TeamPlayer360 the new voice for recruitment ISSUE 4, 2014
Perfect Virgin Territory Changing your Holiday Policy Virgin hit the headlines with the news that Sir Richard Branson was giving his staff unlimited holiday. It is being piloted with Virgin Management, the home of Virgin, which employs around 170 people including their not for profit foundation, in London, New York and Geneva. “Our staff will retain their current holiday entitlement, but can request additional holiday leave without being restricted by a maximum limit.” said Victoria O’Byrne, Group Corporate Affairs Director, Virgin Management.“Everyone will be required to take off a minimum number of days annually, to make sure people are getting a break and time to recharge away for work."
The rationale is that it is the level of productivity which is most important not how many hours you are in the office. So Virgin are throwing out the rule book and have introduced this new holiday policy. “In addition to this, our staff will be able to request additional holiday leave without any formal limit, as long as they agree it with their managers and are comfortable that they are able to get their job done." "In short, we trust our staff to take the amount of holiday they need from one year to the next.”
Continued on page 3
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TeamPlayer 360 • Issue 4
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themselves tend to over-service if they are on holiday or working from home, as they feel guilty leaving their colleagues to deal with the mad deadline they’ve left behind because they’ve HAD to take their holiday that week or lose it. Think about it, if your staff could determine their own holiday, and took a mature responsibility for their actions, I think the freedom that would generate could conjure more productivity and loyalty for your business than before. There’s a reason it’s still working at Netflix for over a decade. I will be interested in hearing your thoughts. Email me.
Editor΄s Note There is a change coming. Can you feel it? A change in the way we work. No longer anchored to an office, but working on the go, wherever we are. Freedom to create an office at home, in a villa in Spain or on a train heading to Paris. Sounds ideal. Sounds perfect. But is it? Do we ever switch off? In the lead cover story, which has been all over the news recently, Richard Branson announced he was following Netflix and other large companies, allowing his staff to take unlimited holiday. Whenever they want it. For employees, the first reaction is, “wo hoo month-long holidays”, while for employers it poses a threat to their productivity and targets, assuming staff will take liberties and not show up for weeks on end. Let’s think about this for a moment. We are already working all the hours, checking emails on the phone before we go to bed, networking on LinkedIn and texting colleagues reminders about deadlines or spreadsheets in the middle of the night. In the last issue we discussed working remotely, how companies need to learn to trust. We also discussed the other side of the coin, that staff
Editor Vanessa Champion vanessachampion@teamplayer360.com Web Editor David Bevan david@teamplayer360.com Letters Send feedback & letters to letters@teamplayer360.com Advertising Lawrence@emblemgroup.co.uk t: 07725 841617 Publisher Emblem Group Ltd info@emblemgroup.co.uk Distribution Enquiries Emblem Group Ltd info@emblemgroup.co.uk Design Matthew Case t: 07545 213200 e: designmc@live.com
In this issue we look at cloud-based technology, video interviews, social media, mobile apps, digital recruitment and HR tools. Love it or loathe it, the digital world is here to stay in the industry. As practitioners we need to know the tools that can make our candidate retention rate better, surely that has to be a win win for everyone, particularly the candidate. Editing this issue was interesting. Articles were submitted from experts in the field, who use digital every day, whose business it is to know what works, what doesn’t. They share some good tips for you to try and help clear some of the wood from the forest of digital trees. The new webinar technologies, cloud-based soft-skill analysis tools, mobile apps, social network searches... it’s all a mine field, but it’s also very exciting. It’s happening so incredibly fast around us, that as an industry, we are changing so quickly. If you read one article, turn to page 39 for Richard Smith’s article on the legal aspects of social media and employment law, the case studies he cites are so valuable. Thank you for your great feedback and letters you’ve sent in, it’s good to know you like the newspaper. Remember it’s your paper, written by you for you. If you have colleagues and friends who would like copies, let us know. Next issue we focus on Europe and diversity, both of which are sure to spark discussion! Editor, Vanessa Champion London, 2014
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What΄s Inside Highlights Editor’s Note ...................................................................................... 2 Richard Branson has scrapped holiday entitlement, has he gone crazy? ... 3 News ............................................................................................. 4 / 5 London unlikely to meet apprenticeships target ............................... 6 Employee poaching on the increase .................................................. 7 US Ambassador visit .......................................................................... 8
Perspectives Job Descriptions - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ........................ 11 Reducing Recruitment bias in Recruitment ..................................... 11 Drawing the right talent to you ........................................................ 12 Changing the HR game: one conference at a time .......................... 13 Saving Mr. Banks the power of storytelling ................................... 15 Setting up your own business ......................................................... 16
The Pulse .............................................................................. 17 / 20 Focus Massive Loophole on vetting IT staff .............................................. 21 Recruiters Social Media Professionals ............................................ 23 Psychometric Profiling - Does it work? .......................................... 24 FREE tools for working remotely .................................................... 25 What can HR do to embrace technology? ....................................... 27 Why Recruitment needs to go mobile ............................................. 28 Utilising technology to enhance business performance .................. 30 Tomorrow will be cloudy ................................................................ 31 The Digital Revolution .................................................................... 31 Twitter and Youtube as enablers not replacers ................................ 32 What to wear for a video or television interview ........................... 32 Social Media Recruiting - Is it fair? ............................................... 33
Country Focus It's the same in the USA... Especially Silicon Valley ....................... 34 Accelerate with 500 StartUps ........................................................... 35
Book Reviews ............................................................................. 36 Leisure .......................................................................................... 37 Law ......................................................................................... 38 / 39
Are you a Job Seeker? We want your opinion.
Bad experience? Plain-sailing? Email the editor 100 words and tell us about your experience job hunting. Lies and promises or support and encouragement? editor@teamplayer360.com Want to work with us? Apprentice journalists and media sales executives wanted. Email the editor.
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TeamPlayer 360 • nov 2014
on trust. In this incredibly mobile world, it seems predictable that more and more businesses will have to learn to change and adapt, evolve into fluid enterprises and allow staff some elastic to be able to function and not burn out. How does it work? The assumption is that staff will act responsibly and conscientiously. “It is left to the employee alone to decide if and when he or she feels like taking a few hours, a day, a week or a month off, the assumption being that they are only going to do it when they feel a hundred per cent comfortable that they and their team are up to date on every project and that their absence will not in any way damage the business – or, for that matter, their careers!"
continued from page 1 Branson credits Netflix with inspiring him. Netflix incidentally launched this holiday model way back in 2004. In fact, Netflix and Virgin are not alone. Best Buy (the consumer electronics company), Evernote (the collaborative digital hub for sharing business notebooks, projects, etc), Groupon (the online voucher company), Ask.com and others also offer a similar open “policy” for their staff.
and ‘simple’ describe the cleverest of innovations – well, this is surely one of the simplest and smartest initiatives I have heard of in a long time and I’m delighted to say that we have introduced this same (non) policy at our parent company in both the UK and the US, where vacation policies can be particularly draconian. Assuming it goes as well as expected, we will encourage all our subsidiaries to follow suit, which will be incredibly exciting to watch."
On Branson’s blog he quotes from his book The Virgin way “It is always interesting to note how often the adjectives ‘smart’
And it seems to be a growing trend. Last issue we focused on working remotely, a key element of discussion centred
Richard Branson has scrapped holiday entitlement, has he gone crazy? The BBC headline reads ‘The boss of Virgin Group, Sir Richard Branson, is offering his personal staff as much holiday as they want’! The casual observer might think Branson has finally lost it. Surely no one will work, it will be anarchy and everyone will be on endless holiday time? In reality I doubt it and I’m going to explain why. However in the interests of taking a balanced approach I’m also going to highlight what I see as a potential downside too. Let’s start with the positives. First off all Branson has created yet more headlines for Virgin which we know he is great at doing. He has even started a UK wide national discussion on the subject so people are talking about him and Virgin. More innovation and daring from Virgin it seems... However peer behind the headlines and you’ll see a more considered move. First off all, Branson knows a thing or two about human psychology. He’s banking that his personal team of 170 are by and large working with him because they want to. It’s a fair assumption that Branson already gives his people the core requirements of what research tells us motivates people at work. Dan Pink did a good job of summing it up as ‘autonomy, mastery and purpose’. Branson’s team are also more than likely to be competitively remunerated for their efforts too – however do not let this confuse the point.
Money by and large is a poor day to day motivator. My supposition is that Branson knows that money is only really a problem if it is perceived as not being enough. Therefore I expect that he ensures his team are well ‘rewarded’ in this traditional sense of the word. Furthermore and arguably more importantly, I suspect that he and his senior leadership team are good at actually telling people they’re valued. All of the fore mentioned factors allow him to bank on what he knows to work and that is ‘trusting people’. He knows he has the right people in place and by trusting them to make adult choices about holidays he is cutting back on bureaucracy and kicking an industrial era practice out of the 21st century... Ok so that’s the positive view on all of this. Now for the negatives. If there were to be a downside of scrapping holidays, it will not be because people take liberties. In fact the problem could ironically be the exact opposite of the apparent benefit, in that people will not take enough holidays! Virgin is a successful company; it hasn’t got that way by accident but through hard work. I suspect many of Branson’s team will have migrated to him from other corporates. In my experience the underlying and unwritten rule is the same – long hours is the name of the game. The risk for Virgin is that people take less holidays either because they forget to manage them or because they feel pressure that the best way to get on is not to take them. This could result in a dissatisfied and burned out workforce. However I’m going to have faith that this will not happen and this is because of the man himself. Any initiative of this sort is hugely dependent on leaders walking the walk. I’ll go back to my earlier point and that is Branson simply understands human psychology and basic leadership principles. Indeed he has applied them throughout his career. As a happy coincidence he also seems to be a man who enjoys leisure as much as work. If I were offering advice to Virgin it would be to make sure they monitor the situation to ensure that people do in fact take
Virgin is nurturing a culture of “Freedom and Responsibility” trusting their staff and as a result each employee is expected to respect their colleagues and take responsibility for their workload, getting the jobs and projects done together. Mutual respect. Output is measured, not the time your rump is on your chair. When you hire your staff, it comes down to trust. You hope that you will be employing someone who will take your business to the next level, to help it reach its targets and beyond. Companies that engender “family” or a team spirit, friendship, have the longest staff retention. Offering unlimited holiday, and trusting them to be grown-up and responsible enough to know just when to take a break, discussing with colleagues goals and deadlines, you might find that there’s more productivity and success within your teams. If it works for multi-million pound companies, you never know, it just might work for you too. Our editor, Vanessa Champion, spoke with Virgin Management
What do you think? editor@teamplayer360.com @teamplayer360
holidays. At any rate it will be really interesting to find out how this works out. From a purely human psychology perspective, I think Branson is on the money with this one. Would scrapping holidays work in your company? It really comes down to the beliefs and values of the organisation. The reality is that for many organisations it would be a step too far because the conditions for it to work, which can be summed up as 'trust', do not exist.
David Jack, Ascend, www.ascendhr.co.uk +44(0)752 5855113 david@ascendhr.co.uk
TeamPlayer 360 • Issue 4
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Highlights Fitzy's Review
Feedback highly valued by HR professionals Acas publishes guide to shared parental leave With shared parental leave (SPL) becoming available from 5 April 2015, conciliation service Acas has produced a guide to the new regulations. Designed to help both employers and employees, it covers a range of points including how to make a request
for SPL and how employers can deal with those requests fairly. Training courses are also on offer for employers wanting to get up-to-speed with the legal changes that will allow couples to share maternity or adoption leave and pay. Around 285,000 couples are estimated to be eligible for SPL from April according to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Heather Trefusis
A survey by recruitment consultancy Robert Walters has found that HR professionals value feedback in the workplace more than those in any other function. In the study of 755 UK employees, 40% of HR professionals said feedback is "very important" for their careers, compared to just 29% of accountants and 20% of those working in IT or sales. The survey also revealed that HR professionals are the least likely to see remuneration as the most important factor in their job satisfaction – with only 31% seeing it as "very important", compared to 52% of those in marketing and 62% in financial services. HT
Apple and Facebook will pay for female staff to have eggs frozen Technology giants Apple and Facebook hope to attract and retain more top female talent by offering to pay for them to have their eggs frozen. The schemes are designed to enable staff to focus on their careers and start a family later in life. Facebook offers staff up to $20,000 (£12,570) to cover the costs of the egg freezing process, and Apple is due to launch a comparable scheme in January 2015. It is hoped that the benefit will improve workforce diversity within the two companies, where 70% of staff at Apple and 77% at Facebook are male. HT
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TeamPlayer 360 • nov 2014
Highlights Self-employed contractors feeling optimistic As the economy continues to show signs of recovery, self-employed contractors are feeling more positive about their job prospects, according to professional services consultancy Procorre. Its research found that 57% of self-employed contractors are optimistic about the year ahead, after a difficult 12 months, during which just a third (34%) found it ‘easy’ to obtain work. 47% of
contractors reported that they are seeing economic activity increase in their sector. Lisa Mangan, relationship manager at Procorre, said: “Project budgets were hit by the recession but as businesses start to increase spending, contractors should reap the benefits.” HT
Retirees unable to find work 2.1 million people aged 50-70 are struggling to find work, according to a study by the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF). The research found that although this group identified themselves as ‘retired’, they would like a job but had not been able to find anything that was flexible and not
too physically demanding. Joanne Segars, Chief Executive of the NAPF, said: “If the Government is serious about putting the expertise of the over 50s to work then it must urgently develop a plan to make the right jobs available to this age group." HT
Fear of redundancy falls As unemployment figures continue to fall, employees are feeling less fearful of losing their jobs. Employment website Glassdoor surveyed over 2,000 people and found that one in five were afraid they may lose their job in the coming months – compared to a third in 2013.
the quarter to August, and now stands at 1.97million. Employment Minister, Esther McVey, said: “This optimism reflects that the economy is growing in strength, resilience and stability. Employment is up, unemployment is down and there are more than 670,000 vacancies at any one time.”
Latest employment figures show unemployment has fallen by 154,000 in
HT
Social media policies must be clear Law firm Moore Blatch has warned of the need for clear policies with regard to professional contacts made through social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. It highlighted business risks around whether contacts are considered confidential and belong to the employer or to the employee. While the courts will
prevent misuse of information by injunction, they can only do so if the business’ right to protect that information is clear and understood – leaving the employer responsible for an unambiguous and comprehensive social media policy. HT
Media Sales Executive OTE £40k Media Sales an advantage Full Training and On-going Coaching Exciting Opportunity Lawrence@emblemgroup.co.uk - 07725 841 617
Pay gap increases Want to comment? Email editor@teamplayer360.com
New research by the Incomes Data Services (IDS) has drawn further attention to the growing pay gap between directors and employees. The IDS figures show that the total earnings of directors of FTSE 100 companies have jumped by 21% in just one year. This sharp increase is due to share-based incentives and bonus payments, rather than salary rises, which increased by just 2.5%
- demonstrating the complexity of directors’ remuneration. The IDS report reveals that a FTSE 100 chief executive now earns 120 times more than a full-time employee.
HT
TeamPlayer 360 • Issue 4
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Highlights
London unlikely to meet apprenticeships target Optima Corporate Finance Recruitment Sector Specialists
Advising recruitment clients for 18 years: • Business Sale • Mergers and Acquisitions • Raising Finance • Valuation • Exit Stratgeies • Maximising Shareholder Value Contact: Philip Ellis:
020 3405 3166 / 07973 625211
philip@optimacf.com www.optimacf.com
Despite a major problem with youth unemployment, London is lagging behind when it comes to the number of apprenticeships available, say the Greater London Authority. The capital has strengths in a number of industry sectors but these are all underperforming in terms of the proportion of apprenticeships created. ‘Trained in London’, a report by the London Assembly Economy Committee, highlights
the challenges and calls on Mayor Boris Johnson to help. A statement from the authority said the Mayor’s target of 250,000 apprenticeships by 2016 was looking unlikely. Committee member Stephen Knight added:
“ London should be investing in its future, to remain the engine of the UK’s economy.” Joanna Milton
Lord Freud’s comments reflect ‘widespread negative view’ of disabled workforce Welfare reform minister Lord David Freud has controversially commented that disabled people could be paid as little as £2 an hour Representatives of the Business Disability Forum suggest this represents widespread negative views about people with disabilities. Susan Scott-Parker, the Forum’s chief executive said: "His comments unfortunately reflect the negative views that many members
of our society still hold." She added: "There is so much to be done, to shift the attitudes and perceptions of disabled people in employment and focus on what people can do." Research indicates that employment rates for people with learning disabilities are less than 10 per cent. JM
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TeamPlayer 360 • nov 2014
Highlights New reporting Wind farms rules on slavery have potential in supply chains for 13,000 jobs Big businesses will have to publicly state actions, which ensure their supply chains are slavery free, the Home Office has announced. In a press statement Karen Bradley, minister for modern slavery and organised crime, said: "The fact that there are more people in slavery today than at any other time in human history is shameful." Anti Slavery International’s Klara Skrivankova said: "There are businesses striving to stamp out slavery and they are being undercut by those that don’t." A Home Office consultation will agree the threshold for the size of the businesses affected and statutory guidance will be provided to help them comply.
