Fix your Broken Team

Jan 28, 2026 | IT

How replacing your staff one at a time can rejuvenate your business

Are your results being hampered by lazy employees? Those employees that do just enough to get by and no more. If your business has good market share, potential and a good strategy but you are still getting poor results then it’s likely the cause is ‘coasting’ members of your team. Sometimes management can see this but often it takes someone else to point it out. But what can you do about these bottom-feeders who are holding your business back? How can you get quality personnel to fill their place? The answer is to rebuild your team employee by employee. Read on to find out how.

Firstly, it’s important to remember that unless you are in a position to close down business while you rebuild your team, this will be a gradual process and will not happen overnight.  However, it will be worth it.  Rather like repairing a plane in flight, you will be able to make changes that will improve your business without slowing down. Unproductive colleagues can cause problems right across your team, hampering motivation and productivity in even your most committed.  With this step-by-step guide you will be able to perform a complete redress of your staffing without interfering with your trading.

1. Identify your ‘Bottom-Feeders’
Review your staffing at least once a week.  Look at each team member and determine his or her appropriateness for the business. Use a spreadsheet to keep notes and strategies current so they can be continuously reviewed. Star any employees that are ‘on the bubble’ or are delivering questionable value.

Find out if the poor producers have potential. It’s incredibly common for management to want to replace without looking at an individual’s potential. Sometimes they are amazed when they see a minimal employee blossom. Do you know what their skills or interests are?  It could be that they are better suited to a different job within your organisation. It is usually better to give the minimal employee a chance or opportunity – if they do not want it they will often resign.

Deal with one employee at a time and you may find that existing under-performing team members become happier and more productive in their roles now that they are not being dragged down by others.

2.  Refresh your contractors continually
Remember the reasons you chose to hire contract workers.  Contract workers are a high value choice as they are often highly specialised and skilled, with a wide breadth of experience and bring a fresh perspective into your business.  However, after 12 weeks they are entitled to the same benefits as your permanent employees.  In addition to this, the freshness they originally brought to your organisation will begin to stale as they stagnate in an aging project.

Solve these problems by ensuring you are constantly assessing the type of contractors you need in your team and that they work no longer than 12 weeks with you, in order to ensure compliance with the Agency Workers Regulations (AWR).  Continuously assessing your contractors will allow you to constantly bring in a fresh stream of new talent with no hard feelings when the time comes to ‘part company’.  Here at Langley James we can find you the very best contractor talent to help your business grow.

3.  Who to hire next
When you have looked at your team and identified where replacements need to be made it is vital to source the best possible people to rejuvenate your company.  View employees as resources and profit centres – not just expenses. Minimal employees are usually cheaper but deliver much less value.

The key to building a successful team is to make sure each new hire is an improvement on what you have already.  At Langley James we can assist you to find IT professionals who fit all your exacting criteria. Look at work ethic, values, maturity, drive and creativity… truly amazing things happen when you replace a ‘bad apple’ with a quality member of staff.  Look for ‘breakthrough’ employees that can bring high value quickly. This is usually a factor of skill, experience and work ethic. This can bring a corresponding sharp spike in performance.

Make sure you are hiring to meet the demands of your business.  Constantly monitor the market and what needs to be delivered to your customers.  Think about this on a daily basis and it will become second nature.
4.  How to keep your team performing
Create a culture of delivering.  Annual reviews are not enough!  Measure and evaluate your workforce on a weekly basis.  This is not putting your staff under undue scrutiny if done properly and it is well worth the time and effort.  Make sure each member of staff has specific criteria to measure themselves against, specific to their job description.  Self-evaluation is as important (if not more so) than the evaluation you deliver.  After all, it is the employee’s job to be accountable, not management’s.  It is management’s responsibility to do something about the lack of accountability if it is not there. This makes it much easier to deal with those tough decisions if the time comes.

Whilst, those ‘bottom-feeding’ employees may do everything they can to avoid the attention those who want to do well will welcome the direction and opportunity to improve.  Your star employees will relish these meetings as a way of furthering their career and celebrating their achievements.

Have a career and training plan for each employee.  These weekly meeting are a fantastic way of keeping on track with these and ensuring they are still relevant.  Be approachable: when your staff and contractors are at ease with these weekly communications you will find they start to bring issues to your attention rather than you spending time and effort investigating who isn’t performing.

