Relationship Led
Recruitment

It’s been a LONG process to get to this point and we couldn’t be happier to share it with everyone!! Cherry Professional’s refreshed look now demonstrates our development as a business and our growth over the last 10 years. The brand refresh came at a vital time. We wanted to externalise all of our internal messages and to show the world that we know exactly who we are, what we do and why we do it. A brand is vital to a company’s success. It is made up of various components such as an organisations positioning, design and communications. These components should be developed to reflect the identity or personality of an organisation as they create an overall impression of the culture and communicate your values. Successful branding differentiates companies from their competitors and also helps to attract and retain new customers. How can you use branding to your advantage? Stand out from the crowd Your brand is important for differentiating your company from competitors by emphasising your key messages and unique offering. A brand that stands out and is memorable is vital in competitive industries and it can be the tipping point when attracting new business. Brands which customers perceive to be different can pay up to 22% more so be aware that your brand can influence the price of your products. Our new brand is purposely very individual to represent our service which is unique, especially in recruitment. We are relationship led in our work and we strive to understand the individual needs of our clients and their specific recruitment needs. Justify your positioning A well-defined brand has a clear positioning in the marketplace. Your positioning statement is designed to quite simply state what you do and how it benefits your audience. This communicates the compelling reasons people should work with you and you always need to ensure you make the benefits clear. Know your mission ​Your mission describes your purpose and WHY you exist in your industry. This was revolutionary for us because internally we knew why we exist and why we choose to do recruitment at Cherry Professional and not anywhere else. Defining our mission actually turned out to be one of our most unique statements. This is ‘Empowering our clients to succeed and be happy’. Your employer branding This was one of the key reasons we decided to refresh our brand. We have an amazing culture at Cherry Professional (we may be a bit biased) but that culture just wasn’t being communicated effectively to the outside world. That has now definitely changed. Our employer branding has been defined from our positioning, values and mission. You employer branding needs to be top draw in today’s industry. The employment market is so skills short. When you are hiring you are competing against so many other organisations as there are only 0.4 candidates available for any role advertised. When a candidate see a job vacancy at an organisation, one of the first things they do is research the company. That process inevitably will introduce them to your brand which is the reflection of your organisation. Do you think your current brand is enough to make you different? Do you think it will attract the right talent? Your brand is yours. There shouldn’t be another company that exists that has your ethos, positioning and mission because they should be the features which make you different. Your brand needs emotion, history and feeling to make it believable and to get consumers to buy in. We have some companies we can introduce you to if you need any advice on how to develop your brand!

Sarah Graham

At Cherry Professional we understand the costs incurred during your recruitment process. These costs can be in terms of finance and time, which is a hassle we all want to avoid. Not only that, but if you hire the wrong person, these costs are amplified. Research has shown that more than half the companies in the top 10 economies have been affected by a bad hire. The impacts of a bad hire are: Loss in productivity Low morale amongst employees Negative impact on client relations Fewer sales Costs to rehire A decrease in sales or loss in money for the month is frustrating and disheartening but it can always be pulled back. Employee morale and the negative impact on your client relationships on the other hand, is something a little more difficult to repair. Given these issues, there is a great deal of importance placed on finding the perfect fit. This will to add to your company’s success and limit the potential costs in having to fire a candidate and rehire and train another all over again. So how can you hire so you don’t need to fire? Read on for our pointers which will guide your recruitment process. Use what you have Before you start thinking about where to post your advert, be careful not to miss the perfect candidate which you may already have! Look at the existing skill sets of your team. Perhaps you can delegate work or you might have an employee looking to progress and take advantage of new opportunities. This is a fantastic way to boost staff morale and develop the team’s capabilities. Know what you want Often the main cause of recruiting the wrong employees is due to not knowing exactly what you need for the position. How often have recruited on behalf of a line manager and not fully understood the brief yourself? Briefs can be passed from a Director and others before it reaches human resources and a recruiter. This can often have a "Chinese whispers" impact. As a result, clear communication from the start is absolutely paramount. While it is tempting, a common mistake is to reuse a previous job description, but you need to be aware of any requirements in the role which may have changed. Taking the time to reassess what you need will save you time and money and attract candidates which are more suitable. It is also worth considering how the new role will fit in with future plans of the business. Do these suit the candidate’s career goals? You need to feel confident that the candidate will be able to evolve with the business’s needs. Look at your team, how have they evolved from when you last hired an employee? Have other team members developed their skills sets, does this role need to be a higher level? Don’t be afraid to try something new You may feel unsure of the role you are looking for. For instance, you think you need a Procurement Officer but actually the requirements of the role has all elements of the project coordinator. If you are unsure about introducing new roles, perhaps consider using a contract or even a temporary or part time position. Personality is key Be aware that while it is important to have someone with the right skill set, it is equally important if not more so, to find a candidate with the right personality and attitude towards work. Skills can be taught but personality cannot. There is nothing worse than hiring someone to later find out that they are rude or offensive!

Melissa Kilday

Over the last year, only 25% of employees who showed up to work sick said their organisation took steps to discourage this according to research made by the CIPD. Does your organisation fall under that small percentage or are you in the 75% of businesses that are happy for workers to ‘power through’ and be present in the workplace while sick? Sick days can have a real effect on the day to day running of an organisation as well as having a significant financial impact. Last year sick staff cost British businesses £77 Billion in lost productivity and with this staggering figure it isn’t surprising that employers are discouraging their workers to take time off when sick. However, this figure isn’t representative of only sick days taken, but is mainly made up of lack of productivity through ‘presenteeism’ (employees present in the workplace while sick) which amounts to, on average 27.7 days per worker annually compared to only 2.7 sick days taken. Due to these shocking findings, organisations are now being encouraged to look at their culture in regards to sick days and how they can improve their statistics, firstly looking at why their employees are turning up to work unwell. There are a number of reasons employees can feel under pressure to be present while sick, most commonly: Employees feel their workload is too large to take unexpected time off with fear of falling behind There is a lack of team work preventing workers feeling their colleagues will help out with any urgent duties Felling they will be disciplined or discriminated against for taking a sick day / days They won’t be believed or accused of skiving Financial deductions to wages without room in their budget Presenteeism can cause more damage than good as unwell employees are less productive and don’t work to their usual standard. Sickness can spread and in turn affect the team as a whole having a significant impact on the productivity of not just one worker but an entire department. Therefore, adopting a culture of sick day acceptance and support can only help to decrease the number of productive working days that are lost each year. It is essential to create an environment where employees feel comfortable about staying at home when sick, you can do this by: Offering flexible working – if an employee is sick but worried about falling behind, provide the tools they need to work from home Review your organisations policy on paid sick days Be supportive towards sick workers Support the wider team by taking on a short term temporary worker in the event of an unexpected absence There are many benefits to taking on temporary workers as they offer immediate cover for sickness leave, holidays and other unexpected absences, taking pressure off the team and filling gaps where you would otherwise be short staffed. Temporary workers can be flexible in terms of the length of an assignment and often offer a stronger skillset due to the variety of assignments they have previously completed. You might also find it useful to take a look at our blog highlighting the benefits of offering flexible working: Benefits of offering flexible working - https://www.cherryprofessional.co.uk/news/2018/02/benefits-of-offering-flexible-working/207

