HR Heads

Much has been written recently about rising unemployment and in particular, rising youth unemployment now sitting at more than 1m. It has been on our radar for the past 6 months and we are actively including it in our strategic planning to see how we as a business can have an impact locally. It was therefore with great interest that I read David Smiths column in the Times on Sunday (page 4, Business Section). He pointed out that Youth Unemployment rose by nearly 200,000 between 2001 and 2007, when the economy was growing and in a strong position. How is it that this has not been focused on? David highlights that young people are suffering from a structural problem, losing out in competition with migrant workers but also hurt by the minimum wage, high employment and training costs, and mismatches between their skills and what organisations are looking for. This is not in other words a short term problem. Employers need more incentive to take them on and it remains to be seen whether the autunm statement on November 29th will offer one. We wait with baited breath….

As a specialist HR Recruiter operating in the Surrey and Middlesex market I thought it might be interesting to talk a bit about the areas that I recruit into. I’ll be blogging about this over the next few weeks, talking in more detail about hotspots, trends, salaries, demand etc but here are a few initial insights.

Surrey is the most “wooded” county in England and is noted for its beauty spots. In economic and employment terms it is hailed as the having the highest GDP per head and is well known as being the commuter belt for those who work for financial services businesses in the city. But what does Surrey offer for the HR professional and are there HR roles to be found in Surrey? Well, yes there is lots of opportunity if you know where to look and are prepared to be flexible. From experience, HR roles in the county offer fantastic role content, more of a work life balance (compared to roles in London) and the opportunity to work in wonderful surroundings. The trade off is salary, generally packages in Surrey do not compete with London remuneration. But for those who want to escape the smog and monotony of the daily train slog into town then Surrey offers tempting opportunities in cultures that are often a breath of fresh air! If you are working in London at the moment but live in Surrey and would like to discuss the market in more detail please feel free to call.

Moving on to Middlesex…

Middlesex is the second smallest County in England (by land) – not many people know that! It is however densely populated and a powerhouse county in economic terms. The presence and influence of Heathrow attracts businesses of all types and sizes to locate themselves near to the airport. For the HR professional this offers variety. International experience is often sought after and on offer from employers in the area. Businesses often have a strong international presence (or ambition), or are European / EMEA HQ’s of US owned businesses. There is also plenty of opportunities for HR Professionals who enjoy the smaller environment however. Heathrow needs support services meaning that small company roles with SME’s are plentiful. Expect a different remit here though - the nature of these businesses and the security requirements of staff working airside leads to a heavy dependency on its HR team for recruitment, vetting and employee relations support. Often unionised, roles in these environments are busy and challenging but highly rewarding.

I’ve probably taken up all of my blogging character allocation for one day so I will return soon with more on the Surrey and Middlesex HR marketplace.

Before I go though I feel obliged to explain why I eat 7 times a day as mentioned on the last blog (I realise this seems a little excessive). I am mad about fitness and try to train every day – this means I need a huge amount of calories – eating 7 times a day keeps my blood sugar level and gives me the calories that I need. That’s my excuse anyway – its also because I love food!

One more interesting fact about me – Many years ago, my then girlfriend was away travelling the world. Our relationship was relatively new and we were in regular contact through facebook and skype, but we were missing each other terribly. I decided to fly out to New Zealand and joined her for a few weeks.  This gesture of commitment (some may say desperation) worked and we returned together to the UK at the end of my time out there…… that girlfriend is now my wife, we were married the following year. It just goes to show, anything is possible for those who are willing to go the extra mile!

Exciting news at HR Heads, we are expanding! We are delighted to announce the arrival of Andy Lavey to the business, taking HR heads into Surrey and Middlesex. Andy has more than 11 years HR recruitment experience and a unique understanding of the market place in Surrey and Middlesex.  If you would consider opportunities in the area, or know of people who would benefit from talking to Andy,  his contact details are - ( 01962 432 002, 07785 622 635). Watch this space for more details and interesting facts about Andy soon!

….. Fact number one - Andy eats 7 times a day.

The next HR Heads Breakfast Forum has just been confirmed for Friday 9th December 2011 at 8.30am. As always, the event will involve a guest speaker and I am so excited to say this session will be run by Andrea Metcalf from Nationwide Training. Andrea was responsible for training me nearly 15 years ago!!! and it is a delight to find she operates from Ringwood. If you would like to book a complimentary place, let me know - we wouldn’t want to run out of breakfast!

