bother to engage with these groups then you are more likely to be viewed as an employer of choice.
www.onrec.com
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Kaonix technology leads to regional employment award |
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Date: 04/03/2009 |
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A leading Welfare-to-Work organisation is celebrating after one of its clients won a skills award at a top industry award ceremony.
Pertemps People Development Group (PPDG) worked with Jason Churchill - winner of the Work Skills award at the Local Employment Partnership (LEP) awards - for more than 12 months to provide training and coaching to support him in his job search after unsuccessfully battling unemployment for almost two years.
The ceremony - which was hosted by Jobcentre Plus at Newcastle United Football Club - awarded Mr Churchill, 37, from Southbank in Middlesbrough, following his successful transition from unemployment to full time work with ASDA, in Teesport. At the end of the evening Mr Churchill was also awarded Overall LEP Achievement Winner.
Ed Walker, employment coach at PPDG's Redcar Centre, said: "When I first met Jason he faced a number of challenges to help him on the road to employment including a lack of confidence and interview experience."
"So we sat down and chatted about his aspirations and how we could help him achieve them. Through bespoke mentoring and tailored training we empowered him to take ownership of his individual learning, which helped to accelerate his development."
"He improved his basic literacy and numeracy levels through access to in-house Learn Direct courses, participated in confidence and motivational building and benefited from the PPDG mentoring programme."
"This award win is the cherry on top of the cake for us as it highlights what we are doing provides real value and importantly celebrates his individual success too."
Using their Client-match system from Kaonix, PPDG sourced a job opportunity for Jason, which he successfully passed an interview for, and he gained a job as a warehouse operator for ASDA. Mr Churchill has not looked back; in fact he was also identified for fast-track learning with his new employers.
Ray Brown, Mr Churchill's manager at the ASDA import centre, said: "I had the privilege of interviewing Jason and realised very quickly he would integrate well with our current workforce."
"Despite the job role being alien to his previous employment history, he learned the role swiftly and in fact has a great desire now for self-improvement and has engaged in many of our staff training schemes."
"We are incredibly proud he won his award as it really symbolises the huge journey he has been on."
The award win comes after a difficult two-year period of unemployment for Mr Churchill who is proud at beating hundreds of entrants to the post: "I was over the moon when the announcer called out my name to tell me I won the award - it was such a great surprise especially after the quantity and quality of the entrants," he said.
www.ppdg.co.uk
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HR feels Facebook "fear factor" |
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Date: 02/03/2009 |
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HR needs to take advantage of the many opportunities presented by Web 2.0 technology, according to a new CIPD report.
Concerns about misuse and employee bad behaviour are creating a "Facebook fear factor" which needs to be overcome if firms are to feel the benefits of the technology, says the report, "Web 2.0 and HRM: 'Groundswell' or hype?"
HR must not lose out on the possibility of playing an important role in guiding Web 2.0's adoption to improve business performance, it warned.
The report lays out a systems framework to help HR professionals think about how web-based content in the form of text, videos, opinions and other applications can be transferred, through new Web 2.0 social media technologies, into important HR outputs.
Vanessa Robinson, CIPD adviser, organisation and resourcing, said: "Web 2.0 provides employees with new tools for collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Its open, democratic nature, however, has meant that many HR professionals are focusing on the negative side, which is a shame as Web 2.0 is here to stay."
"HR is in danger of playing catch-up as a profession in failing to advance the interests of organisations by navigating them through the undoubted benefits," she said. "Organisations will be increasingly faced with employees seeking to use Web 2.0 social media technologies at work, so rather than ignore them or ban them outright they will need to adopt sensible policies that fit a particular context."
The report cites case-study examples of organisations that have made innovative use of social networking, including T-Mobile, the NHS and the Royal Opera House.
www.cipd.co.uk
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Kaonix is tweeting |
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Date: 27/02/2009 |
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Kaonix is now tweeting!
If you want to follow Kaonix on twitter then click here or on the twitter logo below.
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Internet the 'only choice' for an increasing number of job seekers |
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Date: 26/02/2009 |
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The largest ever online recruitment survey shows the number of people exclusively using the internet to look for a job has doubled since 2007.
The annual National Online Recruitment Audience Survey (NORAS), published today, surveyed over 50,000 online job seekers between September and December 2008. The results show that 1 in 7 online job seekers now use only the internet to look for jobs - a figure up from 1 in 11 a year ago and more than doubling the figure of 1 in 16 in 2007.
