Jul 29, 2014 | IT
The IT talent crunch – Are companies to blame
In order to survive the IT talent crunch, companies need to stop looking for people with particular certifications or technical talents and seek technical people who are willing to learn. According to Patrick Gray; who is the founder and president of Prevoyance Group.
Like a migratory bird that returns to its seasonal nesting grounds on a recurring basis, talk of a skills shortage in the IT industry is once again on the lips of CIOs and industry pundits. Technology titans point at the educational system and lament the lack of new math and engineering students, and fund programs to try and swell their ranks while expressing disgust at the current dearth of “talent.”
Rather than blaming poor school funding or singling out students of particular nations as particularly talented in particular disciplines, the CIOs voicing these concerns need to first examine their own hiring practices.
Remember 2000?
14 years ago IT was a hiring frenzy. If you could spell HTML or TCP/IP you were virtually guaranteed a handsome salary and all the associated delights of the heady dot-com days. The IT HR process became mired in an alphabet soup of “certification surfing.” If you had the right acronym or other chit on your resume, you were “in,” despite your personality quirks, inability to communicate with other human beings, or eccentric behaviors. Hiring managers, of course, loved this process, since human resource decisions could be relegated to mining resume databases and a couple of phone calls rather than the tedium of interviews and due diligence.
As the dot-com bubble burst, the ensuing belt tightening left many IT staffers jobless. Young people that had been singing the praises of the IT industry were now its biggest detractors. From bitter laments to friends and family, to humorous websites mocking fast hiring and equally rapid “right-sizings,” IT ended up with a lasting black eye. Peers of this generation and the universities that educated them are not quick to forget this span of a few years, where graduates were promised (and given) the world then cast aside with platitudes about unforeseen economic conditions and the wonders of outsourcing to placate them. While these companies did what they had to do, the certification and technology-focused career paradigm they fostered has left a lingering bad taste in the mouths of many who might have chosen an IT career.
With these memories still fresh in the minds of much of the workforce, the IT industry is largely back up to its old tricks, admonishing graduates to pursue the latest technologies and allowing HR to mine candidate databases for buzzwords as if the post-dot-com massacre never happened. CIOs have largely underestimated the savvy of new entrants to the workforce, and promises of a glorious career, if only you learn the latest skills. So what’s a talent-starved CIO to do?
End Certification surfing
While it’s arguably very hard work, it’s time to return to good old fashioned due diligence in the hiring process. While HR may tell you the best way to find five new developers is to check their certifications, a superior candidate is someone with a willingness to learn, an ability to communicate, and some technical savvy, most likely in that order. The large consulting firms have done a good job of this, hiring everyone from CS grads to history majors, based not on their coursework or technical experience, but on their ability to solve problems and learn rapidly.
The pace of technological change is likely to increase rather than decrease, and quickly hiring people with the latest technology on their resume and firing them tomorrow when that technology is dated is more costly and time consuming than hiring someone with a willingness to learn. I’ll take someone from the most esoteric non-technical field that can quickly learn and articulate problems for my organization over the most sterling technical certifications any day.
To maintain this learning ability, challenge your staff to acquire and employ new skills, both technical and non-technical. Seek input from your people and push them to interact with colleagues outside IT as peers, rather than a soldier blindly following orders. Perhaps most important, develop a culture that rewards excellence. Spend time evaluating your people and providing feedback and letting them know where they stand. High performers will not hang around if you tell everyone they are all equal and all doing “fine.”
Offering opportunity and focusing on an ability to learn is hard work, but presents an IT career as a place where high performers can grow and excel, rather than empty promises of greatness that are erased during the next swath of layoffs. This process is going to take far more time, effort and money than certification surfing, but will serve to repair IT’s damaged reputation, and more importantly deliver an amazingly capable staff that will be excelling while your competitors continue to hire and fire based on the latest buzzwords.
Patrick Gray is the founder and president of Prevoyance Group, and author of Breakthrough IT: Supercharging Organizational Value through Technology. Prevoyance Group provides strategic IT consulting services to Fortune 500 and 1000 companies.
