Exclusive Thinking

Instagram as a Recruitment Tool

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Tue, 03 Sep 2013 09:43:00 +0000

Social media websites are now an enormous and prominent part of the recruitment process. Publishers, agents and writers rendezvous on Twitter, artists and graphic design companies meet on Tumblr, and businesses of all kinds are able to learn more about their candidates from their Facebook accounts than ever attainable from a CV.

For business and employers, building brand is utterly essential. Social media offers an invaluable means of building brand identity, following and loyalty. The immediacy and reach of sites like Twitter make them infinitely more efficient than traditional promotion methods. Instagram, owned by Facebook, is one website enabling you not only to build your brand and image, but help you locate talented people in your field and within your area.
Instagram is sleeker and more streamlined than Facebook, cultivating a vibrant, ultramodern community. Having been designed with iPhones and iPads in mind, you can access updates on your smartphone between meetings, on the commute, and throughout your work day.

Instagram is an image-oriented site – just take a photo on your phone and upload it directly to Instagram instantly, utilising the glorious array of filters as you see fit. As a business, you can upload images of your products, employees and any significant events your company is involved in – social networking is the ideal way to build brand awareness, giving your company a face and a real sense of identity.

Searching specific Instagram hashtags can also be an effective way of discovering new talent. Instagram users will use hashtags such as #photography or #engineering, for example, to promote their own work, ongoing projects and anything they feel will represent them positively. Social media users know the recruiters are out there, meaning that self-promotional efforts are now being made with the job search in mind. If you’re in pursuit of fresh, creative talent in your organisation, this search process could be enormously beneficial. Jobseekers should also bear in mind that in order to see their talents and skillsets recognised, building a strong Instagram portfolio and following is hugely worthwhile.

Instagram is also partnered up with Foursquare, so you can log your location as you Instagram. And for recruiters in the area, searching local tags to find geographically convenient prospects is a great way to broaden your range of suitable candidates.
One of Instagram’s key benefits is that trends are constantly accessible, and you know your way around a computer, two traits that are vital for entrepreneurs and fresh, budding businesses. This is, of course, not a replacement for the traditional job search, as with the millions of Instagram users, there’s no guarantee you will be noticed. Making connections, building a rapport with desired clients and employers, and demonstrating that your company is ahead of the curve are invaluable to both potential employers and employees. But Instagram is surely a sensible place to start.

Social media certainly can’t do all the work, however. If you need an exceptional recruitment service and are looking to outsource, Exclusive’s team of recruitment specialists provide an unparalleled service and first-rate customer care.

Being "Fair" in HR Management

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Fri, 24 May 2013 14:05:00 +0000

As HR specialists, Exclusive know that the respect and fairness with which employees are treated by their business is of paramount importance to them. Fairness in the workplace helps to determine their attitudes to the job, as well as having an effect on their productivity. Therefore, HR managers need to make sure they are doing everything they possibly can to provide a fair working environment for their employees. Here we show you how this can be achieved in your business using our expert knowledge in HR.

Diversity

Diversity is about valuing your employees as individuals. It’s important to acknowledge that, although people have some things in common with one another, they are also different in many ways. A one-size-fits-all approach to HR management will not achieve fairness in the workplace because people have different personal needs, values and beliefs. A good HR manager will recognise that different approaches are required for different workers and will therefore be flexible in the management of their employees. There are a number of potential strategies to provide a diverse working environment:

When guiding new employees, pay closer attention to department culture and unwritten rules, as opposed to the explicit outlining of job responsibilities and expectations.
Be open-minded – accept that there are a number of different ways for employees to achieve the same goal and convey this belief to your staff so they can work according to their personal strengths.
Examine your business’ existing policies, practices and procedures to ensure that they do not differentially impact different groups. If so, make the appropriate changes.

Equality

Equality is about treating all your employees with the same level of respect, regardless of their differences. Whether it be age, gender, race or sexual orientation, it is important that none of these factors be used to judge employees as being superior or inferior to their colleagues.

Therefore, equality policies should be put in place:

Make sure all workers have the same equipment and peripherals to perform effectively.
You should not overlook one employee for a promotion in favour of another due to any non-professional justifications.
One of the most important equality practices a company should employ concerns wages. No employee should be paid more than any other who is performing the same amount and at the same level.

As well as implementing equality policies, as an HR manager it’s your job to always be seen to be treating your employees equally:

Respond to your employees’ needs and concerns promptly, regardless of their position in the company. A Caretaker’s question about his rota is just as important as a question from your Company Director.
Deal with any problems that arise objectively and not based on the employee involved. Of course you are going to enjoy some people’s company over others but you cannot let a fondness for someone dictate how you handle a situation.
Maintain a professional relationship with all of your workers. Do not discuss personal matters that are irrelevant to the business. You should keep relationships amicable but not overly friendly, so as to avoid any awkward misunderstandings.
Be honest with all of your workers. Do not give any one employee privileged information, but at the same time do not hide anything from an employee for good reason.

What are your thoughts on these issues of fairness in the workplace? Will you be implementing any of the strategies we discussed? Our HR experts can assist you with any HR-related queries you may have – get in touch.

#HRHour Live Blog: Q&A - May 22nd

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Wed, 22 May 2013 11:27:00 +0000

Q. #HRHour I'm in the process of taking on a Spanish employee - is there anything extra to consider with regards to employment of EU workers? (@mygenerationuk)

A. My understanding is that nationals of Spain can work in the UK without any restrictions. You may like to review the UK Border Agency website which will detail exactly which workers from European countries can work in the UK without needing to obtain the UK Border Agency's permission, and explains how to check that other European workers have obtained the right to work here.

Q. Hi #HRHour, do you think changes to employment law make this a good time to be considering taking on a new permanent employee? Thanks! (@carpetstudiouk)

A. Anytime is a good time to be recruiting, as it can demonstrate that your business is moving from strength to strength at a time when businesses are facing a demanding economic period. Employment law updates twice a year in April and October and so it is essential that you are aware of any amendments, so that you can ensure you are legally compliant in any recruitment & selection process you carry out and further more you are complaint with employment legislation for your current and future employees.

The Work/Life Equilibrium Step-by-Step

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:55:00 +0000

A recent study from global management consultancy Hay Group affirmed that a massive 39% of employees do not feel as though their professional and domestic lives are “balanced”. Furthermore, only half of employees feel their employer is “sensitive to the relationship between work and home”.
Mark Royal, Senior Principal at Hay Group, stated that "employees are working longer hours with more erratic schedules than ever before". In light of these statistics, Exclusive would like to provide you with 5 easy, manageable tweaks to make to your daily routine which should ultimately help you achieve this work/life equilibrium.

1.   Leave Daily Reminders
We realise that it’s often difficult to keep any two areas of your life entirely separate, especially when there are stresses involved. Your work and home life are not mutually exclusive concepts, but there are ways to avoid having home anxieties running over into your time at work, and vice versa.
Start small: try documenting any necessary home reminders before you go work – this works both ways. It’s is an easy and effective way to find a divide between the two, leaving you completely focused on the job at hand, with the knowledge that other aspects of your life can be dealt with later at their allocated time. Whether the reminder is handwritten, digital or otherwise, make a note and then put it out of your mind until it can be the priority. If you make a habit of this, it will eventually become second-nature and you should feel as though you have a greater handle on the balancing act.