An article written in the Daily Telegraph yesterday suggested that the Prime Minister might be considering changes to the AWR due to be introduced into the UK on 1st October 2011. The reality is surely that the Government have had since January to make such reviews and amendments and having not done so already, are unlikely to introduce any now. Interesting reading though….

http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2011/09/06/57915/agency-workers-directive-could-be-diluted.html

Following on from our last HR Heads Breakfast Forum, Sarah Lardner from Innecto Reward promised to share future white papers concerning Reward with us. Her colleague Sam Gee has recently published a great one on Social Media and Reward that I thought you might find interesting. It can be found on their website www.innectogroup.co.uk. Let me know what you think and whether you use social media currently.

The end of June saw HR Heads host one of the most interesting HR Forums to date. Presenting was Sarah Lardner from Innecto Consulting, a business that specialises in working with companies to implement creative reward solutions. Having worked recently to recruit a Global Reward Director for a business based on the South Coast, it really brought home to me how little specialist reward knowledge there was in the area. Many of you are brilliant HR professionals but general practitioners and handling reward as just one element of your role. For those who attended, I hope Sarah was able to demonstrate some of the specialist knowledge she has and impart that for you to take back to your businesses.

I have copies of the presentation, so if anyone missed it and would like a copy then do let me know!

Well, HR Heads has finally settled into the new year and is busy!  The constant talk around economic decline, rising interest rates, the value of the pound compared to our European counterparts and the stagnant wages ‘v’ inflation continues.  For this reason, HR Heads has chosen the very subject of economic activity and the affect it has upon business decisions as our next HR Forum topic.   To be held on 24th March, this discussion will be led by Richard Gigg, a genius in examining and explaining businesses reactions to the economy, and how this in turn affects how we feel about them.  

If you have not already received an invitation and would like to come along, drop me an email at jennifer.gaster@hrheads.co.uk

Marking two years of business for HR Heads, this Forum was once again a huge success and well attended.  Mike Turner from youbecome provided the ever needed reminder as to our role as “leader by example” coupled with the rather shocking news that on average 70% of the leaders in our businesses may be doing more harm than good in that management role. 

Identifying the differences between training and coaching through will and skill wheels and the subsequent approaches applicable to the development of those areas, Mike outlined his leadership development tool and gave practical demonstrations as to how it embraces an all encompassing approach, utilising 360 degree feedback questionnaires and comparing self awareness to those findings.

Assisted by Viv Sage (Head of HR - New England Seafood Company), Mike was able to demonstrate how this worked in practice and facilitated the employees buy in to the process through self established goals and timescales being transparent but all importantly owned by the individual.  Without question, this is a tool that I can see working brilliantly in a business that embraces leadership development and actively seeks to walk the walk rather than just do the talk.

Those who attended will remember the session was video’d and we will have a link for you to review the presentation in due course.  If anyone else would like to see the notes / presentation, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

New legislation from 1 October: make sure you are legal

A number of changes to business legislation came into force on 1 October 2010 - Are you up to date??

1. National minimum wage
For pay reference periods (PRPs) beginning on or after 1 October 2010, you will have to pay all eligible workers the following:
• £5.93 an hour to workers aged 21 and above (’the main rate’)
• £4.92 an hour to workers aged 18-20
• £3.64 an hour to workers aged below 18 who are no longer of compulsory school age

It’s important to note that the age threshold for the main rate is going to fall from 22 (as it is currently) to 21.
There are also changes affecting the national minimum wage for apprentices and allowances for providing living accommodation.

2. Employment equality law
The Equality Act 2010 brings together separate pieces of current anti-discrimination legislation within a single Act. Most of the provisions in the Act take effect in October 2010 although further changes are anticipated in April 2011.
The Equality Act covers the same groups that are protected by existing equality legislation - age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity - but extends some protections to groups not previously covered, and also strengthens particular aspects of equality law.
While obligations remain largely the same as under previous anti-discrimination legislation, there are key changes coming into force which employers should be aware of.
The Act aims to provide a simpler, more consistent and more effective legal framework for preventing discrimination.

3. Equality law in the provision of goods and services
The Equality Act 2010 will also have some impact on the ways that businesses sell and market their products.

4. Your business sector
A number of other pieces of legislation affect businesses in certain sectors:
• organic produce importing
• construction
• recruitment agencies and personnel supply
• licensed premises
• motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts manufacturing (EU)
• explosives manufacturing and wholesale (EU)
• agriculture