Category Archives: Recruitment

News, Recruitment

Scrap the CV! Existing hiring methods exacerbating the UK’s skills crisis and social mobility divide, research reveals

  • Survey finds 88% screen out candidates because of a lack of experience, yet 67% say screening for experience reduces size and diversity of their talent pool
  • Arctic Shores CEO calls for organisations to “scrap the CV” and select for potential to address the skills mismatch crisis and social mobility divide

Manchester, UK; 26th April 2022: 88% of HR and talent managers have screened candidates out of their hiring process because of a lack of experience, yet 67% say selecting for experience reduces the size and diversity of their talent pool, further exacerbating the skills crisis.

That’s according to a survey by Arctic Shores, the psychometric assessment pioneer, which has identified that outdated hiring methods are shrinking talent pools and hampering diversity. It also costs organisations money, with 72% currently paying higher salaries in order to find candidates with the right experience.

Time to make the leap: embrace potential over experience

Experience is undoubtedly a key factor in whether a candidate is hired, with 91% of respondents identifying experience as a useful way to establish whether a candidate will suit their roles. In light of this, 68% currently use CVs as their first method of screening for experienced hires.

However, the majority (78%) believe a lack of relevant skills and candidate experience will inhibit their ability to achieve strategic objectives and/or financial goals in the next 24 months. By relying on past experience rather than the potential that a candidate shows, organisations are taking a financial and strategic hit.

The World Economic Forum has also warned that 85 million jobs will disappear and 97 million new digital-first jobs will arise by 2025.

Robert Newry, CEO of Arctic Shores, commented: “What we’re seeing isn’t a skills shortage, it’s a skills blindness. We live in a world with millions of capable workers yet companies are stressing about escalating salaries and an inability to fill roles. The issue is that everyone is playing musical chairs, poaching those with experience from other companies, who in turn poach from someone else. The only way organisations will get out of this costly spiral is to start hiring for transferable skills and potential.”

Scrapping the CV

Whereas the majority of hiring managers use CVs as their chosen method to screen out candidates, more than half (59%) have considered removing CVs from their hiring process altogether.

When it came to reasons why CVs hadn’t been removed from the process, 65% of respondents were blocked by the belief of a lack of viable replacements, hiring manager objections, and a lack of time and resources. Removing the CV feels like ‘hard work’ for many, with the perception that there are no viable alternatives. Only 27% use psychometric assessments in their hiring processes.

“Scrapping the CV might sound radical, but you cannot solve tomorrow’s challenges with yesterday’s solutions,” added Newry. “What we’re calling for is an awareness of the challenge we face and for the start of a transition to futureproof the UK’s workforce.”

There is already evidence that an alternative approach can be taken and with great results. Darren Cassidy, Managing Director of Xerox UK and Ireland, is one of the early adopters of a Scrap the CV approach: “At Xerox, we have always looked to hire people based on their potential, where diversity, inclusion and belonging are core to our culture. So we are excited about our pioneering partnership with Arctic Shores to select for potential. My team has seen how the platform can identify potential from a candidate pool who haven’t had the best start in life and bypass the need to see a CV, which too often holds back those who have had the least opportunity. This is definitely the way forward.”

Charity & CSR, Finance and Banking, News, Recruitment

Disability Charity ELITE Creating a Digital Future Thanks to Barclays Donation.

  • Disability charity ELITE Supported Employment Agency receive Barclays’ £100k COVID-19 support donation.
  • Charity forging ahead with development of digital delivery program to run alongside traditional face to face support, to enable continuity of services.
  • Charity changes service structure to help disabled people.
  • Charity will provide Mental Health Champions and Job Coach Support to provide employment or community activities, enabling post-pandemic community inclusion.

ELITE Supported Employment Agency is one of 250 UK charities to be awarded a £100k donation from Barclays which will help them to continue supporting disabled and disadvantaged people seek employment or maintaining their jobs post pandemic.

Charities were invited to apply for donations of £100,000, and Barclays were inundated by hundreds of applications from charities across the UK who are struggling to deliver on-the-ground support to vulnerable communities impacted by the crisis.

