Nov 5, 2018 | IT
Avoid ‘Zombie’ Employees: Use Contractors
Confidence is up but where are my team?
Move at lightning speed to secure the permanent candidates you want. Quality candidates are getting harder to find as demand overtakes supply.
The wrong choice of candidate can manifest as the stuff of nightmares… the ‘zombie’ employee. Completely disengaged with you and your business and with the motivation and company loyalty of a slug, ‘zombie’ employees can cost you money, time and reputation, not to mention raising your stress to the level of a volcano about to erupt.
Massive Losses
40% of companies in the UK estimate that a mis-hire has cost them over £16,000 while a quarter estimate the figure at over £30,000. Even losses of over £100,000 are being reported.
But quality hires are being snapped up as fast as they appear. What can you do to avoid a potentially professionally fatal ‘zombie’ attack?
Zombie Insurance
You have two choices when it comes to ‘zombie slaying ’. You can act fast and snatch the talent from above the waiting arms of your competitors… or you can find peace of mind by utilising some of the most flexible and talented of IT professionals: Contractors.
Benefits of utilising a Contractor
– Many may accept a permanent role
– Available on a short or long-term basis – from a few days to 2 or 3 months
– Motivated and inspired by new challenges
– Experience working in many different environments
– Fresh ideas and industry knowledge into your team
– Short-term, low risk commitment
– Utilising a Contractor is a great idea while you make decisions on the future of a role
We can help
Here at Langley James, we know how to find the most vibrant and talented IT professionals available, from Web Developers to IT Managers and everyone in-between. Many of these candidates are available for short term contract work.
Whatever your requirements, permanent or contract, and up to the highest level of seniority, we can match you with the ideal candidate.
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. Tweet us @ITRecruitment or follow us on Facebook.
Oct 31, 2018 | IT
What are you going to do with your candy? Hoard it, share it or scoff it? Or are you holding out for more?
Many companies delay making a decision to make an offer to qualified candidates, even when they have a shortlist of top talent in their grasp. For some reason they think if they just wait another day a better CV will arrive tomorrow.
Truth is Halloween has passed, there’ll be no more trick or treating until next year. And if you’re holding out for better prospects you’ll lose the option to the top talent available now.
Langley James gives you a shortlist of top candidates vetted and summarised to include benefits of hiring. If you want to hire people worth recruiting, decide now.
Oct 24, 2018 | IT
It’s Burger Day and you know exactly what kind of burger you want; a double patty with melted cheese, caramelized onion and all the fixings! You can almost taste it already, can’t you?
That’s what it’s like when you’re looking for the right person to join your IT team. You know what you want, but finding them, well…isn’t always that easy…unless you have the right recruitment partner.
Someone who uses all their resources to understand exactly what you want. Who takes the time to understand the how, the what and the why of your business, not just the who.
And then sends you a shortlist of candidates summarized by their key attributes and benefits, and why they’d be good for your business, not just a pile of CV’s.
This is Langley James Recruitment and this is what we can do for you. Since 1999 we’ve been recruiting for the London IT industry.
Talk to us, we can help you find the right people for your IT business. Junior, intermediate or senior, our database is extensive and we work until we find the people who match exactly what you have in mind.
Call us on 0207 099 4839 or email langleyjames@langleyjames.com.
And while we’re on the subject of burgers…. Go on order your favourite, you know you want to!
Jan 23, 2018 | IT
There’s no doubt that the internet and emails are an integral part of every day business life, not to mention online banking, cloud-based CRMs, phone systems and card payment devices. So much so that life can simply stop when there are connectivity issues or internet blackouts.
A report by the telecoms firm Daisy Group found that 47% of managers thought they rarely or never suffered from poor connectivity, when in fact companies are experiencing an average of 45 minutes downtime every week.
How much is poor connectivity and downtime costing business?