Make sure that in addition to weekly evaluations you perform formal reviews at least twice a year, preferably quarterly.  Think of the weekly meetings as a GPS system, ensuring that your staff are heading in the right direction and making good progress whilst avoiding obstacles, but the formal reviews are for taking stock of where the team member has arrived.  How much progress has been made?  Where are they heading next?

Make sure every member of your team understands other people’s roles.  Lack of understanding of what others bring to a company can cause friction and resentment.  In addition to this, create a culture where colleagues can train, support and mentor each other.  This can go a long way towards raising standards.

Make sure you include your contractors in your weekly evaluations: 12 weeks is an absolute maximum for keeping a contractor on and if your business needs require a different skill-set to that which your existing contractors can provide then it is only fair for both you and your contractor to have a change and get the best out of your staffing.

5:  Be persistent
The key to maintaining a high performing team is consistency.  Continual evaluation of what your team members deliver will keep their motivation high and you informed.  You will become aware of any weaknesses in your team so you are able to hire to fill a skills-gap rapidly.

Always be in recruitment mode: as you know, things can change rapidly in business.  With persistence you can be in a position to immediately know exactly the sort of person you need to hire in order to react to these changes. When it comes to contract workers you are in a position to assess their value on a daily basis should you choose in order to get the maximum value from these precious resources.  Of course, if you need help or advice we at Langley James are happy to use our wealth of experience to help you find the perfect IT employee.

Has your business been affected by poor employee performance?  We’d love to hear about your experiences or any advice you have to give other managers and business owners.  Tweet us @ITRecruitment or visit us on Facebook

Technology Leadership – What you really need to know

Jan 27, 2026 | IT

Technology Leadership – What you really need to know

 Taken from a recent survey conducted, the following stats highlighted some very interesting trends relating to employees within the IT/Technology sector…

• 33% of IT professionals have moved jobs during the last 12 months
• 25% of your team will change jobs in the next 12 months
• 33% of your team are actively looking for a new role
• 80% will answer the phone and listen to what a recruitment consultant has to say
• 72% of IT professionals believe that they need to leave in order to progress their careers
• 32% of people who had a pay rise last year believe that there is still opportunity to progress with their current employer
• 22% of IT professionals have felt let down by their employer in the last week
• 47% of IT professionals work 5 hours more than their contractual hours with 22% working 10 hours or more above their contractual hours per week.

 The Good News

• Keeping your staff happy is not all about money
• The 3 most effective methods of retaining your team are –
  • Giving them interesting and challenging projects to work on
  • Making sure they are surrounded by good people
  • Ensuring there is open, honest and regular internal communication
  • Innovation is the most important factor in retaining your team.  Allowing your team time to innovate will make them want to stay.
  • 80% of IT professionals who are not allowed time for innovation believe that they need to move on in order to progress their career

Source: computerweekly.com

Despite best intentions to give what you can, it is almost inevitable that at least 2 members of your current IT team will move on within the next 3 months and that’s when the fun really begins!  Finding the time to read through CV’s and conduct interviews can be a tough call on top of your already busy workload.

As the news reports unemployment levels dropping, the old age topic of skills shortages raises its ugly head yet again – only this time it’s worse.  For many years, we have dealt with this within the IT sector but due to the recent recession, other industries were also beginning to feel the pain.  This situation was mainly due to very few graduate/trainee roles being created in the last 5 years.  A lost generation?

And now, at least you have the green light to recruit, so you need someone to hit the ground running, a few years’ experience, someone to bridge the gap between entry level and ‘experienced’, not quite a manager, someone who can be molded into your way, but someone who doesn’t need to have their hand held every minute of the day.

With the competition really heating up, strong candidates in the £30-70k bracket are getting 3-5 interviews within a week and most are receiving multiple offers within a fortnight.

So, the burning question is “how do I get them?”

Money is still a motivation, but it’s worth noting that most will not move for money alone.

Speed is important – many great candidates are lost between CV to interview.  However, speed is not the only answer as candidates are waiting for the right opportunity.

The one most common thing missing of late is Attractivity.  To get the right people, you really need to shout about what’s in it for them.  You may have been through a tough patch with redundancies, pay-cuts and working harder than you’ve ever worked before or even been scared for your own job security, but think back to what attracted you to the role.  So many hiring managers are still making the common mistake of thinking that people are just grateful for a job as this is definitely no longer the case in over 80% of the IT market.