Barclays launched their 100×100 UK COVID-19 Community Relief Programme to support COVID-19 relief work in local communities. The programme, which forms part of their wider COVID-19 Community Aid Package, focuses on supporting UK charity partners who are meeting the immediate needs of people in our communities, including low income families, those facing financial hardship, isolated elderly people and key workers.

ELITE Supported Employment Agency supports disabled and disadvantage people to access, obtain and maintain employment, through a range of activities aimed at helping them gain confidence, skills and independence. During the pandemic, all their face to face activities had to be stopped, meaning vital support for disabled and/or disadvantaged people had to be delivered in a different way.

For a number of months, all of ELITE’s activities had to be delivered via online sessions. However not everyone had access to equipment, or the knowledge of how to access the software relating to video conferencing (from Facebook to Zoom).

Through the support of the Barclays fund, not only can ELITE continue to offer service virtually but we can also support individuals development in the use of this technology, so it becomes a standard form of communication for them. This will aid them in their vocational aspirations for training, volunteering and paid employment, crucial during such uncertain times where lockdowns are intermittent.

The charity recognises how crucial it’s contact and support is for people with disabilities and/or disadvantage. During the pandemic many individuals experience a deterioration in the mental and physical well-being due to shielding, isolation and job losses. The funding from Barclays will enable ELITE to continue it’s services, implementing specialist support to enable individuals recovery or maintenance of their health and well-being, via a blended approach.

Specialist staff will engage with 100+ individuals, enabling them to re-engage with their communities, raising soft skills and confidence, alongside independence levels. Our goals are to reassure people and develop their skills in being covid safe, enabling people to undertake supported work placements, volunteering, training and employment via one to one support

 

Andrea Wayman, CEO, ELITE SEA said: “At ELITE Supported Employment Agency, we empower disabled & disadvantaged people to achieve their aspirations of employment. More than 500 people need our support at present. The impact of the coronavirus has left the charity facing the need for adaptions to our services, create an even better, more inclusive impact for our participants. Our priority is to develop our digital delivery program to run alongside our traditional face to face deliveries, ensuring that disabled and/or disadvantaged people, no matter where they are in Wales, or where they are on their community journey, are able to benefit from this new program. The Barclays donation is providing us with a lifeline that will make it possible for us to continue to be there for disabled and/or disadvantaged people at a time when they need us more than ever before.”

 

Nigel Higgins, Barclays Chairman, said: “Our 100×100 charity partners have been working tirelessly to support vulnerable communities across the UK through what has been a difficult year. These charities have championed a range of causes, including tackling homelessness, food poverty or loneliness, and we are immensely grateful for their work in the communities in which we live and work.

While we are starting to emerge from the most acute stage of the crisis, the effects of the pandemic will continue to be felt by many. Our decision to extend our 100×100 Programme for a second time reflects this, allowing Barclays to support 250 UK grassroots charities in their crucial work in our local communities.”

 

Welcoming the £100,000 to ELITE Supported Employment in Llantrisant, Mick Antoniw MS said:

“ELITE Supported Employment do fantastic work in our community, so I am delighted that they have been awarded this significant grant from Barclay’s Covid-19 Community Relief Programme.

“People with disabilities and those from disadvantaged backgrounds are amongst those facing the greatest challenges post-covid as for example, they search for employment or simply seek to re-establish themselves their community. 

“The help and advice provided by ELITE and in particular, the one-to-one specialist support, is invaluable in helping people to regain confidence and tackle the financial, housing and employment challenges ahead.

“I congratulate ELITE on securing this funding and wish them every success for the future.”

 

As a result of ELITE’s interventions, it is envisaged that it will impact more than 90% of individuals in terms of soft skills and personal development, with 30% experiencing supported placements, 40% experience volunteering, 70% gaining skills through training, and 10% entering or re-entering paid employment. In light of this, ELITE anticipate that 75% of people will have increased their independence, with 30% reducing their dependence on statutory services, and 75% regaining or improving their community integration

To find out more about ELITE Supported Employment, please visit www.elitesea.co.uk.