Employee poaching on the increase A survey by HR recruitment firm Ortus shows the improving economy is the key factor behind an increase in employee poaching. In the last year, more than half of the 138 HR professionals surveyed had reported an increase in the number of offers received by employees from rival companies. Most of them cited career development as the primary reason for the employee leaving, with few
companies willing to make counter-offers. Ortus managing consultant Nicholas Croucher said: “It’s clear companies need to work harder to retain their top talent by being more creative with their counter-offers. Employees aren’t exclusively focused on remuneration.” JM
Greater scrutiny of CEOs would avoid “reputational risk” Background screening provider HireRight suggests companies are leaving themselves open to “genuine reputational risk” by failing to complete background checks before making senior appointments. Their report The Untouchables: Protecting your organisation revealed that 27 per cent of the HR professionals polled admitted that CEOs were subject to less scrutiny than graduates. Nearly one quarter believe their
board members may never have had their work history or academic claims properly verified. HireRight MD EMEA Steve Girdler said: “The right processes need to be in place to ensure fear of asking senior people questions on their background doesn’t lead to a company’s reputation being damaged.” JM
North East region shows “optimistic future” The North East recruitment market has improved substantially following a challenging few years, according to a new report from contract recruitment specialists Venn Group. The latest employment trends report found that there was a 12 per cent increase in the number of vacancies between July and September 2014, compared with the same three months last year. Venn Group’s Stan
JM
70% of graduates “overwhelmed” by job hunting A new survey from Kloodle, a social networking site for student and graduate recruitment, reveals 70 per cent of the UK’s students and graduates feel overwhelmed by the prospect of job hunting. Only 18 per cent claim to be fully prepared for finding their first job and one in three say the pressure of job hunting while at university gets in the way of revision. The survey also sheds light on students’ perceived lack of careers support, with four in 10 stating that their university careers service has not helped them. 35% admitted to not engaging with their university’s careers service however, suggesting a disconnect between the two groups. JM
Successful re-brand for ISIS Recruitment ISIS Recruitment has rebranded after continued conflict in Iraq and Syria forced it to change its name just 14 months from launch.
The report indicates the main demand has been from the public sector, particularly councils looking to recruit staff in the lead up to year end.
The head-hunting specialist is now called Adoria Recruitment rather than continuing to share its name with terrorist organisation, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Director Stephanie Shaw said: “Isis was an Egyptian goddess, known for protecting her children, now the name ISIS has been tarnished.” The rebrand cost £1,000 and took two weeks to complete. The firm has new clients and candidates off the back of the publicity the rebrand attracted.
JM
JM
Murray-Hession commented on the results: “The figures are extremely encouraging and it appears we’re finally moving into a more optimistic future.”
Recruiters are welcoming the news that the Scottish government has granted consent for four offshore wind farms which could, over their lifetime, generate more than 13,000 jobs. However, some remain cautious about the long term impact on employment opportunities in the sector including Advanced Global Energy MD Tom Maguire. He said: “It’s a fantastic amount of jobs, but we need to make sure that there aren’t 13,000 redundancies down the road.” “There are only so many offshore wind farm developments the UK can sustain,” he explained. “Eventually people may move overseas to follow the demand, or look for other jobs, which may require re-skilling.” JM
Living Wage shows positive results for employee retention Business law firm DWF has been shortlisted for a Living Wage Champions Award by the Living Wage Foundation, recognising the firm’s contribution to its community. The Living Wage, which employers choose to pay on a voluntary basis, is set according to the basic cost of living in the UK and has proven to show positive results for employee retention, morale and productivity. DWF’s Director of Corporate Social Responsibility Tyrone Jones commented: “It is great recognition to be shortlisted for this award.” Judged by an independent panel of community leaders, the winners will be announced during November’s Living Wage Week.
JM
TeamPlayer 360 • Issue 4
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Highlights
US Ambassador visits one of Forbes’ most innovative Companies Fresh from The Ryder Cup, US Ambassador to the UK, Mark Barzun, was in Scotland last week touring the FMC Technology plant in Fife and lunching with a hand-picked selection of key businesses. A leading global provider of technology solutions for the energy industry, FMC was named as “One Of The World’s Most Innovative Companies” by Forbes Magazine in 2013 and employs 20,000 across 17 countries, many of them based in Houston, TX. It is exactly this type of transatlantic commerce that Ambassador was there to discuss. Over lunch the discussion went straight to business – or lack thereof and difficulties experienced therein.
" From airport detainments to visa applications it was
clear that there were barriers for Scottish companies doing business in the USA – and not just in the timescales it takes to get through US immigration." The Ambassador agreed that there was much each State could do to welcome business at its airports and jobs at ground level.
" Many companies found the rules around setting up companies and launching trade within the US a tangled forest of red tape with a distinct lack of
a central knowledge bank and procedure. It appears that Scottish Enterprise have an LA office, most were unaware but agreed that for tech companies this was ideal. Bruce Walker of We Are The Future, an Edinburgh based social enterprise that runs global summits to inspire the world through entrepreneurship, was about to leave for LA where they are working with PSC and Mark Sennet Studios to deliver TechOut LA, a one day interactive conference celebrating tech’s bright future and the innovators who will usher it in. Bruce highlighted the similarities between the US and Scotland in the growth of social entrepreneurship especially in the under 25’s. While Gael Ramage of SharkDog Social Media, also Edinburgh based, agreed that online co-operation and trade was quickly becoming a social norm.
Ambassador Barzun was keen to hear comments on the proposed USA/European Transatlantic Trade and Industry Partnership (TTIP), announced after calls by President Obama in his Feb 2013 State of the Union address. With recent unsettlement in Ukraine and in response to the strengthening union of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) highlighted in this Summer’s announcement of a $100bn bank and currency pool to cut out Western dominance, a European Free Trade Area has never looked more appealing. All round the table agreed that strengthening America and Scotland’s long history of business affiliation could only be a positive move.
Gael Ramage, www.sharkdog.co.uk
Executive Search | Coaching | Consulting www.@passearch.co.uk | info@passearch.co.uk | +44 (0)203 286 9828
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TeamPlayer 360 • nov 2014
Highlights
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Desk Union Launch Party - A Working Environment With a Difference Royal Bank of Scotland’s CEO Ross McEwan and over fifty people came to celebrate the launch of Desk Union in St. Andrews Square, Edinburgh at the very beginning of October. Us at SharkDog were very proud to be in attendance to celebrate the success of the partnership between RBS and Desk Union - all because of Victoria Arnold’s vision for a friendly and fun co-working environment for varying business structures. Although SharkDog builds online communities through various digital marketing strategies, our virtual world needs to have a flexible base to work from. The rapid success that we have had for clients in only our first couple of months has really allowed us to create waves within digital marketing. Desk Union are a major factor in helping us achieve our goals with their efforts to rejuvenate unloved areas in a company’s workspace. Victoria Arnold’s passion for building co-working spaces for homeworkers, start-ups, freelancers, microbusinesses, and incubator businesses after her own difficulties in getting an office has aided many. Despite
only opening this June, they are quickly filling up and their launch party reiterated why. I nvitations were warmly extended to members, friends, clients and those within RBS. Sadiah Mir, an employee at Desk Union, said that Desk Union was: “Overwhelmed with the positive feedback from everyone about The Square. It was great to have RBS CEO, Ross McEwan, as well as the RBS Tech and Business VIP’s here and be able to connect them to the members. It was also a great opportunity to meet a wide variety of small businesses around Edinburgh.” Introductions to shareholders and the RBS staff that helped to make this possible was a real ‘pinch-me’ moment for SharkDog and the other businesses. With a bit of Dutch courage from the Martin Millers Gin that was provided, our Zookeeper Josh Quigley had the pleasure of talking to Ross McEwan with Bruce Walker and Russell Dalgleish.
Josh said: “It was brilliant to get a chance to meet the RBS CEO and to gain advice on certain business aspects in such a casual setting. As a young CEO myself it was great to have the opportunity to have that talk and I can’t thank Desk Union enough.”
working mentality and a friendly community is vital. SharkDog are the first to advocate that social media, apps and technology are crucial to any business – especially ours! However, what Desk Union’s inspiring message and well run event have reminded us, is that this...
With all the members catching up with one another, hearing how other companies are building, it summarised for us the importance of the work that Desk Union is doing. Start-ups have grown rapidly within the last couple of years with research by the national enterprise campaign demonstrating 526,446 businesses were registered with Companies House. Witnessing our fellow members’ successes is a real treat. For instance, We Are The Future will have been over to Los Angeles for their event with TechOut La by the time this has gone to issue and have a second Start-Up Summit in Edinburgh this November.
"Social media presence is only successful when it is personable."
http://www.startupbritain.co/news/2014-01-26/new-figures-reveal-regional-entrepreneurial-hotspots
For every start-up finding the right environment that encapsulates both a strong
For more information on those mentioned within, feel free to peruse their websites and Twitter feeds: SharkDog - www.sharkdog.co.uk @Sharkdog_ Desk Union - www.deskunion.co.uk @DeskUnion We Are The Future - www.wearethefuture.org.uk @WATF_ Mary Philip, Sub-Editor,
TeamPlayer360 Scotland.
TeamPlayer 360 • Issue 4
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11 TeamPlayer 360 • nov 2014
Perspectives
Job Descriptions - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Job descriptions are a fixture of working life. In theory they have many uses including workforce planning, recruitment, performance measurement and job evaluation. Unfortunately this theory rarely translates into actual practice. In my experience, job descriptions tend to spend the majority of their time gathering dust, with little bearing whatsoever on the day to day necessity of making a business successful. One of the common practices I have observed is that job descriptions tend to be created for people. This might sound logical but I believe the reverse should be true. How often do you hear “we need to update your job description” as a response to changing tasks in an ever changing world? The exercise often becomes retrospective and the job description becomes a sort of memorandum to record what the individual has been or is doing. Surely all of this is the wrong way round and the question instead should be what work actually needs to be done in order to make the business successful? Only then should the skills and requirements to do the work be written down.
HOLOCRACY Earlier this year US tech company Zappos caught the media’s attention when they completely ditched job titles and flattened their organisational structure. They implemented an alternative to the hierarchy called the ‘holocracy’. One of the interesting features of the holocracy is the emphasis it places on job descriptions to help inform work activities. In the holocracy, job descriptions are collaboratively formed by the
team in order to get shared opinion. The interesting thing is people can be assigned more than one job description (which addresses the common problem of pigeon-holing people). The role holder is then given authority to deliver the outcomes of his or her job description and I really like this bit – accountabilities and responsibilities are clear and properly delegated. Job Descriptions – or the work that needs to be completed is also regularly reviewed and updated to keep them relevant. Time consuming? Perhaps but then ask yourself how much time most companies waste on inefficiencies and duplication of effort. Whilst the holocracy might not be suitable for all organisations, the lesson on job descriptions can be easily transferred. Keep them up to date and purposeful with work considerations as the priority. Whilst in some ways it might seem counter intuitive to make them about work (as opposed to the person) this can actually have an empowering impact on those doing the work, so long as accountabilities and responsibilities are properly delegated. The other lesson to take is the collaborative aspect – ask your team and colleagues to feed into creating job descriptions and do so with the company objectives in mind. Remember those doing the work will often have the best ideas about what the best ways are to complete the work. As for those paper exercise job descriptions? I’d suggest you continue to let them gather dust! David Jack, Ascend, www.ascendhr.co.uk
M: +44(0)752 5855113 E: david@ascendhr.co.uk W: Blog: http://ascendsuccess.blogspot.co.uk/
Reducing Recruitment Bias in Recruitment Last week I was teaching undergraduate students in Edinburgh Napier University about perception theory and the implication stereotyping has on recruitment.
" Contrary to the popular wisdom of polite society, stereotyping is actually a perfectly normal psychological process. However this is not to say it does not cloud our judgement, particularly when it comes to making recruitment decisions." As humans we constantly absorb huge amounts of information about the world around us. The sheer amount of data we absorb is almost overwhelming so processes like stereotyping help us filter information. We use existing information already stored in our brains to put people into boxes based on extremely quick observations. This enables us to make decisions quicker and to determine things like whether a stranger should be considered friend or foe. The ability to make a snap judgements is useful if you are in a potentially life threatening situation but less useful if you are trying to make a decision about an individual’s ability to perform a complex job. At this stage stereotyping becomes less useful to us. The problem is recent research from Monster.com indicates this important, yet very primeval way of interpreting the world, is still clearly an important deciding factor in recruitment interviews. This is worrying. Logically we know that snap judgements are limited in effectiveness, regardless of how much someone believes they are “a good judge of
character” (unfortunately, nearly everyone does!). This certainly reflects my own experience; I have witnessed companies of all shapes and sizes, rely on no more than a CV and a hastily prepared one-to-one interview. The consequences have been virtually always the same – consistently higher turnover due to recruiting the wrong people. So what do we do about this? Firstly it’s about awareness. Once we realise we stereotype we can then sense check ourselves and let our logic and wisdom come into play. We can take practical steps to overcome perception bias. Last week I was chatting with Michael Young, CEO of MBN Recruitment Solutions, with regards to how they employ their own people. MBN use an assessment centre format and when it comes to interviews they use a panel interview (comprising of more than just one person). Michael said everyone has to agree on a recruitment decision for the candidate to be selected. This clearly reduces the impact one person’s bias can have on the recruitment decision and Michael who is a professional recruiter was sure this more rigorous process which relied less on ‘feeling’ had improved the quality of new hires. These steps also help the company to reduce the risk of perception bias and stereotyping. Indeed any process which help objectivise the process is worthy of consideration. That is not to say that feelings are not important – at the end of the day people have to be able to work with one another. It is however about being prepared to try and assess people fully and being aware that if you don’t your unconscious self will be making big decisions based on very flimsy criteria. (Both articles written by) David Jack, Ascend, www.ascendhr.co.uk
M: +44(0)752 5855113 E: david@ascendhr.co.uk W: Blog: http://ascendsuccess.blogspot.co.uk/
TeamPlayer 360 • Issue 4
12
Perspectives " In addition there are a growing number of websites with mobile applications, which aim to provide potential candidates with insights into organisations. Some go further and actually try and match candidates to organisations. One of the more popular ones is Glassdoor.
" Glassdoor describes itself as a career community that offers you an inside look at jobs and companies.”
Drawing The Right Talent to You I was recently contacted by an organisation in the Food & Beverages industry wanting my help with a project. It sounded interesting so I went on to their website to find out more about the organisation. Looking at the website, my antenna went up and I got quite excited thinking – I’d love to work with these people. I believe that as organisations increasingly compete to attract the right talent to their organisations, it is more and more important for organisations to be able to attract this type of positive response.
history, vision and values. I felt as if I could identify what they stand for and thought it would be great to support some part of the next stage of their journey. Hence my interest in working on the project that had been put forward to me.
You’ll probably wonder what is about the organisation that got me excited. To some extent it’s subliminal and I’m still trying to work out exactly why it led to such a response from me, however, I can immediately say that whilst the website was formal it had a friendly look and feel to it. It was informative – providing a fair amount of information about who they are, what they do and how they work to get things right. They seemed to be proud and confident in whom they are – outlining their
They are also individuals who are likely to be fully engaged and give their best to the organisation as they believe in it and feel as if they are a part of it. They are also more likely to stay with the organisation longer term.
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I say that this is important for organisations who want to attract not just talented individuals, but individuals that share their ethos and values as these are the type of employees that will fit with the organisation’s culture.
A company website is a great way of making people aware of the culture of your environment and what it stands and should clearly reflect this.
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Enabling candidates to make better career decisions based on feedback and information from employees that work for the organisations. My assessment is that at a basic level it serves as a traditional jobs board, providing people registered with the site with alerts on job vacancies. It is additionally said to source information in a way that it includes job information not included on traditional job boards. The inclusion of organisation reviews from employees means that candidates can make an assessment on whether they want to work with an organisation not just based on their interest in the job, but also on whether it sounds like a place that they would like to work in. Critically aside from the website it has a mobile application which means people have information on job and organisations at their fingertips. This is specifically significant for younger candidates who are heavily reliant on their phones for accessing information.
It goes on to explain that job seekers and employees identify their professional archetype, assess a company’s fit, and give them the tools and resources they need to find true happiness in the workplace. It further describes finding the right job being like finding your soul mate. Again like Glassdoor in addition to its website, it also has a mobile application. http://www.good.co/ These are just two of the applications currently available in enabling candidates to make informed career decisions. If I did a basic online search or went to the Apple Apps Store I’m sure I will find quite a few more with different features and of varying quality.