2.   Don’t Be a Martyr – Delegate
If you’re accepting more work than you can handle, you aren’t doing yourself any professional favours. In the likelihood that you’ll be unable to complete your current workload in the required timeframe, there’s no longer anything admirable in the acceptance of the work. Delegation is key. Each day, take a look at your current workload and have a think about how much can realistically be done by you alone. Anything surplus could, and indeed should, be delegated to someone else. Successfully completing a feasible amount of work is undoubtedly preferable to the failed completion of an impractically great number of assignments.
Not asking for help can be a symptom of pride or, conversely, lack of confidence. While there are no instant fixes for these issues, learning to concede that you’ve taken on more than you can handle is a great start. Breaking stubborn habits or summoning the courage to admit that things aren’t going well can be facilitated firstly by remembering to delegate whenever necessary.
3.   Practice Saying “No”
The concept of agreeing to everything you’re ever asked to do for fear of disappointing people is a universal one, don’t worry. No worldly amount of caffeine and/or adrenaline would enable you to get through the workload you’d have if you actually said “yes” every time – and we don’t advise that you test this theory. Employers will be infinitely more vexed by an employee taking on work that they’re already quite aware they can’t manage than an employee who declines what they know is too much. This particular tweak can mean breaking the habit of a lifetime, so as always, we begin with baby steps.
The next time your colleagues try to “donate” some of their work to you, resist your perpetual people-pleaser urges – don’t let them take advantage of your good nature. Say “no” (in a professional and courteous manner, of course). If you gradually introduce this word into your daily vocabulary, you should feel your workload become entirely manageable by comparison – this should result in you being regarded as a more reliable employee and esteemed colleague.
4.   Choose Efficiency Over Perfection
Perfection is rarely a realistic goal. There are certainly some cases where serious attention to detail must be paid, but more often than not, the priority is simply the effective completion of a task. Efficiency is the objective here, meaning that the time in which the work was done is of great importance. The recipe for a desirable employee includes both speed and effectiveness, so try to avoid making any sacrifices in that department. Reviewing your briefs regularly can be the first step to improved efficiency. Make sure you’ve done exactly what’s been asked and no more, unless you have solid justification to think they’d prefer the extra effort. Gradually cutting out wasted time will render you a more effective employee and ultimately improve the balance.
Another thing to bear in mind is that the extra time being dedicated to the pursuit of magnificence means later work will inevitably be compromised. The recognition you’ll receive for submitting perfect work rather than perfectly adequate work won’t be sufficient to justify the substandard specimens which follow – just get the job done.
5.   Do Something That’s Just for You
We’re giving you permission to be a little selfish. Indulge yourself – work time is for making your employers happy, this is for you. It doesn’t matter if it’s important or even worthwhile – however you spend this personal time, make sure to take it just as seriously as you take your job. General happiness is the unequivocal greatest influence on a positive work ethic and one of the few things that can help you find the ideal balance between work and life is reconnecting with your freedom, even if it’s only for a little while. Every day you should be doing at least one thing which qualifies as fun or self-indulgent, be this watching low-grade TV, having a long, hot anti-social bubble bath, engaging in a few cheeky drinks with friends, or whatever you so desire. Don’t forget.

If you keep these tips at the forefront of your mind every day, they should quickly become a habitual part of your routine. Just remember that your job satisfaction is entirely dependent on your life satisfaction, so look after yourself.

A Guide to Standing out on Linkedin: Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:16:00 +0000

10 Tricks for Getting the Attention You Want on Linkedin

Are you desperate to attract the attention of a particular company or professional? Perhaps they are advertising exciting vacancies on the Exclusive site and you want to make contact. Networking on Linkedin is the most successful way to do this in the digital age, as 95% of recruiters use it.

There are 200 million people using Linkedin at the moment. You can see this in two ways: 200 million potential customers/employers or 200 million other people to compete with.

On Linkedin you exist virtually in a sea of data; you are searchable but easily lost. A good analogy would be if your CV or company profile was in a 200-million-sheet-tall pile of paper. This guide aims to show you how you can stand out and get the attention of your desired target.

The Basics

1. Personal Profile

The obvious place to start is with your profile. This is like your online CV. Although it is time consuming, fill in all of the required fields detailing absolutely all of the skills and experience you have that are relevant to the area in which you want to work. Relevant is key- you want to come across as a professional in your desired field, so avoid spreading your skills and experiences too thin across hobbies and jobs that aren’t relevant to the positions you want to apply for.

Make sure you complete each section of your profile, otherwise it will be advertised as incomplete.

2. Connections

Building up a network of connections is essential to success on Linkedin. It is recommended that you have at least 500 connections. If you have less than 100 connections then you are only likely to appear in 3% of the search results. Compare that to those with over 500 connections and there is significant rise- they appear in over 90% of search results.

The best way to achieve this is to start by adding friends, family and coworkers and then find the rest through the ‘people you may know’ section. Try to connect with people that your target connection is linked with or build links in a chain that leads to them.

3. Industry Groups

Industry groups are a key way to build connections but also enable you to get the attention of a specific person/ company. Go onto their profile and see which industry groups they belong to and try to join the same ones. This establishes a connection of shared interests and the enthusiasms between you and the person or company you are hoping to connect with.

4. Testimonials

Ask colleagues and friends to write you a testimonial to appear on your page. This can boost your credibility and establish you as someone your target connection would want to know.

5. Regular Updates

It is important to appear engaged online and this means updating your Linkedin at least every two weeks. It is worth noting that Linkedin is most active in the mornings so whatever you post is more likely to be read at this time. Keep your posts relevant and professional. Researching to uncover interesting articles that might catch the attention of your desired target is time well spent.

The Next Steps

6. Keywords

Linkedin’s search tool is almost completely driven by keywords. Therefore it is important to think about the keywords that you want to use on your profile. Without going overboard, your profile needs to be ‘keyword rich’.

Keywords can be your skills, specialisms, experience, location or personal qualities.

To make this work for you and your goal of getting the attention of specific person, you need to look at which keywords they use on their profile and what keywords you think they would be searching for, if looking for a candidate or business. Using this list, you can tailor your profile so that they are likely to find it.

7. Recommendations

Linkedin allows you to recommend other users, and in turn, they can recommend you. This is great way to boost your online presence and credibility. It is important to only recommend people you genuinely know.

If you can get a recommendation from one of your target’s connections, this could be a real asset. It is possible to achieve this through the posts below…

8. Answer Questions

Search the Forums for questions relating to your target connection’s interests and answer them. Answering questions is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate expertise.

If your target connection ever asks any questions or starts discussions, be sure to participate, as this could be your way in.

9. Start Polls/ Discussions

Show motivation and actively become engaged with other members by starting discussions on topics similar to your desired target’s area of expertise.

10. Link to Wordpress/Blog and Twitter

Linkedin can be used in isolation but there is a lot to be gained by building a well-rounded online presence through the use of blogs and twitter.

The more engaged you are online, the more likely it is your desired target will come to you.

The key to successful networking with a desired target is to research them and tailor your profile and output to suit them.

Browse potential employers in your sector on the Exclusive website today where you’ll find recruitment expertise, whatever your field. Team this with effective networking on Linkedin and your dream job should be within your reach.

A Guide to Standing Out on LinkedIn: Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Wed, 08 May 2013 13:28:00 +0000

How LinkedIn Could Help you Find your Dream Job

Whether you’re a graduate fresh on the market or a seasoned professional with time-tested skills to offer an employer, it's getting tougher and tougher to secure a job. The sad truth is that it is no longer enough to be capable, skilled and work-willing to guarantee the position you want.