Consider future projects that are in the pipeline.  Candidates really want to know – whatever they are.

What about new technologies?  So many of your competitors never tell of new technologies and something as simple as this can give you the competitive advantage.

Where did you start in your current organisation?  Where have others moved to within the organisation?  What are the opportunities for career progression?  Share some success stories.

And last, but by no means least, training.  Even if it’s on the job training or mentoring it is worth noting.

Here at Langley James, we are passionate about recruiting – that’s why we do it!  We love getting to know you and getting to know our candidates resulting in the right person for the right role; something we have done over 3,000 times in the last 15 years.  We are experts at attracting the best calibre of candidate for your role, not just skills wise, but that all important personality too.

Skills v Attitude

Jan 25, 2026 | IT

When recruiting IT staff, what is more important – skills or attitude?

Recruiting the right person is one of the most critical decisions you will make.  A bad recruitment decision can take years to correct.  What should you value more, skills or attitude?

Imagine this – over the last few years, you have recruited a number of people and dealt with a deluge of CV’s across your desk.  Filling a job though requires more than what is simply listed on a CV.  The new person has to be fit for your IT team, the company as a whole and must possess the skills necessary to get the job done at the standard you expect.  Have you ever made a recruitment mistake that has come back time and time again to haunt you?

Sometimes, through the CV review and interview process, one person may just jump to the top of this list and this can be for a variety of reasons.  This person may have a considerable amount of experience which is well matched against your role, they may have worked within your industry previously, or for some they may simply have hobbies that will fit into the culture of your team.  When there is a superstar CV or interview that outshines the rest, this is a great situation to find yourself in.

Candidate 1 has an incredible background, will accept the role and at the salary on offer, but his attitude is a little off.  Perhaps he feels that IT is in a “command and control” role, or his ability to work with people is somewhat limited.

Candidate 2 has a great attitude and would fit into the current team seamlessly, but his experience isn’t quite up to par with Candidate 1, although he does have enough experience to get by.

We all know that you can teach hard skills, but teaching attitude or other soft skills is extremely difficult but sometimes this can be overlooked in an interview situation due to the desire to get the best person for the job.  As for Candidate 2, using a probationary period, I’d likely give that person a chance and see if he can come up with the requirements of the job.  The right attitude is so important when adding to an already established team.

One of our clients has this exact situation earlier this year when they recruited a Network Administrator.  He interviewed a number of potential candidates, but the person he ultimately selected wasn’t the strongest from a technical perspective, although that said, he was in no means “weak”.  His attitude was (and still is) really good and his work ethic and approach to get the job done is superb.  Since day one, he has worked hard to come up to speed in the necessary areas and has exceeded every expectation.  Feedback from his team is that he has gone out of his way to ensure his knowledge what is required for the job and is able to effectively handle tasks necessary for the role.  Would a candidate with more experience but with an attitude a little off kilter have succeeded as well in the role?  Would they have fit into the team culture, or would they have simply got the job done without contributing anything over and above?

In summary – if one person has less skills that they next but still satisfies enough of the skill requirements for the role AND has a good attitude, they are worth their weight in gold.  After all, you can teach technical skills if you have an engaged, committed employee.

Here at Langley James, we can save you time and ultimately money by sending you a shortlist of candidates who not only have the right skills and attitude to fit into your culture but are also able to add value.  We pride ourselves on really knowing our candidates.  We have in-depth knowledge of their experience, even down to the individual projects they have worked on and their most proud achievements.  We have access to those details that you just can’t glean from a CV alone.  Our talented and specialised resourcers work hard to ensure that candidate we send over to you are not only a match for the role, but also for your business.

To discuss your requirement needs, please call us on  0207 099 4839 or e-mail us atlangleyjames@langleyjames.com

Too Lean: Too Mean

Jan 23, 2026 | IT

Is Lean Management Starving your Business?

Lean management is purported to be the most clean, efficient business practise: minimising outgoings while maximising profit.

What if, instead of maximising your resources, lean management is starving your innovation, quality, customer service and team motivation… and putting your reputation on the line?

Could lean management be extinguishing the furnace that drives your business for good?

Starving Innovation

• With team members stretched to their limit, do they have time to think creatively or just reactively?
• The economy is changing: are you too ‘lean’ to adapt?

Starving Quality

• Is your workforce too pressured to notice detail?
• Have you avoided upgrading resources due to cost?  It can often more expensive to fix problems repeatedly than to replace hardware or applications.