" In months to come, there will be a fair number more and they will become a normal feature used by employers – most especially younger employees in their job search. This takes me back to my original point. If you as an employer want to ensure that you have the best opportunity to recruit and retain the people that you really want, then make sure that you are clear about what you’re really about; and that your current employees understand it and hopefully buy into it. Also take a look at the applications that your target candidates use. If you’re a candidate do explore to and see what’s out there, that may help you in your search!
www.Glassdoor.com www.Glassdoor.co.uk I recently discovered another application – Good.Co. which helps individuals discover what it refers to as their workplace personality types and provides them with information on organisations that it believes are best suited to their personality types. Good.Co describes itself as “a self-discovery platform and network for a new generation of professionals looking for more meaning in their careers.”
Susan Popoola runs Conning Towers Ltd, an HR organisation focused on Talent Management and HR Transformation and Engaged For Success a Social Enterprise. She is also the published author of Touching The Heart of Milton Keynes: A Social Perspective and Consequences: Diverse to Mosaic Britain. She is also Winner Women4Africa Author of the Year 2013
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13 TeamPlayer 360 • nov 2014
Perspectives “ Simon Heath, capturing the energy and ideas of the innovative conference”
Changing the HR game: one conference at a time For a year now, I have been running my HRcareers, a community of aspiring HR professionals all wanting to build successful HR careers. We are a group of passionate people, with different talents & interests of course, but all united in the desire to do well in a valuable profession. I see the enthusiasm of our members every day, hear their challenges and see that they, and their ideas are the future of HR. I then see another thing. A general feeling that HR has had its day; dreary news telling us that HR is of little or no importance to modern business, HR leaders telling us things will never change, and ‘thought leadership’ that boils down to little more than a sales pitch or case study. When I look at the two together I realise we have two options: To accept things as they are and wait for the enthusiasm of our future leaders to die (which it will if too long exposed to the above). Or, change it.
ways of working and provide a platform for building a collaborative vision of HR’s future. The first we heard of it was over lunch with Perry Timms (a true HR Game Changer) who was following their efforts. “Wouldn’t it be great”, we agreed, “to change the way we do the HR conference, to talk about the things that matter to us and our future leaders, and let that guide the content”. And then we saw it; the perfect opportunity to change the game, or at least see if others felt it needed to change and we took it. We committed to running the UK version of the HR Game Changer event. It would be the UK’s first ever 72 hour continuous international conference; and it would be in 6 weeks time!
At myHRcareers we choose the latter; and so when we heard of an event in NZ called HR Game Changer we just had to get involved.
Now, normally pulling a conference together, especially such an ambitious one, just couldn’t be done in so short a time. Getting speakers, content, delegates – a venue even is no easy task and were frequently told we were mad to try. But we try we did, and you know what? It was pretty damn good!
HR Game Changer
How did we do it?
The event in Auckland NZ, had been organised by a group of maverick practitioners who, frustrated by the version of HR around them, decided to put on an entirely new kind of conference. The event would push boundaries, explore radical new
We didn’t, our wonderful community did. We put the idea out, and our networks buzzed. HR Directors booked out their diaries, myHRcareers members took holiday days off work and told their friends, Thought
Leaders who couldn’t be there introduced us to incredible thinkers who could and ever so quickly we had an event. And not just any event - but one where everybody had a voice.
" And with each attempt - we’d change the HR game!"
The game changing thing about this event was – it was pure collaboration from its conception to execution and in that alone it showed us what the future could be like.
If you’d like to be involved with the Game Changer movement, share ideas or find out more in general please email myHRcareers@gmail.com or visit www.myHRcareers.com/HRgamechanger
No hidden agendas masquerading under corporate sponsorship, no hierarchies and no limits; just professional passion. If we had our way, this would be the model we use from now on. We’d say goodbye to the corporate event where we’re spoken at and only spoken to if we’re ‘worth’ networking with. We’d say HELLO to collaboration, to communities creating the events and content they want, challenging and creating the future of our profession together. We’d feed the passion of our future leaders with the experience of those who have led and we’d value each the same. We’d see our challenges as opportunities and use the different talents and perspectives in our communities to explore them. We’d share our HR passion and we’d have some fun doing it.
Charlotte Hallaways, Founding Leader of myHRcareers.
TeamPlayer 360 • Issue 4
14
Perspectives f Out ofice f the o
I have several automatic rules in my email system which prevents various lurid offers reaching me. It’s not just my overstuffed Inbox that is under attack as I am constantly badgered by text or phone. It never ceases to amaze me how many different ways people try to fleece money out of you. “You have thousands of pounds in unclaimed PPI’s”. No I don’t. “Do you want a share of Saudi Princes fortune?” No thank you. “Your bank/Paypal account has been hacked. Click here”. Never going to happen. And my all-time favourite, “Your friend is stuck in Spain and needs you to send some money” except they got muddled up and I was the friend that was stuck and needed me to send some money to me. I bought myself a Frappuccino instead and felt much better about my predicament. However, the bane of my life has been a company who continually call my office wanting to win me
some well-deserved compensation for my injuries sustained in a car accident. At first I did not take the calls which prompted them into leaving lots of messages regarding my entitlement. When I failed to return any of these calls they badgered my team in the vain hope one of them would put the call through to me. Little did they realise my team are made of sterner stuff. Eventually (as the laws of persistency dictates) they did get hold of me and I politely pointed out that there was a major flaw in their argument. You see, I have not had an accident and therefore did not require compensation. You would think it would end there. Twice a week a different person would call. They would explain how they could help me and I would explain how they couldn’t. They just didn’t seem to get the message. So the last time they called I decided to be more open to their offer. I acknowledged that I had been involved in an accident. I even confirmed that I had been injured in the accident and that the accident was not my fault. I waited for the obvious next question. “What was the nature of your injury sir?” “I lost a limb”. You could almost hear running water through the phone as the guy wet himself with excitement. “Really?” he asked. “No.” I responded. “Then why did you say it?” he complained. “Because you guys keep calling and you don’t listen to what I tell you”. They never bothered me again. Colin Woodley, www.landbasedmammal.co.uk
Am looking for a job I’m currently looking for work. Part-time, full-time or contract, unfortunately I’m finding it a lot harder than I expected. I moved out of London last December after being made redundant from a job I’d been doing for eight years. I was extremely positive about the move, I’d bought a little house that needed a lot of TLC and spent some time working on it. I deliberately took time off work focusing solely on my new life. Initially my self-imposed break was only going to be for four or five months, but the house needed more work than I had thought and before long it was summer time. I’d been out of work for around seven months when I started seriously looking to get back into the commercial world. Fortunately my social skills were still (almost) in tact. Whilst I’d been beavering away in my new house I had had to take on a few workman to do the ‘manly’ stuff (I’d uncovered some damp which needed attention). Negotiating timings, work schedules and payments with builders certainly kept me on my toes not to mention managing their day-to-day. Before I could say ‘damp course treatment’ I found myself project managing a small team of builders whose idea of a full day’s work was rolling up at about 9.30am, shifting a few tools around for about 20 minutes before going for breakfast. Back by 11am working through until about 3.30pm and calling it a day. Hmmm, not the working pattern I was used to. As a result the work took a lot longer than I expected. Anyway, back to my search for work. I spend a good five hours a day searching various job and
recruitment sites online. I have a number of companies’ websites who I regularly stalk hoping to see an opening and I check various papers, local and national on specific days of the week. I registered with a number of recruitment agencies, all of whom assured me they had at least one or two positions that would be ideal for me. They all commented that my CV looked very strong and felt confident I would be employed once again in no time at all. I’ve had a couple of interviews but no offers. A lot of the agencies I registered with haven’t really kept in touch like they said they would, which is quite a confidence kick. I’ve only heard from two of the ten or so I registered with. One rang to ask if I was still looking for work, they didn’t actually have a position for me they were just tidying their files. The other has regularly kept in touch and has been extremely helpful and encouraging and seems to be working hard on my behalf. I’m sure most recruitment agents are lovely hard working guys and gals who do their utmost to find work for their candidates. An old friend used to be a recruitment agent and I remember how bonkers busy he was at the time. Unfortunately my experience seems to be once I’ve been registered I don’t hear from them again. I will continue looking and will no doubt register with more agencies until I find the job I’m after. Hopefully something will come up soon... oh hang on what’s this... Studio looking for dynamic...
Ella Leonard, Operations Director & Office Manager extraordinaire, ellaleonard@icloud.com
15 TeamPlayer 360 • nov 2014
Perspectives
Saving Mr. Banks the power of storytelling Saving Mr Banks is the charming tale of how Walt Disney persuaded PL Travers, the author of Mary Poppins to bring the magical nanny to life on the big screen. There is a moment about three quarters of the way through the movie where Walt Disney, played by Tom Hanks says”... it’s all about saving the children...” to which PL Travers, played by Emma Thompson said in a way only British leading ladies could say “Oh, you think it’s about the children...” and the message of the story which is clear to her, but obviously hidden to most, suddenly becomes clear to all. Why use stories when speaking in a business setting? The power of storytelling is well documented as it’s a great way to engage the audience. After all it’s used throughout our early years before and during primary education, but seems to fade off in secondary education which may explain why we have well academically educated students, but lacking experience and common sense. In the business world Steve Jobs was one of the pioneers in the use of verbal storytelling supported by simple images and one line concepts.
" TED Talks have carried that practice forward and theiworld-class speakers are expected to speak in simple narratives, using stories and powerful imagery to convey their message." Yet with that business backdrop, most companies still rely on offering leadership and management change ideas by supplying data, numbers, statistics, analytics, and so on.
" The inevitable suffering of “Death by PowerPoint” still seems to rule the day." Why? Because today’s leaders don’t know any better and that’s the way they’ve been taught and like to deliver messages. While storytelling is not the only way to engage people with your ideas, it’s certainly a critical part of the recipe. Stories powerfully connect us to our listeners. When we share our own real-life stories or the stories of others (Example or Proof stories) our audiences feel that they get to know us as authentic people – people who have lives outside the corporate setting, people who have struggled with problems and who have figured out how to overcome them. Not such an ugly duckling One Hans Christian Anderson equivalent in the business setting is Geoffrey Berwind, a professional Storytelling
Consultant and Trainer www.storytellingsuccess.com. He’s created storytelling projects for historic sites and provides consulting services for leaders, entrepreneurs, speakers, and companies worldwide. His clients include Historic Philadelphia, Inc., Kennedy Space Centre Visitor Complex, UNUM Global IT Leaders, along with thousands of experts in many fields who want to make a deeper impact on their audiences, customers, management teams, and influential stakeholders. Storytelling – just one part of Natural Learning Some of the best leaders will know of the value of natural learning because without it they wouldn’t be the best. We have all heard phrases such as ‘learning the hard way’, ‘coming from the school of hard knocks’, or studying at the ‘University of Life’. All these sayings usually refer to a level of ‘street-wise’ knowledge where the individual has learned how to survive through experience, watching others and listening to stories and fables. This often takes the form of an ingrained ‘how-to’ knowledge and can lead to great successes. One very visible champion of this sort of learning is Lord Alan Sugar, who has worked his way up through the system using a combination of instinct and experience, as well as considerable factual knowledge. Interestingly this type of ‘natural’ learning is hard to pass on to others. It is highly subjective and lies deep within the individual. What is Natural Learning? Implicit or as we call it Natural Learning is unconscious and automatic. It is action based and goes into long term memory. Simple examples are walking, tying a shoelace, riding a bike or driving a car. All could be painful when starting, but in time through actions, awareness and focused practice we improve. We Naturally Learn through: • • • • • •
Physical experiences Mind experiences Copying Stories Maps Feedback
Compare this approach to the familiar academic ‘book-based’ approach to learning which is easier to quantify in some ways. Discussing theories and looking at diagrams is reassuring and a wall full of certificates certainly lends an air of legitimacy to the proceedings. This is called explicit or educated learning. This form of knowledge can be passed down from generation to generation. Some of the greatest thinkers in history can open our minds to new ideas and lead to a shared learning experience which is edifying and exciting for all involved. Natural Learning – the good the bad and the ugly Not all we learn naturally will be good as it’s as easy to form good habits as is it bad habits. We may all think we’re good drivers, but if you were really honest you’d find something
you could be better at when behind the wheel – such as indicating, using two hands on the steering wheel, proper hands free kit! Maybe you are thinking of others? In business wouldn’t it be ideal if we can eliminate all the bad habits of leaders, managers and in fact all employees? Collectively these bad habits are called “Behavioural waste" One of the problems in larger organisations is where people have long ‘to do’ lists and can be easily over-whelmed. The problem only starts there, as when you merge all the lists together separating out each project, it becomes abundantly clear that priorities assigned by people are different, so projects will take longer. And then tomorrow it all changes as the next top priority pops up from more fire-fighting operations in a different department. And so it will continue until the next meeting... Here are a few more examples of behavioural waste: • Unnecessary meetings occur through habit • Underperformance not challenged • People stuck in their beliefs • P eople say things like – ‘it’s not my fault’ or ‘we didn’t know that’ • D isengaged people: people give up, go through the motions • Conflicts not addressed • Businesses fail to adapt to change • R igid and habitual processes and systems become dated • Poor leadership • Cynical attitudes • Over-controlling behaviours – maybe bullying Any behavioural waste means your business is underperforming and if you deal with it now, not only will you improve the business but it will be a better and happier place to work. People will be engaged, looking to improve and be more effective and efficient in what they are doing. Storytelling –the message others hear While we will never really know the true story of how Mary Poppins came to the screen, we do know it wasn’t called Saving Mr Banks. Although it was only a movie, until the line “Oh, you think it’s about the children..” Walt Disney was in the land of behavioural waste, stuck in his own belief and pulling his team in the same direction. Imagine what the ending might have been if it was all about the children. Would the family Banks have been flying a kite? The art of a good storyteller is to impart the true meaning. And make it real for the listener. Great leaders know the power of good stories, with a simple meaning. But they also know and use the combined power of all the elements of Natural Learning. Neville Gaunt, CFO, TeamPlayerHR www.teamplayerhr.com
TeamPlayer 360 • Issue 4
16
Perspectives
If you want to set up your own business start with some soul searching... Starting a business is an exciting prospect with great challenges and even greater rewards; not all of them financial. Some people know right at the beginning of their career they want to run a business, others choose a career path then change direction along the road to switch to a more entrepreneurial route. Before you start, a bit of soul searching is in order! Why are you starting your own business? What do you want it to do for you? Some people are setting out to build an empire like Lord Sugar, others are going to make a difference to society like Anita Roddick, some dream of flying to the stars like Sir Richard Branson, some wish to leave a legacy like Walt Disney and some just want a lifestyle business where they call the shots. All of them want to generate wealth.
" So have a clear personal vision first, before you even start creating a company one. You might change these goals as time goes by – which is OK – but make sure you start with the end in mind and keep reviewing your dreams for yourself and your business.."
expertise and experience to share. You don’t have to follow it all but do listen. Save time and money – no need to re-invent the wheel!
What sort of organisation do you want to create? What will the core values be? You will look at your own values as the benchmark of course but if you are not undertaking this endeavour alone, start by aligning all your beliefs, as this will form the culture of the company.
Which type of business do you aspire to build?
Whether you are going it alone, or teaming up with a partner, get advice before you do anything.
You will make different choices along the way, depending on where you want to end up!
There are many brilliant and talented people who have trodden this path ahead of you who have a wealth of
Fiona Lander, Director, Lander Associates, www.landerassociates.co.uk Head of Professional Development at APSCo www.apsco.org
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Tip Six: Network
Illustration Manhar Chauhan
Make sure that you tell everybody in your personal network that you are looking for a job. Friends, family, acquaintances, anyone that you know, people that you meet. It’s amazing how the word gets around. Also they might tell you of opportunities that you may not otherwise know about. Now when you get these opportunities presented to you, it’s important that you consider every one. If you’re interested in the opportunity, follow it through. Sometimes you won’t get that perfect job first time, you might have to take another job that might lead on to development and training and give you an opportunity to move up later on into the role that you really want. Consider everything at this stage.
Tip Seven:
Prepare for each interview Next is the all-important interview preparation. This is a massive part of your job search; make sure you do your research on the organisation and on the people who might be interviewing you.
Looking for a job? Fiona Lander’s top tips for job seekers looking for a job or placement Part Two
Finding a job
Find out who they are from the recruitment consultancy or when you make the interview directly and research them on LinkedIn. It will help you have more confidence when you’re speaking to them if you know something about them.
Tip Eight:
Consider every option When you’re going through the recruitment process try and treat every interview as special, treat every opportunity as if it is the actual job that you want. Work hard at it. Try your best to get through to that next stage, the second interview or the offer and then you get to make the choice.
Tip Nine: Be yourself
Nearly there, tip number 9, be yourself. I mentioned before, let your personality shine through. People want to hire you and it’s important that you smile, try to relax and get on with the interviewer or interviewers. This is an opportunity for them to see whether your personality will fit with their culture. Don’t forget this is an opportunity too for you to see whether you like that organisation and if you can see yourself working there alongside those people.