Over the years the number of channels you can trawl to find vacancies has increased. The internet has opened up a number of doors and you can search the Exclusive Recruitment website for a huge range of employment opportunities. To improve your chances of bagging that dream job it is also wise to make use of other online channels.

Take LinkedIn, for example, the business social network. Here you can network with business connections, promote yourself, keep watch for that golden opportunity and connect with potential employers that you come across on the Exclusive website.

So what’s so great about LinkedIn, and how can it help you bag your dream job?

Networking - Firstly it's a useful place to make new connections. It can be a daunting environment at first, but like any other social network, start slow. Find your friends and former colleagues initially and have a look through their connections. If they know someone in the same industry as you (or the one you want to get into) you can ask your friend to make an introduction and act as a mediator between you and the contact.

Groups - Groups on LinkedIn are becoming increasingly important. If you have a particular company that you want to work for or have an idea as to the kind of area you’d like to work in then have a search of the “groups” section. Sign up to a few, get social with the members and network as much as you can. This is a great way to get your face seen by prospective employers and to show your passion and interest in that sector.

Job Search - LinkedIn can also be used as a regular job site. Work up your profile, upload your CV and let your future-employer come to you. Vacant positions are posted on the network too, so check out the Jobs tab at the top of the page.

Profile - The Profile on LinkedIn is surprisingly comprehensive. As well as the standard “education” and “employment” fields, you can talk about projects, awards, general interests, and there is plenty of free space for you to give a flavour of your personality. Oh, and you can have a profile picture too, so it’s best to use your most professional image of yourself.

Newsfeed - All LinkedIn users have a newsfeed, similar to the configuration on Facebook. You can post status updates but be careful to keep it clean and topical; after all, your audience could be your colleagues someday. If you see an article that interests you in a career or business sense, post it. If you've written a new blog post or have been published somewhere, post it. If you have something relevant to say that you think your future boss would love to read, post it!

So what are you waiting for? LinkedIn is a fun, accessible and useful job search and employment tool. Your next job is out there waiting for you, so browse the wealth of employment opportunities on the Exclusive website and start building your LinkedIn profile for the best possible start to your next career move.

#HRHour Live Blog: Q&A - May 8th

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:32:00 +0000

Q. Hi #HRHour. I'm just back home after travelling & looking for work. How can I make my CV look good and account for 6 months away? (@MacKirst)

A. I do hope you enjoyed your travels and saw some wonderful places. I would always advise that honesty is the best policy, therefore detail your 6 months travel on your CV and you can perhaps mention where you travelled and what additional skills you may have gained during this time?

Q. #HRHour What's the most important aspect when booking #training for the HR Manager? (@Trainers_Assc)

A. I would suggest that with any training, the most important aspect is the relevance to the trainee, so will the course content hit the spot and enhance skills, knowledge and understanding? Following on from this, the other considerations will be timings, durations, location and costs with regards to the training being offered.

Q. #HRHour Any advice on how to establish some ground rules for my staff? It's a new, small team & want to set some up early on. Thanks (@GNT_Media)

A. Oh that's really encouraging to hear that you would like to put some solid building blocks in place to help to support your business and your team. My advice would be to introduce a basic company handbook to establish some policies and procedures within your team so that all your staff have a reference manual to help them to understand the 'ground rules'. With such guidelines in place it will ensure that all staff are treat fairly and consistently and that your organisation is legally compliant.

Q. #HRHour I'm attending a course on Performance Management. I don't know much about it - where can I find out more about the topic beforehand? (@NETweeps)

A. Performance Management can be very positive and proactive within an organisation and is certainly an essential tool for motivating staff and encouraging staff retention. Your course provider may be able to give you some additional course content information before the course starts. Alternatively if you are a CIPD member you will have access to the CIPD on line library or you may wish to refer to acas.org.uk who often have informative documents on line.

Entering Leadership and Management - A Beginner's Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:39:00 +0000

You’ve worked hard to get where you are today and now you’ve decided it’s time for you to take the next step up the career ladder into a management role. You may find this prospect daunting at first but don’t panic, Exclusive Ltd can provide you with all the help and guidance you’ll need for getting that first management job.

Here we share our top tips on making the transition:

Find Out What Managers Do

Watch the managers in your company to see what they do and how they do it. Ask them lots of questions. Reading books on management and leadership is also really useful – you’ll get hints and tips from top industry experts in these. It’s important to do your research to make sure management is for you and so you know what will be expected from you as a manager.

Show Initiative

Initiative is an essential skill for any manager. You must have the ability to act on your own ideas and make decisions without help or advice from anyone else. Demonstrate this by acting on something useful at work without specifically being told to do so. Show your boss you have imagination by thinking of ways you could improve something within the business.

Develop Interpersonal Skills

If you’re a manager, employees need to feel they can approach you with any problems. Give your undivided attention to co-workers when they are talking to you. Show an interest in them and value their opinions even if you don’t agree with them. Encourage and praise your colleagues whenever you can but do this sincerely – nobody likes phoniness!

Ask!

Don’t wait around for a promotion to just fall on your lap – approach your boss and tell them you would like to follow their example and move into management. If your boss knows you are interested in such a role, they can start delegating larger tasks to you to see how you get on. If this goes well, it may lead to a supervisor or management position. Also make sure you check your company’s job bulletin regularly so you can apply for any management level jobs that crop up.

If you think you’ve got all these pointers sussed, you should be ready for your first job in management. How exciting! To find the right managerial role for you, register online with Exclusive Ltd. We offer vacancies across a range of different business sectors in the North East, Yorkshire and Scotland.

#HRHour Live Blog: Q&A - May 1st

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Wed, 01 May 2013 10:16:00 +0000

Q: Hi, I'd love to get into HR but not sure what qualifications I need. Is it possible to work your way up, or is a degree vital? (@grassatori)

A: You need both the practical experience to gain the hands on HR skills but this must be supported by a degree for you to be able to progress, ideally the CIPD. Good luck and feel free to ring if you would like to chat about HR career options, I will gladly offer support where I can.

Q: #HRHour I want to help my staff set some long term goals. Haven't done it before - advice on how to come up with something they'll buy into? (@InsideLTL)

A: I would always advise managers to involve their staff from the start of any process. If you have an appraisal system in place, that would be the ideal place to start having discussions with them about the long term goals for their roles, the department and the organisation as a whole. If you don't have such a formal process in place then you can simply involve the staff members in this 'project' from the start through open conversations and informal meetings, as involvement and communication is the key to gaining buy in with any initiative.

Q: #HRhour 1 question I would like to ask; As HR and #employeebenefits administrators, what is it you look for in a health cash plan provider? (@5eanFoster)

A: I would suggest that those who are looking for health cash plan providers would require an offering which is available (somebody to talk to quickly and easily if they have a query), flexible (to increase or decrease needs to suit family changes), reasonable (price considerate) and perhaps one that simply goes that extra mile by offering something a little different or an additional benefit from their competitors.

Q: #HRHour I'm employing my first members of staff. Where can I find out how to set up a sickness policy? (@GNT_Media)

A: It's great to hear you are considering introducing policies and procedures into your business and well done on expanding your team! You may like to consider the introduction of an Absence Management Policy, this will then cover absences for more reasons than sickness, such as time off for emergencies, hospital or doctors appointments, authorised and unauthorised absence, short term and long term sickness, adverse weather absences and so on. Such a policy will make employees aware of the rules and regulations that you require them to adhere to but will also make employees aware of the support you offer as an employer in such situations.