Starving Customers

• Lack of investment into innovation and quality has immediate effect on your most vital resources: your customers.  Are you feeding them enough to keep them coming back or will they look for pastures new?
• Have you got the resources to continually research your market, ensuring your competitors don’t pip you to the post with new ideas?

Starving Profits

• With business picking up have you got the resources to look at the finer financial details of all your departments?
• Investment in an excellent Business Analyst can save you thousands on hidden losses and boost growth without cutting down in the areas that matter.

Starving Talent

• Quality candidates currently have their pick of exciting opportunities.  Will they be attracted to a ‘too lean’ environment?
• There are many exciting, new opportunities currently available in the IT industry, will you be able to keep your best people?

Heading for burnout

• Are your existing team members too stretched to enjoy their jobs?
• Are they demotivated and headed for burnout?

People are the Fuel of your Business

• Growth is happening.  Can your IT Department cope with the increased pressure of demand?
• Does sickness and absence further stretch your resources and demoralise your team?
• Could fattening up your staffing levels boost motivation, innovation, quality and profits?

We Can Help
Here at Langley James we know how to find the most talented, vibrant IT professionals available, from Web Developers to IT Managers, Business Analysts and everyone in-between.  Whatever your requirements, permanent or contract, and up to the highest level of seniority, we can match you with the ideal candidate to help your business grow.

To discuss your IT recruitment needs please call us on 0207 099 4839 or email us at langleyjames@langleyjames.com.  We’d love you to join in the conversation.

Recruit Someone Worth Recruiting

Jan 10, 2026 | IT

No Sales: Just Quality Recruitment

Founded by James Toovey, a highly respected and experienced recruitment industry professional and established for 14 years, Langley James is the leading IT Recruitment Consultancy in London.

We pride ourselves on providing a specialised and tailored service to every one of our clients that keeps them coming back for more.  We don’t have to waste time canvassing for vacancies, so every minute of our time is spent finding you the perfect superstar to add to your business.  We are dedicated to ensuring your absolute satisfaction.

How do we achieve this?
It’s simple, every aspect of our business has been designed from your perspective.

• We are here when you need us:  our opening hours are longer than other recruitment consultancies, 8am – 8pm Monday to Friday.
• We provide you with your own dedicated client manager who will get to know both you and your company in depth.
• We prioritise quality over quantity.  Rather than bombard you with unsuitable candidates, we make a simple promise: “We will find you 3 qualified candidates, in 3 days – guaranteed!”
• We ensure our candidates are a perfect match to your business and requirements, not just the job title.
• We don’t just rely on advertising vacancies: we maintain a database of over 50,000 contract and permanent candidates actively seeking a new opportunity.  Our consultants are also experts at head hunting professionals who are not available on the open market.

Who do we recruit?
Here at Langley James, we are not just IT Specialists.  Each of our consultants has an in depth knowledge of a specific area, be that in Development or Infrastructure.  This means that when you entrust us to look after your IT recruitment needs you will be given advice based on the latest in industry developments.  We also know how to listen, so we can find the ideal person to fit your exact requirements.  We ensure the candidates we select are not only qualified, but that they are perfect for you and your business.

Just a few of our recently filled roles include:

Leadership Roles            CIOs & CTOs – IT Directors – IT Managers – Project Managers

Development                   Analyst Developers – Chief Architects – Database Administrators

Infrastructure                  Business Analysts – Trainers – Senior Systems Engineers

Don’t take our word for it, take a look at what our clients have to say.

Langley James really took the time to work with me to understand my requirements. It was obvious they appreciated every business has specific needs. I did not receive a flood of CV’s but a carefully selected few. Interviewing can be a real pleasure when you get the right people through the door and a successful candidate was chosen from a competitive list.
IT Manager, Engineering Firm, London

And this is just one of our many happy clients – there are plenty more!  In fact, we have so many companies looking to take advantage of our boutique offering, that in the last 6 months we have doubled our headcount to ensure we continue to deliver service excellence and enable our clients to recruit someone worth recruiting.

Are you ready to recruit someone worth recruiting?
We’d love to discuss your IT recruitment needs and help you find your next superstar.  Please call us on 0207 099 4839 or email us at jt@langleyjames.com and one of our consultants will be happy to advise you.

We’d love you to join in the conversation.