Melissa Kilday

June 21st marks the official start of the UK’s summer 2018 and with the summer months fast approaching I’m sure the holiday request are coming in thick and fast. After working hard all year, often the highlight for many of your employees will be that long awaited holiday, usually falling in June, July, August and September this can be a particularly tricky period when managing annual leave requests. Full time employees working 5 days per week are entitled to 28 days annual leave per year, part time workers are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata. With the majority of UK workers requesting their annual leave during the summer it is important to be fair and consistent with all employees. To help keep this busy period under control we have put together 5 handy tips that would be worth implementing in your office. Top Tips for managing summer holiday requests: Holiday Planner – It is a great idea to have a communal holiday schedule in your office /department depending on the size of the organisation. This can be online or a physical planner and should be easily accessible to all employees. Having a shared planner will allow workers to check holiday availability prior to planning their break. First come, first served – Having a first come, first served policy can eliminate any ill feeling towards colleagues who have requested the same annual leave dates. It will also take the decision away from an individual and show there has been no favouritism. Minimum time to request holidays - Putting in place a minimum time to request holidays will help in planning for any absent staff and better organise holiday requests in advance. This is particularly useful for employees that need to arrange childcare during those pesky 6 weeks school holidays. Recruiting temporary workers – Taking on temporary workers during busy periods can be an excellent way of ensuring workload is kept on top of and there is no extra pressure applied to the team. Temporary workers are perfect for relieving added workloads, they can be available at short notice, often able to work short assignments and have a vast skillset based on their varied experience. Be consistent, fair and transparent – There is nothing worse than putting a holiday request in only for it to come back declined and therefore with clear procedures in place this shouldn’t be the case however in the instance it is, give your employees clear and fair reasons why.

Melissa Kilday

You may have seen in recent news the almighty blunder made by Sainsbury’s boss Mike Coupe and the unfortunate capture of his ‘We’re in the money’ singalong. This cringe worthy moment was caught on camera by ITV News in between several scheduled interviews explaining the Asda-Sainsbury’s merger. This is the biggest deal to be made by two of Britain’s favourite superstores in recent years. With the merger said to be worth a staggering £12bn, Mike Coupe could have avoided embarrassment and a public apology by remaining a little more professional between interviews. Described as an ‘unfortunate choice of song’ Coupe has apologised, but was this an accident or a very clever and comedic publicity stunt? Either way this has left many loyal Sainsbury’s employees furious and let down as they fear for the safety of their jobs pending the merger. This has got us thinking about the importance of remaining professional in all business situations. In case you missed it… https://www.itv.com/news/calendar/2018-04-30/itv-news-exclusive-sainsburys-ceo-sings-were-in-the-money-before-asda-merger-interview/ Remaining professional in business situations Professionalism in the work place is essential to the success of a business with varying levels of seriousness depending on the nature of the organisation. Being professional doesn’t have to mean the elimination of fun within a business, however, implementing important boundaries are essential foundations in the interaction with clients, customers, colleagues and other third parties. Understanding the boundaries set by an organisation will benefit the team by helping to avoid conflict and misunderstanding between colleagues and management. Professional conduct with customers and clients can only improve the reputation of an organisation, encourage repeat business and long lasting relationships. Dressing professionally can also have a profound impact on a business, especially if your role is client / customer facing. Of course dressing professionally doesn’t always mean to be ‘suited and booted’ but should be appropriate for the nature of the organisation. The way employees are dressed can be a visual representation of a business and guidelines for dress should be outlined clearly to employees, whilst being mindful of employer rights and individuality. Monster.co.uk have published ’10 Ways to be professional’ which can be a fantastic starting point when addressing professionalism in the workplace: 10 Ways to be professional Competence. You’re good at what you do – and you have the skills and knowledge that enable you to do your job well. Reliability. People can depend on you to show up on time, submit your work when it’s supposed to be ready, etc. Honesty. You tell the truth and are upfront about where things stand. Integrity. You are known for your consistent principles. Respect for Others. Treating all people as if they mattered is part of your approach. Self-Upgrading. Rather than letting your skills or knowledge become outdated, you seek out ways of staying current. Being Positive. No one likes a constant pessimist. Having an upbeat attitude and trying to be a problem-solver makes a big difference. Supporting Others. You share the spotlight with colleagues, take time to show others how to do things properly, and lend an ear when necessary. Staying Work-Focused. Not letting your private life needlessly have an impact on your job, and not spending time at work attending to personal matters. Listening Carefully. People want to be heard, so you give people a chance to explain their ideas properly.’ – Monster.co.uk

Melissa Kilday

The countdown to the new General Data Regulation Policy is well and truly underway and with just under a month before the new regulations are put in place it is surprising to find that huge companies like Facebook are still not fully prepared. As of the 25th May 2018 any changes that are required by GDPR need to be legally implemented in your organisation. The consequences for any non-compliance with GDPR can be crushing for all businesses with fines of up to €20 Million or 4% global turnover, can your organisation afford to get it wrong? It has been widely reported recently that our data has been used without our consent by social media giant Facebook. Data analyst firm Cambridge Analytica used the personal data of over 50 million Facebook users without their consent and as a consequence of this data breach the backlash received has been severely damaging, not just financially but their reputation has also been significantly tarnished. Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg has publicly apologised but that is just the beginning of the work needed to rebuild their consumer trust. Sharing the personal data to third parties without consent is a severe breach of GDPR, with that in mind here are some key points to remember and implement in your organisation with regards to sharing data, consent and being transparent about your privacy policy: You must receive a clear statement of genuine consent (using a pre-ticked box is not compliant) giving individuals full control of their data and how it is used. If you have previously held consent, this must be reviewed to comply with new GDPR guidelines Keep all records of consent / consent requests and how it was obtained, these should be held separate from any standard terms & conditions Be clear about who the third parties are and name them Explain what third parties will use their data for Save evidence of consent Make it easy to ‘opt out’ and explain clearly how to do this Explain clearly how their data can be removed easily Keep any consent updated regularly and in line with any changes All emails sent should have your GDPR compliant Privacy Policy attached and easily accessible Customers must ALWAYS have full control over their personal data, what it is used for and where it goes Here at Cherry we are committed and passionate about the safety of our customer’s data and are dedicated to the compliance and transparency of the new GDPR laws. If you would like any further information please contact our Internal Data Protection Officer on sarah.gibson@cherryprofessional.co.uk and we would be more than happy to help.