Jul 7, 2014 | IT
How will you cope with the empty office this summer? Could those empty desks be full of potential?
Summer is officially here and school is nearly out. How will you cope with the inevitable reduction in staff numbers during the peak holiday season? For your business, the holiday season can be a time when workload multiplies to answer increased demands. Having a strategy to cope with either of these scenarios will help ensure key deadlines are met without overworking those left in the office.
A complete break is, of course important for the morale and well-being of both your staff and yourself. They should come back to work relaxed, reinvigorated, refreshed and ready to hit the ground running. So… with this in mind, how can you manage this extra work whilst keeping the business running without disruption?
Research by ‘The Guardian’ into the effects of holidays on team working suggests that ‘extra’ workloads are more easily absorbed in small and large-sized businesses whilst medium-sized companies are more likely to utilise temporary or contract staff to relieve the pressure on their teams and ensure business objectives are met.
From an employer’s perspective, hiring contract staff simply makes sense in many circumstances. Could it make sense for you? Many businesses are already staffing up for short or long term projects without the price tag of pension, health care or other benefits. In the current employment market, you can attract the ‘crème de la crème’, and did you know we can supply IT contract workers who can be retained for as little as a day or a week? Contract workers can be kept on longer-term and may even be available for permanent hire. This is a great way for both the contractor and the business to get to know each other before committing to a permanent relationship.
Wouldn’t it be fantastic to be able to increase the ability and motivation of your existing team at a time they would otherwise be lagging under the strain of an extra workload? Do you have projects that have been postponed due to a skills gap? Why not source an IT contract worker with the specific skills you need to get the job done while your permanent employee is on leave? High quality contract workers can bring fresh ideas to your business as well as pass on new skills to existing employees.
It’s not just the during the holiday season that contractors become a vital part of your team. A contractor could be right for you if you:
- Have high employee turnover due to staff burnout
- Need seasonal help, or help with a long-term project
- Cannot offer benefits or are not able to afford a permanent member of staff
- Have a hard to fill position
- Are uncertain about the future of the business or the position itself
We’ve all been there – working late during the weeks running up to your holiday to help reduce the ‘back to work’ catch-up and this pattern is often inevitably repeated upon your return. By midday on your first day back, your holiday can feel like a distant memory. So, as a manager, director or business owner we can sometimes have business objectives affected for three times the amount of time the employee takes for leave.
Our market summary newsletters have shown that the demand for a more flexible workforce has increased considerably over the last few months, with figures released last week confirming that the economy has grown in the last 6 months, albeit gradually. The challenge now is to maintain this pace during the second half of the year and contract positions are playing an increasingly important role in the economic recovery. In fact 7 out of 10 companies are planning to recruit in the next 12 months.
The majority of CEO’s are looking for change within their business in response to the volatile economic climate. They are keen to reduce costs and risk while increasing the efficiency of existing employees, putting even more pressure on you in the IT department. Many are turning to technology as an answer. You can use technologies such as IM Clients, VOIP calls, video chats, PM software and cloud storage to get a lot done from remote locations. In the short-term this can save you an overhead and can also ease the pain of sick days and holidays when urgent tasks pop up. In the long-term, hiring off-site contractors means saving on both salaries and Capex. And did we mention that many contractors will take a lower day rate in exchange for the ability to work from home?
With the availability of such high quality skills and the potential to save money and reduce staff stress, it could be that hiring a contractor is the right decision for your business. Just think of the fresh, untapped talent that could be filling those empty desks this summer.
Jun 22, 2014 | IT
Grab Talent while it’s Hot: Recruit Fast and Beat the Competition
The economy is on the move. Increased confidence means businesses are getting ready to expand, new projects are being planned and with that comes a demand for talent.
BEWARE!
Recruiting the wrong people into your team can hamper and even reverse your hard-earned growth and put your business and other’s jobs at risk.
Good News!
Talent is on the move. People are increasing in confidence and starting to risk moving to pastures new.
Bad News!
