Five Ways the Modern Workplace is Evolving

Jun 23, 2015 | IT

It’s nothing new to suggest that the workplace is not the same as it was 30 years ago, and technological advances have been a driving force behind many of these changes, not to mention economic and cultural shifts. However, the CIPD recently released a new report for cityoflondon.gov.uk highlighting some of the key workplace changes that are happening to the physical workspace and workstyles that make up the environment where so many of us spend so much of our time.

The city has over 50,000 jobs forecast to be created from 2013 to 2023 with two of the four most notable sectors mentioned being the technical services sector, and the information and communications sector. The report looks at what kind of workstyles are becoming more important, what role the workforce need to play and how office space and infrastructure need to change to support these new styles.

Although the report is focused on the city, you don’t have to be in a state of the art, central London office for these key themes to affect you and your business. The interviews on which much of the report is based “confirmed a shift from a narrow focus on workplace efficiency, towards a more balanced focus including workplace effectiveness and engagement. An effective workplace is one that optimises productivity by providing workers with the environment, tools and support services they need to fulfill their roles.”  That sounds good, right? But what are the important factors that are allowing this to happen?

Flexible and Agile Working

Working away from the office and flexible start and finish times are some of the characteristics of agile working. There is more pressure on organisations to offer flexibility, although not all are happy to. The report found it could be one of the top tactics for improving employee productivity.

The Growth of Shared Space

Activity-based workspaces are increasingly being providing for collaboration, concentration, communication, creativity and contemplation. There is a shift from fixed, long-term leased space to flexible and on-demand space. Less space is generally being used more efficiently, and more effectively.

Connectivity

As businesses adapt to market pressures, and change within business is more frequent, there is much more need to be agile and well connected. High-speed internet connections allow working from home, a coffee shop or anywhere you wish in fact. Workplaces are becoming more team based and collaborative but also more mobile, making the power of the network more profound.

A Multi-generation Workforce

The majority of the city’s workforce are Generation Y, born between 1979 and 2000. However generation Z, those born after 2000, will soon too be entering the workplace. Due to improved longevity and changes in retirement law there are also increasingly more older workers staying in work. “Tomorrow’s office will need to accommodate up to four generations of worker, and cater for their different workplace needs, covering a wider spread of ages than ever before.”

Technology Continues to Develop

Employees are now bringing an average of three and a half mobile devices to the workplace. Email once took over voicemail and now instant messaging is taking over email as the chosen form of inter-office communication. Working on the move and remotely is becoming easier as technology gets more reliable, user-friendly and convenient.

Perhaps your workplace will organically evolve to incorporate these factors, but it’s certain that you can prompt, encourage and facilitate change in your physical workspace, in-house technologies and through workstyles and practices. Increasingly, workspaces are required to be more flexible, open and interactive, but still need to work for a range of workers at different stages and with different needs. Organisations need to attract and retain highly skilled employees while responding to the changing demands of the workplace.

Managing Your Workload and Workforce During Holidays

May 26, 2015 | IT

In the UK there are eight public holidays each year (with variations in Scotland and Northern Ireland) and for most of us that means a long weekend, a time to catch up on some chores and maybe even a BBQ.  However, for many organisations the show goes on as normal, or at least some bank holiday cover may be required. Add the looming school half terms and the summer holiday season and it’s enough to push some employers into a light sweat over cover.

For any period where you know you’re going to be short of staff, it’s important to find the right balance between bringing in new, potentially expensive and unnecessary, short-term cover and placing too much responsibility on remaining staff.  For some organisations national holiday periods such as bank holidays, Christmas and Easter may be quiet for the business if clients or customers are off enjoying their holiday too and can be a great time to play catch up. However for the rest, particularly service industries, the same work may need to be done but you will have distinctly less staff. This is when the importance of managing employee leave is at its most significant.

Good Planning

As with any aspect of business, a successful outcome is usually down to a foundation of good planning. Be clear on the facts and know what holiday your employees are legally entitled to. Consider maternity leave, those on sick leave and be sure to be clear about part-time worker’s entitlements. Develop a clear policy for holiday and requests and use a holiday dairy or calendar visible to everyone. If needed, introduce rules on when holidays can and cannot be taken to help meet your business needs. You can also prompt employees to take their annual leave – keeping a good track on who’s doing what with regards to their annual leave will mean you’re well prepared for covering any gaps.