Melissa Kilday

Recent studies have shown that around 4.5 million workers will leave their current roles and are on the lookout for something new this year. What does this mean for your business? Employee retention should always be a priority and looking at how you currently retain staff with continuous improvement will prove to be invaluable. Recruiterbox have published ‘6 Sure–fire ways to improve employee retention’ that we think would be useful: ‘1. Make sure you are hiring selectively from the beginning. Consider things like diligence, attitude and integrity amongst other things like academic qualification, skills and experience. 2. Pay them right. Keep a tab on industry compensation standards. Structure the bonus and benefits well. 3. Offer flexible work schedules. Ensure employees are well prepared to do what their job requires like travel, late nights, vacations and so on. 4. Provide comfortable work environment and culture. Provide ample training and support new hires till they can manage on their own. 5. Be generous with praise and recognition. Uncover strategies to reward employees when you cannot afford to do it with money. A simple thank you or a well-done note could do wonders! 6. Give a career road map. Specify what they need to do to achieve the next milestone. Never deny acknowledging when someone meets their goal.’ – Recruiterbox For more information on the benefits of flexible working take a look at our short blog here - https://www.cherryprofessional.co.uk/news/2018/02/benefits-of-offering-flexible-working/207 As we are in the midst of candidate availability in the labour market being at an all-time low and East Midlands businesses struggling to recruit skilled candidates for their roles, news of a hike in resignations should have a positive impact on the number of candidate applications. Don’t let these candidates slip away, make the most of this influx by marketing your business effectively on social media. Attracting candidates through social platforms has become increasingly more popular over recent years and many organisations are having significant success. With a huge 92% of businesses using social media to recruit, here are our top tips on how to use social platforms to find your next star employee: Post any exciting business news/updates from a company page and ensure your employees ‘Like’ and ‘Share’ the posts generating some excitement around your organisation online and attracting new talent to you. LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Use a Boolean search on LinkedIn to find profiles matching the skills you are looking for i.e. If you are looking for an Accounts Assistant with AAT qualifications your search would look like this…”Accounts Assistant” AND “AAT” Know what you are looking for before you begin and be patient, the right candidates don’t always come up first time. Think about the variations of job titles you could search for. Keep location in mind, depending on the position you are searching for may depend on the distance candidates are willing to travel. When requesting to connect with someone on LinkedIn you should always send a short message along with that request. They are more likely to accept if you do and is the starting point of communication. Take some time to search for any successful candidates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram this will show what their interests are and are their values in line with your organisation? LinkedIn will show you a rundown of the candidate’s experience which should be parallel with the candidates CV, provided they are both up to date. Google searching a candidate’s name and location more often than not will not bring up any concerns but a worthwhile task as it may flag up important questions/information. For more information on the recent findings that 4.5 million workers will quit this year, take a look at HR Grapevine’s blog here - https://bit.ly/2Hh2Fju

Melissa Kilday

Gender Pay Gap has been a huge topic of debate and discussion in recent headlines and there’s a reason why, reports are showing just how shocking the difference in pay for male and female employees really is. Through the media attention this subject has received, many issues have been highlighted and organisations are starting to put changes in place to actively decrease significant pay gaps. The Prime Minister, Theresa May has firmly committed herself to tackling the gender pay gap issues in this country - ‘A hundred years ago, some women first won the right to vote…But for all the welcome progress in the decades since, major injustices still hold too many women back…When I became Prime Minister, I committed myself to tackling the burning injustices which mar our society. One such is gender pay gap.’ As of 4th April 2018 all organisations with 250 or more employees had a legal obligation to publish a report on their gender pay gap. Disappointingly around 1,500 companies failed to meet this deadline and have/are currently being chased to fulfil this obligation, surprisingly Unite Trade Union are one of the organisations late to publish their report. ‘One organisation that missed the deadline was the Unite union, which belatedly published its figures on Thursday. The union, which describes itself as being "at the forefront of the trade union campaign to achieve equal pay", revealed that its female employees' median hourly pay was 29.6% lower than what male workers are paid.’ – BBC News Following the published reports, figures have indicated that a massive 78% of organisations pay men more than women, 14% pay women more than men and only 8% are paying both men and women equally. Many new sources broke the gender pay gap down by sector reporting the Finance industry have one of the largest pay gaps, being beaten only by the Construction industry. Reporting on both salary and bonuses paid, men have trumped women on both fronts in the financial sector. ‘Men are also paid higher bonuses than women … The Finance Sector has the biggest bonus gap, with women paid 35% less than men on average. In other words, sector-wide, for every £1 of bonus money paid to men working in finance, their female colleagues will take home just 65p.’ – BBC News The recent reports have also highlighted an education company, Yellow Dot that are currently paying female workers 81% on average more than their male colleagues. They have stated they are aware of the pay gap issues in their business and are highly committed to fairness. By ordering large businesses to publish their gender pay gaps it has left no hiding place for these findings and as a consequence we are now seeing organisations with particularly big gaps publicly committing themselves to change with big players like RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) hoping to achieve full gender pay balance by 2030. In her efforts to tackle gender pay gap, Theresa May is asking Dads to take on extra parental responsibility allowing Mums to be more available for career opportunities, ‘We must encourage fathers to share caring roles more fairly, through initiatives such as shared parental leave, and promote schemes for mothers returning to work.’ This spurred on the question of…If men are currently earning more than women, can families afford Dad’s to take a step back on their career ladder to allow a potential increase in earnings for Mums? Is the real answer to improving the pay gap for employers to be more flexible? Offering flexible working conditions for more senior and management roles can open opportunities out to working mum’s and encourages employers to adopt a more relaxed view on progressing or taking on female employers that may require flexibly in the future. Making it easier for women to climb the career ladder by taking small steps like this can result in significant progression towards gender pay balance. Take a look at the BBC News report that highlights the findings of the recent gender pay gap figures and find out how big the pay gap is at your organisation - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43668187

