Candidates

As the nation gets back to some form of normality and more employees are returning from furlough, working from home is still the reality for many businesses. As teams are working remotely and are often not in the same location, how can employers make sure their staff continue to feel connected to each other and the company’s culture? Here are our top tips for making employees working remotely feel integrated into the culture of their company. Use Technology to Your Advantage We recommend using appropriate software to enhance your team’s communication and, hopefully, increase productivity. Whether someone is working from home or in the office the tools they use stay consistent. This in turn allows everyone to stay on the same page regardless of their work location and leads to improved team cohesion. Make Time for “Face Time” With employees split between working from home and being back in the office, to ensure that communication is still clear to all, the use of Skype/Zoom/FaceTime/Teams is critical Clearly this is something that has been happening since the start of lockdown in most businesses and has been a god send in terms of visibility and communication. Establish Community Traditions Try to mix work-specific messages with lighter, friendlier communications, such as employee’s birthdays; this will help your employees to feel that they are valued for more than just their business output. Use a Chat Application as your “Communal Area” It’s beneficial to have everyone on the team in a chat application, such as WhatsApp, whenever they’re “in the office”, wherever that may be. It’s not only a place to ask questions and bounce ideas around related to the business, but also, it’s a place for employees to build a rapport with each-other and share more casual conversations. Keep up with Weekly Reports It’s really important that managers are liaising with individuals in their teams on a daily / weekly basis to enable everyone to understand what is going on in the company and share ideas which will help the team to be more successful. Remote working is forming part of the new reality that we’re experiencing during the pandemic. As most businesses have demonstrated that thanks to technology, they have been able to work remotely with no harm to the business, it is likely to be a trend that is here to stay.

Libby McCaughey

After featuring on BBC Radio Derby, we caught up with our Lead Consultant Kerry Bilson to bring you the highlights from the interview. Kerry said “In a nutshell; ensure you prepare fully for your virtual interview. Ensue you’ve downloaded the necessary platforms (Microsoft Teams, Zoom etc) and do a few practice runs with friends or family members until you feel comfortable with the technology. Dress appropriately - just like you would as if you were heading to a face to face interview! Not only is this a sign of respect for the role and the employers time, it also puts you in the right mindset for a professional interview and helps improve your confidence! If you feel confident in your clothes, you will naturally appear more confident in person. Remember small talk is fine - when you are in a face to face interview, you have time to sit in the waiting area, look around, chat to the Receptionist and shake hands with your interviewer; a virtual interview means that you sadly skip that bit, but it is ok to acknowledge the weirdness! This is new for us all, so express that you haven't done this before and how strange it feels interviewing via a screen. Own the strangeness of the situation, you are only human! Its key to prepare questions for the end of the interview to gage what you might be missing from not having that physical interaction. Ask what the company culture is like? What is the office atmosphere like? Would I be able to pop in to visit the office at some point? Do you have members of staff already returning? All these questions are important to ask to ensure that not only do your skills match the role but your personality matches the company culture!” We are so proud of Kerry for tackling her own nerves to offer advice and guidance to candidates who are struggling in these uncertain times and adapting to a “new normal”, to help calm their nerves. You can listen to the full interview here on BBC Sounds.

Libby McCaughey

Last week our Director, Martin Burnett, hosted a virtual event entitled “The Balancing Act – People vs Profit”. The event opened a discussion with business owners, finance leaders and HR professionals around the effects of COVID 19 on business and the importance of building an effective strategy to retain cash and people in your organisation. Some fantastic points were made and we have compiled a short blog of Top Tips that materialised from the event. Top Tips: You need to be all over the numbers, producing rolling monthly forecasts and lots of ‘what if’ analysis. Don’t bury your head in the sand. Make sure that as a Business Owner or as Finance Director you are constantly aware of the state of your cash flow and chasing overdue debt the minute it arises. Speaking to numerous businesses across the East Midlands, one key internal change that has resulted in stronger management of cash and team moral has been to utilise your workforce and redeploy labour that would otherwise have been furloughed – e.g. tele sales helping chase debt in credit control – clearly cash management and cash flow has been fundamental to businesses surviving. Being on furlough and, alternatively, being part of a “core team”, both have unique challenges. It’s important to engage with employees and be transparent with what’s happening in the business. People who have worked all through lockdown are likely to feel exhausted and worried. Those on furlough likely feel anxious, and demotivated. So, to try and maintain a united team, communication is key. Stay in touch regularly with furloughed employees and be in open dialogue about work and employees mental health. This is an opportunity to create deeper relationships with your employees. 70% of organisations have reported issues / resentment between those that have been working and those that have been furloughed, especially as they are returning to work now. It’s important that any conflict is address immediately. Always encourage open conversations and you could reach out to an expert on change and conflict to help you navigate through these times. As we’ve all seen, redundancies have been the most common way of businesses reducing costs. The redundancy process can be an intricate web of legal issues, cost queries and business needs. Redundancies also cause huge unrest and nervousness amongst the remaining employees. So our redundancy expert Gavin says that “Transparency and clear communication is key. Understanding the legal process and balancing that with trying to maintain a strong business culture can be very difficult. If redundancies happen try to make sure it only happens once as cutting twice has a massive knock on effect to those employees who are left, they won’t really ever feel secure in their role” Finally, use employees to give you ideas. It might seem a bit nerve racking to conduct an employee engagement survey during these times but it is an honest and productive way to show your employees you value their opinion, you are committed to improving your culture and it makes them feel included. If you have any questions about cash flow, finance or HR issues following COVID 19, please reach out and we can put you in touch with one of our experts. 68% of organisations across the UK have said they will be making big internal and external changes to their organisation. So if need advice on more finance, cash flow and future proofing your business please reach out as Allan Caven is a turnaround and distress specialist, with a real focus on profit and building a plan to achieve it. He is an experienced leader with a proven track record in both PLC and SME environments across multiple industries including Energy, Waste, Retail, Financial Services, Recruitment, and Manufacturing. Allan has extensive experience across business partnering, business growth, stakeholder management, business re-structuring, mergers & acquisitions, exit route planning, turnarounds, raising finance and private equity. People and Hr process was as much of a focus before COVID as it is right now, and it’s arguably even more important than ever as organisation need the best people in place to succeed. Gavin Peace FCIPD - HR Director – was on our event to offer advice and guidance on all things from redundancy, restructure and employee engagement. Gavin has several years’ experience overseeing redundancy, restructuring, change and transformation projects. He has industry experience across Financial services, hospitality and Retail. Gavin has previously led a 250 employee TUPE transfer and 450 headcount redundancy consultations simultaneously with zero litigation. He’s also managed redundancy projects both small and large scale up to 1,500 heads. Gavin has extensive experience across business and team consolidation, team restructures, culture change, system implementation, large and small scale recruitment projects and people management.