 

Europe, HR News, News, Recruitment, Recruitment News, Talent Management, UK

FinancialForce partners with Talent Works to enhance employer brand and grow engineering talent

  • Data-led approach allows FinancialForce the agility to hire in competitive landscape
  • Partnership sees FinancialForce deploy global hiring campaign to entice technical expertise

Manchester, UK; 7th February 2022: FinancialForce, the leading provider of customer-centric business applications across finance, services, and customer success teams have announced its 2022 hiring programme with Talent Works, a recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) partner. Together they will develop FinancialForce’s people brand and UK recruitment engine, hiring for innovation roles in Engineering, Product, Sales and Research and Development (R&D).

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, with EMEA headquarters in Harrogate, England, the cloud Salesforce platform company chose Talent Works to support its growth. Following unprecedented demand for roles in technology and R&D, the business is hiring at least 70 roles within its Engineering, Product and Sales teams.

With hiring globally now a candidate’s market, FinancialForce was aware that its offering to prospective hires had to go above and beyond the norm. Leveraging Talent Works’ data-led approach allowed them the agility and flexibility to understand the desires of candidates and removed points in the recruitment process that might have seen offers rejected. It also enables FinancialForce to see location demands in the new remote working environment.

Talent Works was able to offer on-the-ground support for FinancialForce’s US talent acquisition team when hiring for roles in the UK. Supported by Talent Works’ SVP, Jody Robie offered senior insights and strategy to improve engagement and understanding of the candidates in the market. The Talent Works team then built a digital recruitment marketing campaign targeted specifically to Software Developer candidates communicating innovation messages to technical applicants, and helping FinancialForce to differentiate the roles from others out there on the market.

Kathy Erickson, Head of Global Talent Acquisition at FinancialForce, said: “The recruitment landscape has changed in the last two years, and I’ve never lived through such a busy market, with businesses struggling to fill the gaps in their teams. At FinancialForce we recognised the need to outsource our efforts to ensure we were able to reach the right talent. Being based in the US while searching for talent in the UK has been a hurdle that we have only been able to overcome with the help of Talent Works acting as an extension of our team. The consultative approach of Talent Works has been invaluable, working with us to produce the best outcome for our team in the UK.”

Neil Purcell, CEO of Talent Works, added: “We don’t anticipate hiring to slow down anytime soon, and because of this businesses need to continue to evaluate their hiring and recruitment processes. Even with brands as recognisable as FinancialForce, businesses still need to understand that candidates are looking for so much more than just stability and salary. Understanding what exactly these differentiators are for talent is crucial in hiring success, and without data at the heart of recruitment then many will fall foul to rejections and competitors getting the upper-hand.”

Employee Benefits, Recruitment, Recruitment News

Why benefits, wellbeing and workplace culture are as important as a £150K starting salary in law firms says Howden

Recruitment firm Robert Walters reported last week[i] that a shortage of employees was leading to top graduate lawyers being offered starting salaries as high as £150K[ii].

However, Robbie Weston, Executive Director at Howden Employee Benefits & Wellbeing (Howden) warns that employee expectations go beyond salary alone. He says law firms must consider their overall value proposition to new recruits, particularly as the war for talent is heating up.

In the legal sector, vacancies for London-based associates rose 131% year-on-year between January and November last year, according to another recruiter BCL Legal and data firm, Vacancysoft.

Robbie says, “Whilst salary is important, employees’ expectations are changing. The pandemic in particular has shone the spotlight on the need for effective wellbeing solutions, flexible working and a positive work culture in which they can thrive. Employees’ needs are changing and it’s important that employers and benefit strategies keep up.’’

‘’Any benefits programme needs to support employees’ health and wellbeing and in particular, their mental health, especially as the legal profession is recognised as a high-pressure sector, where employee burnout can be commonplace.

A report from legal mental health charity, LawCare[iii] found that legal professionals in the UK are at high risk of burnout, 69% have experienced mental ill-health and 1 in 5 say they have been bullied, harassed, or discriminated against at work.

Furthermore, a report by the Legal Sector Workers United (LSWU)[iv] found that more than 7 out of 10 in the legal profession said their job has a negative impact on their mental health and wellbeing. However, one in four law firms they surveyed had no mental health support available for their staff.