Melissa Kilday

As of 1st April 2018 the National Minimum Wage and the National Living Wage are set to increase, this is a decision made by the government in an attempt to tackle the gap between wages and the growing cost of living. This should have an impact and positive improvement on the standard of living for minimum earners. MP Philip Hammond has said this is “the largest increase in youth rates in 201 years”. Full time workers on basic pay are set to earn around £600 more annually and £50 more monthly with the National Living Wage for over 25’s increasing from £7.50 to £7.83, this is great news for hard working employees in the UK. Although we are taking steps in the right direction to support our workers the Living Wage Foundation has found that, we are still behind the ever increasing UK Living Wage which currently stands at £8.75. The UK Living Wage is based on the amount workers need to earn to live. The UK government have had growing concern for the future of our millennials and their standard of living. It has been brought to their attention that young workers earning the minimum are struggling to save, get on the property ladder and live at the same standards available to previous generations. Due to the publicity surrounding this we have seen many organisations making positive changes to the way they pay their lowest earners and are promoting the importance of rewarding hard working employees with a decent days pay. We are now seeing a number of high profile businesses disrupting well-earned pay rises. Making these changes can also have a huge impact in the desirability to work at your organisation for new recruits. Offering a competitive salary can prove crucial in today’s labour market, which is particularly important given the skills shortage we are experiencing. What is the difference between National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage and how are they changing? All workers who are 25 years and older are entitled to National Living Wage and workers under 25 years are entitled to the National Minimum Wage. However, the National Living Wage does not include workers over 25 years that are Volunteers, Self Employed, Company Directors, work experience students or a member of the Armed Forces. Below is how you should see minimum earners hourly wages increase dependant on category: National Living Wage (25 years +) £7.50 - £7.83 National Minimum Wage 21 - 24 years £7.05 - £7.38 18 - 20 years £5.60 - £5.90 16 - 17 years £4.05 - £4.20 Apprentices £3.50 - £3.70 Employers are legally obliged to implement these wage increases as of April 1st 2018 and if found to be non-compliant will face up to a £20,000 fine for each worker being paid less than minimum, they will be ordered to pay the outstanding arears to the employee/employees and will be subject to a 15 year ban from working as a Company Director. Read more about the regulations surrounding NLW and NMW on the Gov UK website - https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage/employers-and-the-minimum-wage

Melissa Kilday

Official figures have shown a dramatic rise in the number of working Mothers over the past two decades with more than 1 million more in full or part time employment than there was 20 years ago. The Office of National Statistics reported an estimated 4.9 million Mothers with dependent children are now working in the UK. Working Mum's out there, you certainly aren't alone! These statistics highlight positive changes in the support the UK and society can now offer to working Mums. We are now living in an era where Mothers who choose to go back to work are not frowned upon for making this decision but alternatively supported in their quest to finding career success alongside the important job of motherhood – some say these women are modern day superheroes...so, how do they do it? Remembering there is no such thing as the ideal Mother but is it possible to achieve the ideal situation as a Mother to suit your personal needs. Working full time, part time from home or in an office, flexibility is now offered by most employers with the understanding that becoming a parent isn't the end of the professional development for many women. In fact studies have shown that working parents are often more reliable, organised and can achieve more than those without dependents due to their passion for not just personal success but financial security for their young and growing families. We are lucky enough in the UK to be offered one of the best maternity packages, giving Mothers a significant break in order to spend time and bond with their newborn, with financial support for up to 39 weeks before making the decision to either return back to work or stay at home for longer/indefinitely. Taking this time or a portion of the time offered out can help Mothers with their readiness to return to the workplace without the maternal guilt that working Mothers are often fighting. Long gone are the days that Mums are ‘expected’ to stay at home with their baby although the pressure and stigma is still very much present. Flexibility in the workplace can be a huge helping hand in avoidance of the fear of ‘missing out’ on your baby’s milestones that often stops Mum’s from returning to their career. Meeting other Mum’s like you can give another platform to share any worries, successes and best practice. Sites like https://mumsmeetup.com/ are the perfect place to meet mums like you!

Melissa Kilday

It’s International women’s Day, so what better time to take a look at how we have progressed in the equality of gender. How equal are men and women in 2018? Women have come along way since the days of not being able to vote, open a bank account or join the British Army (other than as a Nurse). Looking back at the timeline of Women’s equality in the UK it’s staggering to see the huge strides that were made by influential women but sadly it has taken huge sacrifice for the fight too. Although women have made incredible progress in the movement for equality over several centuries, the work continues and with more strong females in positions of power it is now becoming easier for womens voices to be heard. This continues to be a huge topic of discussion and in recent months we have seen this subject in the spotlight in the media for multiple reasons but one thing is for sure it feels like it's time for a STRONG front. In celebration of International Women’s Day we have taken a look back at significant changes in gender equality over the past year. One of the most shocking and most talked about stories in gender equality in recent months has been the BBC publishing their employees annual salary’s sparking a gender pay gap debate. In July 2017 it was revealed that of the BBC’s employees earning £150,000 per year two thirds of them were male and their top seven earners reaching up to £2.2 million per year were all men. In response to these findings our female Prime Minister, Theresa May said ‘...I want women to be paid equally.’ The issue of gender pay gap has been ongoing and fought for since the late 19th century and eventually after many years of protest the Equal Pay act was introduced in 1970 and the provisions of equal pay are now included in the Equality Act of 2010. This act states that men and women are entitled to equal pay and rights if they are doing the same job which made the BBC pay gap scandal even more shocking and complicated. Since this revelation the BBC have proposed an upward salary adjustment for 188 of their employees in attempt to reduce and support the reduction of gender pay equality. Tech giant Vodafone have acknowledged the importance of its female employees and are celebrating the achievements of some of its senior female influencers that have helped shape Vodafone and its success. In recognition of this and the under representation of women in Technology, Science, Engineering and Math’s careers, Vodafone have pledge to provide free Coding training for 1,000 16-24 year old women across 26 countries encouraging them to thrive in industries that have a underwhelming female presence. #CodeLikeAGirl Here in the UK we are proud see that the University of Sheffield has announced their sponsorship SheFest IWD (International Women’s Day) Fringe Festival supporting gender equality. Sheffield is no stranger to the struggles women have faced in order to fight for equality and their University has been lucky enough to educate some of Britain’s most influential women including the first Briton to go to space, Helen Sharman. With the strong history in this part of England, Sheffield University aren’t slowing down in its efforts by sponsoring this fantastic event. For more information about SheFest, check out their website - https://shefest.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/sf_bro_17_gold_web.pdf #PressforProgress is this 2018’s International Women’s Day campaign and kicks off today!! Celebrate the achievements of women and be a part of this movement. Find out more here - https://www.internationalwomensday.com/Activity/11712/How-to-plan-IWD

Melissa Kilday

During 2017 we experienced some of our highest highs. The team is rapidly growing and we just want to say thankyou to every member of the Cherry team for making it so incredible.