Melissa Kilday

Our MD, Danielle Asano, last week shared her insight into the impact of Covid-19 on the jobs market in an interview with BBC East Midlands Today. We wanted to share further information on the topic as the segment aired was a mere snap shot. Whilst the overall picture may be bleak, we are keen to share with you the many positives we are experiencing in the market at the moment. Even though vacancies have fallen by more than 60%, compared to 2019 figures, new roles have risen month on month since lockdown and we are hoping, of course, that we continue on an upward trajectory. A report conducted by CV-Library revealed the significant drop in vacancies year-on-year was experienced in all areas of the UK. It found key professions such as Administration (down 86.6%), Customer Service (down 77.5%) and Recruitment (down 82.3%) saw the biggest fall in job adverts during this period. However, there was a rise in applications within the public sector (up 179.3%) and medical; (up 27.7%). There has been a substantial increase in the average application to job ratio which rose 84% quarter-on-quarter across the UK, with Leicester seeing one of the largest increases of 117.1%. Founder and CEO of CV-Library, Lee Biggins said “While applications dropped overall, there were less jobs being advertised and that means there’s a lot more competition for the roles that are available. In addition to this, while the furlough scheme has been a life support to hundreds of thousands of businesses, it does also mean that the national employment rate is possibly higher than it should be right now. “As a result, we expect to see applications pick up in the coming months, as more people are forced to look for new jobs. With the government now encouraging businesses to return to the workplace, it will be interesting to see if this has a further impact on the UK job market going forward.” We too are seeing an influx of experienced and skilled candidates who have sadly been made redundant as a result of the pandemic and others who fear their roles may be at risk. With that in mind, we wanted to share useful advice for candidates active on the market at the moment: - Take the time to analyse your CV and identify any skills gaps you see - Work on yourself! There are lots of reading materials and free courses available to upskill yourself whilst on furlough or looking for work - Write an engaging CV i.e. a sales document who’s sole focus is to get you an interview - Partner with reputable agencies that specialise in your area of expertise. REC July Stats Size: 491 KB An insight into the REC Market Report from July Sage Stats Size: 503 KB An insight into Sage's Report on the impact of COVID-19 on SME's View the latest REC 'Markit' Report HERE