Q: #HRHour I want to hire an apprentice, how do salaries work for them? Is there a salary structure I should be aware of? (@NETweeps)

A: Glad to hear there are employers looking for apprentices! Apprentices are paid from the first day of their apprenticeship and they're entitled to the National Minimum Wage. The current minimum wage rate for an apprentice is £2.65 per hour for apprentices aged 16 to 18 and those aged

19 or over who are in their first year. Apprentices aged 19 or over who have completed their first year must be paid at least the minimum wage rate for their age.

The North East's HR News

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:16:00 +0000

Exclusive are happy to be providing outsourced HR services to a number of businesses in the north east. We like to keep abreast of all the latest developments in the field and keep you posted too. So, here’s a roundup of what’s changing, what’s happening and what’s improving in the world of HR this spring:

National Minimum Wage Set to Rise

From October 2013, the national minimum wage will increase to £6.31 for adults. This is an increase of 12p, while the minimum wage for 18-to-20-year-olds will rise by 5p to £5.03. Though this news may be welcomed by employees, for smaller businesses working to slim margins an increase in pay by 12p an hour could eat into profits. This increase marks an attempt to strike a balance between the limitations employers face with pay rises and employees’ needs for a higher income. It’s hoped that this latest move by the government will boost economic growth and increase consumer spending.

The REC Report

Last month’s REC report might not be glowing, but it still brings us some good news. There is growth in the number of placements both in the permanent and temporary markets and the story told by employers in the North East is slightly more positive than the general trend across the country. There is a definite upturn from the same time last year and March was another good month for businesses. The North East’s positive outlook must, in part, be down to the region’s strength in the areas that are showing significant growth, namely engineering and the energy sector. Read more about the report here.

Pay Growth in Public and Private Sectors

In a surprising turn of events, the Office for National Statistics has revealed that public sector pay has grown three times faster than that of the private sector in recent months. The statistics relate to the period between December and February, during which private sector wages rose by 0.5% compared to 1.7% in the public sector. This includes private sector bonuses and reflects the fact that many businesses are lowering or freezing wages to cut costs and allow room for bringing in new staff. It has been suggested by John Philpott of the Jobs Economist consultancy that pay increases can lead to job losses in the public sector, and that reducing pay rises as the private sector have done could prevent this. A contentious issue!

Overhaul of Employment Law

It has been revealed that a change in employment law could be implemented in the coming months that will have a beneficial impact on the ability of medium-sized businesses to bid for outsourcing contracts. The proposals, put forward by the Department of Business, are designed to cut through red tape and make it easier for employers to avoid TUPE (transfer of undertaking laws). This essentially means that companies will no longer be so strictly obliged to inherit staff working for a current service provider when they take over an outsourcing contract.

That’s all for this week, but stay tuned for more news and updates in May.

Exclusive LTD are HR and recruitment specialists based in the North East. To find out more about our outsourcing services take a look at our Outsourced HR Partnership Descriptions.

www.exclusiveltd.co.uk

Profiles of the World’s Biggest New Oil and Gas Projects

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 12:02:00 +0000

Most of us are aware that the oil and gas industry is the largest in the world. This industry is ranked first in terms of revenue, and capitalization. There are millions of job opportunities out there within this sector due to its constant developments through multiple projects within different companies and locations.

Oil and gas provide the world's 6.9 billion people with 60 percent of their daily energy needs. The industry is continually growing and expanding with innovation at the forefront. Here are profiles of three of the biggest projects currently under development for an insight into the future of the ever changing and expanding oil and gas industries:

Angola Development Project

One of the world’s biggest new gas and oil projects is situated on the West coast of Africa, specifically Soyo, Angola. The scope of work includes engineering, procurement, and construction.

Angola, the second-largest oil producer in sub-Saharan Africa after Nigeria, is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. In 2007 the nation decided to join OPEC creating an ongoing boom. With expansion of the liquefied natural gas industry, a second energy-driven boom has begun.

The project is a major liquefied natural gas project helping to turn the continent into a major source of energy. The plant within Angola on the Congo River delta will have the capacity to produce 5.2 million metric tons per year of LNG.

The natural gas is transformed safely and economically by sea through the cooling of the gas to minus 160 degrees Celsius. In Angola, Bechtel is performing engineering, procurement, and construction on the onshore portion of a broad $8 billion gas program that also includes floating production storage and operations vessels, pipelines to the LNG plant, and LNG tankers.

Repsol, Statoil, Petrobras Strike 250 Million Barrel Well

Repsol, Spain’s largest energy company, and partners including crude producer Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PETR4) have made an amazing discovery, finding over 250 million barrels of oil off Brazil.

The Pao de Acucar well is located in the Campos Basin about 121.2 miles off the coast of Rio de Janeiro in 2,800 meters of water. The find is the latest in the so-called pre-salt, and has high impact due to it holding 250 million barrels of oil.

Petrobras’s new project is to dig deeper within Brazil’s offshore Campos Basin, aiming to find deposits beneath existing fields and trapped under a layer of salt.

Ivar Aasen Field Development, Norway

Ivar Aasen Field (formerly Draupne Field) is located in the northern part of the North Sea, west of the Johan Sverdrup Field. The development of the field comprises of three discoveries, namely Ivar Aasen, West Cable and Hanz and these are estimated to hold reserves of about 150 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe). The development of the field is expected to cost NOK 24.7bn ($4.3bn) with production phase one scheduled for 2016. Phase two will start delivering in 2019. Initial production from phase one is estimated at 16,000boe per day, which will increase to 23,000boe per day when both the phases come online. The expected lifetime of the field is 20 years from the time of its commissioning.

The plan for development and operation (PDO) of Ivar Aasen was submitted in December 2012. Along with these three international developments there are a large number of exciting new projects closer to home presenting a range of attractive employment opportunities. Visit the Exclusive LTD website to browse jobs and find out where you could fit into the next stage in the development of the energy sector.

www.exclusiveltd.co.uk

A Beginners Guide to Outsourcing HR: Part Two

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:52:00 +0000

Part Two: Avoiding the Traps

Outsourcing can be very good for your business, but in order to ensure that it is a successful venture you need to recruit the right company and avoid the common traps. Exclusive LTD have put together this insider’s guide to help you along:

1. Get recommendations

Do your research and get solid recommendations before you choose a company to outsource to. Talk to your contacts and find reviews and recommendations online—picking an HR service without prior knowledge of their reliability is risky. Even after you have found a company that offer attractive services, a quick digging expedition on Google or asking other small business contacts should swiftly prove whether or not this is a service you ought to use. If you’re going to spend money on it, you want to check that this service will be worthwhile and value for money. Make sure you know who you are doing business with and what their track record is like.

2. If You Don’t Like Your Service, Change

Your do not owe your HR outsourcers anything. Be careful about what you agree to, and choose a short term contract of 12 months to begin with rather than signing up for several years. When you are outsourcing, the employees of the outsourcing company are not your employees. If they cannot do the job you hired them to do after twelve months then cut your losses and find a new outsourcing company.

3. Have a Communications Plan

Changing who manages your HR changes the way your business operates. You need to make a clear plan with your HR outsourcers as to what you expect them to do for you, and the timescale within which you expect them to operate. Provide milestones and be totally clear on what you want to be done by each milestone. Remember that they are working for you, and never allow communications issues – which can be significantly more detrimental with outsourced work – to arise.