Talent is moving fast. Quality candidates are moving to progress their careers rather than out of necessity and employers are having to compete with each other to sell their positions, not only on salary but also on future prospects and company ethos.
It’s only too easy to miss out on the star hires you need, losing them to your competitors, whether recruiting a contract or permanent person. Don’t let your recruitment process put you at risk of being left with ‘zombie’ employees who can destroy your business.
The Answer
Here at Langley James we have noticed one factor resulting in companies succeeding in securing the people they want: speed. Those who act fast, with streamlined recruitment systems in place are winning the talent. In a market where outstanding applicants are often interviewing with multiple companies in a given week it may only take a moment’s delay to lose the candidate you have invested time and resources sourcing and interviewing.
The Rise of the Telephone Interview
When the ideal CV arrives, of course you want to move fast, but conflicting schedules can mean waiting days or weeks to arrange a meeting with that perfect match, by which time your star candidate will already have been snapped up by your rivals.
Arranging a telephone or Skype interview means you can find a suitable time to liaise significantly quicker: you can even arrange an evening conference. While there may still be a pause before you are able to meet in person, you have been able to promote the opportunity you are offering, gain rapport and move yourself to the top of their employer wish list. Anything you can do to reduce the time to hire will help you recruit the right person and avoid those business destroying zombies.
Speed is still of the essence though. Other employers will be moving fast too. If you think you have found the ideal candidate can you be more flexible than usual with your interview process? Can you reduce the amount of interview stages, the time between them or even conduct interviews out of hours? Could skills testing be done remotely rather than in house to save you time?
Here at Langley James we negotiate the scheduling of interviews on your behalf saving you hours on the phone or sending emails. We have a unique insight into our candidates and will only ever send you CVs we think are wholly appropriate for your needs: our specialised knowledge will save you time and win you a superstar who could so easily have slipped through your fingers and into the waiting arms of your competition.
Call us today on 0207 788 660 to speak to one of our experienced and specialised IT Recruitment Consultants. Alternatively email langleyjames@langleyjames.com.
May 28, 2014 | IT
World Cup Glory or World Cup Woe?
Will employers be greeting the tournament with excited anticipation?
No doubt some will, but the majority will be approaching it with some trepidation. If previous World Cups are anything to go by, it’s widely recognised that staff absence and sickness rises significantly on match days and perhaps more worryingly, on the immediate day after a crucial match.
As the most exciting domestic season in years recently concluded in a dramatic fashion, many of the UK’s football lovers will already be looking forward to Thursday 12th June when the eyes of the world will descend on Brazil as they host the 20th Fifa World Cup. The month long fiesta of football in the home of the most glamorous footballing Country has got the true round ball romanticists eagerly awaiting the big kick off.
In previous non – European World Cups, anti – social kick off times have contributed to the issue. We all remember getting up at the crack of dawn to watch games when the competition was held in Japan and South Korea back in 2002 and also the grainy pictures of afternoon kick offs during USA 94. Fifa have specifically tailored kick off times to accommodate European audiences but with the earliest time of 5.00pm and the latest time being 2.00am it is still expected that businesses will feel the impact of people wanting to be in front of their TV in preparation for the early kick offs or flagging the morning after a grave yard shift match. Live streaming of matches by people sat at their desks could also have an impact on Company’s internet efficiency.
With an estimated 20 million + people in the UK expected to watch the final, it’s fair to say that there’s the potential for some disruption from the 64 match tournament so do Company’s need to put in a contingency to avoid any possible .
The CIPD recently carried out a survey that showed almost nine out of ten employers have not developed any plans to manage staff absence during the World Cup. They’ve also uncovered research that points to the fact that if employers demonstrate they care about their staff and their non-work interests, employees are more likely to “go the extra mile” for the Company.
So what could work?
A guide developed by the CIPD suggests adopting subtle approaches for employers that could help employees enjoy the tournament without disrupting the needs of the business, some of which include:
• Flexible working hours
• Shift swaps
• Unpaid leave
• Screening games on the company premises
Whoever lifts the trophy on 13th July will go down in football folklore and who knows, any manager who develops a contingency for their staff during the World Cup could also be held in such great esteem by both the Company and the staff alike.