Tip Ten:
Don’t give up Finally, don’t give up. It’s not going to be easy with your job search and you need to use tenacity and work hard and hang on in there. There’s a lot of competition for these opportunities that are out there but you will get there eventually if you stick at it. I wish you lots of luck in your search and I’m know you’ll get there!
never looked so good www.gradquiz.com
GradQuiz
@GradQuiz
Fiona Lander, Managing Director, Lander Consultancy www.landerassociates.co.uk
Graduates Get Noticed: Smack says Transcend Convention... Let them eat cake As a new slew of graduates are unleashed onto an intensely competitive job market – a staggering 350,000 to be exact. That’s a veritable stampede of feet, competing for a limited number of openings. So how do these burgeoning creatives, clasping at their degrees and bulging portfolios, stand out amongst their peers to get that all important foot in the door within the creative industry? In February of this year, advertising graduate Tom Pascoe-Williams resorted to a self-promotional stunt in a bid to get ahead of the pack. He deftly exploited the communicative power of Twitter by spending £370 on promotional tweets, directed to 40 agencies in London. His campaign landed him a role at international communications agency, JWT. Frustrated Illustration graduate, George McCallum also felt the need to make a lasting impression after his promotional materials were getting ignored. He imaginatively re-appropriated the ‘foot-in-the-door’ metaphor by constructing a two-metre-long trainer, which he then pushed into six London design agencies. Did his foot-in-the-door get him his foot-in-the-door? George McCallum: "It was more an exercise in getting noticed in the long term. After I did it, there was definitely an increase in communication – it got me a number of meetings, more people came to my web-
site and Twitter page. I was on people’s radars, and from that, people wanted to use my work”. Persuasive stunts have also made an appearance at digital creative agency, SMACK. When digital designer prospect, Carly Denham was invited for an interview she brought along home baked and iced SMACK-branded cupcakes. Lubna Keawpanna, Creative Director at SMACK: “Was it because of the cupcakes? Ha, well she was an exceptional candidate, but sure the cupcakes helped. Not just because they tasted great but ‘Be Bold’ and ‘Defy Expectations’ are two of SMACK’s core values, and through her cupcakes she demonstrated exactly that”. A 2 metre long foot or branded cupcakes aren’t necessarily what you need to get a look-in in an overcrowded market. But SMACK has compiled 5 nifty tips to help budding graduates get noticed
SMACK
SMACK is a digital creative agency specialising in forward-thinking solutions. Launched in 2012, SMACK was shortlisted as one of the top new digital agencies by .Net Magazine. SMACK’s clients include Aston Martin, eBay and Ted Baker. With offices in Covent Garden; SMACK’s services span web, mobile, social and digital design, build, strategy and marketing services. www.smackagency.com
5 Ways To Get Noticed 1) BE CREATIVE
It is called the creative industry for a reason, so be CREATIVE in your application. Invest time in injecting a spark both verbally and visually.
2) GET PERSONAL
Know your audience and what’s important to them. Ensure that your application is PERSONALISED and tailored to the company.
3) MAKE CONTACT
Call, tweet or email to see if your application has been received. A nudge will make your application more likely to be looked at.
4) HAVE PRESENCE
Whether we are looking at your online portfolio, personal website, blog or social media accounts, ensure that they are absolutely knockout.
5) BE QUIRKY
Transcend convention and stand out from the crowd. If you have the propensity to create a job application that simultaneously incorporates augmented reality, 3D printing, and custard creams – then just do it.
From Learning to Earning – using social media in your job search As a recent graduate you have an advantage over older job hunters; it is likely that you are more comfortable with and more adept at using social media than they are. Social media has become an essential part of the job hunting toolkit - make sure you use it to your advantage. Select the right media and use the correct level of professionalism, always being mindful of presenting yourself in the best light. Some hints and tips: Join LinkedIn - the most popular business oriented networking site, which allows you to connect with professionals from all ranges of employment sectors, and also to join groups that are relevant to your field of interest. Think carefully about your tagline and make sure your profile sells you effectively; it is your on-line CV. Be professional - use a photo where you look smart and businesslike – first impressions really do count, and people are 4 times more likely to connect to you if they can see your picture. Don't use a jokey email address. Make connections - connect with people that you have studied with, been taught by, met through work experience, done business with, and business people who you might know through your parents and friends. Follow companies - as well as thinking about the job role you want, think about the companies that you would really like to work for. If you search on LinkedIn for those companies, it should bring
up people who work there who are connected to people you know. This could bring you the introduction that you are looking for! Use Twitter - create a Twitter bio and profile that fits in with your career goals. When tweeting, make sure it is something interesting that is going to attract followers (for the right reasons!). Saying something that gives an insightful opinion will hopefully catch the eye of a potential employer. People have actually been offered roles as a result of a tweet! Consider starting a blog - related to your career interests. For example, if you are interested in the pharmaceutical industry, start blogging about industry news, trends and other related topics. Consider writing a job search blog, tracking your progress and goals, as well as marketing your skills and capabilities. Visibility - whether you blog, tweet or Facebook, consider the lifetime value of whatever you post. Remember that the average lifespan of a blog is 2-3 years, for a Facebook post it is 3 hours, and the average lifespan of a tweet is less than 2 hours. Be careful what you write, and don’t post anything in a hurry – you may regret it later. Jan Foster, director at My Future Options www.myfutureoptions.com which provides individual coaching and group workshops for graduates seeking that first step after graduation info@myfutureoptions.com
The Prince’s Trust – Movement to Work The Prince of Wales recently commented on the success of The Prince's Trust’s Movement to Work, a training scheme based on The Trust's Get Into programme. “More than fifteen major corporates are now taking part, including H.S.B.C., Accenture, B.T. and Diageo. The scheme, aimed at getting long-term unemployed young people into work, plans to reach 100,000 young people over the next eighteen months. It has the backing of the T.U.C. and of Government.”
' Get into are short vocational courses that develop young people's skills in a specific sector.' Last year, around 50% of young people completing a Get Into course
moved on to work with a further 25% going on to more training.
www.princes-trust.org.uk THE PRINCE'S TRUST FACTSHEET 2013/14 The Trust helped over 58,804 young people last year. • 1 5,762 through the Enterprise programme • 9,321 through xl clubs • 11,853 through Team • 5 ,460 with cash awards to help develop employability • 4 ,234 young people through the Fairbridge programme • 5 ,055 through Get into programmes • 2 ,539 through Get Started programmes
From Learning to Earning: Networking to your advantage The idea of networking may seem daunting or contrived or just too much like hard work. But, with an increasing number of vacancies not being advertised, networking is a way to access the hidden job market. Experienced job hunters make good use of their contacts; recent graduates can also benefit from developing their networking skills. Here are a few tips: 1. T hink quality not quantity. Networking is not about meeting as many new people as possible - instead effective networking is about catching up with people with whom you have a connection (even a slight one) who can introduce and recommend you to others. Aim to meet with people who know you and can vouch for your past performance and future potential. 2. A sk for advice / information / introductions but not for a job. When meeting contacts outline the field you would like to get into and
why it is a good fit for your skills, and ask if they know anyone in that company or sector to whom they can introduce you so that you can gain further information. Alternatively, ask them to review your CV with you and suggest improvements in order to get a conversation going. 3. Y ou know more people than you think. You may think that you do not know many people in business but you are likely to be pleasantly surprised if you think laterally. Make a list of family friends, older cousins, older siblings of friends, and people you have met through temporary work and voluntary work or through sports clubs. 4. C onnect through LinkedIn with people you know. Look through their connections and ask if they can introduce you to people in the relevant field. Or search from the company angle - look at specific companies and see if any of your contacts have connections there.
5. Networking is two way. When you meet people, show interest and engage with them. Ask how you can help them as well as asking them for help. Remember that you may well have skills and experience that they don't have. For example, with older contacts you could use your experience to talk to their children about university choices or they might be interested in learning from you how they could benefit from using various social media. 6. Monitor your activity. Keep track of who you speak to and make a brief note of the conversation. That way you can monitor your activity and celebrate the number of new contacts made or meetings you have each week. Also reviewing your notes will help you to prepare for and to make a more positive impact at subsequent meetings. 7. Keep in touch with people who have helped you. Follow up promptly on any commitments you make and keep the
introducer informed on developments. Put aside time to send an email every so often referring to an interesting article or blog or mentioning someone you have met to whom you could introduce them. Remember to thank people for their time and for any help they give you. People who are successful at work usually have a thriving network of contacts. Developing a network will not only help in your future career but can also help materially in getting your career started. Why not give it a go!
Elizabeth Newton, a director at My Future Options www.myfutureoptions.com
21 TeamPlayer 360 • nov 2014
Focus
" It does lead to a strange anomaly. If you become a football steward, then you can be checked, but not if you work in critical IT roles in major banks and finance houses controlling millions of data points, and are responsible for the money transmission of billions of pounds." Massive Loophole on vetting IT Staff Government must close massive loophole on vetting financial services IT staff if it is serious about combatting cybercrime, says CISI. A major loophole in the UK’s criminal records checking system means that IT staff, including those working in critical functions within financial services firms are not permitted to be vetted for fraud, says Simon Culhane, Chartered FCSI and CEO of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI). In the latest edition of the 40,000 strong CISI’s member magazine, Securities & Investment Review, Mr Culhane explains: "The FCA requires that anyone seeking to be an “authorised person” needs to be checked against the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)." However, there is no such requirement for any check for those working in IT. In fact it is worse: it is expressly prohibited to subject current or future IT staff to verification from the DBS as the vast majority do not hold a role that meets the strict criteria that allows them to be checked.
" It does lead to a strange anomaly. If you become a football steward, then you can be checked, but not if you work in critical IT roles in major banks and finance houses controlling millions of data points,
and are responsible for the money transmission of billions of pounds." The CISI says the core problem is the focus of the DBS is on safeguarding people, not financial crime, so attention is focused on convictions for sexual and harming offences, not for fraud. The Government also wants to rehabilitate offenders more quickly, so in May 2013 it announced that further “filtering” of disclosable offences would occur, which reduces what will be divulged when an employee is checked. Some of this was very sensible, such as removing notification of police cautions; however it does mean that the background checks are now less thorough. In July, the FCA and the PRA issued a consultation paper (CP 13/14) which announced changes to the current Approved Persons regime, proposing to bring a Senior Management Responsibility (SMR) function and a much wider “Certified” person’s requirement. However, whilst there is a requirement for a Senior Manager to have responsibility for IT overall, and for that Manager to be checked, it doesn’t apply to the programmers, developers, controllers and helpdesk staff.
" The Government also published a list of offences which would never be filtered, which
again demonstrates that beating financial crime is not a priority, as not one of the 1,028 listed offences related to financial crime or fraud (apart from not paying customs duty).
five respondents felt there is a high level of protection (with 3% saying “very” and 17% saying “significantly”).
Alan Yarrow, Chartered FCSI(Hon), Chairman CISI said: "Cybercrime costs the economy over a billion pounds a week, with seven people being defrauded each minute. The finance sector is particularly vulnerable to cyber attacks as it possesses the personal data of almost every adult in the country." Mr Culhane said: “The Government needs to shut the back door and give employers the basic tools to carry out first level due diligence on those who hold power over a critical part of the cyber network.” The CISI will be asking the Home Secretary to close the loophole.
" The CISI’s latest survey on cybercrime, which drew 908 respondents, asked “How well protected is the financial services industry against the threat of cybercrime?” Only one in
Simon Culhane, Chartered FCSI and CEO of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI). www.cisi.org The CISI’s mission is to help members attain, maintain and develop their knowledge and skills and to promote the highest standards of ethics and integrity in the securities and investment industry. Based in the City of London, the CISI is a global organisation with representative offices in financial centres such as Dublin, Singapore, Dubai, Mumbai and Colombo. We work in close cooperation with regulators, firms and other professional bodies worldwide. With its 40,000 worldwide membership, the CISI is the professional body which sets examinations and offers qualifications for those working, or looking to establish a career in, the wealth management and capital markets industry.
TeamPlayer 360 • Issue 4
22
Focus
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23 TeamPlayer 360 • nov 2014
Focus
Recruiters: Social Media Professionals Our society has developed a heavy reliance on mobile phones, tablets and the internet in general. With the answers of many problems at our fingertips we have changed the way in which we work and operate. The likes of Google and Yahoo have replaced the knowledgeable employee with years of education and a wealth of knowledge. We now class ourselves as a specialist on any topic imaginable within an average of 0.082 seconds of any Google search. Not only are we self-educating ourselves through the advance of technology but we are also sharing our lives through the internet. Social Media has developed from the wants of many people to know on a daily basis your every thought, action and feeling.
" Essentially we live a double life, the one in the physical sense and one in the online sense." So what impact does this have on the recruitment profession? The way in which we communicate has evolved along with the way in which the information we post online is being viewed. Google Research conducted in 2013 showed that within the UK 88% of jobseekers conduct a job search on their mobile phone.
" This is supported by Comscore who estimate that the UK has 2.8 million job seekers a month accessing job listings on a mobile device. With jobseekers heading online we must adapt our business to meet the demand of our target audience. It is fair to say that we now operate in a world of ‘mobile recruitment’. Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Google+ and all other forms of social media have become essential tools for the recruitment professional. Through these tools, we are giving the opportunity for candidates, employers and other recruiters to connect with us online and allow us, as recruiters to build a talent pipeline for our business. The recruitment industry is based upon the common business practice, to develop and maintain relationships. It should not be seen any differently when operating online and through social media. If you are able to maintain and focus on this core function of the business, translating it into the online market, you will position yourself strongly for the future. Some of the key processes/steps that you need to think about when utilising the online networking/marketing tool are: 1. R esearch and investigate what media is best going to suit your target audience
2. D evelop and refine the message which you want your audience to receive 3. Deliver the message at an appropriate time and manner Social media is an incredibly effective tool to actively seek and encourage candidates rather than simply applicants. Most recruiters would happily suggest 70-80% of applicants applying for jobs don't have the correct qualifications or experience. The ability to gain a further insight into any possible candidate through their online behaviour allows us to judge whether the candidate is a perfect fit more than any CV could ever provide. Culture is a key factor in placing any candidate and social media allows us to actively judge the culture of any individual. From the candidate’s perspective, social media has allowed them to be fully informed and educated on the business and the position offered. This includes the key targets, operations and core function of the business all from being socially connected. It allows the candidate to positively position themselves when reaching the interviewing process as they are already informed on what is required to perfectly fit within the business and what they can offer to satisfy the employer’s needs. With this employees are becoming more transparent with conditions of their workplace, salary and management structure. Such comments and reviews on businesses are becoming more popular on such sites as GlassDoor and even the businesses own Google+ page. Employers can use such sites as a sounding board to see how the company ranks among many others and the true reflections of staff members on your business. However, if internally you have been able to value and respect your staff to build a cohesive workplace you will surely benefit from such sites and reviews rather than suffer. To all the upsides of social media and the change brought about through technology, also comes dangers. It has allowed people to broadcast messages to not only family and friends but the larger community, the world. A simple short damaging message can be all it takes to hurt your business. Unlike press where only credited sources are valued,
" the voice of any one single person can damage any recruitment professional and or employer." This therefore means that all businesses and recruiters have to be actively watching the social media channels to know what jobseekers and candidates are saying about you, your competitors and the end clients you are hiring people for. Initially setting up your company and brand online can be a daunting task. This can be heightened by the need to post, tweet, share and communicate with your audience. If you are new to the online realm or not as lucky as some to have the knowledge of a marketing executive you may need some guidance. Type of content, when to post your content
and on which social platform are all valid questions that need to be addressed in order for your brand to be well positioned. Some of the general rules or findings to help you through this process within the recruitment industry include: ●P osting your message early in the week. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays are days that typically attract more interaction from your target audience. By Friday everyone is already in weekend mode and your content is wasted. ●N ot only days but times affect the success of your post. It has been found that posting your content between 6am - 8am and / or 1pm - 3pm on the selected days gather more traction. ● I t is also essential to keep your content short, simple and to the point. As a rule of thumb no more than 100 characters for any tweet and between 40-45 characters for a Facebook post. This is not a lot of space and therefore ensures that you deliver your message in the most direct manner. Of course each social media platform changes and the best days and times can vary. Track what results you are able to gain through your social media accounts and take notice of what is best working for your business and the audience you are trying to connect with. Understanding how social media is used by an employee and employer gives you the ability as a recruiter to more directly market your business and offering. With the growing number of competitors within the industry it's critical to be seen. You want to ensure that you give your business the best possible exposure within the marketplace. Having a strong and active online presence will hold you in good stead.
A good thing? With all this said you may be wondering if social media is a good thing within the recruitment industry. To be perfectly honest we have no choice, society is moving online and so must the industry in order to keep up or be left behind. The key to managing any social media activity is to ensure that as mentioned you continue to maintain the core of your business, in building and managing relationships in a professional and favourable manner. This and actively being aware of the change and evolution of the internet and social media will ensure your business continues to grow and engage with your online target audience. So jump online, embrace the change and positively gear your business for the best possible success through social media.