4. Know the Risks

There is always an element of risk with outsourcing. Anything which goes outside of your business and therefore is outside of your direct control and sphere of influence is a risk. For most small businesses this is a worthwhile risk, unless you are either able to afford one or two dedicated HR staff or happen to employ a trained HR professional who is currently carrying out another role within your company—and, if you are, that you can afford for them to split their time. However, minimizing risk is entirely possible. As above, make sure you have communicated clearly to your outsourcers what you expect them to do. Identify and catalogue your intellectual property. Make sure there are shared risks and rewards, that the contract makes sense both for you and for your outsourcers, that the schedule is realistic, and that your long-term objectives are concrete.

5. Don’t Rush

It can be tempting to throw it all in the ring once you find a reputable outsourcing firm, but this is a mistake. Make sure your legal necessities are all clear. Communicate your objectives and ensure that they are understood before you pass the work over to the outsourcing firm. Also ask whether they supply Employment Law Insurance. In a sense, you have all the time in the world to get it right, but it only takes a few basic mistakes or miscommunications for things to go wrong. A good idea is to meet with a couple of companies and ask what they can do for you before you commit. Get a clear idea of how they would fit into your business.

Have more questions about how and when to outsource your HR? Exclusive pride themselves on providing impartial, balanced advice about when to outsource, and information on how it can work for each individual business. Contact a specialist in the North East, Yorkshire or Scotland to find out how outsourcing HR could work for you.

A Beginners Guide to Outsourcing HR: Part One

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:48:00 +0000

Part One: Why Outsource HR?

Everybody requires HR, but for many businesses there are a number of challenges to tackling it in-house. When it comes to making the decision about whether to outsource Exclusive LTD advise businesses that there are five major factors that determine whether it is the best option. They are:

1. Your in-house Resources

Companies that can afford to employ large numbers of people and that produce massive amounts of data can be better off if their HR is in-house; they will save money and keep the skills in the company. But other large businesses benefit from outsourcing as it is one less thing for them to juggle and saves them recruiting a whole new team or taking up existing staff’s valuable time. For many small businesses who cannot afford to have staff members in a dedicated HR role or train these staff, outsourcing is the obvious choice. Some have staff whose primary role is not in HR conducting the company’s HR work without proper training. This is not always a cost effective or productive situation, and keeping HR in house can become more trouble than it’s worth. Outsourcing HR, therefore, increases the efficiency of the company as it means employees can invest all their time in work which actually produces revenue. Companies both big and small can end up saving time and money by passing their HR work onto a specialist company.

2. Levels of Experience

If you have inexperienced staff doing your HR work, or, as a director, are doing it yourself, you may not have the experience required to carry out this role to its full effect. Companies who outsource their HR work often find that problems- many of which they didn’t even realise they had- are solved once someone else is running their HR. Inevitably, trained professionals not only know how to solve problems but how to identify them in the first place.

3. Cost & Efficiency

It can often be cheaper in the long term to outsource your HR for the reasons already mentioned—that it frees up existing staff to work in their specialist areas and saves time. However, if you are already employing a full-time HR operative or an entire team then you could still save money. It is almost always cheaper to outsource your HR, especially if it only requires a few hours of work per day. Full-time employees are expensive but outsourced HR is paid for by the hour, which is inevitably cheaper than employing a full-time HR operative. Therefore, outsourcing is not only cheaper but also more efficient; all of the work needed will be done in a smaller amount of time at a lower cost, and more effectively.

4. Access to Better HR Systems

One thing is absolutely certain about outsourcing your HR—it will give you access to IT HR systems you otherwise would not have access to. A small business with a single employee carrying out all HR duties will probably have a single computer with basic software packages. An entire HR outsourcing company will have superior HR software. Outsourced HR workers are also more likely to be able to handle human resource metrics, and thus are able to provide you with more data about how to improve your HR administration. Therefore, as above, outsourcing your HR will inevitably make it more efficient.

5. Reduced Risk

A professional company can hugely reduce risk by ensuring that your company is fully legally compliant. Check whether the company you are outsourcing to offers Employment Law Insurance for maximum risk reduction and peace of mind.

Outsourcing your HR significantly reduces other risks, too. Having HR carried out by well-trained individuals with access to superior administration systems decreases the likelihood of mistakes, especially financial or other general numerical errors. The benefits to reducing risk to your business, especially during a time of economic uncertainty, are clear.

To ensure that there are no risks or problems when outsourcing businesses also need to avoid the common traps. Visit part two in this series for help on how to choose the right company and avoid hassle when outsourcing.

Exclusive pride themselves on providing impartial, balanced advice to businesses about when to outsource and how it can work for them. Contact a specialist in the North East, Yorkshire or Scotland for expert advice.

A New Era: Graduate Possibilities in the Energy Sector

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 10:43:00 +0000

The energy sector, and more specifically the oil and gas industry, is an attractive place for graduates to head. If you’re curious about a career or want to know how to get into it, read on to discover the possibilities:

Why the Oil and Gas Industry?

An aging workforce in the energy sector has led to something of a skills shortage. 580,000

Image: John Walker

skilled workers are needed in the engineering sector alone by 2017, which is obviously a tall order. This creates an exciting opportunity for skilled graduates to bridge the gap and plant themselves firmly on the career ladder within a buoyant UK industry.

Which degree subjects suit a career in the Oil and Gas industries?

If you are yet to decide upon a degree programme, or wish to get into the oil and gas industry but are not sure whether your degree is suitable, here is a list of the core degree subjects that are attractive to oil and gas companies when recruiting:

Engineering
Chemistry
Electronics
Geophysics
Mathematics
Physics
Manufacturing
Software
Telecoms

There are also an abundance of roles in the administration side of the industry attracting graduates from the following disciplines:

Accounting
Management
Customer Service
Health and Safety
Human Resources
Law

Jobs are available in five different sections of the oil and gas workforce which can be defined as: office, platform, fabrication yard, drilling rig, seismic vessel. Because of the diversity of skills required graduates from a huge range of disciplines enter the oil and gas sector. Visit the OPTICO website for more details.

How do graduates break into the Industry?

Internships

Between your penultimate and final year, or in time for the summer after you graduate, consider applying for an internship programme. This is all about gaining experience and proving to potential employers that you are serious about breaking into the industry and ready to learn a new skill set. Whilst a skills shortage is soon to be experienced the oil and gas sector is still a very competitive industry with international graduates also applying for positions in the UK. Experience is invaluable when it comes to applying for graduate programmes making an internship a wise move.

Graduate Programmes

These can last several years and give you a sure foot in the door. Many graduates manage not only to get into the oil and gas industry but figure out which particular area they wish to work in by completing a graduate programme. Conduct research into the oil and gas companies you would potentially like to work for and read-up on their graduate programmes. Many last several years with the advantage that you get a compete overview of the industry and a clearer idea of the specific area in which you would like to work.

Searching for Jobs

Many graduates find that they are interested in working in the oil and gas sector but are unsure of the range of jobs out there. Once you have learnt all you can from the OPTICO website take regular visits to Exclusive LTD to find out what kind of jobs are currently available and what kinds of credentials companies are seeking in the engineering and technical sector.

Tailor your CV and covering letter to each particular company and address it to the right person in the HR department when applying for internships, graduate positions or entry level jobs. Demonstrating that you know about the company and their prospects is a great way to stand out from the crowd and get the recipient’s attention.

www.exclusiveltd.co.uk

10 Reasons Why Oil and Gas Workers Should Stay Loyal to Britain

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:22:00 +0000

An increasingly high number of oil and gas employees are being tempted by a life overseas. Australia, Brazil and other up-and-coming players in the oil and gas industries may have attractive prospects, but there has never been a more advantageous time for energy workers to stay in the UK. Don’t believe us? Here are ten reasons why:

1. Oil sector prospects
remain incredibly strong in Britain - a
report by Scottish
Enterprise has
revealed that £44
billion is to be
invested with 86
new fields under
development in
the UKContinental
Shelf over the next five years. Scottish Enterprise states that this will ‘create significant opportunities for new contracts for the supply chain.’