Robbie adds, “Law firms need to proactively support employee health and wellbeing, including mental health, and include this in their wider company offering if they want to attract the right people.

“Law firms may also wish to consider offering flexible working as, since the pandemic, this is something many employees want as a permanent fixture in their working arrangements as well as providing opportunities for career progression; both important considerations for people looking for a new role.”

“The war for talent is likely to grow fiercer this year, so making changes now to improve company culture and ensuring employee benefits are fit for purpose is vital for recruiting and retaining the best people.”

 

For more information, please visit www.howdengroup.co.uk

Employee Benefits, News, News for HRDs, Recruitment

Competition for talent enhancing UK employee benefits strategies: Aon Benefits and Trends Survey 2022

Aon plc (NYSE: AON), a leading global professional services firm, has released new research showing employer actions in response to the competition for talent in the UK.

According to Aon’s Benefits and Trends Survey 2022, employers have adjusted benefits strategies to help recruit, engage and retain talent reflecting an intense labour market, where employee work motivations have shifted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Forty-one percent of employers said they have found it more difficult to retain staff in the last year, while 44 percent have found it more difficult to recruit new staff. Many employers anecdotally expressed in the survey that they need to pay higher salaries or sign-on bonuses to entice new recruits.

Aon’s annual survey shows trends in employer benefits strategies, highlighting issues experienced by employers and employees. In its 12th year, the survey took into account the experiences of 253 HR, employee benefit and reward professionals from across the UK in a variety of sectors. Seventeen percent of respondents stated their organisation employs more than 5,000 people; 33 percent employ between 1,001 and 5,000 people; 13 percent employ 501 to 1,000 people; 10 percent employ 251 to 500; and 27 percent employ fewer than 250 people.

Richard Morgan, principal, Employee Benefits, Aon, said: “The workplace is now a seller’s market – employees can be, and are being, more selective about who they work for. Younger generations, in particular, put more importance on what an employer stands for – their purpose and brand. They are expectant of flexibility and prepared to go it alone in the gig economy. This all demands deeper thinking from employers on how they navigate new forms of volatility, not least how their Employee Value Proposition (EVP) evolves, how it is communicated and delivered, and how the impact and value it derives is measured and reviewed.

“Pay is clearly under pressure too, with companies paying sign-on bonuses and referral bonuses as well as offering flexible working to help attract candidates.”

The Survey also showed that employee engagement is seen as the most important objective for companies’ benefits strategies, with 80 percent rating it as either one or two out of five in importance as they adjust to changing employee needs and a multi-generational workforce. Employee choice, recruitment and retention were considered the next most important.

Employers have also adjusted by competing for talent in different market sectors. Nearly half (48 percent) have already adapted to this need, while 13 percent expect to change in the next five years. Accordingly, 81 percent said they will need to change their benefits strategy to meet the needs of future generations.

As employers continue to strive to engage employees and candidates, Aon’s Benefits and Trends Survey also found that more employers either have a clear Employee Value Proposition (EVP) or plan to develop one, increasing from 71 percent last year to 81 percent this year. Eighty-five percent of employers believed their EVP positively impacts recruitment, 75 percent believed it positively impacts retention and another 85 percent believed it positively impacts employee engagement. EVP components vary considerably, but key themes are wellbeing, treating people fairly/caring and flexibility as well as establishing clear values and principles. Employers also recognised the need to embed their EVP by communicating it to their employees, which is now at 90 percent.

Companies have continued to adapt to the impacts of COVID-19. With many employees now working from home at least some of the time, it is not surprising that half of companies have an agile working policy in place, up from 43 percent last year.

In addition, over a third (37 percent) of companies provided additional allowances for financial support for the various costs of running a home office, while 87 percent of companies provided the necessary technology including a computer monitor, mouse and keyboard.

Morgan added: “Encouragingly, building a resilient workforce seems to be a core component of many UK companies today. Employers are not only looking at the nuts and bolts of working from home, but many – 84 percent – are supporting their people with maintaining healthy routines, such as ensuring sufficient light and ventilation as well as making sure they take regular breaks.”