Daniel Baillie, Marketing Manager, 3R Partnership, www.3rpartnership.com Tel: 0203 291 3827
TeamPlayer 360 • Issue 4
24
Focus
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Psychometric Profiling – Does it work? One of the things I’ve observed throughout my career is how much things like personality, communication skills and behaviours contribute towards success – either at an individual or team level. Unfortunately these intangible so called ‘soft skills’ are notoriously difficult to measure or capture. Wouldn’t it be great if we could? Business activities such as recruitment, personal and team development would surely be enhanced as a result. It just so happens psychometric personality profiling claims to help with all of the above through the psychological measurement of people. But do these profiles work or are they just voodoo gimmicks and if they do work what basic lessons do we need to be mindful off? I have used and been on the receiving end of a number of Psychometrics - Clifton Skills Finders, Myers Briggs and DISC. Most of my experience of using psychometrics as a practitioner however has been through ‘DISC’ (which stands for Dominance, Influencer, Steadiness and Compliance). For those that don’t know, DISC was developed by 20th century psychologist William Marston and grounded in the theories of psychologist Carl Jung. Whilst I’m still constantly amazed at the accuracy of DISC profiles, it is important to note that in no shape or form do they capture the entirety of a person. The same goes for Myers Briggs. We are all, a product of nurture and nature which shapes our own values, idiosyncrasies and ambitions. What something like DISC does, is to give an indicator as to the types of personality and behavioural traits people exhibit. In work situations this knowledge can be very valuable. Whilst Psychometrics don’t measure abilities it is true that certain personality types lend themselves to some jobs more than others. For example it is entirely likely that most telesales roles will require some extrovert characteristics. So whilst a certain profile type is not a guarantee of competence it can help indicate broad suitability to roles or indicate fit into teams. Indeed it is for this reason that many companies use psychometrics to enhance recruitment processes such as interviews. Used in this way they can help to assess fit and help to shape recruitment questions. Being a tool, psychometrics are only as good as the people using them or receiving them! I remember a former employer of mine where the CEO and one of the Directors both scored a high ’D’ (Dominance) which is often a trait attributed to strong leadership (though not necessarily good leadership). The two of them consequently branded it around and all of a sudden it became a badge of honour to be a high D. Unfortunately rather than drive good behaviours in the organisation, their profiles seemed to be an excuse for driving bad ones. “It’s the way I am” seemed to be the attitude. True to a point but the logic in using psychometrics for development purposes should be to plug inherent weaknesses or at least be aware of how behaviour can positively and negatively impact situations and others. Ironically the most respected and trusted director and manager in that company was a high S (Steadiness). For those willing to learn the lessons, giving people a chance to think about their own inherent strengths and limitations is not only good for personal development but can work very well within a team situation. By profiling each person and sharing those results with colleagues, DISC can allow people to communicate more effectively through an improved understanding of self and one another. Certainly I have used it for this purpose and seen great results. In conclusion psychometrics can indeed enhance recruitment decisions, help with team and personal development. Just remember they are only a tool and like any other tool it’s all about how they are used! David Jack, Ascend, www.ascendhr.co.uk, david@ascendhr.co.uk, m: 07525 855113
25 TeamPlayer 360 • nov 2014
Focus
FREE tools for Working Remotely The very best employees, the top talent, work on projects that they love! These are passionate people who are often obsessed with their work, they don’t clock in and clock out, they are constantly responsive focusing on accomplishments and productivity over getting into the office first, and staying late. Many employers have started to embrace the death of 9-5 work schedules. In California top bay area companies compete for talent by offering “Unlimited Paid Time Off” contracts. This golden employment opportunity comes with the expectation that staff will stay productive while working remotely. The new generation are mobile, using internet based tools to manage and complete tasks. I’ve started working on a new venture www.tinggly.com a website for gifting quirky experiences from around the world. Given Tinggly’s global service it’s apt that our team is based in multiple timezones. There are even some members of the team that I have never met, but this hasn’t stopped us from successfully creating a new business.
"To be productive while working remotely
with an international team there are three internet based services that we use every day, these are Skype, Asana & Google Drive.." Skype is always open on both my laptop and my phone.
It let’s the whole team get together with it’s free video conferencing, this allows up to 10 people to be in a “face to face” video conversation making communication & meetings super easy. Skype can also be used to send instant messages to each other, both to an individual and to the group. One of the really neat features of Skype’s instant messenger is that files can be dragged and dropped into the chat box and instantly sent over to the person you are speaking with. Oh yea Skypeis also... FREE!
Asana is a task management service, it hands down beats rival services Basecamp and Trello. Essentially Asana is a to-do list. Tasks can be assigned to different team members & have due dates scheduled. A task can be placed within a project or have a certain tag assigned to it, this makes it easy to find out what is going on in larger projects. My favourite thing about Asana is the comments feature. "This enables team members to give feedback and updates on tasks within Asana, saving oodles of cc’d emails from piling up in your inbox". Files can also be attached to tasks, you can drag and drop them from your desktop or if you are using Google Drive/ Dropbox/Box you can link your account directly to Asana. You guessed it... for small teams Asana is also completely FREE! Google Drive is where we store files and collaborate. Google Drive provides a file storage service that is free for the first 15GB. Its paid service provides 100GB of storage space and is $1.99 per month, way cheaper than its competitors Dropbox and Box which are both priced at $9.99 per month. The second big differentiator about Google Drive is its suit of collaborative work tools. These provide an online alternative to Microsoft Office. Drive has the options to create spreadsheets, documents, drawings, presentations and forms. The really awesome feature about Drive’s work spaces is the collaborative aspect. Projects can be shared with multiple people who can then view and edit a file The mind blowing part is that people can edit something simultaneously, making it perfect for teams who want to all update a file while discussing it over Skype. As it is so easy to share files, it makes reviewing, editing and approving work very simple. Keeping with the theme of this article, all of Google Drive work tools are also 100%... FREE! Maybe it’s time to review the different services and technologies that you are currently employing to see if there is a cheaper, more efficient way that you can empower your team to be more productive and more geographically mobile... Sam Zawadzki, Tinggly Experiences Discoverer, www.tinggly.com
Specialising in Transformational Business Development in the Outsourcing Industry and best practices in Strategic Alliances For more information visit www.atlas-goss.com stephen.bailey@atlas-goss.com
TeamPlayer 360 • Issue 4
26
Focus
What Can HR Do to Embrace Technology
27 TeamPlayer 360 • nov 2014
Focus The Human Resources department or simply HR has been revealed to play an important role in immersing an innovative culture. This is the message coming from Rebecca Stilwell and William Pasmore, renowned thought leaders in the HR arena. Their observations indicate that HR acts as the gatekeeper, fuelling the embers of innovation by developing strategy and creating a conducive environment for it to flourish. Is this true for the majority of corporations out there or does this apply to only the leading tech firms in the likes of Google, IBM, Yahoo and others? According to Stilwell and Pasmore, HR stands in a unique position because of the role they play in organisations, that of “talent acquisition and development”.
so it is able to "recognise" the value of new information and ideas. HR must also create and develop leaders who will drive innovation, she added. To do this, HR must not be so "rigid and fixed in its policies because this will only hinder growth". The bottom-line is that technology will help you source and organise information, and current HR practice does that well enough. What has been missing until now is the intelligence to help HR make informed decisions. As recruitment costs soar, as well as increasing the business risk associated with hiring incompatible executives,
" HR needs to smarten up, become innovative and embrace the compatibility matching tool."
"For this reason HR must be creative and innovative to enable it to
identify, nurture and develop an organisational innovative culture." The delivery of HR services is a challenge where HR attempts to satisfy the demands for experienced hirers for the business, ensuring current employees are happy and well looked after.
What role then does technology play in assisting HR hone their innovation and creativity skills? How has the face of HR changed in the last 20 years and what impact has technology had on these changes? As part of the study, Pasmore and Stilwell surveyed HR professionals in big organisations and the results were twofold: • 33% of respondents indicated innovation was not on top of their agenda • T he same third of respondents also said because of that no progress had been made to introduce innovation into the organization by way of HR practices This goes on to show...
" that HR is lagging behind the rest of the majority of organizations in terms of embracing new technologies"
and are missing out, failing to use it to champion innovation and creativity. The reasons for this could be one of the following: • H uman resources is a practise steeped in processes and procedures. This leaves practitioners with little room to be creative, flexible and expressive • W hen it comes to recruitment matters, organisations are more inclined to use the same tried and tested formula: send out a job ad, receive hundreds of applications, review CVs and create a shortlist, conduct telephone interviews, request aptitude-like testing, schedule in person interviews and YOU ARE HIRED! The cycle continues over and over again. • L ack of a suitable technology that adds value but doesn’t need to be changed all the time and importantly, technology which the organization can grow with. This shows that most organisations have been slow to adopt technology in HR, probably due to the lack of a suitable technology. Also as gatekeepers, HR professionals are risk averse in the sense that they normally would not make changes to a system they believe is serving its purpose, a classic display of “If it’s not broken why fix it”
" Innovation and creativity on the other hand are about taking on risk, experimentation, facing failure and trying again, this goes against traditional HR practice."
As we come to the close of this decade HR needs to take responsibility to foster a culture of creativity and innovation. According to Big Innovation Centre director Birgitte Andersen “…HR helps to create "absorbed capability" within a company,
HR has to become the breeding ground for innovation and creativity within the organisation and this begins with hiring the people who are a best fit for the culture they seek to entrench. At a recent conference, the Managing Director of the UK arm of CareeerBuilder revealed that 60% of employees in the UK want to change their jobs, with half of those people actually sending out applications and interviewing. This is a staggering figure which indicates that the current selection processes are not matching employees correctly. As a demonstration of why current recruitment practises are not working, a recent poll of 3,000 employed individuals by recruitment giants CareerBuilder.com revealed startling results as to the state of the jobs landscape. Just over 20% of people in full-time employment are actively seeking a new role in 2014, on a backdrop of a depressed job market. This is a 4% jump from 2013 figures with 54% of people indicating that the reason they are still in their current jobs is because they like their colleagues. A lack of fulfilment and feeling undervalued by their organizations has 29% of full-time employees unsettled in their roles. So how can HR seize the opportunity this challenge presents? The two factors below are very important to help drive innovation and select the candidates who will stay with an organisation longer and help build on the innovative culture: • H R needs to be flexible and be equipped with the right technology, knowledge and skills to be able to become more innovative • P ossessing the right intelligence and applying it to create an evidence-based selection process which ensures new hires are the right fit for the organisation and the teams they will be joining is a key feature. TeamPlayerHR, is not a psychometric test, it provides an unrivalled compatibility assessment service based on a patented cloud technology that can help HR make better hiring decisions. Based on science and psychology, TeamPlayerHR delivers the right candidate by measuring their response to questions regarding: • • • • • • • •
social interactions problem solving strategies conflict resolution workplace styles work / life balance Workplace interactions Communication style work environments & culture
To find out more about TeamPlayerHR and what it can do for your organization please go to http://www.teamplayerhr.com/. Email Jim Lanas at jim@teamplayerhr.com or call on 07734 950 648 TeamPlayerHR provides an unrivalled compatibility assessment service based on a patented cloud technology that helps HR make better hiring decisions.
Sign up and get your FREE "Intrinsic Matrix" at TeamPlayerHR.com or email Jim@teamplayerHR.com for more info.
TeamPlayer 360 • Issue 4
28
Focus Why Recruitment Needs To Go Mobile
The rise of mobile use in contracting It’s perhaps fair to say that the modern world is run via smart device. It’s almost impossible to take a train journey, sit in a coffee shop or go to a business meeting without being surrounded by people using a mobile device. Indeed, the extent of this is clear when we consider recent data from the global expert in the telecommunications arena, Kantar ComTech, which revealed that 71% of UK consumers have a smartphone. From a business perspective, enabling employees to use mobile devices for work not only allows individuals to deliver a consistent service while on the move, but also meets the needs of an increasingly flexible workforce. And that’s not to mention the time saving this can have in terms of administrative processes.
Contractors The same is also true of contractors.
" Contract roles are naturally mobile, with individuals often working across the UK, visiting multiple client offices and travelling to and from meetings on a regular basis. With this in mind, it’s perhaps understandable that there has been a rise in the use of, and demand for, mobile apps and devices among contractors. This obviously includes elements such as access to work emails and company documents on the move. However, perhaps more importantly, access to smart devices also benefits these professionals in the general management of their career. It can’t be overlooked that a contractor’s work does not end with the project they are working on. On top of the agreed working hours these individuals need to manage their own profile in order to line up the next assignment. Even whilst working on a project, professionals will be constantly on the lookout for new opportunities. Whether this is through tapping into social media networks such as LinkedIn or through a recruitment consultancy, chances are they will be able to do so through their mobile device. The LinkedIn app, for example, enables an individual to manage their profile on the go.
Recruitment consultancies are also increasingly utilising mobile devices to inform individuals of the latest opportunities. As a case in point, Venn Group, the specialist contract recruiter, has developed its own app to keep professionals up-to-date with vacancies and news.
On the go - anytime Contractors also need to complete general administrative tasks, including timesheets for each project, submitting expense forms and monitoring their payslips. Just as with all of the above points, the ability to do this from a mobile device will be beneficial for these individuals. This is particularly so if they do not have regular access to a PC or laptop due to their constant geographical movement. With the ability to work and maintain one’s profile through smart devices, there has been an increasing demand from contractors for greater time management through mobile apps as well. In fact, in order to meet this demand giant group released an app at the beginning of the year which allows contractors to upload and complete timesheets direct from their device, the first of its kind for the contracting community. The free app means all giant employees are now able to access ‘giant on the go – anytime, anywhere’. The download gives contractors the opportunity to input and view timesheets, send and receive feedback and view payslips. Unlike other apps aimed at contractors, which offer solely expense forms, this is the first of its kind to be fully automated, making the process as quick and simple as possible. For recruitment consultancies, being able to provide this solution to contractors through using a professional umbrella employment provider will certainly differentiate them from the competition. That’s not to mention the positive relationship this will build through providing access to something that will ultimately make the working lives of a contractor that bit easier, freeing up their time to do what they do best: deliver high quality results.
Matthew Brown, Managing Director, giant group. www.giantgroup.com Tel: 0844 324 7700
A few short years ago companies could be excused for not having a mobile-enabled website. Smartphones were still relatively new and job seekers would accept the fact that the mobile internet was still evolving. Job seekers were probably thinking it was only a matter of time before Recruiters would have mobile-enabled website. If only that were true! Today, companies are sending out emails to job seekers promoting their latest vacancies. They are also posting articles and links on their Twitter and Facebook accounts. However, more than half of those emails and posts are being viewed on a mobile device and in the majority of cases the links are going to websites that aren’t mobile-enabled. Not only is that frustrating for the job seeker trying to read the content, it can also have a knock-on effect in terms of what people think of that business and their reputation.
Job Seeker Behaviour There still appears to be a lack of recognition (and urgency) from companies that job seekers want to be able to search and apply for jobs using a mobile device. Consider the following:
• 78% of job seekers would apply for a job on their mobile phone if the process was simplified. • According to Google at least 1 in 5 of all recruitment related searches are carried out on a mobile device. • The major job boards in the UK regularly see as much as 50% of their traffic every month coming from a mobile device. Checking the Facts Having established that the job seeker demand for mobile is clearly there, what can Recruiters do to get started with mobile? The first thing is to do is check their level of mobile traffic. With tools like Google Analytics it is easy to check mobile traffic stats. Not only will it show how many people visited a website using a mobile device, it will also show the type of device that was used and the operating system (e.g. Apple, Android, Blackberry or Windows). Once the
level of mobile traffic has been established it is then time to start thinking about the various mobile options, typically whether to go for a mobile website or a mobile app (or both).
Mobile Recruitment Apps Mobile apps first became popular after the launch of the iPhone in 2007. However, for businesses going down the mobile recruitment app route it is no longer acceptable to just have an iPhone App. At a minimum a business will also need an Android app otherwise they will miss out on a large proportion of mobile users. Just like every other type of app on the market having a mobile recruitment app relies on the job seeker downloading the app to their mobile phone first before they can use it.
Mobile Enabled Websites By choosing to have a mobile enabled website, a business is widening their potential reach as anyone with an internet connection and a browser can view their website (without having to download anything first). This means that any emails that are sent with links to job vacancies, or links in posts made via Facebook and Twitter, can be easily read by people using a mobile device. If you haven’t already got a mobile enabled website then in the future you could end up being even worse off then you are today! That’s because Google have stated that there will be will be demotions in the mobile search results if a website is not mobile friendly or is misconfigured. Not only that, Google will also be penalise websites that take too long to load!
The Mobile User Experience If you look at the industries outside of recruitment it should be no surprise that the retail industry was one of the early adopters of mobile. They realised early on that if they didn’t cater for a mobile audience they would lose sales. When you are recruiting you are in effect also selling. You are selling the job and the career opportunity to potential hires, so why wouldn’t you want to make it easy for job seekers to do business with you using a mobile device? The best way to fully understand what job seekers are going through is to try searching an applying on a mobile phone for one of your own jobs. If it isn’t a pleasant experience, then just imagine what hundreds of job seekers could be going through every day? And then think about how many job seekers are no longer interested in your business and are now using your competitors instead!