2. Other future projects in the pipeline: Contrary to a belief that we are exhausting the North Sea industry, there are in fact 87 future projects already in the pipeline with an £11.5 billion investment.

3. A growing lack of confidence in the government is the reason why many professionals are seeking a life abroad, but the government have one very good reason to keep offering support to the oil and gas industries. Energy Minister Fergus Ewing states that ‘With more than half of the value of the North Sea’s oil and gas reserves yet to be extracted, up to 24 billion recoverable barrels with a potential wholesale value of £1.5 trillion, I am sure the sector will remain an enormous economic resource for decades to come.’

4. Impressive new developments: Statoil’s plan for the Mariner heavy oil field has been approved by the Department of Energy and Climate Change making it the largest offshore UK development for ten years. This means 700 staff vacancies and a thirty year project. With exciting new developments like these currently recruiting the UK’s prospects certainly haven’t dried up.

5. As Fergus Ewing pointed out, there is more oil left in the North Sea than has already been extracted. Whilst a challenge is presented in terms of extraction, the end of North Sea oil is generations away, and the success of future projects excitingly relies on...

6. Innovation- to drill the remaining North Sea oil, which is in harder to reach areas, companies are calling on new technology, innovation and strategy to succeed. This means an exciting new era in the oil industry where groundbreaking methods will be utilised including horizontal drilling, FPSOs and jack-up facilities.

7. Funds and investments are stable and growing: Almost £47 billion is currently being spent on the North Sea’s active projects.

8. Britain needs skilled individuals more than ever. A predicted shortage in skilled engineers and other professionals due to an aging workforce means that engineers and other oil and gas professionals will be more highly valued than ever in the coming years, and well looked after by oil and gas companies that employ them.

9. This need for workforce will see the industry attracting talented young graduates, which ties in nicely with the need for innovation. The industry will therefore be experiencing a new lease of life as new professionals and innovative new methods are employed and combined with the UK industry’s already highly skilled workforce and experience.

10. And of course, with all these reasons goes the fact that Exclusive LTD are currently advertising an abundance of exciting vacancies within the oil and gas sector with extremely attractive rates of pay and prospects. Take a look to find hundreds more reasons why oil and gas workers should stay loyal to Britain.

www.exclusiveltd.co.uk/

Stacking Up The Employment Figures

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 09:48:00 +0000

The past week or so has been an interesting one for the government. On one hand, Ian Duncan Smith was trumpeting the release of figures showing that the UK had more people in employment than ever before, whilst in the other breath he was under fire for crass comments surrounding a Geology graduate who took umbrage at her own, government sponsored ticket to join the record pool of workers, stacking shelves for nothing at a pound store.

As a Recruiter, any positive news around the employment market is more than welcome and the news that almost 30 million people are now in a job is, of course, something to celebrate. However, the figures are not as straightforward as they first may seem. Firstly, over 8 million of those roles are part-time. This in itself, in my own opinion is also partly cause for celebration and speaks volumes for the more flexible workplace that we have come to expect in 2013. Certainly, at Exclusive we have seen the part-time job market flourish in the past two to three years and in my own field of recruitment, HR, there is generally even more scope for part-time working. However, it was also interesting to read that of these 8 million part time workers, almost 1.5 million were ‘involuntary’ and were held by people that were only in their roles as they couldn’t find full-time work.

Youth unemployment fell back to below 1 million and this brings us on to the furore surrounding Cait Reilly, the student given the choice of ‘unpaid work experience’ at Poundland or losing her benefits. That she refused and subsequently took the government’s workfare scheme to court and won clearly rattled Mr.Duncan-Smith and he lashed out claiming that she ‘thought she was too good for this sort of stuff’.

The recruiter in me winced from all angles. On the face of it, a young lady who has paid herself through university to gain a degree must surely have more skills to bring to the market than simply stacking shelves in a supermarket? At the same time though, work experience is more vital than ever before for graduates entering the market. I think that the point missed by the Work and Pensions Secretary is that the sort of experience that employers are looking for is RELEVANT experience rather than just ‘this sort of stuff’. In his broadside, the ex-Conservative leader managed to upset graduates across the land, patronise shelf stackers and paint a fairly depressing picture of exactly what those nigh on 30 million jobs are actually made up of.

In reality, the situation IS far less depressing than that though. Graduates who take it upon themselves to actively pursue (at times unpaid) work experience in their chosen field put themselves in a great position when it comes to applying to paid jobs. The job market itself, in our own opinion, has really picked up again in the early part of 2013 and as a business we are as busy as ever, placing professionals across a range of functions. There is clearly a lot of substance in the figures being both correct and also in tallying with what we see from the ground.

Long may the records continue to be broken but at the same time, let’s value the talent that we have in the country rather than do them down – the graduates of today are the key to our remaining competitive in the future and to the employment figures continuing to rise for years to come.

Gareth Harrison

Managing Consultant

Exclusive: Recruitment & HR Consultancy

Newcastle, Leeds & Aberdeen

www.exclusiveltd.co.uk

Is Early Retirement Set to Become a Thing of the Past in the UK?

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:58:00 +0000

There’s no escaping the fact that the UK has an aging population. Thanks to the post-war ‘baby boom’ and major improvements in healthcare and living standards, the population is higher than it’s ever been, and people are living longer than ever before.

Currently, there are 10 million people aged over-65 in the UK. The Government projects this figure will reach 15.5 million by 2030, increasing to 19 million by 2050. And around half of those 19 million will be aged 80 or above!

As stated on Parliament.UK, “continuing to provide state benefits and pensions at today’s average would mean additional spending of £10 billion a year for every additional one million people over working age.” Simply put, that’s just not sustainable.

The British coalition Government is due to publish major pensions reforms imminently, but it’s already becoming clear that increasing life expectancy means people will have to keep working for longer in future.

Pensions minister Steve Webb has warned that workers currently in their 30s should forget about retiring early, but admitted that the Government doesn’t actually have a clue quite how long they’ll have to continue working!

Speaking to the House of Lords, Webb said:

“For us, if people are going to live on average to late 80s and beyond, retiring in late 50s is just never going to make the sums add up.

“I had a police officer who came to me the other day and complained that we had stopped him retiring at 52. We just can’t do this any more.

“If someone tells a 30 year old what their state pension age is going to be, they are lying.”

What we do know is that, from April 2017 at the earliest, a new flat-rate state pension of £144 a week will be introduced. The reforms also mean that workers will have to have made 35 years of National Insurance payments (up from 30 at present) to qualify for a full state pension.

In 2018, the state pension age for women will be increased to 65, bringing it in line with men. This will rise to 66 by 2020 and 67 by 2028. Further into the future, the state pension age will be linked automatically to national life expectancy increases, whilst any increases to the figure paid will be based on factors including the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

Meanwhile, those relying on private pensions when they retire may also suffer as a result of the Governments plans for dealing with the nation’s aging population; many private pension funds pay out more year-by-year in line with the Retail Prices Index (RPI) measure of inflation, but the way RPI is calculated may be set to change.

This could deliver a ‘hammer blow’ to pensioners, according to many campaigners, whilst Ros Altman, director-general at Saga, has warned:

“Simply dumbing down RPI would mean many people lose out on their inflation protection. This affects millions of people with pensions linked to RPI as well as nearly 1 million with National Savings inflation linked bonds or other RPI linked investments.”