The report found that this is equal to more than £500 per employee, per year, in lost productivity. A prior study, earlier in the year by OnePoll found that slow internet connections and IT downtime is costing the UK economy £11 billion a year in lost productivity. And a study by Aberdeen Group UK found downtime cost an average of £138,000 per hour, varying across industries from £55,000 per hour in the media sector to £3.91 million per hour for large online brokerages. The costs come from paying employees to simply do nothing, to paying an individual or firm to fix the problem and of course any lost sales. There are also hidden costs such as employee overtime, missed deadlines, damaged reputation and customer dissatisfaction.
What’s the problem?
The problems can often be simple ones such as faulty modems, damaged wires or corrupted profiles. These kind of issues can normally be resolved in a day or so, even a few hours. One survey of UK, US and Canadian firms found that 82% of network downtime problems were caused by IT personnel making errors when configuring changes to the network. An irritating truth, when you know the majority of these kind of errors could have been avoided with more diligence or experience. With the rise of joint space and co-working environments wi-fi connectivity can be an issue. Owen’s Garage is a co-working space in the US and Kurt Rathmann, CEO of ScaleFactor Partners uses it regularly. Inevitably there are connection issues now and again and he eventually calculated that a four hour internet outage could be costing him up to $3000.
What do employees get up to during this downtime?
• 60% – taking care of personal business
• 48% – taking an extra coffee break
• 25% – checking Facebook
• 7% – indulging in a spot of retail therapy
• 9% – looking for a new job
• 30% – swoting up on some work-related reading
What should managers be doing?
The survey also asked managers what they thought they should be doing about such issues. One in eight said they didn’t know, 17% said they’d review things when the contract is due for renewal and another 17% said they would only review things when staff make a complaint. Really, as businesses change and grow, connectivity should be reviewed regularly and in line with these changes to ensure processes aren’t being held back by slow internet connections.
The government have committed to upgrading broadband for many of the UK’s cities and superfast broadband is spreading fast as providers compete. Having a connection that is built with your specific business, users and activity in mind is important to make sure it will work for you. If you need to hire IT professionals to advise or become part of your in-house team, speak to us and see how we can help. 0207 099 4839
About
Langley James – Leading IT Recruitment Specialists
Here at Langley James we are specialists in IT recruitment and whether you are working with us for the very first time, or you are one of our many loyal clients, we take time to understand exactly what you are looking for. You will receive the same exceptional level of client care each and every time you return to us.
We have a simple guarantee: we will deliver a shortlist of between 3 – 5 candidates within 5 working days for permanent staff and within a couple hours for contractors. Not only will these candidates be qualified to perform the role, we will ensure that they share your company values and ethos.
To discuss your IT recruitment needs and help you find your next superstar. Call us on 0207 099 4839 or email us at langleyjames@langleyjames.com.
We’d love you to join in the conversation. Tweet us @ITRecruitment or follow us on Facebook.
Langley James is aiming even higher this year
We have doubled our candidate attraction advertising budget for this year, these are the job boards and social media, we are continuously advertising building our network of the best candidates rather than just getting a snapshot of those candidates that are looking at that moment in time. We have appointed an in house trainer/coach to further develop our existing staff and ensure a continuity of service is delivered from out new joiners in the Langley James way.
We are having a record breaking January, already exceeding our previous best with 2 role being filled from taking the job spec to the candidate starting with 12 hours
Jan 17, 2018 | IT
Preferred Supplier Lists – Food for Thought
Implementing a PSL is meant to: –
- Cut down on contact from suppliers
- Save time
- Allow you to build relationships with your suppliers
- Act as a form of quality control
- Allow pre-agreement of terms
So why have 80% of companies operating a PSL had to source from outside their list in the last 12 months?
Is your PSL delivering?
- Are you satisfied with the quality of service you have received?
- Do you have a good relationship with your suppliers?
- Do you wish your suppliers could do more for you?
- Are your suppliers specialists or generalists?
- Do you receive services from outside your PSL?
- Do you struggle with the administration of multiple suppliers for one service?
- Would you offer your supplier repeat business if they were not on your PSL?