Melissa Kilday

It is becoming more and more popular for employers to offer flexible working, in fact the East Midlands has made the most progress on flexi working in recent years, more than any other region in the UK. This benefit is a huge attraction to prospective employees not only those locally but to those further afield who may be looking to relocate. With 67% of workers wishing they were offered flexible working and 30% of workers saying they would choose flexible working over a pay rise, is it time for you to adapt your workforce in order to operate more remotely? There has been a surge in working parents with Mums and Dads out there eager to get back to work quickly. Without the benefits of working from home or altering hours, business’s across the East Midlands are likely to miss out on talented candidates with young children. The government are supporting companies and have fought to increase free childcare for working parents with a significant improvement to 30 free hours per week for eligible parents. Working Mums and Dads with flexible working are often found to be highly motivated and appreciative, now more than ever they have more than just themselves to think about with a little one entirely reliant on them; as a result parents are clearly eager to succeed to secure a future for their children. Students are also looking for organisations that can support their studying by offering flexible working. Students are often keen to gain work experience that reflects their studies with the additional benefit of a head start in paying off those hefty student loans. Employers have found that hiring students has added fresh enthusiasm to the office with their eagerness to learn and knowledge of modern day technology. Students will work hard to secure a great reference for future employment after graduation or potentially an offer to stay with your organisation. Universities are keen to prepare students for the labour market and are actively encouraging them to seek employment during term time being mindful that they aren’t overworked and their study time isn’t compromised making flexible working essential for their early success. Other key benefits to offering flexible working: 70% of workers feel that offering flexible working makes a job more attractive to them. This is due to long commutes, missing the rush hour traffic, having a better work / life balance and feeling appreciated and trusted by their employer. Workers may feel more motivated working from home and feel less stressed than spending long days in the office. Reduction in absenteeism and lateness. Your staff will be less likely to look for new opportunities, they will feel valued and, in turn, this will increase retention rates. If you would like any further information on the benefits of offering flexible working please contact Cherry Professional at our Head Office on 0115 922 2240 to speak with one of our experienced consultants covering the East Midlands market.

Melissa Kilday

Good employees will leave good organisations and there can be a number of reasons why. It is important to understand why in order to promote employee retention however, it is equally as important to manage your team effectively when this kind of disruption occurs. We have put together some useful tips should this happen within your organisation. Who is going to pick up the extra workload? Adding extra responsibilities to your team’s already busy day may leave them scratching their heads and result in a domino effect of leavers. A great way of avoiding this would be by recruiting a temp. Temporary members of staff are available at short notice and are often pro’s in picking up work quickly, leaving you with plenty of time to find the perfect candidate to fill the missing link in your team. There are almost 3,000 candidates actively looking for temporary employment in the East Midlands - ready and waiting to offer a helping hand. Build trust with your team by being open and honest with them about the employee’s resignation and how this may affect the team initially. Your team will respond well to honesty will in the face of serious challenges. Remember, there is nothing shameful about an employee leaving for greener pastures. If needed, don’t be afraid to ask your team for help. Get them involved in putting a plan together for the coming weeks, this can be an effective way of team building, making your team feel valued and reinforce a sense of security. Where possible stick to the plan and communicate when any changes may need to be made. In difficult times, you may find that morale is low within the existing team members. Let’s lift their spirits and motivate, why not try these 5 easy steps… Employee recognition – It is proven that most employees respond well to a good old fashioned pat on the back. Saying ‘ Well Done’ and acknowledging the hard work your team put in daily will only promote that feel good feeling and keep the good work coming! Reward top performers – This doesn’t have to be a monetary prize, an early finish or even play their favourite song in the office will keep them smiling. Say ‘Thank You’ – Easy to do, can be difficult to remember but the response will speak for itself. Don’t let them get stuck in a rut! – There are many roles that have repetitive duties and there often isn’t a great deal of change that can be made. Making small differences to their day where possible can encourage levels of enthusiasm. Get together – Having a consistent team meeting just once a week gives your team the chance to voice any challenges they may be facing and how to resolve them, make a plan for the week and discuss how last week’s plan came together. Also a great excuse to get some breakfast snacks in! If you are unexpectedly short staffed and would like to talk to one of our experienced consultants covering the East Midlands area specifically Nottingham, Derby, Leicester and Lincoln about the benefits of recruiting temporary staff please call us on our head office number 0115 922 2240.

Melissa Kilday

January is one of the most exciting times of the year for businesses, with the promise of another 12 months to implement change, hire new staff where applicable and, hopefully, go from strength to strength. However, when it comes to your current employees, morale is often low after the buzz of the festive season has worn off, and parties, mince pies, and Christmas films are swapped with early mornings, busy commutes, and endless meetings. Do you know what Blue Monday is? Well this year, on the 15th January, Blue Monday will sweep the nation. This day is considered to be the ‘most depressing day of the year’ due to a range of factors including the weather, failed New Year’s resolutions, debt, and the amount of time since our last payday (let’s face it, December is an expensive month for even the most budget-savvy of us). We are trying to encourage Managers to help employees beat the ‘New Year Blues’, and increase office morale after the festive season. Promote a better work-life balance It’s not hard to identify why people feel exhausted after the Christmas Break. After a week or two of sleeping in, festive parties, and sitting on the sofa watching films, the dark, damp, early mornings can make it difficult for employees to readjust to their regular working day (I’m sure you’re feeling it too!). Reviewing your employee perks can help you identify how to promote a better work-life balance. For example, offering flexible working such as the ability to work from home when needed, can be very useful. Additionally encouraging staff to leave on time and also take their full lunch break will also help staff to feel rested and recharged. Highlight how staff can develop and build a roadmap for opportunities. Opportunities for development are now more important to employees than ever before! With such a skill short market it is now the new normal for people to “hold between 10-15 jobs in their lifetime (with 12 being the average), it shows that many won’t hesitate to move on if they feel their current role doesn’t offer them the best opportunity to develop their skills and career.” As January is the start of a new quarter for many organisations, it’s the ideal time to work with your employees to set personalised goals and highlight the year’s opportunities. Not only will setting clear goals help to keep your staff focused on their work (which will increase their motivation as they’ll want to work harder to reach these goals), but if they’re both small and realistic, this will increase morale by giving them a sense of achievement when these are completed. Have some fun! One of the easiest ways to beat the New Year Blues and ease your employees back into working life is by ensuring they are having fun! At Cherry, we try and take teams out to lunch at their favourite spots, after work drinks on a Friday, music in the office and just to encourage an open dialogue about how staff feel and how we can help to lift them back up! January Blues isn’t something you should fear and it isn’t something you should ignore either. Mental health and moral go hand in hand. If you need any advice on how to talk to someone who is suffering with depression please visit www.mind.org.uk