Fair Policy and Recognition

Your high performers will be the most efficient and effective form of cover, but you need to be careful not to put too much demand on these employees who have a good skill set and if they are put under too much pressure may begin to think about a future elsewhere.  Ensure you are straight with employees and tell them why they’re required to do extra work and how long for, this will show that you respect them and will help to put the extra work into perspective. Reward those who’ve gone out of their way and worked hard, use employee of the month recognition or incentives for example. If the policy you have in place is fair and you treat all requests fairly and consistently, this is the best foundation for keeping everything running smoothly through times when there are a large number or employees on leave. Some organisations may see benefit in allowing their employees more control over annual leave, so they can balance their personal commitments and work life more individually, think about purchasing and selling annual leave or the ability to carry it over.

In general terms, following these principles of respect, good planning and fair policy should aid your business when cover is short, without the need to hire any external temporary workers. Ensure each department knows that an appropriate handover must be completed before they leave and hold a team meeting to allow any details to be covered and questions to be asked. Your employees deserve a break and if they have a great time on holiday and come back to see that their department hasn’t been destroyed in their absence or that their desk hasn’t been piled high with outstanding to-dos, you’re likely to have a happier, more productive workforce.

Is Flexible Working Having an Impact on Your Organisation?

May 26, 2015 | IT

In 2014 legislation came into place that made it possible for all employees with 26 weeks or more service to request flexible working. Up until then only those with young children or those with a dependant to care for, had the right to do so.

Finding a work/life balance can be tricky and the way people want to work is evolving as a ‘job for life’ is no longer appealing for most younger job seekers and older workers want to ensure quality of life, without retiring completely.

Who is likely to request flexible working?

Those with families and dependants are still probably the largest group likely to request flexible working, but the hope is that this legislation will make it easier and more acceptable particularly for men, no matter their position, to ask for flexibility. More than half of over 55s are likely to work past retirement age and the opportunity to work fewer hours may be appealing to those wanting to continue with an income and career but enjoy more time out in the build up to their retirement. On the other side of the scale many younger workers are attracted to flexible work with the aim of building up a portfolio, while possibly working on other projects or building up their own business at the same time.

What forms of flexible working are there?

• Part-time working
• Working from home
• Flexi-time – working outside of traditional office hours
• Compressed hours – working longer hours on some days to free up others
• Job-sharing
• Term-time working – paid or unpaid leave during school holidays

What are the benefits?

The benefits for the employee are obvious; ideally leading to better moral, productivity, lower labour turnover, and reduced absenteeism. However, organisations are beginning to see other benefits such as saving on office space and the costs involved in having staff present on their premises. Also, many firms may require their workforce to be flexible during busy periods of the year so offering your employees flexibility themselves should mean they’re more likely to return the favour.

Is there a downside?

A problem that has to be well managed and should involve some form of policy and procedure is the fact that there may be a number of conflicting requests submitted by employees. Organisations must be careful not to discriminate, as this could lead to expensive and damaging employment tribunals.

Flexible working means a change in culture for many organisations, whereas for others where the process is encouraged and flexible working is celebrated, the culture of the organisation simply evolves to allow the benefits of this arrangement to benefit the organisation further.  Many firms measure the input of their employees on whether they turn up and complete their shift, but surely productivity should be based on objectives, output and completion? This is exactly how you may need to manage your flexible, part-time or home workers to ensure they are on the same page and complete their work to the standard required, within the appropriate time.

Does your organisation champion flexible working, did you celebrate National Flexible Working Awareness Day earlier this month? Let us know your thoughts on Twitter @ITRecruitment

The Exit Interview

May 12, 2015 | IT

Exit interviews offer a fleeting opportunity to find out information that otherwise might be more difficult or impossible to obtain.

Interviews can be conducted orally or written.

Exit interview questions are essential to a successful separation and here are some tips on how to construct these questions.

1. Save the hardest questions for the latter part of the interview. Work up to the tough stuff!

2. A good question to break the ice is “Would you like for us to be a reference/recommendation for you?” Although, do not make this offer if you would not recommend the employee!
3. Be prepared for some bombshells. Expect the unexpected – if there is ever a time to this to happen, it’s in an exit interview.
4. Look for open-ended questions that allow for plenty of expression. An example of this might be “how did you feel you were managed during your employment with us?” or “how do you feel the company is run?”
5. Other excellent questions are “under what conditions would you have stayed?” and “if you had had a magic wand, what would you have changed?”
6. At some point in the interview ask “why are you leaving?” if you do not already know.
7. Good general questions are “what did you like most (least) about your position?”