In addition, the NORAS results show that the internet continues to be an effective medium for job seekers, with one in four online job seekers having obtained a job that they searched for, found and applied to online.
Giles Guest, managing director of Enhance Media - the online recruitment research and strategy company that produces NORAS commented - "NORAS 2009 shows that the internet is becoming an increasingly important and dominant channel in recruitment. The year on year results also show that the downturn is accelerating the move towards online hiring as companies look to save costs wherever possible during the recruitment cycle."
The survey - now in its eighth year - also reveals that online job seekers are increasingly turning to new technologies to look for jobs, with one in ten saying that they have used a smart phone or blackberry to look for a job. Guest commented "Job seekers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and using all the online tools available to them to find new roles."
Online job seekers were also found to be willing to improve their skills and qualifications in order to get the right job, with 78% saying they would be prepared to take a course or qualification to further their career.
The NORAS 2009 results are available to download free at www.noras.co.uk from 23rd February 2009. An interactive tool is also available free and combines NORAS audience data with independent ABCe audited web site traffic figures to enable recruiters to compare job sites and choose the right job board for their recruitment needs.
ABCe have worked with Enhance Media for all of the eight annual NORAS surveys and Richard Foan, managing director stated "We are delighted to continue our work with Enhance Media and support of NORAS and welcome the commitment of recruitment websites to delivering on-going third party, independently audited web traffic data to industry agreed standards."
The 31 sites participating in NORAS 2009 are:
www.onrec.com
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Nurturing talent saves costs |
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Date: 25/02/2009 |
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As the economic downturn bites, a new report from the Cranfield School of Management, commissioned by learndirect Business, reveals organisations that invest in their staff are best placed to save money (44 per cent); improve staff motivation (33 per cent); and increase employee retention
(52 per cent).
The Nurturing Talent report found employers making strategic, rather than operational staff development decisions, are best placed to achieve these benefits - for example, successful organisations are typified by those that use formal training policies to nurture talent (45 per cent). Less successful organisations were more likely to train staff on an ad hoc basis (46 per cent).
However, although the report highlights the fact training and development can have significant benefits, such as increased staff motivation and retention, only a third (34 per cent) of employers have a formal training strategy. The report, which was compiled using responses from 1,189 training and recruitment decision makers, reveals over three-quarters of employers (78 per cent) see skills development as more beneficial to their organisation compared with recruiting staff externally.
Dr Emma Parry, senior research fellow, Cranfield School of Management, who authored the report, said:
"With training budgets arguably among the first to go in a recession, this research demonstrates that growing your own is an effective way for organisations to obtain the skills they need while saving money."
Sarah Jones, chief executive of Ufi, the organisation responsible for learndirect and learndirect Business, said:
"The business case for developing staff is compelling. Effective training can reduce staff turnover and absenteeism, improve motivation, increase productivity, help boost and improve customer satisfaction. By focusing resources on nurturing existing talent, organisations can ensure they reap significant rewards."
www.talentmanagementreview.com
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Jobs market 'will grow in long term' |
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Date: 20/02/2009 |
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The UK jobs market will grow in the long term despite the current economic downturn, according to a new report.
The Working Futures report, by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, predicts a total of 13.5 million job openings between now and 2017, two million of which will be new.
Jobs growth in the computing and service sector will be particularly strong, while an increase in opportunities is also expected in the distribution and transport sectors. The 2012 Olympics is expected to create up to 170,000 jobs in the long term, according to the report.
Skills secretary John Denham welcomed the findings.
"In the short term we are making sure that people who lose their jobs have access to the real help they need. But we must not lose sight of the future needs of our economy and do all we can to help people get the secure career jobs they want and need in the industries where growth will be the strongest in the coming years," he said.
Denham added that the government was working to "reform the skills system" to help bring together employers, training providers and unions to tackle any job shortages.
The report came as a new economic forecast predicted that unemployment will rise to 3.25 million by the end of 2010.
Ahead of the publication of official figures later this week, the Ernst & Young ITEM Club forecast that the next year will see the largest contraction of GDP since 1946. It also warned that without additional government intervention a deep recession could evolve into a depression.
www.peoplemanagement.co.uk top
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Businesses risking time, money and lawsuits on bad interviews |
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Date: 16/02/2009 |
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Job interviewers are risking landing their organisation in legal hot water, according to research out today. On average, around half (54%) of UK interviewers are unable to correctly identify illegal questions, yet staying the right side of the law scores low on their list of concerns.