Melissa Kilday

Interviewing potential employees can sometimes feel challenging and other times it can feel very natural because you and the interviewee have so much in common, that’s great right? A recent article in HR Review stated that over a third of organisations are not training managers to avoid a common interview pitfall; unconscious bias. So what is unconscious bias? Unconscious biases are social stereotypes of people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness. Everyone holds unconscious beliefs about various social and identity groups, and these biases stem from individuals tendencies to organise social worlds by categorising. What are the issues? The challenge here is how do you identify that this is happening and what steps can you put in to place to ensure that your line managers are opening their minds to the entire talent pool available to them? With the talent pool decreasing on a daily basis, (due to unemployment figures decreasing and number of opportunities increasing) this is becoming more and more important. A few things that you may want to consider when you are looking to hire include: - A diverse workforce are more productive that a non-diverse team. A cognitive study completed by MIT engineers found that diverse work forces are 35% more productive. - By encouraging a diverse workforce, staff will produce a wider range of ideas to solve problems - Having a diverse workforce may include many different language skills - this could help communication with customers and suppliers - Job seekers find a company with a diverse workforce more attractive. When employees feel encouraged to be their whole, genuine selves at work, it helps productivity, creativity and fosters a company culture many quality candidates find attractive. What strategies can you implement to ensure that you are employing a diverse workforce? - Encourage open minds within your management team. - Always highlight the key benefits of having a diverse workforce and how that can aid revenue and also a more cultural and attractive organisation to work with or for. - Follow up interview notes with hiring managers to see if you can highlight any unconscious biases of other people involved in the hiring process. The job market as we know it is going through so tremendous changes including the push to close the gender pay gap, paternity and maternity policies, gross misconduct and other key issues. Unconscious bias is also an issue we need to try and combat together as it holds us back when giving potential employees a fair, UNBIAS chance when looking for their next career move.

Melissa Kilday

Today is world values day which got me thinking about Cherry’s internal values and how we keep sight of them so they aren’t just statements we make to our customers but what we truly believe in as a business. On Tuesday this week, the Cherry Management Team sat around a table to remind ourselves of the Cherry Values and then we went onto score ourselves against those values (do we live and breathe them? are we neutral? or do we behave in a manner that goes against our values?). This was part of a six-monthly check to make sure we are still on track (EOS). It was a 360 feedback session, it was very open and constructive, it allowed us a platform to hold a mirror to ourselves and be totally honest with one another….fair to say it keeps you on your toes and I felt nervous. I wanted to share with my network one of my core values in the way I lead Cherry Professional and how I live my life. When conducting day to day business, it can sometimes be easy to lose sight of how important it is to improve yourself no matter what your role within an organisation and arguably, the best way to do that is to own up to and learn from mistakes. That is why the one internal value I want to share is to ‘stand tall, be courageous, have balls, be brave’. In Tuesday’s meeting I felt proud that the entire management team scored highly on this particular value. In the world of recruitment (and in life) you need to have honest conversations, give feedback not everyone will want to hear and be proactive in facing up to difficult situations, which is easier said than done. The ability to do this is so important in terms of doing a good job, being sincere, honest and inevitably developing your professional and personal character. There were 7 values that we scored ourselves against, I was happy that everyone in the room (myself included) had feedback for one another and for themselves. No one is perfect but I can say for certain that every member of the team tries their best, has passion, ‘stands tall, shows courage, has balls, and are brave – even when things are scary!’…..and best of all if/when we go off track it is a safe place to give/receive feedback so one of the team will let us know.

Melissa Kilday

On the 6th of April this year, the Government Equalities Office announced the ‘Gender Pay Gap Viewing Service’, a section of the equalities website in which the public can see whether companies are meeting their pay gap opportunities. This is in response to a growing concern over the gender pay gap, maternity leave and several other issues women are facing in the work place. Since this has been implemented, UK companies have published figures which show many companies have pay gaps that are up to 36% a report for The Independent has revealed, which is almost double the British national average of an 18% gap. This has been explained by reference to the different job functions many men and women hold in organisations, with experience and education also existing as major factors. However, with these explanations accounted for, the pay gap is still 5.5%, which is slightly largely than the percentage in the USA of 5.4%. One of the leading causes behind the gender pay gap is motherhood and many women feeling that they have to choose between a child and a career. In March, news broke that a group of around 50 MPs were urging for legislation to allow a fairer system for maternity and paternity leave. The MPs in support of the bill argue female employees will gain the benefit of not having reduced pay if they take maternity time off work, as their children’s fathers will also be able to have an increase in hours. The MPs also argue that this will help new fathers become more connected with their children, thus making them more motivated and driven when they return to work. Britain pay some of the lowest maternity wages in Europe and in terms of maternity leave, Britain’s exit from the European Union may mean less maternity time available for workers, as maternity leave is partially regulated by the EU. This may not be affected depending on which EU regulations the Government elects to keep however and new legislation may mean there is even an increase in time and payment. Another factor that must be considered is research conducted by Warwick Economics in their study Do Women Ask? In this study, it was found that women are less likely to ask for pay rises in the workplace then men (partially due to fear of the negative environment they feel it will cultivate) as well as the fact women are less likely to receive a pay rise when asking compared to male workers, however this study was conducted by asking Australian workers, therefore the evidence may not be applicable to British companies. Iceland have recently made headlines due to their introduction of laws to reduce gendered income inequality, despite already being the country with the smallest pay gap on Earth. If companies do not comply with these new regulations, they may face audits and fines and the vote also affected pay for ethnic minorities, LGBT citizens, disabled people and religious followers. Although the statistics may portray Britain and the wider World changing its approach to the gender pay gap, the Office for National Statistics has revealed that nationally the pay gap is reducing by only two and a half pence each year, meaning the gap may not be fully closed until the year 2069. The Office for National Statistics has described the issue as ‘complicated’, but explained that more girls sitting A-levels (12,500 more girls sat A-levels in STEM subjects than in 2010, meaning they are more likely to be paid a higher wage), an increase in female role models in the workplace and regulation could all be factors in how it’s being reduced.

Melissa Kilday

With work life balance being a hot topic in the media and the theme of many leadership talks, it is important to consider how allowing employees to achieve their desired level of work life balance can positively affect employee engagement. The statistics on how some employers get this very wrong speak for themselves: - Research from CV-Library found that over half of workers (53.2%) report that stress is an issue in their current workplace, with nearly two thirds (61.9%) believing that their employer looks down on workers who get stressed. - The majority of employees (57.4%) believe that their manager does NOT offer support to help them manage stress at work. - 89% of workers think that being susceptible to stress at work can have an impact on career progression, with over two thirds (67%) believing that this is because stress can negatively affect performance in the workplace. - 46.9% said that stress can make employees burn out, causing them to take time away from work. Here at Cherry Professional we work hard, but we believe that encouraging staff to pursue their dreams both personally and professionally is vital for the wellbeing of staff, therefore having a positive effect on staff retention and employee engagement. A recent example from Cherry Professional Employee Graham Hutchison, highlights that by valuing and listening to employee’s requests, and by being flexible, both organisations and individuals reap the benefits. Graham was the first employee to ever request a sabbatical at Cherry, so we didn’t even have a policy in place to cover this. However, this was quickly overcome, and we were able to offer Graham what he requested: ‘Travelling is something me and my girlfriend have always dreamed of doing, just like many other people I imagine, but never actually thought it would be possible with the demands and commitments of modern day life. When you add to the mix that I work in recruitment, a highly demanding and cut throat industry, it really did feel like something that we would have to settle talking about for the rest of our lives rather than actually getting to do it. Having joined Cherry 2 years ago, I decided to take a chance and float the idea of a sabbatical across to our Managing Directors, Martin and Danielle (expecting a massive pie in my face), and was shocked at how bought into the idea they both were straight away. They understood it was something I wanted to do and were fully supportive, so granted me the time off to see the world. We travelled for 2 months in May / June 2017 across China, the Philippines & Indonesia and it was 100% the most amazing experience of my life. I know it was a tough thing for Cherry to offer, but I was never once made to feel any wrong doing and ever one has been so good in both the run up to travelling and since I have returned. Can’t explain how appreciative I am of Cherry’s values and commitment to their staff and I will always be grateful to them for letting me see the world. ’ The current thinking is that an improved work-life balance can help all parties – the organisation, the individual and the customer. “For employers, high stress levels not only impact overall productivity, but can also place organisations in a compromising position, as workers under a great amount of strain are more likely to turn on their heels and look for a better working environment elsewhere. This makes it more important than ever for management teams to take on the responsibility for keeping their staff happy and productive in the workplace and help to alleviate some of the pressures that their employees are facing.” Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library.