8. Try to find out if there were things the departing employee would suggest to improve – conditions, production or morale.
9. Try to get a good feel for how they viewed their compensation and benefits package.

10. Leave room at the end of the interview for general comments. You could also ask them to describe one or two of their proudest professional accomplishments?

Here are some examples of Exit Interview Questions.

• Before deciding to leave, did you explore the possibility of a transfer?
• Is there something you didn’t like about your boss?
• How would you rate our work environment?
• Were you happy with your salary and benefits?
• What did you think about your performance and salary reviews?
• How should we change the way we do things to avoid losing other good employees?

General Election 2015: The Conservative Promise to Business and Recruitment

May 12, 2015 | IT

After months of debate, battles and more policies than we could get our head round, David Cameron is staying put at number 10 and the recruitment industry and employees alike are keen to see the promises of the election build up honored by the new Conservative government.

During the campaigning there were various points of interest for employers. The Liberal Democrats focused on equality for women and fathers in work, the Green Party on creating sustainable jobs, especially within energy conservation, and UKIP on making sure jobs are offered to British workers first. Labour’s links to the unions and general anti-agency views immediately make them less popular to recruiters, however supporting the abolishment of hot-topic zero hour contracts could mean more work for us recruiters, finding permanent employees for business. The Conservatives plan to reduce the exclusivity of zero hour contracts, rather than scrap them altogether.

There has been no shortage of speculation and option in the build up, and although the result was unpredictably straight forward, the general consensus is that a Tory government is favoured by the recruitment industry.  A survey by Bullhorn, pre-election showed 53% of UK recruiters supported a conservative outcome. But how will the new government affect recruitment within your business? Lets take a look at the key areas.

Full Employment
During his first term David Cameron boasts that his party created 1 million new jobs. There are now 30.8 million people in employment, with unemployment at 5.7% as oppose to 8% back in 2010 at the last election. As well as stating that they will aim to improve the skills of older workers to meet the needs of the economy, they Tories are tackling the important issue of youth unemployment with Cameron stating “we won’t just aim to lower youth unemployment; we aim to abolish it.” The idea is that anyone who wants a job, gets a job. The key to making this work is dealing with current skill shortages through appropriate education, training and apprenticeships (the new government has promised 3 million of these).

Business support
The promise is to help start-ups by cutting red tape, aiming to boost small business and therefore allowing growth and the flexibility to take on more specialist staff.

Immigration
One of the most discussed topics of the election, immigration continues to spark debate. Skilled workers from overseas fill many of the current gaps in our UK workforces and many believe tighter immigration controls would jeopardise the important roles that immigrant workers can bring to the country. Although the Conservatives didn’t hold their promise on the cap on immigration (by a long way) in the last parliament, this time they promise to clamp down on illegal immigration and abuse of the minimum wage, so lets hope this this will go some way to solve the current inability to distinguish between skilled and unskilled immigrants moving to the UK.

Diversity
We now have more women MPs in parliament than ever before, and it is looking this way for business too. Promoting equal treatment and equal opportunity for all is all part of David Cameron’s Big Society and this includes requiring companies with more than 250 employees to publish the difference between the average pay of their male and female employees. They also aim to halve the disability employment gap.

Conclusion
What business leaders always want it stability, and now we at least know who’s in parliament and what the promises are. Unfortunately the history of broken promises and PR stunts within politics leaves everyone more then skeptical. In what other recruitment process would the candidates be so scathing of their competition, make personal attacks and expect support by highlighting how bad the other choices are? Never the less, there are lots of positive sounds for business coming from the Conservatives, so with an EU referendum on the horizon, likely to shake up debate with the business community once more, lets watch this space.

Talent Shortage? Is it a myth or is a shrinking talent pool really affecting your recruitment?

Apr 27, 2015 | IT

There is currently much discussion in the recruitment industry about talent shortages affecting company recruitment in the UK. But is this a real concern to organistions or does it just require a shift in thinking?

Falling unemployment levels and growing administration responsibilities are potential threats for recruitment, as well as organisations not protecting themselves or planning for potential candidate shortages.

However, particularly in the ever-developing world of IT, it may just be that employers have to think a little differently about their recruitment process. Technical skills are forever changing and progressing, and so are professional’s job descriptions and career plans. The career path of a more generalised IT professional may no longer be clear or as they had originally planned a number of years ago.