May 28, 2014 | IT
You can’t build a great company by tolerating mediocrity
The market is picking up and most companies seem to have recruiting plans for the next 12 months, however, although many Managers and IT Professionals are still nervous to move, preferring the safety and security of their current employer, regardless if they are 100% happy or 100% effective in their role.
And, is there anything wrong if they haven’t done anything really wrong – but, have they thought about things they have done that are really right? Are companies infected with people who don’t drive excellence? Do they want their IT team to become better or somehow different to cope with the upturn or future growth plans? Do they aspire to change and improve? Questions need to be asked if those that they currently have in place are capable of helping attain and sustain a higher level of performance.
This has left many companies with staff; permanent and contractors who were adequate to see them through the quieter times, but now, when companies are looking to grow, are those barely sufficient employees really up to the job?
There is also the very real possibility that Directors are now expecting staff to perform more than one role within the business due to an increase in activity or headcount and they may be struggling to keep all the balls in the air and be effective. Are things slipping through the net? Do they need an additional member of the team to be able to allow focus on those vital areas?
So, what’s the difference and how can we all spot an ineffective employee? There may be a person that is perfectly capable in the current scenario, but are they capable of doing their part to lift performance? Great teams are engaged and can produce optimum results.
If your current staff are pushing boundaries, raising the bar, obsessed with improving results and performance and creating an atmosphere where people can perform their best – then we must all congratulate them. Making sure companies do what they can to keep these employees happy and engaged will ensure that they continue to perform at such a high level.
However, if this is not the case, it may be time for a change? Wanting to avoid rocking the boat by not dealing with ineffective employees will only give the company the same results they are currently getting and this may damage the team. However, we have all seen mediocre employees become fantastic with a little mentoring, training and motivation. Getting this right will mean that they will not only perform well, but will also be able to coach and mentor the next group of new recruits. If they can’t hack it, then it’s time to do something radical.
Directors have a duty to find and keep great employees. Not only to take the company forwards, it will also help attract high calibre candidates who want to be part of the organisation and this in turn will make people within the company up their game – it’s a win, win!
Here at Langley James, we pride ourselves on finding the best candidates in the market and this is something we have been doing for the last 15 years. Why not talk to one of our specialist IT consultants to see how we can help you find that superstar. And remember, Recruit someone worth Recruiting.
Apr 28, 2014 | IT
Why should somebody come and work for you?
In a market where people don’t move for a job title or a salary increase, it is vital to ask yourself that question.
People move for opportunity! Opportunity can mean many different things to different people – an opportunity to grow, to learn, or simply just to work for a highly reputable business.
At Langley James, we have noticed a real shift in the market over the last 6 months and whilst the jobs market is improving month on month and the future for the technology and IT sector goes from strength to strength, those superstar candidates, the hidden gems, still need to be ‘wowed’ by an opportunity to even consider a change in employer.
What attracted you to work where you do? Why have you stayed? What can you offer that your strongest competitor isn’t able to?
Candidates don’t just want to know about the immediate opportunity either. Initially, there will be the fast-pace of learning the new role, company and environment, following a longer period of learning the finer details. But then what? Is that person capable of more? Could they deliver even more value to you as a Company? What projects could they get involved in? What could they learn to further develop their skills?
Have a look at your latest job spec – is it simply a list of what you want? A host of essential and desired skills and experience? A shopping list? When was the last time you went shopping and only came back with what was on your list? Or, did you get attracted by the end of aisle promotions – those companies that had made a conscious effort to stand apart from their competitors by offering that something a little different?
At Langley James, our IT experts are on hand to assist with the whole recruitment process from job specs, attraction methods, salary guides and general market information. Why not give us a call and see how helpful we can be? If you are looking for a recruitment partner with a completely transparent approach, then we may just be exactly what you are looking for.
Apr 25, 2014 | IT
Want to cut costs by more than 50%?