Mike Taylor, Managing Director of Web Based Recruitment, Online Recruitment Marketing Specialists Tel: : 01962 883754
mike@web-based-recruitment.com
29 TeamPlayer 360 • nov 2014
Focus professionalise and commercialise their digital marketing, social media and networking skills and apply them to a business environment. Over the last 18 months, DYA has helped to support over 250 young people aged 16-24 into employment, matching them with SMEs who need to expand and operate in the world of modern day digital business marketing. These young people have developed and contextualised a wide range of digital skills including applying social media platforms to business, eNewsletters and creating videos, through to SEO, analytics and web design.
An Entrepreneur’s journey to supporting a (Digital) Skills Agenda My personal experience of being early to market with a new Industry is that you mature with it. At times you have to pioneer, at other times you have to stand back and witness others doing a better job than you do / did, and there are moments when passion takes over and your own success becomes less important than the success of ‘the Industry’. In 1998, my husband and I created a social business network in the UK that spread very rapidly across the world, with over 600,000 members in 200 countries. If we timeline this concept, it was four years before LinkedIn, six before Facebook and eight before Twitter. Ecademy was our life for 13 years until we sold it into the hands of another entrepreneur. During our period of ‘pioneering’ the concept of ‘connecting online and becoming business friends’ across the UK, we had to step into the Digital Skills world. In 2002, we had to help our members learn what a Blog was; in 2003, it was how to set up and run a ‘Group’ and in 2004, what it meant to be connected to multiple networks when other channels like LinkedIn, etc. began to dominate. I remember the moment when my husband, Thomas Power, said we should mail all of our members and tell them about LinkedIn. I was shocked and feared bringing in a competitor. He rightly enforced that it was not about us, it was about ‘we’, and that unless we helped our members, we would lose their trust. The mailing we share launched LinkedIn in the UK – 40,000 of our members joined LinkedIn that week. They came back, thanked us and discussed the challenge of the LinkedIn tools and culture and used Ecademy as their ‘home’. We did the same thing when Facebook became relevant to business and the same again when Twitter was launched. By this point we were able to connect up all of the networks into Ecademy and we gave the ability (we were the first to do this) for our members to write a Blog on Ecademy and share it instantly across all of their networks. Now our actions did two things – they destroyed us and they made us. They destroyed us, as over time we could not compete with the investment
being made in these three ‘social networks’ and their ability to buy the best talent across the world. I guess in a way, we helped them to build, although they would have achieved it without us no doubt! This lesson was about the ability to buy and attract the best talent They made us, as Thomas and I were trusted as people and our individual brands came to the fore while the company brand began to struggle. It also gave us a fire in our belly for the subject of ‘Social Digital’ and with the experiential knowledge we had of technology, community building, personal brand building, managing trolls and being responsible for the culture of a community that supported and protected so many people, a desire to drive forwards. We learned that building assets and having income were two very different skills. It’s tough to achieve both without investment. We also learned the power of having Digital Skills, not just ours, but those of our members. In our final members’ survey, conducted in 2011, we found that 45% exported, against a UK average of 23%. This was due to mindset and skills. The mindset to build an open, random and supportive network and the skills to use multiple tools and keep up with digital offerings. In 2009, I wrote a book called ‘Know Me, Like Me, Follow Me’. This was written at the most challenging time for us personally and I threw my heart into every word, determined that other business people would learn how to adapt to the digital onslaught and the digital opportunity. The disruptive nature of the Internet cannot be underestimated, and the need to build ‘social capital’ and skills to shift your company into the new world is now critical. In late 2010, I was invited into some think-tanks within the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). My ‘hero’ was Mark Prisk MP, the then Minister for Business and Enterprise, who knew that Digital Skills were important and the new Coalition needed to learn how to engage better online. I thought I would meet a group of other ‘network owners’ who also knew the importance of this. However, sadly I was met with heads of our UK business groups and networks that all worked offline and all dismissed the
‘social’ online world as a waste of time and something their kids did. This created a further fire in me and that night I came home and began to write pledges about the UK Digital Skills Agenda. In March 2011, my Manifesto, supported by BIS and Mark Prisk MP was launched at an event with 300 SMEs – the Digital Business Britain Manifesto was born. This firmly placed me in the Digital Skills Agenda. Subconsciously, I had decided not to compete with other social media trainers, speakers, authors and consultants; instead I decided to support them. My life was not about market share, it was about seeking solutions to industry-wide issues. I ‘elevated my conversation’. On the 17th March 2011, I was lying in my bed thinking about the shortage of Social Digital Skills and how hard it was and remains for small businesses to invest and find these skills. In fact, Telefonica now state that by 2017 there will be a European shortage of 950,000 digitally skilled people. I jumped out of bed, ran downstairs at 3:05am and Googled ‘Social Digital Apprentice’. My hope was that I would find that there was a Government-funded Apprenticeship for kids who would like to use their inherent social digital skills and apply them into business. To my surprise, this type of Apprenticeship did not exist. So I wrote a Blog titled ‘SMA meets SME’ (Social Media Apprentice meets Small Medium Enterprise) and asked what the community thought of this idea; would they hire one? By morning over 100 SMEs has said “yes, they would”. In 2012, at The House of Lords, the Digital Youth Academy (DYA) was born. Its vision is simple – to match the inherent digital and social media skills of young people with businesses that require them. DYA creates qualifications, resources and delivery materials within Social and Digital Media. We were the first provider to bring to market a bespoke Social Digital Apprenticeship and have developed a series of state-of-the-art, branded training programmes to enable young people to
DYA’s newest initiative, Youth Web Builders, is delivered in partnership with O2 and Nominet Trust and is a digital project designed in response to the needs of many SMEs and charities who are limited in their growth and productivity through lack of a functional website. It is estimated that over a third of SMEs either don’t have a website or have one with very limited functionality. Conversely, two thirds of young people can design a website but lack the formal training and experience in the work place to be able to use these skills to develop their career. The YWB project builds a bridge between the two. I guess I have shared a skills journey, my own as an entrepreneur and the Digital Skills journey across the UK. Being social is not easy for many companies. I work with Scredible, a fabulous USA Social Software App that will be fully launched this year. Its goal is to ‘elevate your voice’ and to help you ‘look good online’ in as little time as possible. This company is the first one I have seen come to market that wants to blend the App with a Teaching, Training and Coaching Strategy. I am really looking forward to taking this to market as I see it as the next evolution of the ‘digital skills’ life for me. Helping individuals find their voice through software and helping them connect human to human! The last chapter of my book includes a quote. I believed it in 1998 and wrote it down in 2009. It drives me and it makes me understand where we are all heading and that gives me hope. A world where technology truly creates a better world... " The movement that you can become part of is far greater than any of us can actually see, we are the pioneers. It is going to be the most amazing change in the history of the modern world." " Don’t see these networks as ecommerce, sales engines, don’t see them as media, marketing machines. See these networks as humanity networks, full of people that are part of the change we all want." " Together we are making this change, with your input the world can become a more connected world working as one world to increase global wealth and reduce friction and anger." " When we are part of this movement we can feel it in our finger tips. As we immerse ourselves though our keyboards into the networks we can sense the emotion. This is not technology; it is the people inside these networks that are truly incredible, the people who share unconditionally and in doing so become the most respected and attractive people in their industries”. Penny Power OBE was awarded her OBE in the New Year Honours 2014 for Services to Entrepreneurship in Social and Digital Development. Penny is the Founder of Digital Youth Academy and Co-Founder of Scredible Professional Services. You can follow Penny on Twitter: @pennypower. Download her book at www.pennypower.co.uk
TeamPlayer 360 • Issue 4
30
Focus
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t: +44 (0)1733 865426 | e: bookings@chrysalis-consulting.co.uk Our Passion is developing People to increase Performance At Chrysalis Consulting we are leaders in organisational development. Our services include culture change, employee engagement and leadership development. We immerse ourselves in our client’s culture to create tailored and sustainable organisational development programmes that lead to greater performances from passionate, happy employees, working efficiently and aligned to the business values.
Utilising Technology to enhance Business Performance HR professionals up and down the country have been adapting their business processes fuelled by advancements in cloud-based software and smartphone technology. They now have access to lots of gadgets and gizmos that look the part but how well are they utilizing them for business performance. That is the question we put to Kelly Fryer from Chrysalis Consulting. We’re a consultancy specializing in culture change, leadership development and engagement. Technology has become a vital tool in the way we deliver our coaching and learning programmes. Video conferencing has become a must. It allows us to feel as though we’re in a room with an individual or team. When coaching clients we can pick up on body language and energy levels as well as their ‘voice’. We can connect with them so much easier than hearing a disembodied voice over the phone. We often coach teams, who - with an increase in home and flexible
working - may be in different locations around the world.
" Video conferencing allows us to pull together a quick meeting with employees in different locations at short notice, without the need for travel or overnight accommodation." Employee down time is kept to a minimum, and the only cost is that of the coaching. Cloud-based learning applications are on the rise and coupled with mobile are the ideal platform for delivering bite-sized learning. Spending an hour or two in a meeting room, home office or coffee shop is a more manageable way to develop your staff than sending them off-site for more formal training. Especially if time is a premium.
We use webinar technology - which can be accessed from a mobile, tablet or desktop device - and if done well are engaging and interactive. Speakers share their knowledge and skills whilst employees can ask questions and hear how others have approached similar situations to their own.
one who is comfortable with technology and embraces the real-time opportunities mobile technology has to offer. These opportunities can only lead to greater employee engagement and development in the future.
We have found webinars are an ideal solution for topics such as stress, conflict and employee engagement. The bite-size nature means staff can receive a short boost of training on a regular basis without too much impact on their day-to-day workload. Technology is slowly eroding the frontiers in HR and Organisational Development, and we’ve seen that in our own business processes. We no longer have to be physically sat in front of a client to be with the client, whether they are in the UK or on the other side of the world. We are seeing a new breed of HR and Organisational Development professional emerging;
Kelly Fryer, Managing Director, www.chrysalis-consulting.co.uk
31 TeamPlayer 360 • nov 2014
Focus Tomorrow will be Cloudy Cloud computing has been a hot topic in technology circles for some time but now businesses are beginning to explore what cloud computing is and how it can benefit them. What is cloud computing? If you use smartphone apps, Gmail, Salesforce, Dropbox or similar services, you are already using cloud computing. Cloud computing is everywhere. There are many definitions of cloud computing but they boil down to using software and shared computing and storage resources over a network which, for many, is the internet. Clouds come in three main flavours: private cloud where the shared resources are owned and controlled by the business; the public cloud where the shared resources are owned by a third party, outside of the corporate network and accessed by many; and the hybrid cloud being a variation of the first two. Other common characteristics of cloud computing are: ● r esources and services are available to users regardless of location; ● p ricing follows the utility model, pay-as-you-go (or -grow);
● r esources are available on demand and can be added and removed dynamically.
● i mproving employee satisfaction, retention and productivity.
What are the benefits to business?
The challenge
A growing number of businesses are using cloud computing and moving not just secondary software and IT infrastructure but also their core infrastructure and services to cloud-based products. The clearest reasons for doing this are the benefits of:-
The technology we use in our personal lives, e.g. Facebook, Twitter and smartphones, allow us to communicate and share with anyone, whenever we choose. Businesses are under pressure to end the traditional workplace where employees operate from fixed locations supported by a device-centric IT model, by replacing it with a user-centric IT model where employees are enabled to work as they think, and to be connected with each other and their important information.
● reducing capital and operational costs; ● r emoving complex asset lifecycle management needs; ● r educing sourcing and provisioning times; ● i ncreasing operational flexibility and agility; and ● e nabling a rapid response to marketplace changes. Although more complex, if businesses embrace the new technologies and working practices enabled by the tools, they will reap the benefit of growing their business by:● i mproving customer interactions, satisfaction and acquisition; and
Businesses that are able to embrace the change and use the tools to enable and harness the collaborative power of their employees will be more productive and competitive. At Resonate, we help businesses select and deploy cloud-based tools that are built around the user enabling them to be more collaborative and productive and enabling the business to grow. Francois Joubert, Resonate Cloud Services, @_francois
The Digital Revolution The digital revolution has seen a number of the most successful businesses of the modern era born out of Silicon Valley in California. Google currently has a market capitalization of $378 billion, with annual revenues last year of $50 billion. Facebook, started out of a dormitory room at Harvard, currently has a market capitalization of $168 billion. With mobile phone advertising grew 180% in 2012 alone and continues to enjoy substantial further growth, Facebook is reacting to the shift in advertising onto mobile devices away from traditional computers. LinkedIn, the professional network with more than 200 million members is currently capitalized at over $20 billion.
" Companies that have been established out of the technology revolution, and now key drivers of the global economy." All these businesses have either shaped or taken advantage of key consumer shifts towards digital, at the same time transcending geographical boundaries seamlessly. At the same time,
" bricks and mortar industries, relying on
vast square footage of office space are struggling to react swiftly enough to the digital revolution." HMV was recently saved from administration by restructuring firm Hilco, but struggles with sales of DVD’s and music in an era of increasing digital usage. Spotify, the digital music streaming service, had revenues of $500 million in 2012 and has now identified itself closely with Facebook users to drive engagement amongst its customers. As traditional music sales stall, firms such as Spotify continue to outpace the market, attracting multi-billion dollar valuations. Jessops, the camera retailer, went into administration and while the brand remains, the business has been heavily rationalised by new investors, including Peter Jones, with a focus on key retail sites, online sales and price competitiveness. Tesco has signalled the end of the megastore in the UK and has retrenched from the US market, at cost of $1.2 billion. As book shops and retailers across the world close, ebook sales increased by 70%, while physical book sales grew by just 5%, while amazon.com recently posted revenue of over $21 billion in one quarter alone. This enormous shift towards digital purchasing is creating a new business environment, governed by new levels of
price sensitivity and access to information. In this respect, consumers are the real winners, becoming ever more price sensitive, as a result of price comparison websites, which leaves less and less room for price inflation, in particular on commoditized products and services. Price checking and click and collect are becoming increasing formalities in the consumer decision making process, leaving traditional distribution channels subject to heavy and price sensitive competition.
" Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, said of mobile phone advertising : “The size of the audience makes this – the phone – a mass medium. It’s as important to a marketer as TV. This is as important – if not more important – than television.” Sandberg has also been taking the opportunity recently to encourage more women to ‘lean in’, citing inequality on pay as a recurring problem. Women on average are paid 23% less than men in the US and 15% less in the UK. By contrast, women hold 14% of the top jobs in the US, against 5% in the UK. She discussed salary negotiating tactics amongst men and women, with men more
likely to negotiate successfully for themselves, whereas women are often viewed as disloyal by their employer when negotiating a pay rise Sandberg was sceptical about the value of quotas, saying that countries with quotas were not necessarily more successful in getting women to the top, citing Scandinavian countries with less than 3% of female CEOs, even with quota systems in place. She considers that quotas can be part of the answer, with each country needing to make its own decision but that quotas will not solve the whole problem. Sandberg believes that there is a leadership problem in most companies, when most of the workers in retail, consumer, media, education and non-profit are women, but the leaders are men. “That is something we explicitly need to want to change”, she said. As many traditional bricks and mortar businesses rethink their business models, companies at the forefront of the digital revolution continue to outpace the competition, innovating in markets which are unrestricted by geographical boundaries and closely aligned with technology. Paul Schoonenberg,
PAS Search, T: +44 (0)20 3286 9828 M: +44 (0)7842 217166 E: paul.schoonenberg@passearch.co.uk W: www.passearch.co.uk
TeamPlayer 360 • Issue 4
32
Focus
Twitter and Youtube as enablers not replacers If you’ve only just got to grips with LinkedIn as a serious recruiting tool - brace yourself – recruitment has already moved on. Where video applications where once pioneered by a few maverick candidates, the multi-media and social approach to job-hunting and indeed hiring, has become increasingly common. And why not? There are copious benefits to recruiting this way, which your competition is embracing if you’re not. But for us these creative methods are enablers that get you to interview more efficiently, and not replacements for face-to-face connection – which we believe can’t be beaten. The benefits of video & social recruitment: As technology speeds up the rest of our lives, and job competition continues to rise – there is an increasing need on both ends to improve the efficiency of recruitment. Neither party want to be managing long cover letters and written applications simply to find that the fit just isn’t right when they make it to interview. Video applications minimise this risk in two ways: Reach With over 1 trillion hits in 2011 alone YouTube traffic is beaten only by Google and Facebook as the most far-reaching promotion platform. In search rankings, videos are 53 times more likely to appear than text making job adverts more visible & accessible to a wider remit of talented candidates. Personality Nothing beats face to face interaction, but video certainly gets closer than a paper application. In our network alone companies such as JustGiving are ditching cover letters & lengthy application forms in favour of video applications, giving them a quicker and more accurate view of a candidate’s fit to their unique culture. If you’ve studied Psychology you can understand how a better first impression can be obtained over video than through a standard piece of writing, and how this in turn could reduce your chance of interviewing someone who isn’t right for the company. Using Social Media: Social media platforms like Twitter also provide a unique opportunity to gauge cultural fit and personality, as they allow interaction which is not otherwise possible. Graduates can, for example, build professional relationships with CEOs of
large firms by engaging over their shared interests. Like YouTube it is also a time-efficient aesthetic way to build a brand or profile in significantly less words than a job advert of application form. In her upcoming book ‘The Science of Successful Job Hunting’ Mildred Talabi (which is featured in this issue on page 37) gives a great example of how Austrian graduate Ulrike used a Twitter campaign ‘#HireUlrike’ to land her dream job in London without any previous contacts in the city or the competitive world of advertising; and this is by no means an isolated case. Last year alone, Twitter was credited with leading 8 million Americans to their jobs, with a further 6% claiming to have received job referrals and references in this way. When pitched consistently and appropriately then, these platforms maximise the chance of finding a perfect match between company and candidate; all in less time, with less cost. However, these platforms are not magic wands that will remove all effort from the recruitment process, nor will they negate the need for face-toface interviews, no matter how advanced they get. At Veran and myHRcareers, we strongly believe in technology as an enabler, not a replacement to personal interaction. Since our first networking party in November 2013, twelve people have been hired by others in the group, not through an active effort on either part but through a relationship built out of personal connection and interest for each other’s work. In the future, we believe all hires will be made this way – as people will start to hire people, not roles. Expressing your personality, values and interests will be crucial for both sides and whilst online networking provides greater opportunity to develop these networks, nothing will replace actual interaction. In our experience, relationships that are ‘kick started’ face-to-face, and then strengthened and broadened over time, through an honest and consistent use of technology is the key to truly effective recruitment. You heard it here first!