How many is too many?
PSL’s containing over 50 or even 100 suppliers for one service are common! In order to be of any use, a PSL has to incorporate choice, but at what point does the size of your PSL become an administrative nightmare or simply pointless?
PSLs vs Relationships
A supplier having pride of place on your PSL does not guarantee a healthy relationship. A quality supplier will seek to understand more about your business and your requirements whether it is the 1st or 40th time you have worked together. Beware the complacent supplier who believes your repeat business is guaranteed simply because they are on your PSL.
A question of choice
Is your PSL restricting you from working with the people who are best placed to help you? In contrast, are you limited to using ineffective suppliers just because they are on the approved list? No one understands your business better than you and in the ever changing world of business, you deserve the right to be flexible and to tailor your choice. Why be constrained?
Langley James – Leading IT Recruitment Specialists
Here at Langley James we are specialists in IT recruitment and whether you are working with us for the very first time, or you are one of our many loyal clients, we take time to understand exactly what you are looking for. You will receive the same exceptional level of client care each and every time you return to us.
We have a simple guarantee: we will deliver a shortlist of between 3 – 5 candidates within 5 working days for permanent staff and within a couple hours for contractors. Not only will these candidates be qualified to perform the role, we will ensure that they share your company values and ethos.
To discuss your IT recruitment needs and help you find your next superstar. Call us on 0207 099 4839 or email us at langleyjames@langleyjames.com.
We’d love you to join in the conversation. Tweet us @ITRecruitment or follow us on Facebook.
Langley James is aiming even higher this year
We have doubled our candidate attraction advertising budget for this year, these are the job boards and social media, we are continuously advertising building our network of the best candidates rather than just getting a snapshot of those candidates that are looking at that moment in time. We have appointed an in house trainer/coach to further develop our existing staff and ensure a continuity of service is delivered from out new joiners in the Langley James way.
We are having a record breaking January, already exceeding our previous best with 2 role being filled from taking the job spec to the candidate starting with 12 hours
Oct 17, 2017 | IT
3 questions to ask the current jobholder before you hire a new one
Before you interview for your IT opening, there’s someone else you need to interview first: the current jobholder. After all, there’s no one who understands the position better than the person who’s currently doing it! Sure, you know what the job involves, and you understand what skills and qualifications are required to do the job successfully. But they know the highlights, the challenges, the most efficient ways to get things done – all of the things you’ll need to make sure the next employee is aware of when they take over.
Here are 3 simple but insightful questions to ask the current jobholder before you interview the next:
1. What is your typical workday like?
Although you’ll have a fairly good idea of what the current jobholder does on a day-to-day basis, you may not know exactly when they work on each task throughout the day.
Make a note of their answer and work out how much variety there is throughout the day. You can then use this information to help you decide if the candidate is a good match.
For example, if the current jobholder spends half their day on one task and the rest of the day on another, you can ask the candidate if they feel that a lot of variety is important to them in their work. If they say that they are more suited to getting stuck into only one or two projects at a time, then they would likely enjoy and excel in the role.
2. What has been the least enjoyable aspect of the job?
This question will give you valuable insight into what is difficult about the role, what’s confusing, complicated, or even uninteresting.
When you’re interviewing your candidate, ask about what they don’t enjoy about their current job. Needless to say, if their least favourite tasks are similar to your current employees, you’ll need to make sure that the candidate is aware that the job opening involves these aspects.
You may also be able to discover if there are any particular tasks that the current jobholder feels would be more efficient to complete a different way, which is always handy to know.
3. Describe a time where you’ve had a problem to solve specific to your job – what you did you do to fix it?
With this information, you can put together a competency-based interview question where you can describe the same situation to the candidate and ask them to explain what they would do to overcome the problem.
As you know that the problem actually occurred within the role, you can be confident that the answer will be a good indication of how well the candidate would manage if they were hired.
We’re always happy to help you to get the most out of your interview process and find your perfect new IT professional. Give us a call on 0207 788 6600 for advice tailored to you.