More information about the way Aon helps businesses build resilient workforces is available here. To access Aon’s Benefits and Trends Survey 2022, click here.

 

About Aon

Aon plc (NYSE: AON) exists to shape decisions for the better — to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world. Our colleagues provide our clients in over 120 countries with advice and solutions that give them the clarity and confidence to make better decisions to protect and grow their business.

Awards, Recruitment

Acorn becomes one of the first employers in the UK to achieve YOUNITED Flag kitemark

UK recruiter is one of only 15 employers nationwide recognised for supporting Key4Life partnership giving ex-offenders a second chance 

Acorn Recruitment is one of the first employers in the UK to be recognised for its support of an employment partnership designed to give ex-offenders a second chance.

The YOUNITED Flag award – launched in September 2019 by music legend Nile Rodgers together with crime prevention charity, Key4Life – encourages companies working to employ ex-offenders and give them another chance, rewarding those that do with the prestigious YOUNITED Flag kitemark.

Acorn is one of just 15 in the UK to have been awarded the kitemark so far, following a ceremony held in the UK capital with the Lord Mayor City of London in attendance.

The special awards ceremony held at Mansion House also celebrated the 9th birthday of Key4Life, which reduces re-offending through its innovative rehabilitation programme for young men in prison and those at risk of going to prison, saving lives by helping to break the cycle of crime.

Bernard Ward, Managing Director at Acorn, said of the award: “We are hugely proud to be one of the first in the UK to receive this prestigious award, but also truly humbled by the partners and individuals we work with to help make its aims a reality.

“We work in partnership with a wide range of partnering organisations which, alongside Acorn, are committed to providing job seekers from all backgrounds, including those with a history of offending, with the opportunities they need to succeed in life.”

“This award is welcomed in recognition not only of those individuals who work within Acorn to promote the rights of ex-offenders in finding meaningful employment and rebuilding their lives following a conviction, but also our partners in business that work with us to achieve this too,” Bernard added.

The first 15 companies awarded the YOUNITED Flag across the UK are Acorn Recruitment, Avalara, Bouygues, Dent Global, MediaCom, Purple Hire Solutions, SheerLuxe, Sir Robert McAlpine, Social Pantry, Sony Music, St James, Trade Windows, Yeo Valley, Willis Towers Watson and Willmott Dixon.

Acorn Recruitment has a strong track record of supporting candidates from a diverse range of backgrounds into employment and works with a wider variety of partner organisations to make this happen.  It has placed 87 ex-offenders into the construction industry since 2017 with the full permission of its clients through its BOSS Project with homeless charity The Wallich, among other things.

Lawrence Beach, Operations Manager at Acorn said: “For us it’s about more than just getting people into work. Our focus is on building communities, strengthening social structures and laying strong foundations for the future.”

“We partner with other organisations that are forces for social good and aim to engage candidates furthest from the job market, this in turn enables Acorn as a business to fulfil the commitment it has not only to its clients across a wide range of industries but also to the wider UK workforce in matching the right skills with the right roles.”

For more information on Acorn Recruitment, its external partnerships and vacancies available, visit www.acornpeople.com

 

Appointments, News, Recruitment

Smart Solutions Appoints Managing Director in Alignment with Business Ambitions

One of the UK’s largest recruitment agencies, Smart Solutions, has announced the internal promotion of former Operations Director, Rob Calcraft, to the new role of Managing Director of Smart Workforce Solutions.

Smart Solutions are currently in the process of specialising their service offering to be specifically tailored to the sectors in which they work, and part of this strategy includes the promotion of Rob Calcraft into Managing Director.

Rob’s roles and responsibilities have evolved since he joined the business 6 years ago as a Senior Consultant, earning numerous promotions from Branch Manager, to Regional Manager, to Regional Director and then Operations Director.

Rob Calcraft said: “I initially joined Smart because of the opportunity for progression and also because of the passion and ambition displayed by Smart’s senior management team.