Libby McCaughey

Create a workspace: Having a dedicated room/space, where you can sit comfortably, solely for work, will help you ‘get in the zone’ and focus. Make sure the workspace has everything you need before you start so you aren’t constantly up and down looking for paper or a pen, for example. If you live with family or in a shared house, be open with them about your expectations during work time, especially when you are on calls/meetings relating to work. Be reasonable but clear on your expectations. Craft a daily work routine: Replicate what you would do if you were in the office; wake up at a certain time, take a break at a certain time etc. Make sure you follow a certain schedule, structure your breaks, and in general, create a structure to follow. Stick to your working hours: Along the same lines as creating a routine, try and stick to your working hours. During this pandemic is has been quite apparent that people may be shifting their working hours to suit them but it’s important to try and retain your working schedule as much as you can. From a Managers stand point what’s also very important is to be open and honest about expectations and flexibility. Also, let your team members know when they can reach out to you throughout the day and be available to them. Check your internet connection: Make sure you have a secure internet connection and fast enough to keep things running at all times. Communicate with your employer if you are having difficulty accessing the internet or if your connection may be unsecure. Be visible: It’s important to stay connected with your team and colleagues. Keep on top of emails and any other internal communication channels. If you have a lot of meetings, or are not working specific hours put that in your calendar so people know when you are available. Limit distractions: Whether that’s taking a TV break, scrolling through social media or making a snack, make sure you have finished (as best you can) the task you are working on so you can leave your work at your desk when taking time out. This will also help you be more productive as it enables you to retain your focus and dedicate your time to your duties. Share your thoughts: Working remotely may be a huge change for some people and in others it can lead to the fear of missing out. Remember that your manager and team members are always there to hear your ideas and updates and some of them will be feeling the same way that you are. These are uncertain times for us all, don’t be frightened of communicating your thoughts. Remember to have fun: Relationships with colleagues are important, it’s a key factor in building a working culture in an organisation. Having them around only virtually can seem strange and can make you feel detached and alone. Try and get involved in fun virtual experiences with colleagues whether that be a quiz or a Friday night catch up. Pursue work-life balance: Maintaining a positive work life balance is something that has been a challenge long before this pandemic. But having work life balance shouldn’t be something you aspire to, you need to create it. Again as mentioned in point 3 “stick to your working hours” - if you work over time on certain days, communicate that to your manager and work out when you can take those hours back, if possible, or at least create yourself a plan to try and reduce this moving forwards.

Melissa Kilday

I’ve recently watched the 10 part documentary ‘The Last Dance’ which focuses on the life of basketball legend Michael Jordan. It was a great watch (definitely recommend it, even if you aren't a fan of basketball) and it showed insight into the life of numerous superstars and gave real perspective on Michael Jordan's motivation and drive as a professional athlete. The series talks about the highs and lows in Jordan's life, it shows his commitment to being the best and how that commitment never took a back seat even during the toughest times. Why am I telling you this? Well, the documentary got me thinking about growth and my own dedication to self-improvement, which has taken on a different dimension this year due to COVID 19 and its impact on the world. The current pandemic has created crises amongst the health and financial markets that are disrupting the lives of almost everyone on our planet. COVID-19 is forcing many of us to confront a new world that is unfamiliar, unpredictable, unexpected and uncontrollable. The rapid change has caused people to purely focus on the here and now which is completely understandable, but it’s important to also try and keep hold of personal and professional goals and motivations during this time, if possible. Before I go on, I want to acknowledge that using the current crisis as an opportunity for personal growth is something that has been forced upon us, we either sink or we swim. This blog is not intended to reduce or distract from the seriousness of the consequences many people will face due to COVID 19. However, many people are motivated by working on their personal development whether that be via education or through experience and it’s important that, even during challenging times, that doesn’t stop, you just need to manage your expectations accordingly. Progression within business is important for many employees and, even in times like this, dreams and ambitions shouldn’t need to be put on hold. Rather, they should be adjusted in line with what the new business world may look like during and following this pandemic. Many businesses will be in no position to offer that progression right now. But it is still just as important to note how you may be able to develop your skill set and knowledge during this time and understand what short term goals can replace some of the more longer term ones you originally had planned. For those on furlough, being detached from work may be causing stress and worry, others may be enjoying some ‘time out’. Either way it’s important to ask yourself how you may be able to utilise this time to set goals you never thought about before? Such as; taking up online classes, reading that book on leadership you were always keen on, volunteering, even gaining insight to a completely new skill that may be outside your professional field. Personal development can be inspired by role models in all different fields, such as Michael Jordan. People working in key/core roles may be feeling additional pressure and stress due to an increase or decrease in business demand, they may be working in a new environment, with new systems implemented purely due to lockdown. I’ve spoken to some people who are even doing a completely different role to help out. It’s important that, if possible, you try to understand how this time could provide you with an unexpected chance to grow and understand how this is impacting your professional development. You may be learning new ways to handle stress, learning how to get the most out of rapid change and even how you've adapted your leadership style to suit the ‘new norm’ such as managing remotely. Either way your personal and professional goals and ambitions should not be shelved, we need something to focus on during times of adversity. It’s healthy to be mindful on how you are growing during this time and if you feel like you are not, then reach out to someone who may be able to help and provide guidance on how to make the most out of this time. If you don’t have a personal development plan now is a good time to sit and reflect on what it is you want to achieve and how you may need to adapt to do that in these current times. Ask yourself questions on how you want to develop outside your role, what objectives can you set yourself that are achievable now rather than later. If you would like access to a development template, please email me and I can send one over. I’m writing this blog because I’ve always been passionate about development and I’ve had some times in my life where I felt lost, and focusing on my personal and professional goals gave me a much needed anchor to grasp hold of. I didn’t realise that during the last few months I have been ignoring and distancing myself from my dreams, as if I sub consciously gave up on ever achieving them. Over the last 10 years I have chased those dreams passionately, with a fierce commitment to achieve them, and I felt extremely disappointed in myself for almost letting them go - even temporarily. I now need to refocus my personal development to enable me to grow and develop in the “new, post COVID 19, business world”. This has been a difficult time, there’s no denying that but I want to make sure that when I look back on this period of my life, I know I have been present and mindful in understanding how difficulty creates opportunity.

Melissa Kilday