Optimising application development and maintenance (ADM) can slash operation costs by more than 50%, according to research by Gartner.
A new study found that by allowing sourcing managers to develop and implement sourcing strategies, metrics and processes can help CIO’s cut costs in half by eliminating legacy applications, complex architectures and outdated approaches to staffing.
Accounting for 34% of IT budgets, ADM is only set to rise in the coming months due to rising labour costs and increasing complexity and number of applications. However, the study stated that if best practices across the application life cycle are followed, the ADM unit cost can be significantly optimised over time.
Sadly though, it seems that only 11% of companies are mastering sourcing by taking a methodical approach. Others rely on tendering their requirements to a few known service providers and chose the supplier based on price and daily rates. Most are also using staff augmentation for ADM work inefficiently.
Key recommendations made by Gartner the help CIO’s cut costs by optimising ADM included performing an application portfolio and life cycle activity analysis to consolidate ADM supplies to enable companies to select the best-in-class options for scope and business process. It also recommended that using the right metrics to size application portfolio and development efforts would help determine the right ADM team size – Gilbert van der Heiden of Gartner commented “Whatever model an organisation uses, it should be applied consistently and as objectively as possible, with a focus on measuring and improving productivity and quality.”
Apr 11, 2014 | IT
Key points
- Permanent placements up at fastest rate in six months
- Surge in demand for permanent staff continues
- Permanent salary inflation outpacing growth in contract pay rates
Growth in permanent placements hits six-month high
March showed a sharp and accelerated increase in the number of IT staff placed in permanent positions by our London office, and one that was the fastest in six months. Moreover, the rise in permanent appointments in the capital was slightly sharper than the UK-wide average.
Upturn in contract billings continues
March also showed a further rise in contract billings in London. Although growth eased from February’s recent peak to the slowest in four months, it was nevertheless sharp in the context of historical data and faster than across the UK as a whole.
Staff Availability
Our IT consultants in London recorded a further decrease in permanent candidate numbers in March, extending the current sequence of decline to ten months. Furthermore, the rate of contraction picked up since February and was sharp.
Contractor candidate numbers also decreased at a faster rate in March. In fact, the degree to which contract candidate supply deteriorated was the most marked since July 2007.
Remuneration
Permanent starting salaries in London increased in March, continuing the trend observed by our consultants in each of the past ten months.
Contractor rates also increased in March, but the pace of inflation eased since February, to the weakest in nine months. The capital was also outperformed by the UK as a whole on this front for the first time since last November.
About Langley James
Langley James was founded in 1999 by James Toovey, a highly respected recruitment industry professional. James wanted to provide something unique: a bespoke recruitment service which was founded on service excellence. With offices in London and Manchester, we are now providing our recruitment services throughout the world and over the last 15 years have worked with some of the most respected companies in the world.
To find out why so many companies turn to Langley James for support in fulfilling their IT recruitment needs, call and speak to one of our specialist consultants today on 0845 124 9555.
Apr 7, 2014 | IT
The Beginning of the End for the Biro
We are living in an era where technology and science is moving at an incredible pace. Only last week medical history was made by using 3D printing in surgery, along with the discovery of a new Dwarf Planet inside our solar system. It can be easy to forget about the basic items we use daily that will eventually be extinct.
Sony has recently released a new tablet called Digital Paper which even looks like a standard A4 note pad. It has capabilities to not only type but to also create hand written notes with the help of a stylus in your own handwriting! Very similar to the kindle, the tablet has electronic ink which gives it that paper feel. The end of the Biro is looming…
The size of the office stationary room is now being depleted to the size of a small filing cabinet. This once meeting place where you could a have a catch up with colleagues and if daring enough, leave with a few extra sticky notes and a secret stash of staples is slowly becoming a distant memory for some.
From a young age we are now growing up using tablets, phones and PC’s on a daily basis. It was only 20 years ago where there was one Acorn Computer for a whole class to share. Many industries across the UK are using the good old Biro less and less Waitresses and Waiters no longer approach your table with a pen and notepad they have a tablet where the order gets printed in the kitchen.