“My first responsibility in the business was to manage recruitment for a major construction project, and following the introduction of our current CEO Rob Webb to the business, progressed into a management position in our branch network. It was with his guidance and support that led me to manage my own branch, region and ultimately our workforce solutions business.

“My career in Smart has been a rollercoaster ride which has seen me work with exceptional recruiters and benefit from the guidance of successful, ambitious and inspiring leaders. As the business evolves, I look forward to leading Smart Workforce Solutions and inspiring individuals to develop and progress with the opportunities that their hard work creates.

“In line with our current strategy to specialise our services, we are investing heavily into our people and technology to enhance our reputation and service offering.”

To support and address the current labour market challenges, Rob aims to focus on Smart’s strategic model, making adaptations to the business’ resource and account management infrastructure to mitigate the shortages in the industry.

Smart Solutions’ CEO Rob Webb added: “From the offset when he joined Smart, Rob has impressed in the way he works tirelessly within his area of the business, taking on every challenge that I, and the business, have thrown at him.

“I am very proud of Rob, and his contribution to the organisation, particularly during the last challenging two years, and I am thoroughly looking forward his next chapter.”

Rob Calcraft concluded: “These challenging times in fact give us the platform to elevate our status above the competition, with our work ethic, infrastructure and innovative service models providing the right ingredients to cement relationships and provide sustainable growth of both our sales and service models.

“Driven by our expert employees, this growth enhances our reputation in the market, with development of our internal training and development programmes now being key priorities as we move forward.”

 

Diversity, Recruitment

SME considerations for recruiting diverse talent

Article by Steve Butler, CEO of Punter Southall Aspire and author of Inclusive Culture: Leading Change Across Organisations and Industries

The business argument for greater diversity and inclusion in the workplace is simply this: the more ways in which you can look at a problem, the better chance you have of solving it. Added to that is the fact that every business should reflect the clients and customers it serves if it really wants to understand and connect with them. This is simple enough but what is uppermost in your mind when you look to recruit a new individual for your business? Are you looking for someone who has the same skills and background as the person they are replacing? Is it important that they come from a well-respected university? That they’ll get on well with the rest of the team, and share a similar outlook to yours? That their ‘face will fit’?

That’s the safe route, and it’s the traditional way that most companies have recruited. It’s also why the workplace lags so far behind society in the diversity of its workforce – especially in smaller organisations. Have you ever wondered if the safest route is actually the best way forward for the future of your business? A few things to consider next time you recruit that will open up a wider talent pool:

Consider an individual who doesn’t have the qualifications and technical ability required for a role, or who doesn’t slot in as a direct replacement – but who has the potential and will contribute most to their team.

Look for someone with a different perspective that will complement the others while challenging their and your thinking when necessary: The more cognitively, ethnically, and socially diverse your teams are, the better they reflect the clients they serve and the more effectively they can rise to the opportunities and challenges they are presented with.

Try to hire in clusters. That way, it’s a lot easier to hire diverse talent. For example when hiring graduates, if recruited together as part of a wider strategy there would be the widest possible talent pool at certain times of the academic year whereas if recruiting as singles as and when needed there may not be as much choice.

Use structured interview processes and cognitive tests. This will ensure you collect objective and comparable data on candidates and remove some of your unconscious bias in your decision making.

Embed flexible working throughout the business and encourage everyone to be as effective as they can be. It’s OK for different people in a team to work in different ways – we all need different things at different stages of our career.

If ‘cognitive diversity’ is your aim, neurodiversity has to play a role. Neurodiversity is the infinite variation in how our brains are ‘wired’. From an organisational point of view, these variations in cognitive functioning can increase diversity of thought and reduce groupthink. It also provides ready access to sought-after skills: the more neurodiversity we have in our business, the more able we are to look at things in a different way and question established ways of thinking and working.

To attract neurodiverse talent businesses need to simplify job their descriptions. They should be concise, with clear distinctions between must-haves and nice-to-haves. They should also demonstrate that neurodivergent talent is welcomed. Include case studies on recruitment websites or state your commitment to neurodiversity in job descriptions. Once this is done, recruitment teams need to post job vacancies on dedicated websites. For example, the charity Autism Speaks runs an online jobs board, and the LinkedIn group The Spectrum Employment Community is dedicated to employment for people on the autism spectrum.