In addition, those who rely on their intuition make hiring decisions could be wasting their organisations thousands in costs and time by selecting the wrong person for the job. Almost half of all interviewers globally (47%) spend less than 30 minutes reviewing candidates' interview results before making a decision - less time than it takes the average Briton to commute to work.
Business leadership consultancy DDI's 2008 Global Interviewing Practices and Perceptions report surveyed 1,900 interviewers and 3,500 job-seekers across the globe and discovered some sobering facts.
Despite being a requirement for nearly every job in the world, the interview process isn't given the time it needs. Interviewers frequently come unprepared for discussion or turn candidates off with their behaviour.
Steve Newhall, Vice President for Europe at DDI, comments;
"Job interviews are simply not being given the time and effort they deserve, and could be opening up businesses to costly legal problems. The average interviewer is far more confident about their abilities than the research shows they should be. In the current climate, organisations cannot afford to risk wasting valuable time and money in hiring the wrong person into critical roles."
He continues; "This research underlines the need for organisations to have properly developed assessment and selection processes in place, and a greater awareness of the impact a good or poor hire can have on the organisation."
"Businesses' due diligence when bringing new people into the organisation is often worryingly lax. The rapid time taken to make hiring decisions, the lack of more than one perspective and the fact that interviewers believe they're doing a better job than they really are leads to a dangerous mix."
Despite UK interviewers faring well compared to their global counterparts - they are among the least likely to rely on 'gut instinct' - they are still over-rating their abilities.
Other key findings from the report show that;
88% of interviewers think interviews are 'important' or 'very important' (55%). Yet almost half (47%) make hiring decisions in 30 minutes or less.
Almost three-quarters of interviewers (73%) rate their interviewing skills an A or B, and 87% rate the overall quality of their hiring decisions as A or B.
Yet 64% also worry they'll miss important information about a candidate's weaknesses that will show up later on the job, and many cannot identify illegal questions.
Interviewers' other concerns are getting enough information to make a decision (46%) and allowing one aspect of background to influence others.
UK interviewers are among the least likely to use 'gut instinct', with only 32% saying they use this to make decisions. In comparison, 56% of their US counterparts claim to rely on this.
Job-seekers reported that their top 'turn offs' during job interviews were interview techniques that were more like interrogations (43%), taking too long to get back to them (42%) and not being up-front about details like salary, hours and expectations (39%).
Interviewers in Australia, France, and Germany appear to be the least aware illegal interview questions, with 60% unable to correctly identify them. But even in high-profile lawsuit locations such as the US and Canada, 20-40% of interviewers are still unable to recognise illegal questions.
www.onrec.com
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£1m publicity campaign to make sure agency workers get their rights |
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Date: 11/02/2009 |
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The government has launched a £1m campaign to help employment agencies understand the law about their workers.
The campaign will also use posters, the internet and local press to encourage workers to be aware of their rights.
Business Minister Pat McFadden will write to more than 13,000 employment agencies to outline how they can make sure they are complying with the law.
The government is responding to union concerns that agency workers are being cheated of their rights.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "Of course most agencies act within the law, but some agency workers miss out on the most basic employment rights, and are among the most vulnerable in the whole workforce."
"This is why we welcome the government's plans to make sure agency workers know their rights and to ensure more effective enforcement of their rights."
Minister for employment relations Pat McFadden said: "Employment agencies need to make sure they play by the rules and don't short-change their staff."
"An economic downturn should not be an excuse to deny people their rights to work."
"This campaign will help agency workers know their rights and help employers know their responsibilities."
The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, which recently doubled in size and extended its investigative powers, will also work along side the government on this campaign.
Katja Hall, director of employment policy at the CBI, welcomed the government campaign.
"Increasing people's knowledge is an important first step in ensuring that workers access the rights to which they are entitled," she said.
In April 2008, the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses (Amendment) Regulations 2007 came into force, partly to protect agency workers.
Meanwhile in October the Agency Workers Directive was passed by the European Parliament, giving temporary workers in the UK equal rights to permanent staff after 12 weeks with an employer.
www.personneltoday.com
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Supermarket expansion plans are good news for customer service professionals |
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Date: 06/02/2009 |
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The creation of over 30,000 new jobs across the major UK supermarket groups is good news for people with professional customer service skills, according to the Institute of Customer Service.
"People with proven customer service skills will be well placed to take advantage of these new opportunities as their skills are completely transferable," said David Parsons, chief executive of the Institute.