Melissa Kilday

Everyone is familiar with common employee benefits; retirement plans, bonuses and holidays are usually what companies offer in order to boost morale and staff retention. The times seem to be changing however, employees at some of the UK and America’s top companies are receiving everything from Apple offering to freeze their staff’s eggs to Brewdog offering paid leave for employees who adopt a rescue puppy. PKF Cooper Parry are a prime example of this change in attitudes towards creative employee benefits. Their website proudly exclaims ‘we disrupt’, a disruption caused through their creative office spaces which include snooker tables, space hoppers and even a bicycle track. This has brought them media attention when they’ve opened new offices from the local and even national press. This creative attitude reflects on their employees, as Internal Communications Assistant Adam Carpenter says PKF Cooper Parry gives ‘scope for me to use my imagination and creativity’, showing the creative benefits lead to creative employees. Another company which has offered weird and wonderful benefits is clothing company Patagonia, who announced their employees take midday breaks in order to play Volleyball. This helps their employees become motivated and helps drive team-playing but also a competitive spirit. Take their employee Sammy Gonzalez for example, on their website he speaks highly of the company’s day care programme, explaining how it allows him to balance his work life balance and also notes how the Volleyball sessions are the favourite part of his day. Patagonia and PKF Cooper Parry demonstrate one of the best approaches to take when considering the advantages of creative benefits – child care services, pensions and suchlike will help to reduce the stress and worry of everyday life, leading to employees who are more engaged and flexible, but also the initially silly and strange things such as the Volleyball competitions help give a sense of identity to the workplace and helps drive a team spirit and increases motivation. An increase in employee benefits has developed alongside the ‘millennial’ generation becoming a significant part of the work force. Surveys have shown younger people who are going into work are looking for more engagement and a sense of purpose in their work rather than higher or competitive wages. 67% of young people surveyed admitted company culture is more important than wages. For smaller companies who aren’t able to offer the same wages as major ones, offering original employee benefits will help to meet these needs and market their careers to a new generation who will appreciate their fresh way of thinking. Marketing plays a big part in the benefits of using benefits as well, Brewdog’s paid leave for dogs benefit received international attention as a light-hearted news story, but this light-hearted news story helped the company stand out in people’s minds, a huge benefit for a company which exists within a competitive market. For businesses with a lot of competition, standing out is obviously key. To recap, giving employee benefits not only affects the employees themselves, making them feel stable, motivated and less stressed, the company itself will benefit from the increase in productivity and marketable advantage and the customers are more likely to feel inclined to use the company and more comfortable in their choice as they feel they are being ethical and the creativity will stick in their minds.

Melissa Kilday

Financial Year 2016/17 has been our best ever, with record-breaking results recorded across our divisions. Our consultants have been working incredibly hard, helping our candidates find their dream jobs and helping our clients fill the toughest of roles, all of which has resulted in targets being smashed, several Personal-Best performances and recording our biggest ever year. Needless to say our Board of Directors are exceedingly pleased! As a huge thank-you to our top performers, we’re whisking them away on the annual Euro-Trip – an incentive designed to bring out the best in all our consultants, open to everyone in the business. But what tantalising corner or Europe should play host to our superstars? …… LISBON! After much deliberation and many suggestions from our eager beavers (including Disneyland Paris, Ibiza and even Dracula’s Castle in Romania!), the group settled on Lisbon because it offers a heady mix of culture, history, nightlife and most importantly, sunshine! Ahead of them awaits an exciting few days in Portugal’s capital. Staying in a luxury hotel with roof-top infinity pool, the team have the opportunity to sample everything this glamourous city has to offer. With a ticket to do practically anything, from lounging by the pool days to walking & city-tour days, we can certainly guarantee they’ll have an amazing time. The highlight of the weekend will surely be the celebratory dinner hosted in one of Lisbon’s finest restaurants. Our Managing Director will share a bottle of Champagne (or two!) congratulating each and every one of our best performers on their successes this year. Check back soon to see photos of this amazing trip away!

Melissa Kilday

Have you got plans to hire a temp? For maternity cover, sickness cover, project work, or just to help out over a busy period. We provide temporary staff at all levels from self-employed people with their own limited companies though to day-rate interims or simply temps paid on an hourly rate through PAYE. But what are the benefits of taking on temporary resource? Time is critical and temps are traditionally quick hires who hopefully can have an immediate impact on your business. You have the opportunity to conduct working interviews to ensure that personal fit and experience is what you are looking for. Temporary workers with specific skill sets, for example, specific system and process skills, can have a positive effect on your business, they can come in and deliver a project and then move on. Niche interim professionals with a unique skill set can offer a speedy and cost effective solution to any problem. The average time to fill a permanent vacancy is seven weeks, do you need someone right now? A temporary worker can fill a position while you’re hiring the ‘perfect’ permanent employee. If a gap in your team is unforeseen you may well need a temp to ensure its ‘business as usual’ and there is no loss of productivity. Hiring a temp is a great way to ‘try before you buy’. Remember though, some people choose to be temps for a reason (such as flexibility) and they may turn your offer down. Please contact us if you need any advice about temporary resource or if you have any recruitment issues you would like us to solve.

Melissa Kilday

It’s the end of a whirlwind year here at Cherry Professional. Last Friday we celebrated our biggest year ever as a business and we feel very proud of where we are and the visions we’ve achieved. When we look back, we can’t quite believe that we were initially three people sat around a coffee table to now being a committed and hugely driven team of twenty four! We wanted to say a huge thank you to the whole Cherry Team for their fantastic work this year. This next financial year is already off to a great start with investment in two new people and exciting projects afoot.