Candidates may feel nervous about leaving a secure role to move on somewhere else. This creates a need for hiring organisations to be more creative, offering really attractive packages and the right bonuses and training courses to not only attract but also look after their employees long term.

This debate varies throughout industries, particularly in digital marketing you will find those who feel there is a real shortage of the right candidates for roles. However you will always find others who will counter that argument with claims that the market is changing, and making the organistion and industry as a whole more appealing is the key to successful recruitment.

Because IT professionals often need to be recruited quickly for certain projects, often requiring specialist skills or deep knowledge of niche areas of IT, this can add to recruitment pressures. A little like dating, employers want to find the perfect match – but how long are they willing to wait, often putting extra pressure on the existing team and leaving a role empty?

Reports show that companies are planning to increase hiring throughout 2015 to grow their workforce so it may be that any talent shortage is short lived, at least for those organisations willing to innovate. Candidates are likely to judge organisations more intently, especially in markets that are more competitive, so it is more important than ever to communicate well and a put a human face to the business and the recruitment process.

Finding, developing and retaining the right talent is so important, and in IT it is especially important to have a recruitment agency that understand the ever-progressing world of technology. Here at Langley James we are a bespoke IT recruitment service and are dedicated to finding the right matches. Contact us here for more details.

Five Reasons to Consider Video Interviewing

Apr 27, 2015 | IT

Video interviewing is the future. Well at least that’s what many industry experts have been telling us for some time now. It is definitely becoming more commonplace, particularly in digital industries. Organisations need to show potential employees that they are ahead of the game and leaders in their field, and keeping up to date with new interviewing technology could make a good first impression.

Video interviewing comes in a number of forms. First there is a typical two-way style interview, but simply conduced via video. There are also one-way videos, uploaded by the candidate, possibly answering set questions, or as a ‘video CV’ – these can also be produced by organisations as a punchy way to help sell their business and available jobs.

So why invest in this technology? Why change a traditional interviewing process in favour of video interviewing? We’ve covered some of the key points you need to know about video interviews and how they may benefit your organisation.

Be efficient

Although there may be some initial investment in software involved for larger organisations, SMEs could easily utilise free software or applications such as Skype for straightforward interviewing. Directors, HR managers and other interviewing managers will be able to cover a lot more interviews in a shorter space of time, and savings on extras such as travel expenses could be considerable. Incorporating this video stage into your recruitment may help to reduce candidate volume, selecting the top candidates ready for the final, more expensive stage of the interview process.

Inject some personality

Reading a CV or conducting a telephone interview (even with perfect telephone manner) can often be flat or misleading. Visual interaction and the important signals we take from body language can be very important, and help personality and passion to shine. In two-way interviews, both the interviewee and the interviewing organisation will be able to gain a much better understanding of who they’re speaking to and what kind of fit they would be within the team.

Amend and improve

Recorded videos can be paused and played again, so you’ll never miss a detail. Organisations have the opportunity to review previous interview questions, the responses they received, and tweak or improve them in future interviews to get even more from their candidates. Similarly, videos offer them the ability to coach candidates through each stage of the interview process, reviewing answers and suggesting improvements in preparation for the next stage. Re-watch interviews at your own convenience and easily share with colleagues.

Keep moving

Not only do candidates have the advantage of being able to upload or log on to their video interview from their mobiles or tablets wherever they want, employers can take their recruitment with them! There’s no need to be tied to the office or a meeting at a certain location, video interviewing is perfect for busy professionals on the go.

And relax….

If the first four reasons haven’t given you enough reason to relax about the idea of video interviewing, it’s also possible that this form of interview may help your candidates to relax. Although not for everyone, video interviewing allows interviewees to be in their own environment, often at a time of their convenience, relieving traditional interview stresses. One-way interviews can also be practiced and rerecorded.

Overall, video interviewing is a very viable option of many IT organisations. Even if it doesn’t play a central role in your interviewing process, it may help to streamline the process, lend itself well to certain roles or particularly suit contractors. Removing geographical barriers, it could open the door to a new pool of talent, helping to fill more specialist roles. At Langley James, we will support you at each step of your interviewing process, and can advise you as to what may work best for your organisation. Please get in touch with one of our consultants if you are looking to fill an IT position in your team.