His comments come as Asda became the latest of the UK food retailers to announce the new jobs, adding to similar plans from Morrisons, Sainsburys, Tesco, Waitrose and frozen food chain Iceland.
"The retail food sector is holding up well in the current economic climate, perhaps because people are eating at home rather than going out," said David. "And while the cost of the weekly shopping basket is important in the current climate, for many customers it is not just about price but also about the overall experience. This is where the skills of customer-facing staff will be the defining factor."
The Institute has been the driver for the development of the National Occupational Standards for customer service and the qualifications based on them. It offers its own ICS Professional Awards and helps members to further develop their careers through its continuous professional development programme. Opportunities to gain professional customer service qualifications continue to expand.
"The Government has announced a further 35,000 apprenticeship places for the coming year and it is a fact that customer service apprenticeships are among the most widely used of these qualifications in the UK," added David.
www.instituteofcustomerservice.com
www.onrec.com
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BCC win first hurdle for a freeze on National Minimum Wage |
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Date: 23/01/2009 |
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The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has won the first hurdle in persuading the Low Pay Commission to recommend a freeze on the National Minimum Wage.
Today the Low Pay Commission has delayed making its recommendation to Government, for two months. The Commission would like more time to consider the current economic outlook.
Last month, the BCC urged the Low Pay Commission to recommend maintaining the National Minimum Wage (NMW) at its current level next year and until economic conditions have significantly improved.
The BCC calculated that another increase in NMW, at the same amount as in 2008, would cost businesses £300 million.
The BCC argued that hard-pressed businesses will be unable to afford a wage increase anywhere near that sum, and as a result, a zero per cent rise in the NMW should be adopted next year.
The business group is stressing that any increase above zero per cent risks adding to unemployment, which the BCC has already forecast to reach 3.1 million by 2010.
Commenting, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, David Frost, said: "We're not opposed to the minimum wage going up when employment is high and the economy is doing well, but when jobs are being lost daily and a recession is in full swing, it makes no sense to increase the NMW."
"Most businesses are prioritising survival at the moment. A rise in minimum wage would not help firms hold onto staff and would simply add to unemployment. We continue to urge the Low Pay Commission to recommend a freeze."
www.britishchambers.org.uk
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Where are online job seekers looking for their next position? |
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Date: 21/01/2009 |
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According to Hitwise UK, the internet intelligence organisation, market share of job seeker traffic for January 2009 across the top 'job sites' was as follows (previous year's figures in brackets):
- Job Centre Plus 9.76% (10.34%)
- LinkedIn 4.02% (1.97%)
- NHS Careers 3.83% (3.55%)
- Reed 3.58% (3.20%)
- Totaljobs 2.82% (3.50%)
- Jobsite UK 2.72% (2.20%)
- Monster 2.65% (3.06%)
- Guardian Jobs 1.93% (1.69%)
- TES Jobs 1.77% (2.23%)
Meanwhile, New Media Age is reporting that Monster Worldwide has invested $130m (£89m) to relaunch its international sites in a bid to save the brand as the job market dries up. The global rollout, which takes in the company's 24 international sites including Monster.co.uk, sees the site introduce a range of interactive tools in a bid to engage active and passive job seekers as the recession bites and fewer jobs are advertised.
Monster aims to position the brand as the trusted recruitment site and is betting its future on Web 2.0 tools, such as a career-mapping tool letting users follow the careers of similar people, and a career benchmark so they can measure themselves against other individuals.
The global move coincides with activity by publisher Trinity Mirror, which has relaunched its regional recruitment platform. It plans to reinvigorate the network during the economic downturn with mini-sites, enhanced recruiter branding, keyword sponsorship and a database of CVs.
The moves aim to shore up the brands ahead of troubled times as advertised positions decline sharply and job sites struggle to gain users.
The employment category recorded a 3.8% decrease in traffic on previous years for the week ending 3 January, according to Hitwise UK. However, it did see a seasonal 11.6% increase in the same week caused by anxious users keen to investigate the state of the market.
Robin Goad, research director at Hitwise UK, said, "Last week traffic was down 3.8% on the equivalent week last year. It looks like the unseasonable autumn increase has been replaced by a dip in traffic as the realities of the credit crunch hit home. There's less incentive to go to a job site if there aren't as many jobs being advertised."
Totaljobs.com, the UK's fifth-largest recruitment site, said the sector had already experienced sharp decreases in volumes in November and December. Marketing director Michael Robinson said, "The next two to three weeks will be key."