What to wear for a video or television interview Start ... First impressions count for a lot. If you are appearing on TV, or much more likely these days, in an online video about your business, it pays to take care with how you present yourself onscreen. Looking smart and feeling smart will help your confidence on-screen. •A lways go for something classic and simple. For men the best bet is the elegant (yet timeless) suit/jacket combo. If you’re looking to be a little more casual, of course you can take the tie off. If you’re doing that then think about a really nice shirt and trouser combination rather than a suit. • L adies, try trousers. They tend to look much better than skirts or dresses, especially if you are seated. If you prefer something more casual dark jeans are fine but do match them with smart shoes if you can – preferably heels of some sort. Shorts are not advisable – remember, summer only lasts a season! If you must wear a skirt, ensure the hemline is well below the knee. As for tights... well, it’s a risk! Our advice? Flesh-coloured tights or, if you can pull them off, bare legs or knee high boots • W ill you be appearing in a studio or on location. If you’re in a studio will you be on set or against a greenscreen background. If you’re against greenscreen you won’t be able to wear any green at all in your outfit. Recommended friendly colours for TV and video include Pastel Blues (of all shades) Purples, Grays, Wine, Claret and Navy. • C ertain fabric patterns are not picked up well by cameras. They create a blur or “moire” (sort of a strobing effect) that looks awful. Here are the patterns to avoid at all costs: • Checks Fine weave/patterns • Tweed Polka dots • Stripes Sequins
Charlotte Hallaways, Founder and Director of myHRcareers, London’s largest network for aspiring HR professionals, and Becky Statham, Talent Specialist and internal Head of Recruitment at Veran Performance, one of the UK’s leading HR consultancies.
• Any reflective or shiny fabric • Plaid Linen • I f you are appearing in the company video it is likely it will be online for a long time. Chose an outfit that will
look good at any time of year, which means putting your favourite Hawaiian shirt back in the wardrobe. • W ill you be wearing a microphone? If you’re being interviewed (which you probably are!) there’s a decent chance that you’ll be wearing a lapel clip mic. Wear a shirt with a collar or lapel. If you must wear something a little less microphone friendly, try and wear a jacket with lapels – the sound operator will thank you for it! • B e careful about accessories. They have a tendency to produce unwanted noise. Whether that’s jangling or rustling, necklaces and dangling earrings are a nightmare for microphones. • I t’s advisable to keep rings to a minimum (one per hand) and to avoid watches, crystals, diamonds or anything reflective. The last thing you want is to be reflecting light right back into the camera. • I f you wear reading glasses let the production company know beforehand. They will have a few tricks that can help reduce and take away the reflection that may occur. • C ontrast is the enemy of camera focus. Therefore, if you are light skinned, don’t wear a dark top, and vice versa. Also, pay attention to your set – if you’re wearing dark against a light background, it may be a challenge for the camera to focus on you. If you can, try and opt for low contrast clothing, in medium shades. Obviously, black suits and white shirts are both inadvisable, due to the starkness of the contrast. Don’t forget these rules apply to any props you may be thinking of bringing onto set! • D on't forget the shoes. Ideally wear new shoes, otherwise make you’re your shoes are polished and in good condition. Although tight shots are common for video interviews, you never know what might creep into frame. • L adies – if you can, wear some closed toe shoes, or at best, anything with a solid heel. Gentlemen – just make sure your shoes are polished, clean and smart! Oh, and wear some decent socks. There’s nothing more off-putting then unsightly ankle flesh! OK, so now you have your outfit ready, but are you really prepared? What if you arrive and find the host has the same colours or the same jacket. Always take a selection of outfits and give yourself the best chance to shine. Andy Woodruff, MD, WebVideos Limited, www.webvideos.co.uk | 020 7733 4166
33 TeamPlayer 360 • nov 2014
Focus
Social Media Recruiting – is it Fair? There has been a push towards applying Social Media as a tool in the recruitment process and the results have generally been a mixed bag. The majority of people out there use Social Media sites for one primary reason, and that is socialising, catching up with friends and enjoying their life outside work. People generally share their personal thoughts and views on social platforms and looking for a job is the last thing on their mind. How fair then is it for recruiters to turn to Social platforms to fill vacancies? Are recruiters professional enough to set aside their own prejudices when it comes to checking out candidate profiles or is this a major issue plaguing this new recruiting trend? Social recruiting is still in its infancy though, according to new figures released by eQuest Big Data. Contrary to popular belief the figures show that the majority of new hirers are actually coming through from traditional recruitment channels. The question then becomes, if Social Media is the future of recruitment, how come the statistics do not support this thinking? The simple truth is that Social Media is subjective and judgemental. A recruiter looking at Social Media profiles of potential candidates will, more often than not, be swayed by more than the candidate's qualification and experience. It is human nature to gravitate towards those who look more like us and like the same things
we do. How impartial then is a recruiter going to be when faced with the choice of several potential candidates and only has Social profiles to go on? The simple answer is that they will base their selection on personal prejudice which can be very judgemental and discriminatory to an extent. Let's recap why Social Media is a poor source of hires for any organization looking to recruit the best candidates who will be the best fit for the business: • B asing recruitment decisions on Social Media profiles is judgemental • R ecruitment decisions made on Social Media are likely to be clouded by emotion and external appearances rather than an objective screening system • W hether recruiters care to admit it or not there is a high chance of discriminatory tendencies at play if decisions are based on social appearances If Social Media has been so unsuccessful at recruiting the best and most compatible hires, does that mean all hope is lost for technology based recruitment? The data from big data companies such as eQuest are showing that Social Media recruitment accounts for just 2.9% of total recruitment. The next natural question
is “How can we engage technology in the recruitment process to acquire compatible hires”? TeamPlayerHR is the answer.
TeamPlayerHR evaluates all candidates along the following lines:
What is TeamPlayerHR?
• Problem solving
One of the most quoted reasons for failed employer – employee relations when it comes to new hires is the incompatibility of the new recruit with the company ethos, culture as well as colleagues. The current use of standard selection methods trusted by recruiters have their own pitfalls. Just think for a moment how many businesses use traditional recruitment
• Workplace styles
workflows, processes, including references, aptitude-style tests and behaviour assessment tools. The majority of these businesses after just a couple of months are right where they were before, saddled with a huge recruitment bill and high staff turnover. Enter stage left, TeamPlayerHR, the objective compatibility tool that every business should be using. Providing an impartial assessment of a candidate's/participant’s suitability for a given role is imperative in satisfying anti-discrimination and equality law. In addition to that, TeamPlayerHR also allows you to determine how a new team member will fit into an existing team or organisation.
• Social interactions
• Conflict resolution • Work Life Balance The result is a compatibility ranking which allows the recruiter/HR to make an impartial judgement, taking into account all other factors, which candidate will be most suitable for the organisational cultural fit. Early adopters of TeamPlayerHR have seen drastic reductions in recruitment costs with better engaged teams and employees. The results of the assessment are fair and auditable. TeamPlayerHR is set to create a seismic shift in corporate recruitment hiring processes.
Jim Lanas, Group CEO, TeamPlayerHR, www.teamplayerhr.com jim@teamplayerhr.com 07734 950648 Contact Jim now for a FREE trial of this simple cloud based software.
TeamPlayer 360 • Issue 4
34
Country Focus - USA
It’s the same in the USA... especially Silicon Valley Are Your Jobs and Your Branding Being Marketed to an Un-Diverse Niche?
She wants to do amazing work and make a company great. And then go home.
message being sent by many corporate HR, recruiting, and brand departments.
I look at lots of corporate career sites, videos, social media sites, tweets, posts, updates, audio, messages, and job descriptions, and I even sometimes join “talent communities” to see what the process is like.
You may think that jobs can’t be done in the six hours my friend does hers in, and can only be done by a young person who wants to brainstorm while playing darts with his coworkers at midnight.
They’re sending the message that their jobs are not for working fathers, working mothers, people with eldercare needs, people who want to shop, run, bike, or knit at night, people who don’t drink, and so on.
Well, not all time is equal. I know a lot of people who are allegedly very, very busy, and will tell you how busy they are. (I, for example, lost my debit card six weeks ago, and still haven’t found time to call and get a new one.)
I’m not saying that perks aren’t great. But many well-publicized perks – $2,000 a year for personal travel; free dinner; onsite healthcare; yoga and so on – what they have in common is they attract people who want to spend their lives at work.
I continue to be surprised at what I find. At many companies – particular tech companies, and particularly Silicon Valley companies – a certain culture is being sold. The photos are of young people playing ping-pong and foosball, of getting perks like dry cleaning services. They show company parties, company beach volleyball teams, and sometimes even company bands. Fun at work. Fine. Of course, I’m all for it. Who wouldn’t be? Work should be enjoyable; as I said in this video in which I talked about leadership, recruiting, and more,
" we spend more time with our colleagues than we do with our spouses, kids, parents and pets."
" But not all busy is created equal." One attorney I know will tell you how unbelievably busy he is during trials – but he mysteriously knows everything a person could possibly know about professional basketball. I know other professionals claiming to be overcome with busyness – who also somehow have found time to watch entire seasons of television series, and know the names of the children of numerous celebrities.
There is no evidence that this results in better workforces. My company is entirely virtual. Personally, I think it’s fine if people call into our many conference calls from a treadmill, beach, dog park, cat park, bathtub, whatever.
I know a woman who works from 10 to 4. She has three kids. She picks them up. She drops them off. She squeezes in some night and weekend work. I’m convinced her six-hour day is just as productive and valuable as a foosball player half her age.
Note: If it’s a bathtub, a video call is not ideal.
The jobs sold by some companies are not being sold to her. She sees how they are marketed and she feels like it’s a party she wasn’t invited to, and doesn’t want to be invited to.
And these people would make for some fantastic employees.
Some – not all -- of these hot tech companies further limit their advertising and searches to people who live in their headquarters’ city and will come to the office.
But looking for a 24-year-old who will create software and then have a beer with you, and then being frustrated that you can’t find enough of them – well, I just don’t know that this is the best way to build a workforce.
She’s perfectly capable of a high-level job, like the one she is currently excelling in and jobs she is applying for. She’ll easily get a new job, but it’ll be at a bigger company, a non-profit, or a university probably.
Many people I know would kill to have that $2,000 to pay for their expenses, and don’t have time for the vacation. Many just want to go to their own doctor and want help with the costs – not get a new doctor.
Anyhow, those places are probably better than a desk, where they’d multitask. A person walking while listening is much more focused.
Working on your own time If people want to work from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. when they are most productive, fine. If they are going to handle company issues at all hours, they should handle personal matters at all hours too. This idea of work – that it should be based on your great ideas, your abilities, quality, and so on – is not the
Todd Raphael, ERE, www.ere.net todd@ere.net Todd Raphael manages conferences, websites, and more, all about recruiting and human resources, for ERE Media (www.ere.net).
35 TeamPlayer 360 • nov 2014
Country Focus - USA
Accelerate with 500 StartUps Business is not a level playing field. Some start-ups enhance their likelihood of success by joining accelerator programs; intensive short courses for young businesses that usually include early funding, education and mentorship.
growing. With so many significant benefits I can’t help but feel sorry for the businesses out there that don’t take advantage of an accelerator program.
What can you say about visiting the wonder of the modern world that is the USA that has not already been said or captured on film or by the media for all to wonder about. You just have to go out and experience first-hand some of the world’s greatest sights that are just waiting for you to discover and enjoy. If I was to make a bucket list of the 10 most popular destinations and attractions in the USA it would include the following: 1. New York the most populous city in America with sights such as the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and the bright lights of Times Square.
500 StartUps (http://500.co/) is one of the best accelerators. Located in Mountain View California & Mexico City they invest primarily in ‘business to consumer’ companies and have a strong interest in E-Commerce, Consumer Tech, Ad Tech and BitCoin.
2. Los Angeles, California to experience the allure of Hollywood the movie capital of the world and see the famous boulevards, sunset strip and famous beaches such as Malibu and Santa Monica or have a day out to experience the dizzying excitement of Disneyland rides in Annaheim.
Recently Sean Percival (http://500.co/seanpercival) a successful entrepreneur and now a partner at 500 StartUps talked about their program in more detail.
3. San Fancisco, California. With attractions such as Fisherman’s Wharf the Golden Gate Bridge Area and Chinatown to see what the restaurant fortune cookies have in store for you.
With over 1000 teams applying per session it’s hard to get in. Sean normally only accepts teams of two or more that have an existing testable minimum viable product. Key milestones that 500 look for in businesses are: $5k-10k per month in revenue for e-commerce businesses and 10k-100k downloads for apps.
4. Chicago that is often thought of as one of the most European cities despite being known as the windy city. 5. Washington DC. The capital city with it's iconic buildings, historic monuments and interesting museums. 6. Las Vegas with it's blockbuster shows and bank breaking casinos.
Joining the program gives you access to over 200 mentors as well as the founders of the 800 companies that have previously been funded. 500 boasts that due to its expansive network companies are only ever 1 degree of separation away from any notable person within Silicon Valley. The value of such a large network is unquantifiable. There is a strong focus on education during the program, primarily in marketing and customer acquisition. 500’s main objective is to maximise a company’s traction. When there is stable growth they will then prepare founders to pitch for the follow on funding needed to take their businesses to the next level. At the start of the program 500 will invest $100,000 for a 7% equity stake in a company. Sean says most founders spend a chunk of this money surviving in Silicon Valley. Rent per person is normally around $3,000 per month! Aside from just the capital injection the investment provides a legitimate valuation of the company at around $1.4million. Sean believes that after the four month program is over the majority of companies will go on to raise further funding, with an average valuation of $3m. So in just four months the accelerator program provides companies with the community, education and resources needed to double the value of their venture and keep on
Top tourist destinations in the USA
7. Hawaii and paradise islands such as Oahu to visit Waikiki Beach the home of surfing (Where my mother lived for many years), Honolulu, Polynesian culture, Watching the sunset in Kaanapali Beach in Maui and the big Island of Hawaii to free wheel down the worlds largest mountain or seeing volcano park. 8. The Grand Canyon Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks. 9. New Orleans with it's heady mix of Mardi Gras and Jazz festivals. 10. Florida. Renowned as the 'Sunshine State' and one of the most popular destinations for visitors for it's beautiful beaches and family orientated attractions in and around Disneyworld, Orlando that are just waiting for you to enjoy.
Sam Zawadzki, Digital Entrepreneur www.samzawadzki.com, samzawadzki@gmail.com
The USA is a country that offers travellers a myriad of activities and one of the widest and most diverse choice of vacation rental accommodation in the world. Whether you want to stay in a glitzy high rise apartment in New York or a cabin overlooking the ski slopes or book a holiday villa rental to enjoy a family orientated or activity holiday you are sure to find something to suit any season or budget on sites such as www.InternetVillaHolidays.com David MC, Founder and Owner of www.InternetVillaHolidays.com Tel: 07947 481444 - david@internetvillaholidays.com
TeamPlayer 360 • Issue 4
36
Book Reviews Book Reviews The Science of Successful Job Hunting Practical strategies for landing ANY job you want, Mildred Talabi Is there a science to job hunting? Apparently so, says a new book by careers author, Mildred Talabi. Here she explains what it's all about... Over the past eight years I've spent a lot of time immersed in the world of careers as a professional CV writer, blogger, speaker and author. I've been privileged enough to have helped hundreds of jobseekers find employment and thousands more through my first book, 7 Keys to a Winning CV: How to create a CV that gets results.