Aug 22, 2017 | IT
Ask a silly question, get a silly answer, right? Well perhaps your questions aren’t silly, but if they’re straight out of the textbook, you’re likely to receive the same textbook answers from all of your well prepared candidates. And as a recruiting employer that’s only going to make life more difficult for you. After all the main purpose of interviewing is the get to know each individual candidate and determine who will best suit your role, so it’s down to you to carefully craft some intelligent interview questions that will tease out some interesting and revealing answers.
Who Uses Textbook Interview Questions Anyway?
If you’re part of a well established organisation, you may have interview procedures and guidelines in place, and sometimes a lack of innovation or slight complacency can mean interview questions are rarely updated. Styles change, skills change and candidates expectations change, so it’s always important to refresh and review interview questions. Textbook style questions are often found in technical job interviews, and they’re often genuinely needed to validate a candidate’s skills and knowledge. However, perhaps these kind of questions are best off in an initial screening process, a written or online test if appropriate? They will not reveal the real caliber of your candidates, and that’s exactly what you should be doing in your face to face interview.
What’s Wrong with Textbook Answers?
Those who can give you the perfect definition or theory may be well educated and informed, but how do you know if they’ll fit into your team, how do you know they’ve experienced this theory in action? Anyone can revise, but not everyone has the depth of experience and practical workplace problem solving skills that can only be revealed by asking open-ended and ‘tell me about a time when…’ questions.
Digging a Little Deeper
Chances are many of these textbook interview questions can be answered by looking at a candidates CV, application form or online portfolio. You should of course be up to date with these before the interview, so don’t ask questions you already know the answer to. A key part of your role as interviewer is to listen, and you want your candidate to really feel like you are listening and that you’re genuinely interested. Asking questions about experiences and previous scenarios will open your candidate up and allow them to share stories about how they’ve applied their knowledge, not simply what knowledge they hold.
At Langley James, we’ll work hard to put the right candidate in front of you from the beginning, but once it’s your turn to do the interviewing we’ll be there if you need any further help or ideas. To find out more contact one of our consultants.
Mar 28, 2017 | IT
When you’re trying to find the perfect IT professional to join your company, it’s not just the skills and qualifications of the candidate that you need to consider. There’s something else too: their personality.
So far, they’ve mostly just been told about the role itself. It’s only in the interview where they get to first see your offices, meet your staff, and get a feel of your company environment.
It’s important for companies to celebrate their company values and culture – not just what they do and how they increase profits. Many organisations have developed work-hard-play-hard vibes – with meeting areas full of comfy sofas, games consoles in break rooms, and the odd half-day trip to the local.
On the flip side, some celebrate a more traditional, corporate culture – where working hours are for just that: work, and games consoles, plush furniture and trips to the pub are left for after hours only.
Both approaches have their merits, but your candidate is likely to lean more towards one than the other.
Here are 5 interview questions that you can ask to find out if your candidate is a great personality fit for your company:
What 3 words would your friends use to describe you? This gives you an insight into the candidate as a person rather than an interviewee, and it shows how their relationships with your staff will be if they’re hired.
Describe the best boss you’ve ever had. What was it that you liked about them? This shows what they are looking for in a boss, and whether the manager of the role matches up to that description.
What do you like to do outside of work? You can really get to know someone’s values, priorities and even their skills from this single question. Perhaps they volunteer at weekends – this shows a sense of empathy and a keenness to assist others. Maybe they play in a band – an implication of creativity and good team-working skills.
What are your 2 biggest achievements both in and outside of work? This highlights not only their achievements (which you’ll of course want to know anyway), but it also shows what they recognise as an achievement and consider important.
Do you have any questions? The candidate simply asking you a question instantly implies that they have a genuine interest in the role. But more than that, the question that they ask can give you a really good view of what is at the top of their priorities in their career.
These questions aren’t only to help you figure out if a candidate is a good fit for you, but they also give the candidate a great opportunity to check you’re a good fit for them, too.