However, Mark Rhodes, head of marketing at Reed.co.uk, claimed declining job listings weren't deterring online job seekers. "Already in 2009 we've seen our busiest day ever, with more 75,000 applications being made on 5 January," he said. "Recruiters will increasingly look to post their jobs on sites that can guarantee a return on their spend, while the relevance and quality of applicants will assume greater importance than ever. Recruitment sites that can't deliver the right candidates in a cost-effective and timely manner will disappear."
According to Hitwise UK, business social network LinkedIn, which falls into the recruitment category, has seen an 81.1% rise in traffic in the last 12 months, taking it from eighth-to second-largest audience.
Europe MD Kevin Ayres said the site's networking tools were a key reason for its accelerating growth. "It's times like these, with a dynamic market, that we want to make sure our decisions are correct, so people use our network," he said.
But Rhodes argued the economic uncertainty will drive people away from social media sites in favour of traditional job listings. "Job seekers are looking for an efficient, functional site that delivers them well-matched jobs quickly," he said. "Additional services may be valuable but they're unlikely to be deciding factors when selecting a job site."
www.hitwise.co.uk
www.nma.co.uk
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Almost 40% of employers will increase business support headcount says new report |
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Date: 13/01/2009 |
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Over half of employers will keep their permanent hiring of business support professionals at the same level and 39% will increase headcount during 2009. That's according to the 2009 market report and salary survey just released by secretarial and business support recruiter Crone Corkill.
Additionally, while general market data is predicting a downturn in temporary hiring overall, the report says that evolving legislative changes around flexible working practices will continue to impact on hiring demand. "Maternity leave, for example, is often a big driver of temporary demand," says Tracy Durrant, Managing Director of Crone Corkill, "And with maternity and paternity leave rights becoming more generous, we would expect this to be a continuing trend throughout 2009."
Other key findings from the report which surveyed employers across the commerce, industry, financial services and not for profit sectors included:
- Languages in high demand as organisations become more internationally focused.
- An emerging trend towards the Team PA driven by challenging market conditions.
- A trend towards longer term temporary contracts.
- Legal Secretaries now much more involved in client facing duties such as events and marketing.
- Over 20% of employers reported a shortage of receptionists and top level Executive Assistants.
- 15% of employers said that they had plans to increase recruitment from overseas during 2009.
Download the full report (PDF)
www.cronecorkill.co.uk
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Government to offer firms 'golden hello' |
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Date: 13/01/2009 |
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The Government has announced plans to pay employers up to £2,500 for every unemployed person they recruit and train, as part of measures to safeguard jobs during the recession.
The incentives were announced following the government's job summit, which the CIPD, among others, attended to give advice on how to deal with increasing unemployment, which now stands at 1.8 million. Last week computer manufacturer Dell announced the loss of 1,900 jobs in Ireland, and Marks and Spencer said 1,200 jobs were being cut in the UK.
The Department of Work and Pensions and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills will invest £500 million over two years to help those who have been unemployed for over six months.
Work and Pensions minister James Purnell said: "There are still over half a million jobs available, and employers are still recruiting - we will do everything we can get people into those jobs. Our message is simple, the longer a person is out of work the harder we will work for them."
Meanwhile, the Federation of Small Businesses has launched a blueprint for tackling rising unemployment with a plan to create 400,000 new jobs by promoting part-time working, investing in apprenticeships and giving small business more opportunities to bid for public contracts. John Wright, national chairman, said: "We are calling for the government to help small businesses to continue to invest in recruitment and training so they can grow stronger and more competitive, creating quality jobs and doing their bit to pull the UK out of the recession as quickly as possible."
www.peoplemanagement.co.uk
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UK jobs market getting tougher by the month, says Hays |
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Date: 09/01/2009 |
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Recruitment company Hays has warned that "every month is getting harder than the last" for the job market, with a significant slowdown not just in the property and finance sectors but also IT, human resources and legal.
Hays revealed a 22pc fall in revenue from UK recruitment in the fourth quarter, as demand for permanent positions continues to fall at an increasing rate. Across its international business, revenue tumbled 10pc on weak performance in the UK, Australia and Asia.
Finance director Paul Venables said it is unlikely that the market will recover any time in 2009, with the company expecting a decline in profits when it reports.
He warned that the employment market is "tough and will get tougher" even though the majority of sectors have already been hit by companies scaling back their staff, including Hays itself.