Tell Me What You Want – Detailed Job Descriptions are critical in finding the perfect employee

Mar 24, 2015 | IT

Finding the perfect employee is not like ordering a Big Mac and fries at McDonald’s, but some job descriptions can lead you to believe that!

Personnel, Recruitment Consutants and HR staff are often tasked with finding the perfect employee for a company with less details than they would have if they were taking a lunch order for the office. “I need a Technical person with 3-5 years experience in the software industry” is not going to get you what you need!

Here are five questions you should answer in creating a great job description:

1. What is the job’s primary purpose or contribution to the department or Company?

2. What are the essential technical skills, what versions and what should they have done with them. Three technical questions set by the IT Department along with their answers will help with prelimanary interviews for Recruitment Consultants when qualifying candidates for the position.

3. What are the essential duties and responsibilities? You should include all important aspects of the job – whether performed daily, weekly, monthly or annually; and any that occur at irregular intervals.

4. Does the job have supervisory responsibilities? Are there subordinate supervisors reporting to this job? If yes, how many?

5. What education and amount of experience is needed to successfully accomplish the essential duties of the job?

And last, but definitely NOT least, is why would the candidate want to work there? Do you have a fund to allow each employee to pursue their personal development through training or books? Do you provide Flexitime, Creche facilities? Play lunch time 5 A Side? Gym membership, Healthcare? Discounts? Tell them what’s in it for THEM!

Writing your job description in this manner will increase your chances of finding the perfect employee for YOU.

Langley James are experts in their field and have been helping companies both attract and retain the best management talent for 15 years.  A recruitment service founded on service excellence, we are experts at what we do and with a bespoke approach, we help you save time and are happy to share our specialist knowledge to help you Recruit Someone Worth Recruiting.

Finding the Perfect Employee

Mar 24, 2015 | IT

Over the past few years we have had to be extremely creative to find great employees. Recently the number of Technical Professionals seeking new positions has more than doubled. Instead of having to search high and low to find a few great people, employers and agencies are bombarded with hundreds – or even thousands – of CV’s. So how are you going to find the truly great employee?

Recruiting for an employee to fill your position can be a frustrating and a time consuming process. From writing the job spec and the advert, which has to be exciting and challenging to attract great people, to the actual interviews with likely candidates, your time is guaranteed to be stretched to the maximum for a period of time.

Here are 5 tips to help you find a great employee:

1. When you review a CV, look for length of time on the job: a candidate with several short- term employers (less than a year) could mean a lack of commitment on their part. Of course, with all the recent redundancies, it could just mean they got caught in the fallout.

It isn’t necessarily a fact that they were laid off because the company was cutting back. Star performers are not laid off if the company can avoid it. Be sure to check those references carefully, especially if the company is still in business. You don’t want someone else’s “deadwood”.

2. Look for gaps in employment and ask for an explanation. Long periods out of work could signal a time out to update their education – or it may indicate some criminal background.

3. Watch the employment dates for “overlaps”. This could be a simple error, but also might indicate that the candidate is not being truthful about previous employers. Ask the person to explain it, and be sure to call those employers and verify dates of employment with them.

4. Have a copy of the job description at hand when you review the CV’s. The more skills that match your job description, the more likely you will be to have a great match. Focus on what they have done in the past that matches what you want them to do. Write a list of things you want them to do and then ask questions that will get those answers (or the lack thereof).

5. Sort your likely CV’s into two piles – one for those that look perfect to you, the other for those that look good. Conduct prelimnary telephone interviews and ask them why they want to work for your company.

While these tips aren’t the whole picture in hiring a great employee, using them increases your chances that you will hire the perfect match for your company.

With the present restrictions on information that a previous employer is allowed to give you, it is important to pay attention to all the details you get from the candidate. It will make the difference between having a GREAT employee working for you, or just having a GOOD one.

At Langley James we are at hand to assist with writing Job Descriptions.

Langley James are experts in their field and have been helping companies both attract and retain the best management talent for 15 years.  A recruitment service founded on service excellence, we are experts at what we do and with a bespoke approach, we help you save time and are happy to share our specialist knowledge to help you Recruit Someone Worth Recruiting.