By ensuring a candidate’s compatibility early on, you’re much more likely to end up with an employee who not only has the right skills for the job, but shares your company’s values, culture and environmental preferences. In turn, this will enable you to cut staff turnover by building a workforce who will want to stay with your company throughout their career.
Get in touch with us at Langley James on 0207 788 6600. We’ll use our bespoke approach to help you attract and retain employees that are not just perfect for the job but are the perfect fit for your company too.
Jan 30, 2017 | IT
The first words I heard from the Boss’ mouth this morning would not have necessarily gone down well in the company of my Mother and certainly would not have been heard in a Sunday morning sermon. What was the reason for such a tirade – lack of sleep? No coffee? General winter blues? Perhaps all three contributed, but the main reason behind his x rated outburst was that he had been asked to reset a password.
We all know the reasons why we need to continually update our secure details however when posed with such a request first thing on a Monday morning, our minds feel like we’re sat in the Mastermind chair having just been asked to discuss the most complex mathematical equation.
You need to come up with something that you’ll easily remember, something that you haven’t used in the previous 12 months, something that contains a capital letter, at least 2 numbers, has to be at least 15 characters in length and you need to also provide a DNA sample and retina scan while you’re in the process. Despite the importance of online security, coming up with an appropriate password at that instant moment in time, that you’re not going to instantly forget, can be extremely frustrating.
Need any hints or tips?
Below is a list of a few hints and tips that might come in handy the next time you’re faced with the Monday Morning Misery:
Do:
Consider using a line of a song or a phrase you’ll remember – If it’s a song from an obscure album track even better
Consider using three random words
Ignore requests from sites to remember your password
Don’t:
Use family or pet names – they are easy to get hold of
Use your favourite football team or favourite player
Use the word “password”
Use numerical sequences such as a phone number
Use birthdays
Use the same password for all of your applications
Recycle your passwords – eg password1, password2 etc
Share your password with anyone
This might not be the answer to all of your early morning prayers, but might just help your ears avoid rugby club language in the office.
Jan 13, 2017 | IT
What is IR35 ??? And what does it mean to an IT Contractor
So, you’ve decided to embark on the world of contracting? If so I imagine that you are finding a lot of the legislation quite daunting. You may be scrolling the internet trying to figure out why you have been asked to sign all these forms when you have no idea what they mean or how signing one way or another may affect you.
What is IR35? Are You Working Inside Or Outside of IR35
Hopefully by the end of this article your headache will be at ease and you will have a clear understanding of what the IR35 actually is and why this is in place.
So, what is IR35?
If you are an IT contractor who has tried to read IR35 in full and still feel a little confused, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Through extensive searching after firstly being a bit dumbfounded myself, my mind finally feels more at ease, but trust me this wasn’t an easy topic to wrap my head around.
17 years ago, back in April 2000, HMRC introduced the ‘intermediaries legislation’, otherwise known as IR35. This was introduced as an anti-avoidance tax legislation targeting employees who claim to be self-employed but actually fell in the bracket of a worker employed directly by a company (in this case these would be temporary workers).
The legislation helps the HMRC differentiate between an employee and a self-employed IT contractor that offers their services acting as a limited company or commonly known as a ‘personal services company’ (PSC). The latter are often known to the HMRC as ‘disguised employees’ as they are not employed via the company but offer their services usually for a designated project, for a set fee, over a set amount of time.
So how can you determine your IR35 position? Well, if you are you being supervised on the project and reporting to someone every day, if you have set working hours like every other employee, are being told how to do the job you have been asked to do and are receiving all the benefits that an employee receives who is employed directly via the company then the HMRC has solid grounds to argue that you are too an employee and not acting as a limited company on this assignment. In the eyes of the HMRC this would be classified as Supervision, Direction and Control (SDC). If you work under SDC the legislation will apply.