Melissa Kilday

From April 6th 2017 businesses with over 250 employees with be required, under The Equality Act 2010 (Gender Pay Gap Information) Regulations, to publish specific information about the differences in pay between genders. According to the Fawcett Society, the gender pay gap for full-time workers currently stands at 13.9% in the UK, and at the current rate of progress, it will take over 50 years to close the gap. What information needs to be published? All employers with over 250 relevant employees are required to report - Average gender pay gap as a mean average - Average gender pay gap as a median average - Average bonus gender pay gap as a mean average - Average bonus gender pay gap as a median average - Proportion of males receiving a bonus payment and proportion of females receiving a bonus payment This data must be published on the employer’s website for at least 3 years, alongside being published on a designated government website. How will gender pay gap reporting affect your business? No matter what your data uncovers, the legislation has not been introduced so the government can bring any legal actions against a company that has a clear pay divide. It is worth clarifying that any data showing a gap between the earnings of male and female staff is not necessarily the same as an unlawful inequality of pay under the Equality Act 2010. The UK Government hopes that by increasing transparency around gender pay differences, organisations will be encouraged to take remedial action. If the data demonstrates a large gap in pay between men and women clearly it has the potential to be both commercially and legally damaging for employers. This is not the aim of the Act. The real hope is that this data will draw attention to the worst offending organisations by shining a light on the average pay gap across these businesses. You may have seen in the Financial Times last month that Schroders published data about its gender pay gap. “It was revealed that that fixed pay for its female staff was 33 per cent less on average when compared with salaries for male employees at Europe’s second-largest listed asset manager. It also found bonuses for female staff were 66 per cent less on average than bonuses for male staff at the company.” – Financial Times With issues like these being highlighted we will most likely see more of these shocking statistics over the next year to hopefully encourage the gap to close before the predicted date of 2067.

Melissa Kilday

March 8th 2017 marks a day where people around the world campaign for gender equality. Last year, organizations and individuals around the world supported the #PledgeForParity campaign and committed to “help women and girls achieve their ambitions; challenge conscious and unconscious bias; call for gender-balanced leadership; value women and men's contributions equally; and create inclusive flexible cultures.”– International Women’s Day The sad new is that the World Economic Forum predicts the gender gap won't close entirely until 2186! That is why IWD is a vital day to recognise and talk about the existing gender inequality that still very much surrounds us. Days like today can be a key driver in getting the world closer to achieving gender equality. This years IWD campaign is #BeBoldForChange. Which is campaigning for us to “call on the masses or call on yourself to help forge a better working world - a more gender inclusive world.” It is an action which encourages everyone to come together and become a leader within our own spheres of influence by taking bold realistic action to accelerate gender parity. You can submit your #BeBoldForChange action via the IWD website just like we have. This year Cherry Professional has pledged to take bold action to celebrate women’s achievements. We are committed to celebrating the women who inspire us, so we will be publishing something at least once a month that should be celebrated. We will be bold and - Hail the success of women leaders - Applaud social, economic, cultural and political women role models - Celebrate women's journeys and the barriers overcome - Reinforce and support women's triumphs If you have any inspirational stories about someone you know please get in touch!

Melissa Kilday

”Are you married?” Just making small talk? Try to avoid this question as a topic! The question can’t be asked for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it could be interpreted by the candidate as a way for you to find out their sexual orientation. Secondly, it could look as though you are trying to find out future family plans for the candidate such as kids etc. ”Do you have any kids/plan on having kids?” Under no circumstances should you ask the candidate if they have children, or if they plan on having children in the future. These kinds of questions could make the candidate feel awkward and pressured. They may also feel they could be overlooked if they do have children. ”How old are you?” Asking a candidate about their age is illegal. By right, a date of birth doesn’t even need to be on a CV, let alone brought up for discussion in an interview. You can ask if they are over 18 if it’s the legal requirement for the job, but that’s about it. ”What country are you from?” Do you notice an exotic accent and feel curious about where they were born? It’s a big no-no to ask this question directly. As an employer you are allowed to ask if the candidate is legally authorised to work in the country, or if they hold a valid work permit, but that’s it. ”How often did you take sick days in your last position?”You can ask a candidate how many days they missed in the past year if you feel it absolutely necessary, but try to steer clear of this question altogether, it can cause problems and offense in some situations. If there is a time gap on the candidate’s CV, you can ask why. You can ask about pre-existing medical conditions when the candidate has been offered the job, but only to ensure that there are no obstacles for that person to fulfil their role in the organisation.

Melissa Kilday

It’s been well documented that stress at work is a major contributing factor to both long term and short term absence. CIPD & Simplyhealth’s 2016 Absence Management Survey reports that stress is the number one cause for long-term absence and the second-biggest cause for short-term absence, after minor illnesses – these being cited as colds, flu, stomach upsets, headaches and migraines. It’s all too common to associate stress in the workplace with too big a workload. We’ve all experienced this at some point in our careers: working every waking-hour to meet tight deadlines; taking on too many complex projects at once; angst caused by demanding line managers; requests to undertake work that’s out of our comfort zone. But what about stress caused by boredom in the workplace? Over my professional career, I have witnessed emotional stress (frustration, agitation, low self-esteem and even depression) from candidates, clients, friends and even colleagues who are simply bored in their job. By bored they weren’t feeling challenged/mentally stimulated or they simply did not have enough work to do to keep them engaged. In some of those cases I’ve seen the physical symptoms of stress develop which has led to time off work absent. Moreover, feeling underwhelmed at work negatively impacts motivation and encourages absence due to non-genuine ill health (i.e. calling in sick). In one particular case regarding a candidate I knew in London, he was so bored in his job that often he “[couldn’t] be bothered with going to work today”. Boredom also leads to counter productivity and idleness. Graham Cole’s 2016 article on "Being psychologically absent at work: Types and effects of job boredom” suggests that boredom at work has a massive detrimental effect on an organisation’s productivity. It goes on to say that disengaged employees will not fully utilise their skills and abilities, which ultimately costs the employer money in periods of downtime when productivity is not at optimum levels. Having spoken to many HR professionals in the East Midlands it’s clear that whilst some organisations have a major problem with absenteeism, overall absence is “manageable” and “meets expected levels”. This mirrors CIPD & Simplyhealth’s 2016 Absence Management Survey that states, “The average level of employee absence (6.3 days per employee) has decreased in all sectors and is at its lowest level for seven years”. Nevertheless, the cost of absence per employee (£522 according to the survey), is still a significant financial burden to the employer. In managing absence, boredom (and stress and idleness related to it) needs to be addressed. In addition to stringent absence management policies and procedures the need to engage employees to ensure they are fulfilling their potential and productivity levels is paramount. Clearly, a balance where stress levels from too much work and too little needs to be reached. So, is boredom amongst your staff leading to absenteeism? Email me to let me know your thoughts and experiences. Andy Lilliman – Senior HR Consultant – Cherry Professional

Melissa Kilday