To win a copy follow @teamplayer360 on twitter or email info@emblemgroup. co.uk with TP360 Prize Draw in the subject and your phone number for your chance to win. Deadline 31 Dec 2014
The job market has changed significantly over the last few years and the old rules of job hunting are no longer as effective as they used to be. One thing I've come to understand over these years is that successful job hunting does not happen by luck or chance – there is a formula to it and that formula can be applied as an exact science to experience particular results, in this case, the result of finding a job. To succeed in today's job market, jobseekers need to apply the science of successful job hunting in their job search methodology, and this science includes the following three simple strategies: 1) Tapping the hidden job market by utilising personal and other networks Job hunting is most effective when it involves other people, and when it comes to job hunting, who you know still counts for a lot. The good news is that it's
never been easier to know people as it is today in our increasingly connected world. The key to accessing the hidden job market (i.e. finding the jobs that are not advertised and therefore carry much less competition) is in reaching out to your networks, letting them know of your job search and allowing them to come on the journey with you and be your extra pairs of eyes and ears in finding and landing that job you want. 2) Using social media to increase online visibility and enhance employability Whether we like it or not (I'm personally in the ‘like’ camp) social media is not going away anytime soon – in fact, more and more employers are now using it to directly recruit or eliminate potential candidates. The first step to making social media work for you as a jobseeker is to recognise its importance and growing influence and then set yourself up with a professional profile on the main channels, namely LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook (or Google+ if you're more advanced). From here you can start to build a credible online brand that will be attractive to employers and recruiters, and better still you open up the channels to engage directly with those who have the decision-making powers regarding your job hunt. 3) Submitting targeted and professional CVs and application forms that stand out above the crowd
Gone are the days when a loosely flung together Times New Roman CV of multiple pages is sufficient to get you through the interview doors. These days with an average of 70 candidates applying for each advertised role, employers are spoilt for choice and rushed for time (the average employer spends around 30 seconds per CV) so the successful jobseeker must learn how to make a positive impact quickly. Some of the simple strategies for standing out in this area include submitting a targeted and professional visually-pleasing CV, crafting a concise but descriptive cover letter that outlines your fit for the role, and taking the time to spell out exactly how it is you match the job description and person specification in your application form supporting statement. These three simple strategies are just some of the ways jobseekers can stand out and succeed in today's job market. It may not be rocket science, but it is a science all the same – and it works! Mildred Talabi is an award-winning UK-based careers blogger, speaker and writer with over eight years of experience in the careers industry. Named as one of The Guardian’s ‘Top Career Tweeters’ of 2014, Mildred has helped thousands of jobseekers into work and her first book, 7 Keys to a Winning CV: How to create a CV that gets results, remains one of Amazon’s most popular books on CV writing. For more information visit www.mildredtalabi.com or follow Mildred on Twitter @mildredtalabi
Managing Talent for Success Consulting editor, Rebecca Normand-Hochman, on behalf of The International Bar Association Globe Law and Business - ISBN: 9781909416031 The ability to attract, develop and retain talent has become one of the biggest competitive issues for law firms. But although talent management is now recognised as a business issue of prime importance, law firms often lack the experience, vision and tools to do it. This practical new handbook, co-ordinated by Rebecca Normand-Hochman, explores the various elements required to manage talent effectively. It illustrates how law firms can significantly increase
the performance, engagement and retention of their lawyers by giving them the tools to develop and to support the development of others. It also describes the need to align HR and law firm strategy through talent management, and to adapt leadership and talent management best practices to law firm structures and challenges.
internationally to help managing partners, talent management managers as well as lawyers seeking to build strong and aligned talent management strategies in their firms to stand and win the competition. This book will also be of interest to lawyers seeking to understand what is required for them to take ownership of their professional development.
Chapters cover all of the important aspects of strategic talent management and provide practical guidance from law firm talent management experts
Hudson’s Historic Houses & Gardens Britain’s heritage – Open to Visitors Hudson’s Historic Houses & Gardens, now in its 28th year, brings together more than 1,000 of our grandest stately homes, historic houses and gardens including private and public owned properties, the National Trusts, English Heritage, Historic Scotland, Cadw and Historic Royal Palaces. Organised regionally, the guide helps readers to find places to visit near their home or is an unrivalled tool for planning (and dreaming) about trips to other parts of the UK. The 500 page directory contains over 1500 stunning images, maps, opening times, details of catering, tours, plant sales, shopping, special events and other facilities.
Over 100 pages of fascinating interviews and articles catching up with Fiona Bruce and the Antiques Roadshow team at Chenies Manor House in the latest series of the popular show; Dame Jenny Abramsky talking about her 5 years as Chairman of the Heritage Lottery Fund and the difference she thinks it has made to Britain; Simon Jenkins, Chairman of the National Trust, picking some country house views that he judges the best in Britain. Britain’s best rose gardeners share their secrets and their favourite flowers plus information on where to celebrate 2015’s anniversaries from Magna Carta and the Jacobite risings to the Battle of Waterloo.
If you have written a book you would like us to review, please contact the editor.
Other features consider the rescue of a ruined mansion in Cumbria, how country houses survived two world wars, plus trips by car and on foot, Hudson’s Heritage Award winners, recipes and much more. Pre-publication copies can be ordered at a special price of £13.99 from www.hudsonsheritage.com. After publication, Hudson’s Historic Houses & Gardens is available from all major retailers including WHSmith’s, Waterstones, Amazon plus independents at a price of £16.99.
37 TeamPlayer 360 • nov 2014
Leisure
British Wine Denbies Wine Estate Dorking When we were invited down to Denbies to see what their October Dine & Vine event included, we discovered a lot more than 'just a vineyard' in the heart of the Surrey countryside. With events and attractions for all the family, Denbies makes an ideal day out for everyone. Of course, the main thing you will discover at Denbies is grapes and wine, but what else would you expect from a wine estate. THE PERFECT GIFT FOR FANS OF DOWNTON ABBEY THIS CHRISTMAS.
THE DOWNTON ABBEY RULES FOR HOUSEHOLD STAFF PUBLISHED OCTOBER 23RD 2014 – HEADLINE BOOKS HARDBACK – PRICED £12.99
The official handbook for new members of staff at the Downton Abbey great estate. The household staff of Downton Abbey carry out their duties with effortless dignity, finesse and pride. Yet how do they know how exactly to lay the table, when to leave the room to give Lord and Lady Grantham their privacy, how to care for Lady Mary’s furs and which uniform to wear when? This recently recovered and fascinating staff handbook answers all of these questions and more. Covering all the main positions of the Downton household - footman, lady’s maid, housekeeper, groundsman and more - and with a general introduction for new members of staff from Carson the Butler, this book tells you everything you need to know about working below stairs in the grand estate of Downton Abbey. For further information, please contact Frances Gough at the Headline Press Office on 0207 873 6104 / frances.gough@headline.co.uk / @frances_gough
Well, the moment you leave the main road and enter the grounds, at this time of year, you will be met by row on row of heavily laden vines, all containing huge bunches of dark red grapes, ready for picking. Winding up to the main building, the sheer scale of the vineyard, and the stunning views of the surrounding land and woodlands, is enough to open your eyes to the possibilities on offer. Walk with your dogs amongst the vast expanse of vines, on a late summer's day - or lazily meandering along planned routes around the estate before popping into the Conservatory restaurant for the perfect al-fresco dining experience all year round.
" Take it up a notch and reserve a table in the Gallery restaurant, overlooking the 265 acre vineyard with panoramic views - or join one of the many tours that Denbies have to offer."
For a memento of your visit, step into the Denbies Gift Shop, to discover a fantastic range of gifts, stationary, interior room fragrances and additional collections of home interior accessories - as well as local beer and, of course, a few bottles of Denbies wine. And if you are looking for art, Denbies has its own art gallery, offering free entry to unique and inspiring works from artists from around the area. We spent our morning amongst the vines, in the company of Victor Maguire, who explained just what making wine involves - from the planting of the vine through to the bottling of the wine.
" We experienced a unique dining experience with lunch in the Gallery." Honest, clean dishes bursting full of flavour and beautifully presented. And each course paired with a glass or two of Denbies own wine. A later sampling of the wine was a highlight for many, but not the singular focal point of our day.
Susan Sheen, Editor-in-Chief @ Your Source Today www.yoursourcetoday.com
TeamPlayer 360 • Issue 4
38
Law SAFERjobs: Fighting UK Job Fraud Job scams and fake jobs pose a serious threat to job seekers. Fraudsters prey on both those actively seeking jobs, and those approached via social media for that next career move. The aim is to defraud individuals by extracting money for jobs or services which do not exist, or by extracting personal information from the individual for the purpose of fraud. The Daily Telegraph named job scams as 1 of their Top 10 scams to watch out for in 2014, high profile cases have been covered by BBC News, Fake Britain, and the One Show in the last 6 months profiling scams involving high street names such as Harrods and with values as high as £1million. How does this affect you? We have all looked for a job at one time or another, and many of us are on LinkedIn or similar networking sites, where fraudsters pose as genuine companies or recruiters to defraud the unsuspecting. Job fraud covers both fraud aimed at job seekers, as well as employment fraud committed against organisations, often by people who have committed application fraud to get the job in the first place. Most financially-motivated job scams are known as advance fee fraud and occur where the fraudster requests money upfront from job seekers for job-related services. Common advance fee fraud include asking job seekers for money in advance for screening checks (such as police checks), informing job seekers their profile matches the great new job but they need to use a CV writing service first, arranging an interview using a premium rate telephone number, or charging upfront for visas or administration services. Job scams exist with any level of role from entry level to boardroom. The cash value of the scams aimed at job seekers varies significantly, from £50 to uncapped amounts for travel, visa, and legal fees during the job process. Genuine companies are affected too, either by fraudsters copying their website or logo, or by copying their readily available job ads. Fraudsters then act as an employee of the organisation, or as a dedicated recruiter, to defraud individuals into thinking they are going through the job process. Even legitimate recruiters have been duped by fraudsters who have advertised fake jobs and posed as genuine self-employed contractors to gain payment for work never completed (known as contractor fraud).
Agency, Department for Business, Innovation, and Skills (BIS), and the main recruitment industry trade associations (APSCo, the REC, and TEAM). SAFERjobs offer free and expert advice to the public in order to prevent any financial losses. Through this SAFERjobs prevent thousands of pounds of fraud a month but there is still so much more to be done. Action Fraud and BIS signpost jobseekers to SAFERjobs whenever they get a report of job-related scams which has helped SAFERjobs to collate data that can be shared with organisations and job seekers to protect those searching for a new role, or companies looking to hire. By sharing potential fraud, SAFERjobs can act quickly to advise job seekers and organisations. By sharing actual fraud, SAFERjobs can continue to update advice to others in a bid to stop the same fraud from reoccurring. Why Report Fraud to SAFERjobs? SAFERjobs offer free advice on both potential and actual fraud, SAFERjobs always welcome and encourage any job seeker and organisations to report a situation they are suspicious about. SAFERjobs are committed to helping job seekers stay safe in the job search. SAFERjobs investigate every report of suspected or actual fraud and provide free, expert advice to the public on next steps. If the issue is not criminal, but relates to professional misconduct in the recruitment sector, SAFERjobs report this to the main recruitment trade associations, as well as to BIS. Cracking down on the growing issue of fake recruiters SAFERjobs receive numerous reports of bogus recruitment companies. Sadly it seems all too easy to create a recruitment company website and begin offering fake jobs. We advise all job seekers on how best to engage with recruitment businesses and what telltale signs to look out for. All information is anonymous and used to create future guidance to job seekers and organisations to help protect people in future by educating people on current scams. The key to tackling job fraud is increased awareness and education of this growing issue. Follow SAFERjobs on Twitter (@RosserKeith) and LinkedIn (http://linkd. in/1ytjgsy) for advice on how to stay safe in the job search.
How do we stop this? SAFERjobs (www.safer-jobs.com) are a voluntary, non-profit organisation created to tackle job-related fraud and to protect job seekers in their search. SAFERjobs work in partnership with the Metropolitan Police, National Crime
Keith Rosser, Chair, SAFERjobs, www.safer-jobs.com
www.hallmarksolicitors.co.uk enquiries@hallmarksolicitors.co.uk We offer a free consultation, please quote TEAMPLAYER360
39 TeamPlayer 360 • nov 2014
Law
Social media and employment law One of the most significant developments in the workplace in the last decade has been the arrival of social networking. Social media has become a game changer in how we communicate, not only with friends and family, but how businesses interact with their customers. Initially viewed with scepticism, companies are now seeing the benefits of being a social business; brand awareness, low-cost marketing, new channels of discussion with employees and recruitment and job vetting. However, these developments also present risks to employers and employees alike. Disadvantages To some, the use of social media in the workplace is just a series of accidents waiting to happen and there are a number of employment tribunal cases that prove that point. The danger areas employees tend to get in to trouble are: •T he posting of inappropriate material on websites/ social media sites •C riticism of an employee’s employer/manager/colleagues • Cyber-bullying There is currently no law within the UK that deals directly with the issue of social media. However legislation such as the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Data Protection Act 1988 is relevant in some instances. The following tribunal cases look at some of the common social media misuse issues and whether the employer’s actions were justified. Derogatory or discriminatory content Young v Argos Ltd Argos’s social media policy prohibited any offensive comment. Young was dismissed for gross
misconduct after “liking” an ex-colleague’s description of her manager as about as much use as a “chocolate teapot”, said that this had been the worst year of her 15 years with the company and that she was glad that her colleague had “escaped”. The tribunal held that she had been unfairly dismissed. No reasonable employer could consider that the comments were sufficient to justify dismissal: they were really no more than office gossip or routine criticism of the employer. Taggart v TeleTech UK Ltd Taggart made damaging and disparaging comments about a colleague’s alleged sexual promiscuity. He refused to remove them and actually made further lewd comments and disseminated these among his colleagues. The tribunal held that his dismissal for gross misconduct was fair; the comments were vulgar and they had not been removed when requested. Reputational damage Taylor v Somerfield A play fight with plastic bags at work was posted on YouTube. Taylor was dismissed for bringing the company into disrepute. The dismissal was found to be unfair. Only the uniforms identified the employees as working for Somerfield and the video was taken offline after three days (only eight people had actually watched it). There was insufficient reputational damage; indeed, more people knew about the incident after the tribunal proceedings. Preece v Wetherspoon Plc Wetherspoon had a policy preventing the use of Facebook at work. Ms Preece, one of the bar staff, made rude and derogatory comments on Facebook about some customers. These comments were seen by 656 “friends”, including the daughter of one of the customers, who reported it to the employer. The tribunal held that Ms Preece’s dismissal for damaging Wetherspoon’s reputation was fair. Her actions had breached its Internet policy, lowered its reputation and
breached the implied term of trust and confidence. Although the tribunal thought that it would have given a final written warning to Ms Preece, the decision to dismiss fell within the range of reasonable responses open to the employer. Revealing the truth Gill v SA Ground Services UK Ltd Unsurprisingly, Ms Gill’s dismissal was found to be fair when she had taken part in London Fashion Week while on sick leave and had highlighted this on her Facebook page.
organisation into disrepute or for misconduct, the dismissal must be within the “range of reasonable responses” test as set out in ERA 1996 — it must be a fair and proportionate response to the employee’s actions. • If the employer uses the argument of “damage to reputation” then this has to be more than fanciful. •A ll employers will be in a stronger position to defend claims of unfair dismissal if they have a clear social media policy in place, which spells out to employees the consequences of any breach or abuse of the policy.
Cyber-bullying
Social media policy
Otomewo v Carphone Warehouse Ltd The test of an employer’s vicarious liability at work is whether the discriminatory actions of the employee are carried out “in the course of employment”. Employees got hold of their manager’s phone and amended his Facebook entry to read: “Finally came out of the closet. I am gay and proud.” The tribunal held that the incident was in the course of employment — it took place during working hours and involved two employees and their manager. The employer was liable, therefore, for sexual orientation harassment.
A clear social media policy is essential to avoid social media issues like these. The policy should:
Disciplinary action and dismissal: some common threads By now you will have realised that there are a number of common threads from these cases: •W arnings may often be more appropriate than dismissal. •H ighly offensive comments about workplace colleagues are likely to lead to any subsequent dismissal being found to be fair by an employment tribunal. • I f the employer does dismiss the employee for social media misuse on the ground of bringing the
• Set out unambiguous ground rules and include the consequences if an employee breaks the rules. • Inform employees about the risks and dangers of misuse of social media and how they can get themselves and the organisation into difficulties. • Publish guidance on best practice if you want employees to actively use social media for business purposes. • Include cyber-bullying within the policy. This should also be incorporated into the organisation’s anti-harassment policy. • Inform and consult with employees if the organisation is planning to monitor social media activity. • Be careful when screening potential candidates by looking at their social networking pages as it may be discriminatory.
Richard Smith, Head of Employment Law, Croner, a Wolters Kluwer Business, www.cronersolutions.co.uk