Rebuilding Your Staff Employee By Employee

Mar 24, 2015 | IT

Problem – “my employees are minimal and I can’t get any improvement”

Solution – rebuild your business one employee at a time

Minimal employees have become the bane of business – those that do just enough to get by and no more. If a business with good market share and strong strategy is still achieving poor results then it almost always points to minimal employees. Sometimes owners/management see this but often it takes an outsider to point it out. Once this is understood to be the problem the question I get is – How do I get rid of these bottom-feeders and get some good people in their place? The answer is to build it employee by employee. The following are some key concepts when considering a personnel ‘upgrade’:

1. Understand that minimal employees cause discontentment with productive employees. Good employees often leave because of minimal employees. Having a minimal employee can hurt the entire operation. Realizing this is important when difficult decisions need to be made.

2. Understand that most businesses cannot shut down as they reorganize or redesign. I use the analogy of a flying plane: you cannot stop the plane to fix it – you have to fix it while it is flying. The rule here is ‘don’t shoot yourself in the foot’. Usually this means don’t fire or lay-off until you have replacements.

3. View employees as resources and profit centers – not just expenses. Minimal employees are usually cheaper but deliver much less value.

4. Review your staffing at least once a week. (depending on the circumstances this may be necessary more often.) Go through each employee and determine his or her appropriateness for the business. I like to use a spreadsheet, keep notes and strategies current so they can be constantly reviewed. I ‘star’ those employees that are ‘on the bubble’ or are delivering questionable value.

5. Do evaluations and reviews every three months. Once or twice a year is simply not enough.

6. Measure and evaluate your people weekly. Producers welcome the attention and ‘bottomfeeders’ will do all they can to avoid the scrutiny. Find some criteria for even those hard to measure job classifications – like service rep.

7. Find out if the poor producers have potential. Time and time again I see management wanting to fire but not looking at potential. Sometimes they are amazed when they see a minimal employee blossom. Sometimes I am amazed that management is not paying attention. It is usually better to give the minimal employee a chance or opportunity – if they do not want it they will often quit.

8. Understand that accountability is the employee’s responsibility – 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 when the time comes.

9. Have a training and career plan for each employee.

10. Hire right. The key to building a successful staffing is to make sure each new hire is better than what you have. If you do know how to hire get some help. Look at work ethic, values, maturity, drive, creativity, etc. Truly amazing things happen when you replace a ‘bad apple’ with a good employee.

11. 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.

12. Set up a system where employees can train or mentor each other. This tends to raise the standard throughout the business.

13. Constantly evaluate what your market and customers demand. Make sure you are hiring to meet this demand.

14. Make the processes automatic – daily if possible. If you stay focused the results will come. Focus on the process!

15. Be persistent. Most of my clients go into a continual recruitment mode.

Langley James are experts in their field and have been helping companies both attract and retain the best management talent for 15 years.  A recruitment service founded on service excellence, we are experts at what we do and with a bespoke approach, we help you save time and are happy to share our specialist knowledge to help you Recruit Someone Worth Recruiting.

45% of employees are not inspired by their line manager

Mar 10, 2015 | IT

Research has revealed that poor leadership is a major cause of staff leaving their job with over 30% citing this is the main reason for searching for alternative employment.  This was one of the many insights identified by the latest Towers Watson Global Workforce Study.

The report goes as far to suggest that “meagre managers are adding to the UK talent drain”.

The report also highlighted that only 39% of employees feel that the company leaders truly understand the factors that drive business success, and just 58% saying that their leaders consistently make rational decision that benefit the organisation in the long term.

Although many employees understand and recognise the challenges that come with managing a team, many feel that their manager doesn’t have sufficient time to perform the people aspect of management.  Managers agree and many said that they were not being supported and empowered to deliver effective management.

According to the report, over a third of managers do not coach and develop their team and a quarter fail to evaluate performance with personal development reviews.

The talent shortage is intensifying this problem with 43% of businesses struggling to meet client expectation and deadlines, further pressure is being put on management to drive up performance in the existing team.  This can also result in those that have the most impact on the bottom line are getting more attention from their manager which in turn is upsetting team dynamics.

So everybody is having to perform against time and resource pressures.  Not surprising then that the recent YouGov research conducted on behalf of the British Heart Foundation revealed that more than two-fifths of employees feel work pressures have damaged their health in the past five years

Companies need to better train and support their managers to help gain the long-term commitment from their teams.

Langley James are experts in their field and have been helping companies both attract and retain the best management talent for 15 years.  A recruitment service founded on service excellence, we are experts at what we do and with a bespoke approach, we help you save time and are happy to share our specialist knowledge to help you Recruit Someone Worth Recruiting.