On the other hand, if you have a bit more freedom to complete your task(s) and your working hours are not set in stone, you are able to come in and do your job without reporting to someone i.e. a line manager every day, and are left to do your job with the skills you are trusted and known to have as opposed to being told how to perform a task, then it would be safe to say you have solid grounds to support your case to be deemed as a PSC acting as an IT contractor. This of course, would mean that you are not working under SDC.
A change on the horizon
In May of last year a consultation document was published by the HMRC which set out a number of proposed changes to how the IR35 operates. These changes will predominantly affect the tax status of PSC’s operating in the public sector (there are no changes to companies operating within the private sector).
The changes that are set to be rolled out on the 6th April 2017 include:
- Change the way PSC’s provide services within the public sector only
- Within the public sector, the end client will be responsible for determining IR35 position as opposed to PSC
- Where a 3rd party is involved i.e. an employment agency like Langley James, the responsibility of determining IR35 position will fall on that 3rd party
- For said 3rd party or public sector, an online tool is being developed to help determine IR35 position of PSC
- Will remain on an assignment to assignment basis but assessment of this will now fall on end user as opposed to PSC.
So as an IT Contractor, how do you know if you’re operating within the public sector? Well here is a list to help:
- Central government departments i.e. Ministry Of Defence
- Health boards & NHS
- Local authorities
- Educational establishments
- Transport within London
- Police and Fire Authorities
- Devolved Administrations
- Legal Authorities
- The bank of England
- BBC & Channel 4
- Parliament
- The UK Sports Council
- The Armed Forces
- Public Authorities
As previously mentioned, these changes will be rolled out on 6th April 2017. So, if you are a contractor working for an end user within the public sector it is well worth scrubbing up your knowledge on the changes in legislation to cover yourself.
IR35 In a nutshell
So to round things up in the most condensed way possible, IR35 was introduced to stop employees who claim to be self-employed from receiving all the tax break benefits a genuine self-employed IT contractor would benefit from. The only people in the workplace who are exempt from the legislation are the legitimate Limited Company IT Contractors.
I hope everything now is a little clearer for you. But remember, keep your eyes peeled, the current legislation is changing and this will have a big impact in how we all operate when it comes to IT contracting.
Sep 20, 2016 | IT
No doubt we’ve all seen the pictures and the video clip, so why did Hilary Clinton keep working when she wasn’t feeling great, resulting in her being forced to take time out when pneumonia knocked on the door?
Maybe she is just like most of the UK population who feel guilty for taking sick days. A recent report by CV Library cited that 67.5% of employees go into work when they are unwell, with 68.3% admitting to feeling guilty, despite it being the best decision. Is that why we, as an average, only take 1 to 2 sick days per year, even when the vast majority of us (86.5%) are less productive at work when we are unwell.
Or maybe there is pressure from management to keep coming into work? Over a third of employees feel pressurised to return to work by their line manager with a shock 52.9% of manager still contacting their employees when then are off sick!
Surely it is a managers responsibility to help ensure the wellbeing of their staff? Should we not all be looking after our employees in this competitive market? We appreciate that it is frustrating to have a lower headcount for a couple of days, but it really may be the best option as not having a break can result in long term sickness absence and that costs UK businesses £4.17 billion a year!
And this would all be fairly straightforward without the additional feelings of insecurity currently being felt by employees. With uncertainty dominating the UK after Brexit, the fear of the unknown is all consuming for some.
A report by CEB reported that a surprising 43% are unhappy with the stability provided by their current employers, which is the highest reported figure since 2013. With job security being in the Top 3 for candidate needs, those companies who are looking to grow need to take action! If you are not able to offer stability – don’t over-promise, but instead look at what you can offer – development, training, or even including your employees more in planning for change.
Change is good – but too much change can have the opposite effect. Almost a third of us has experienced at least 1 major organisation change in the last 12 months, further adding to those feelings of insecurity a reduced job satisfaction. Some employees are struggling to cope and making themselves ill as a result. And there’s the complete circle.
See our infographic for a summary of the most recent news for employment here.
Sep 20, 2016 | IT
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