September Newsletter
Kelly Piggott
I offer a free 3-month replacement on any person I place in your business because I’m that confident in the people I place!
September is here, the kids are back at school and normality is restored.
The holidays are over and now it’s the run towards Christmas (you can never be too prepared).
However, there have been a lot of changes over the summer holidays and now that things are kicking into gear for the final quarter of the year, it’s time to catch up.
So, without further ado, we’re back at work and ready to give you all the latest in business and recruitment news.
Temporary Workers - The Future?
As we mentioned last month, there has been a recent uptick in the amount of temporary staff being used by businesses across every industry and sector.
In fact, temporary staff hires are up 69% in 2024, according to Totaljobs.
The study, which surveyed more than 1,000 HR personnel, revealed that 59% of businesses are experiencing increased competition to find the right skills for the right roles.
It’s worse for large businesses of over 1000 employees as the figure rises to 74%.
Now while these numbers are a little old (from April), it does follow the general trend for the whole year that temporary staffing is increasing, regardless of sector.?
In fact early indications show that the growth of these roles increased over the summer holidays.
Much of this boils down to two things.
First, there was/is a lot of uncertainty around what the new government is going to introduce and do.
Whenever there is a huge change like an election there is the need for cautiousness and naturally this shows in the use of temporary staffing.
However, this is compounded by the amount of employment and business related promises Labour made during the election and subsequently the King’s Speech. What comes of that, remains to be seen.
Secondly, a lot of industries are suffering from a skills gap, heavily impacting recruitment efforts.?
This means several businesses are turning to highly qualified temporary staffing to address their issues without the need for a permanent contract.
What also makes sense, given the potential for the future of recruitment, is the widespread adoption of the temporary to permanent (temp-to-perm) model.?
This lets both candidates and employers “try before they buy” and as a result acts as a great answer to the skills gap issues facing many industries.
So when it comes to new hires - how are you going to approach it?
Job Interviews - Ask The Right Questions
Job interviews - they’re essential.
You need to know that the person across the desk is right for the role and for the company.
So it baffles us when we hear of employers asking irrelevant and tired old questions.
You know the ones, you’ve probably asked them yourselves.
The solution? Give things a little bit of thought and ask those tailored to the role and responsibilities.
Take a look at the job, the job description you wrote, the expectations you will have of the person, and then think of questions that encompass that.
Don’t get us wrong, you can still ask the classics like “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” but these should be rapport building and conversational.
The real “bang for your buck” questions should be about the job.?
Is project management important to the job? Then ask “How do you stay organised and cope with several projects at once?”
Communication? “How do you make sure everyone in the company and clients know what's needed of them and how would you handle relationships with clients?”
These are just examples but the answers you get will apply directly to what you need and give you a better idea of what they will provide you and your business.
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If you’re still struggling, ask us! We can help with them and improve your results along the way.?
In The News
Flexibility and wellbeing - Employer’s Big Stand Out
BCC’s survey of 1300 businesses reveals how employers can set themselves apart to attract the best candidates.
In a competitive job market with high numbers of vacancies and low unemployment, attracting and retaining talent is a key priority for businesses – but many firms are struggling to do so.
The current statistics are stark. From May to July 2024, there were 884,000 vacancies in the economy, while the number of economically inactive people (meaning people not looking for work) stood at over 9.4 million. Meanwhile, BCC research shows 62% of businesses report they are experiencing skills shortages, rising to 74% for manufacturing firms. To attract and retain diverse talent fit for the future, it’s clear that businesses need to adapt their workplaces for the modern economy.
?Employment Rights Bill
New TUC analysis released yesterday [12 August 2024] has revealed that the number of BME people in insecure work has reached a record high of 878,800.
The analysis shows that the overall number of people in insecure or precarious employment – like zero-hours-contracts, low-paid self-employment and casual/seasonal work – increased by nearly 1m between 2011 and 2023 to 4.1m.
Over that period insecure work rose nearly three times faster than secure forms of employment, the TUC said.
While the numbers in insecure work increased by 31%, those in secure jobs increased by just 11%.
Below Minimum Wage
Job boards are advertising roles that pay below the UK national living wage, a new study has found.
Research from the TUC revealed that websites including Reed, Indeed and CV-Library posted 46 vacancies offering salaries under the annualised minimum wage of ￡20,820 on a single day in July.
The union body believes this could be just “the tip of the iceberg”, with many more underpaying roles being posted online weekly.
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “Nobody should be cheated out of the pay they are owed by their employer. But our research has found that lots of employers are advertising jobs at less than the legal minimum wage.
Right to switch off
Downing Street has commented on the government’s plans to introduce a ‘right to switch off’ adding that it could boost productivity by allowing people time to rest.
Ministers are looking at right-to-switch-off policies in other countries with a particular focus on Ireland and Belgium.
A spokesperson for No 10 said the right was to make sure “we’re not inadvertently blurring the lines between work and home life”.
Yesterday, reports suggested that the right to switch off could be introduced through a code of practice, similar to the Acas code of practice on disciplinary and grievance procedures. Where an employment tribunal finds that an employer has not followed the Acas code, compensation awards are uplifted accordingly.
The code of practice on a right to switch off could create a framework for employers to agree a policy with their employees around when it is and is not acceptable to make contact outside normal working hours.
Are you looking for people?
Now that the kids are back to school, are you looking for change?
If you’re looking for employees (or a new job) then get in touch.
We can help find you your next great employee and support you every step of the way.
Interested? Call either Damian at 07866 987587 or Kelly at 07896 976239.