We used to dread the postman walking up the path with his pile of letters, now we get excited if we see a hand written envelope addressed to us. Excluding the usual Birthday or Christmas cards, how often do you receive a hand written letter?
Apart from the odd note taking, we are using Biros less and less, with technology evolving and newer more secure ways of writing being created. It might be another 20 years or maybe less until we see the death of the Biro.
The same could be said for legacy technology used in your office. Are you using a piece of software which is well past its best before date, clinging onto it, maybe too scared to change or reluctant to try something new? Even nostalgic about when it first got installed and the resulting confusion on colleagues faces.
Embrace technology! The world is becoming more eco-friendly every day with paperless offices and email still being the preferred method of communication in the office.
What are your thoughts? Join the debate on twitter @ITRecruitment #RIPBiro and on Facebook facebook.com/LangleyJames
Mar 31, 2014 | IT
Do you have far more applications than the Company requires?
Over 50% of CIO’s and key IT players do. A recent report conducted by CapGemini reported a significant increase from last year where just 33% thought so. At a time when along with the BAU function of the IT department, Companies are now looking to IT more and more as a source of business innovation. But, are we drowning in applications that could be retired or consolidated? Over 79% of those who took part in the report believe this to be the case, with an additional 76% believing that application modernisation is important to company objectives.
Good news – some Companies are already ahead of the game. When asked to comment on what strategies CIO’s had already used to increase IT’s value within the business, 60% had introduced new technology and services and a staggering 86% had either rationalised or renovated applications to be more responsive to business needs.
With new or revised applications delivering business value and driving change and efficiency within a business, IT are leading the way in the future success of companies. 56% of those who took part in the report have already deployed cloud, hailing it as the key driver for reducing risk (61%), reducing cost (66%) and reducing time to market (62%).
What’s the current state of applications within your Company? We’d love to hear your views. Why not follow the conversation on Facebook or Twitter?
Written by Lucy Rawes, Operations Director
Mar 24, 2014 | IT
1st April is a matter of days away and budgets are top of the agenda for most UK businesses, but what does this mean for IT? Will it be another year of forgoing software upgrades and simply having to make do with outdated software, or will investments in data management and cloud services make fire-fighting an easier task, freeing more time for projects to help take your business forwards?
In a recent survey by Calyx, it reported that CIO’s are no longer playing a major part in shaping business strategy. Over 200 CIO’s and IT Managers were surveyed and when asked what they felt their most important responsibility was –
- 33% saw it as driving growth through technology
- 16% actually spent their working day driving the development of business through IT
- 11% said that they mainly focused on developing strategic concepts around IT to move their organisation forward
- 46% reported that their everyday tasks mainly involve fire-fighting to keep systems up and running and this was despite…
- 64% of those surveyed sitting on the Board of Directors.
Even the most talented and well-paid IT professionals can’t help a business grow if they are preoccupied with daily fire-fighting. But it seems that this isn’t the biggest frustration. So whilst almost half of CIO’s and IT Managers are submerged in BAU processes;
- 60% are frustrated at having to deal with data management issues
- 44% are consistently having to deal with security issues
- 33% are tired of fulfilling “board-driven demands for cost-efficiencies and cost cutting.
But it’s not all bad news. Whilst this may be the reality of a vast majority of IT leaders and lower budgets have meant difficult conditions for IT, a recent survey by TechTarget revealed that –
- 59% reported a budget increase was seen in 2013
- 65% are expecting a budget increase in 2014
- 37% plan to expand IT to support business growth
- 59% plan to purchase new or upgrade existing software
- 52% plan to purchase new hardware to expand computing capacity and increase energy efficiency
- 35% expect to pay more on maintenance in 2014, mainly focusing on those maintenance issues that were ignored in the leaner years
- 38% plan to grow spending in private and public cloud services
- 20% plan to increase the use of automation in the business which will free IT to focus on more strategic areas
- 31% may add IT staff in 2014 to meet the overall goals of business growth and targeted IT projects.