"Right now, you want to be a credit controller, or a project manager working on the Olympics," Mr Venables said. "Only six months ago I could have given more areas that were strong than were weak, but that's not the case now."
Another 10pc of the workforce, a total of 500 positions, was cut at Hays this quarter, taking the total job losses to 20pc of global staff this year.
However, temporary recruitment grew 4pc in the quarter as employers turned to short-term workers to cover their staffing needs.
There was also growth of 10pc from public sector clients, particularly in the healthcare, social housing and education areas, as the Government became the UK's biggest advertiser for the first time since 2001.
Rival recruitment company Michael Page also reported a slowdown, with fourth quarter profits falling 7pc to £119m and full-year pre-tax profits down 5pc to £140m.
"Market conditions became noticeably more difficult during the fourth quarter, with many jobs being cancelled or put on hold," said chief executive Steve Ingham.
The company cut 509 jobs, or 9pc of the workforce, in the fourth quarter, as reacted to the "cautionary behavious of clients and candidates" by reducing its costs.
"Life remains challenging for Michael Page International, although there is comfort in the strong cash pile," said David O'Brien, an analyst at Altium Securities.
www.telegraph.co.uk
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Redundancies should be a last resort, says CIPD |
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Date: 07/01/2009 |
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The cost of making an employee redundant can reach £16,375, meaning redundancies should be a last resort for businesses in 2009, according to the CIPD.
This cost does not consider hidden costs such as higher labour turnover and falls in staff productivity.
John Philpott, CIPD chief economist, said the estimate was likely to be conservative, and provides a hard business case why redundancies should be the last resort during the downturn.
"Businesses are under huge pressure right now and restructuring is a fact of economic life that can never be ruled out," he added. "But redundancy is itself a significant cost to most organisations, with a number of direct and indirect or hidden costs. This is particularly true if redundancies are an employer's first resort in difficult times and have to be quickly reversed by renewed hiring when economic conditions improve."
The institute has created a formula for employers to realise the genuine cost of redundancy on their business.
Philpott added: "The formula shows how redundancies can impede quick recovery from the downturn. This doesn't mean that restructuring can't take place, but it should be with a view to the long-term and not to short-term cost cutting."
"Employers should hold their nerve and focus on retaining talent and investing in the skills of their people. It is these people with their commitment, productivity and ability to add value who will ultimately keep individual businesses and the whole of the UK competitive, and put us in a strong position to recover from the downturn quickly."
www.peoplemanagement.co.uk
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iProfile predicts 7 January will be busiest day for job hunting |
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Date: 07/01/2009 |
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Online CV expert iProfile.org predicts 7 January will be one of the busiest days of the year for sending out CVs and applying for jobs, as job-seekers all over the UK put the Christmas festivities behind them, and send their CVs out to recruiters.
More than 2.7 million people in the UK have an online CV through iProfile.org, giving the company a unique insight into when most job-hunting activity takes place.
Rick Bacon, CEO of iProfile.org comments: "January is always a hectic time in the recruitment market, as many people reflect on their career over the Christmas period, even making finding a new job their New Year's resolution, and then start job-hunting in the first week back at work. In 2008, January 10th was when we saw the largest volumes of CVs updated and sent to recruiters. In 2009, we expect to see an even bigger upsurge around this time. In fact we're expecting record volumes of CVs due to the large number of people who have been made redundant in the last few months, but have delayed looking for a new job until after Christmas."
One employment lawyer has estimated that 60 percent of people who were made redundant in the latter part of last year have put off their job search until after Christmas. This compares to just 10 percent for the same time period in 2007.
This upsurge, combined with statistics from iProfile.org's database that show Wednesday is the busiest day for people sending out their CV, means iProfile has identified January 7 as the busiest day for sending out CVs post Christmas for 2009.
"There are a number of things savvy job-seekers can do to give themselves a competitive edge in this busy period," comments Rick Bacon, CEO of iProfile.org. "For example, in the current marketplace, it's important to look at your skills as well as your achievements and experience, to see which of your skills you can transfer to an industry that might be experiencing or predicting job growth."
Bacon concludes: "Getting your CV and achievements together shouldn't just be for those who are actively looking for jobs either. If you do get made redundant you're unlikely to get much warning - it's a good idea to be prepared and get all the information you need for a great CV. Quite often you won't be allowed back to collect the evidence of your achievements, such as sales figures, or how you managed an award winning campaign."
www.iprofile.org
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