 Next businesses need to review their interview process and techniques. Interviewers should be aware that neurodivergent candidates will often directly respond to the question asked and may not know how to expand in ways that will highlight their additional skills or experience. Training can help interviewers ask the right questions and interpret the responses they receive. Providing direct feedback on interview performance is important. Many neurodivergent candidates struggle to ‘read between the lines’. It will help them if your feedback is concise and to the point, especially if you decide not to take forward discussions.

 

News, North of England, Recruitment

New company launched to combat the culture crisis

A new company has launched today in Yorkshire to combat the recruitment and culture crisis currently taking place in businesses across the UK. 

Culco, founded by Jane Slimming and Lisa Lister, has been established to provide cross-sector business owners with the knowledge, support, and ability they need to develop a positive workplace culture, attract and retain talent to reduce recruitment costs and bridge skills gaps, and increase productivity and creativity.

According to research by Oxford Economics and Unum, the average cost of turnover per employee (earning £25,000 a year or more) is £30,614, and breatheHR states that poor workplace culture is costing the UK economy £23.6 billion annually.

Many business leaders struggle knowing where to start when it comes to investing in their culture. Dawn Stott, CEO at The Association for Perioperative Practice, said: “It’s a massive topic in health care and “healing the healer” is the new buzz. It’s so important but difficult to achieve due to workload and many other pressures. It’s also a difficult one to gauge as a manager as what causes angst for one isn’t the same for another.”

The company will offer support to businesses through its revolutionary programme which includes seminars, peer-to-peer support, specialist consultancy, and insight into employee engagement. Within this programme business leaders will be able to access support through initiatives such as peer-to-peer roundtable events, a designated consultant, and a programme of speakers and workshops.

Success will be measured through a range of outputs including productivity increase, staff retention, individual wellbeing improvements, and a reduction in recruitment costs.

Jane Slimming, Co-Founder of Culco, is looking forward to supporting businesses across the UK. She commented: “Never before has culture been so important for companies to take seriously and invest in. Not only does it make commercial sense to keep staff happy and fulfilled, but from a personal perspective I’ve always cared about seeing people flourish and grow. 

“I’ve found navigating the pandemic difficult, particularly maintaining culture and staff fulfillment, and I know I’m not alone. Lisa and I set up Culco to provide a support network for business owners to help them develop thriving cultures which retain talent and create a motivated and happy workforce. We’re really looking forward to working with businesses across the UK and seeing the impact that our support will have on them and their employees.”

Finance and Banking, News, Recruitment, South East

Essex Recruitment Firm Diversifies with Support from HSBC UK

Sammons Recruitment has launched a new technology division and expanded its existing businesses with the support of an £845,000 funding package from HSBC UK.

The family-run business, founded in 1957, has offices in Essex, Eastbourne and Hastings and was sold to father and daughter Martyn and Harriet Smith shortly before the start of the pandemic. COVID-19 temporarily reduced trading and initially slowed down their plans for growing the company. The funding from HSBC UK has now enabled their expansion plan, coupled with employing nine new team members across the group. They plan to next grow the new technology division from its current pilot stage with one member to a team of up to five.

Harriet Smith, Chief Executive Officer at the Sammons Group, said: “We are very thankful for the help provided by our Relationship Manager, Graham Lee, who supported the business throughout the pandemic and enabled the group’s growth via the funding package. Our next step is to expand by opening a new office in London, so we can take advantage of the strong contacts our team members already have in the area.”

Graham Lee, Relationship Manager at HSBC UK, added: “Sammons Recruitment has been a longstanding customer of HSBC UK since its inception over sixty years ago. We’re delighted to have helped the business bounce back after the pandemic, and to have helped in the creation of up to 13 new jobs for the local communities across Essex, Eastbourne and Hastings.”

The company now has three divisions: Occupational Pensions Recruitment which operates from its Essex office, as well as Recruitment Solutions and Technology Recruitment, which both operate from its Eastbourne and Hastings offices.