Whilst none of these things alone will negate the need for fire-fighting, it will make BAU much easier, making the IT Department a happier, more productive environment.
But, what if you work in a business that is yet to see the benefits of a more stable economic landscape. There are still a few companies keeping a tight hold on the purse strings –
- 13% of CIO’s/IT Managers are faced with the prospect of maintaining current service levels with flat budgets
- 7% have been told that they must reduce IT spending
- 61% of those faced with lower budgets will curtail hardware spending
- 37% will cut back on maintenance
With the IT Managers rarely being perceived as the hub for organisational innovation and growth, we are beginning to get there and 2014 looks set to be the year that the IT Department strikes back. With new technologies saturating the market that will significantly impact the IT function over the next few years, now is the perfect time to make sure you are well-positioned to drive the success of the business as a whole. Time to step up to the plate and get the “keep the lights on” issues streamlined and focus on efficient IT management, as this is set to be the key challenge over the next 12 months to ensure your business is able to approach things in a more strategic fashion, to be able to realise the benefits of these next-generation technologies sooner, resulting in claiming the competitive advantage.
We’d love to hear your thoughts. Join in the conversation on Facebook or Twitter.
Written by Lucy Rawes, Operations Director
Mar 3, 2014 | IT
Employee Engagement – Just a cliché or does it really make a big difference?
There is a trend that is gathering pace in the enlightened companies of the UK – motivated staff are rising to more challenges and are happy to put in longer hours and take on bigger workloads in order to help their business achieve their goals. What great news. But how do they do it?
The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For survey shows that despite falls in the sense of well-being, levels of engagement in employees rose across the board. If you, as a manager, are leading and inspiring your team, giving them a sense of belonging and making them feel their opinions matter, it seems that any pressure they are feeling to achieve more for less is not affecting them as much as you may expect.
So, if you have had to enforce a pay freeze in that last 18 months, you wouldn’t imagine standing a chance of being within the Top 100 Best Companies to Work For, right? Not necessarily. There is a company who has had a pay freeze and on it’s first attempt in entering the Top 100, has come in the top 5. What a great result! Despite the impact the lack in increased salary has had on the employees, the flexible hours, mentoring, social events and fitness programmes mean that staff are enjoying their time in the office and are still motivated and inspired to do well. But without leadership and team spirit, this may well be a very different story.
There is one company who has a “cuddle budget”. This is used for staff treats like nights out and champagne, but with one simple aim – to celebrate success. When was the last time your team celebrated success? You’d be amazed how much these small, thoughtful rewards will motivate your team to reach that ambitious goal and put in the extra effort to achieve. There isn’t a person in the world that doesn’t need to feel appreciated, it’s as basic a requirement as food and this is where less-enlightened companies are missing the point. There are some companies out there that are still heavily reliant on job insecurity as a motivator, but do those on the ‘shop floor’ really care for a company who is simply asking for ‘more for less’?
Getting the best out of your team is not all about pay but it is about behaviour. In times when everyone is under pressure to perform that little bit harder, work that little bit longer for the same pay as they did 2 years ago, it has never been more important to give honest and sincere appreciation for those that are going the extra mile. Rewards, no matter how small can create an eager want within your team and this will in turn, have an impact on your bottom line. The Work Foundation recently published a study that reported managers who invested 10% in Employee Engagement strategies could raise the profits of their company by £2,700, per employee, per year.
A happy, motivated and engaged workforce means –
- reduced sickness – dis-engaged employees are 3 times more likely to call in sick
- better attrition – dis-engaged employees are 4 times more likely to leave for an alternative job
- stronger economy – The Work Foundation claims that making small investments into employee engagement could contribute £49bn to the economy
- embracing change – an engaged employee finds it much easier to implement organisational change to achieve a faster or improved outcome
- increased customer satisfaction
- increased productivity
- increased profits
Have you implemented any employee engagement tactics that have made a considerable difference to the productivity and engagement of your team? We’d love to hear about it if you have. Follow the conversation on Twitter or Facebook.
Written by Lucy Rawes, Operations Director
Recent Comments