So are the days of early retirement really over already, or is this just a natural, gradual change that we shouldn’t worry about? A recent Aviva study found that 23% of 65-74-year-olds were still working in December 2012 – up from just 18% in February 2010.

It seems clear that “60 is the new 40 in 2013 for retiring baby boomers”. For the generation that follows them, 80 may well become the new 60.

This guest post has been written by Kimberley Byrne

Exclusive: Recruitment & HR Consultancy

Newcastle, Leeds & Aberdeen

www.exclusiveltd.co.uk

Tweet your way to the dream job

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:54:00 +0000

So, I have spoken a couple of times now about the dangers of social media when it comes to the workplace and what not to do if you would like to be employed. But rather than everyone cancel their profiles and become afraid to go near such sites, I've decided to come back and talk about the positive side of having a social media presence.

Although you can risk so much by putting certain things online, you can also increase your chances of employment and use the internet as an ‘online CV’ in ways.

Take, for example, LinkedIn. Now I know this site’s purpose is to act as a professional networking site, but it is worth having one as you can connect to the relevant people you need to be liaising with.

As such, LinkedIn allows you to state the key skills that you obtain and what you could bring to a company. These skills can be endorsed and recommendations can be made by previous employers, colleagues or tutors. There are also groups to join on LinkedIn which allow you to comment on, start conversations with others in the same profession and generally, network to allow yourself to further your career!

Moving on from LinkedIn and on to the 2 most popular personal social media sites...

Facebook- Set up originally by the curly-haired genius, Mark Zuckerburg, ‘Facemash’ as it was then called was created as a way in which Harvard students could interact with one another. A directory, if you will. Nowadays Facebook has expanded so much that it almost fits in as a natural part of a lot of people’s day to day lives.

Similarly, the basis behind Jack Doresy’s Twitter was to enable your friends to see what you are doing in 140 characters (or a ‘tweet’ as it is known as). You wouldn't call your nearest and dearest up to inform them that you are making a cup of coffee now, would you? But by putting it on Twitter, you are letting them know what you are up to. In fact, Twitter is becoming so popular now that everyone has become a ‘citizen journalist’ in some form or another.

So, it makes sense that employers will use these platforms when recruiting, right?

To make the most of your Facebook and Twitter profiles:

‘Like’ and ‘Follow’ groups that are relevant to your skills and the roles that you would be looking for
Don’t state on your status or ‘tweet’ that you are an expert in your field, show it instead by uploading information and opinions about it
Share links that interest you and show a personal interest in what you do and want to be doing
If you have personal hobbies, show this- link any personal websites you have to your profile
Use the # feature on Twitter to actually search for new jobs
If there is anything you can show to support information on your CV, put this on- if it states that you volunteer for a charity, post photos of you doing so

It might sound obvious and to those who prefer the old fashioned way of searching for jobs and applying for them, just bear this in mind. Surely it is better to have a profile that boosts your chances, rather than not having one- or even worse, one that completely hinders your reputation….

Siobhan Baranian

Internet Marketing Consultant

Exclusive: Recruitment & HR Consultancy

Newcastle, Leeds & Aberdeen

www.exclusiveltd.co.uk

Employment Law Event

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 15:28:00 +0000

Our Annual Employment Law Event has been confirmed for Thursday 28^thFebruary 2013. The event is hosted by Eversheds in conjunction with Exclusive and will take place at Central Square North, Orchard Street, NewcastleUpon Tyne at 5pm.

Last year the event went ahead despite the high winds and driving rain and we were all blown away by the ever ambiguous answers to those all important legislative quiz questions presented to the audience by Employment Law Partners of Eversheds, Simon Loy and Shirley Wright.

This year, we can’t promise high winds and driving rain but undoubtedly the weather will be a conversation starter between attendees as networking HR professionals may wish to discuss and compare their ‘Adverse Weather’ policies following the recent snow falls.

This is always a popular event. Informal, informative and always topical as the partners present their understanding of the current and proposed amendments for 2013 with case law to support learning experiences that evening.

Perhaps they will enlighten us on the new compensation limits, parental leave updates, new statutory payments, plans to reduce consultation periods and the draft changes to the online criminal records checking service. No doubt they will surprise us with examples of how employers and employees have got it oh so right and oh so wrong on occasion!

We hope you can join us for this annual review of recent employment law developments and forthcoming changes to watch out for.

To ensure your place at the event, please contact us at events@exclusiveltd.co.uk

Hayley Ramm

Lead HR Consultant

Exclusive: Recruitment & HR Consultancy

Newcastle, Leeds & Aberdeen

www.exclusiveltd.co.uk

Respect

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 14:27:00 +0000

So Aretha Franklin sang about it and I have decided to talk about it today, albeit in not quite such an entertaining way as Ms. Franklin. Although we all know that you can’t say the word without singing (in your mind, hopefully) the word...

R.E.S.P.E.C.T

I decided to bring this up as an extension of last week’s post which was about the use of social media and how what you decide to share with the public can have serious consequences on whether or not you find yourself sending out CVs again. Regardless of personal opinion, you should have enough respect for your employer- and yourself- to know that it is not acceptable to publicly jeopardise a reputation.

But let’s take this a step further than social media. It is important that the workplace is a comfortable place to be. After all, you spend a large part of your week there, so wouldn’t life be better if it was a place in which you get on with the people you spend 9 hours a day with?

Respect is a very personal thing and if someone in your business feels that they aren’t being respected by someone, be it another employee or a Manager, then it could have a huge impact on office morale.

Now, we all know that everyone is an individual. We all have our own opinions, beliefs, religions and we were all brought up differently, so there are of course going to be times that personalities may ‘clash’ in the office. This probably happens on a daily basis in a lot of places, and most people accept the differences and move on, with no bad feelings.

But what if it does get out of hand? Employee relations are an imperative part of any business and if they are not controlled then they can have a damaging impact on the workplace; productivity, motivation and morale can all be affected.

This is where businesses would benefit greatly from a HR consultant. Someone who can be impartial to views, and who wants to do their best to settle any problems that have arisen. With the correct legislation, regulations and agreements between those involved, something that could damage a company can be controlled and, in turn, peace restored.

Exclusive has a number of professional HR Consultants who are experts in this field and offer outplacement support for a wide range of issues, including Employee Relations.

If the issues brought up in this post sound familiar, why not call one of our Consultants to see what we can do to help save the morale in your office?

Siobhan Baranian

Internet Marketing Consultant

Exclusive: Recruitment & HR Consultancy

Newcastle, Leeds & Aberdeen

www.exclusiveltd.co.uk

Don't let Facebook cost you a job

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:42:00 +0000

The majority of us have been there- you receive a friend request on Facebook, you accept and then have a sneaky look on your new ‘friend’s’ profile- only to find an array of personal photographs.

Yes, pictures of people cuddling their pets or posing outside some tourist hot spot may be sweet or interesting, but it is when you scroll around and come across pictures showing what fun they had last Saturday, that social media sites start becoming dangerous.

It is known that a lot of potential employers do screen Google to see what comes up about candidates and if there are inappropriate and unprofessional pictures that can be easily found of you, then chances are that they would much rather see someone who, as a potential representative of their company, cannot easily be found downing tequila shots.

As great as social media is, it can have a very negative effect if not monitored properly and the basic rules apply to anyone who is

Applying for a job
Has a job and wants to keep it

Yes, just because you are employed, it doesn’t mean you are safe. It is often the simple slip ups that can often harm people in this situation- a comment from a friend about whether or not do you still hate your job, or the mention that you are looking to move away etc. It might sound simple but you would not believe the amount of people who lose their jobs due to slanderous posts they put up on Twitter and Facebook etc. Yes, we all have bad days at work, we are all human- but have a little moan to your spouse or best friend- do not spread the message on cyber space for all to see.

In the short space of time that I have been working, I have known of a couple of people at least who have lost their jobs because of such silly mistakes.

What one person finds to be acceptable can differ from another, and for this it can be hard to work out what you should and should not leave on your social media profiles, but Google your name now- make sure that there is nothing lurking around there that you don’t want to be seen, or something that others may find inappropriate.

A picture of you enjoying a nice meal out is fine...it’s just what happens when you are onto the third bar after that isn’t.

Siobhan Baranian

Internet Marketing Consultant

Exclusive: Recruitment & HR Consultancy

Newcastle, Leeds & Aberdeen

www.exclusiveltd.co.uk

The performance appraisal is dead, long live the performance appraisal

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 09:56:00 +0000

Are you still doing performance appraisals the way you did them five years ago? Do your people still treat it as a box-ticking exercise? Then stop. Stop right now, because you’re not only failing to engage employees in the performance management process, you’re creating resentment, and an image that you are both stuck in the past and in an ivory tower.

There was a survey carried out in the US recently which revealed that 98% of employees find annual performance reviews unnecessary. A quarter of them were HR professionals. Over here in the UK, half of public sector workers and one third of business leaders describe appraisals as “a box-ticking exercise”, and a recent report claimed that performance management is “an administrative procedure”.

So – on the one hand we talk about “getting rid of red tape” and we install Self Service to “reduce administration”, but we introduce complicated performance management procedures that are perceived as more administration, and therefore of no value whatsoever to our people. Are we not shooting ourselves in the feet?

How, then, can we revive the performance management process, and instil some excitement, some desire, some engagement with it? How can we take the initial aims of performance management (filling internal vacancies, aligning objectives to targets, motivating people) and actually ACHIEVE them? Well, let’s go back to the start.

What’s in it for me?

Think of this from an employee perspective: you have to spend time preparing for the performance management meeting, you have to fill in some forms, or go through an elaborate, complicated online process of filling in fields and approving this, that and the other. There’s an element of frustration, of confusion, and a feeling of “well, I could be doing something more valuable with my time, such as work!”

So what’s in it for me? The problem with performance management is that we’re not SELLING it. We’re not conveying why it’s worthwhile, and we’re not giving enough good reasons why we should be doing it. We’re putting it across as an administrative task, and there’s no value proposition involved here. Talk to Marketing, they know about these things. Get your marketing team involved and ask them how to better get this across.

The performance management process is there to help employees. It’s there to say “you have a career, we’re here to help you achieve that”. Performance management gives people milestones to achieve, and line managers are there to ensure that people achieve them. It doesn’t just need to be aligned to company values and objectives, it needs to be aligned to personal objectives and incentives. What’s in it for me? An incentive that, if I achieve x, y and z, I will receive a, b and c.

Who’s judging who?

Is performance management a judgement or an assessment? There is a feeling in many quarters that it is the former, not the latter, and this is wrong. Performance management should be principally about self assessment, and the line manager’s skill is in coaxing the employee to assess him or herself fairly.

Equally, the one-to-one aspect might work from a confidential point of view, but 360-degree feedback is often ignored, and can be of significant value. Peer-to-peer assessment could be the next big thing. We listen to our peers, we seek out their advice – why not build that into the performance management process and motivate people further?

How is this relevant to my life?

Why should performance management always be about the business? Why should everything be tied into company goals all the time? It makes performance management sound as if it’s an obligation, something that someone in an ivory tower dreamt up to keep everyone in line.

If we’re going to achieve buy-in to performance management, we have to loosen the reins a little and make it relevant to our employees’ lives. If someone in Finance really wants to improve their writing skills, why shouldn’t they be able to discuss this in performance management? If someone in sales wants to better understand how HR works, why not set out a programme of mentoring, buddying and learning so that they can achieve these personal goals? So what if they’re not tied directly to your company objectives and values.

How can integrate these processes into our day-to-day lives?

Too often, we limit performance management to pre-Christmas (or post-Christmas if we’re too busy, which is often the case), and forget about it for the rest of the year. We see it as a major event, one that has to be rolled out months in advance with detailed communications.

That’s lazy. We need to integrate it into every week and every month of our working lives. Even if it’s training a line manager to ask, in a one-to-one meeting, how everything is going, or to build performance management into everyday tools such as Outlook, it’s for us to decide, and for us to lead it.

Simplify it, make it personal, make it work, and measure it. Are you retaining more people? Are you increasing your share of internal promotions? If you can’t measure the success of performance management, how do you know how it’s performing?

This guest post has been written by Gareth Cartman

Exclusive: Recruitment & HR Consultancy

Newcastle, Leeds & Aberdeen

www.exclusiveltd.co.uk

Carry on with the banter....at your own risk

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 13:31:00 +0000

So many of us laugh out loud at The Office or in the past Fawlty Towers because we can’t quite believe the political incorrectness that we have heard on the series, and the shock can make us laugh with fear at how wrong their office banter can be deemed!

But who determines when office banter is right and when office banter is wrong? That’s the million dollar question or in fact the question that could cost you an uncapped amount if you get the answer wrong and a discrimination claim is made successfully.

How many times have we all, yes me included, joined in with an office giggle whether it’s gossiping on what happened at the office Christmas party, or making remarks about the latest goings on at Coronation Street, or passing opinions about a news article read on the way to work? How about an office giggle that is more direct and includes one liners such as ‘oh come on Grandad’ or perhaps ‘your time to make the tea junior’ or ‘you look nice today’ or emails which are a little too familiar in their content?!?!?

Our banter may not always be aimed at someone so directly but either way, another member of the team may perceive it that way and be made to feel that they have been subjected to unwelcomed and unwanted behaviour.

The difficulty is to understand and recognise when such comments/jokes/opinions or ‘banter’ is deemed differently and damaging to another person and then reacting to their feelings. It is not healthy for anyone to ignore it or brush it under the nearest floor tile hoping it will go away, as it won’t, it will linger and probably become worse bubbling away under the surface, so deal with it!

In my HR experience I have had to approach situations that have been potentially deemed as discrimination, whether this has been sex, race, disability, religious or sexual orientation discrimination. These situations have needed to be addressed immediately, often with unwanted and uncomfortable conversations being held with all parties involved. However this has usually meant that any potential issues have been nipped in the bud without any long term repercussions.

So often things are said in jest but to defend these moments with ‘oh I didn’t mean it like that’ or ‘we were just joking around’ or ‘but that’s just part of our industry and its our usual banter’ is not an acceptable form of defence.

Defending these comments means that as an employer you need to protect your employees and yourselves from any unwanted comments and claims by making all staff aware of the;

Relevant company policies and procedures e.g. Handbook
The consequences of breaching these e.g. informal and formal proceedings
Offering training and refresher updates e.g. reissuing policies, independent seminars

And most of all driving forward a culture of support, fairness and equality to encourage all-round success.

Good luck and be careful, make sure you think first!

Hayley Ramm

Lead HR Consultant

Exclusive: Recruitment & HR Consultancy

Newcastle, Leeds & Aberdeen

www.exclusiveltd.co.uk

Exclusive Opportunity

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 20:43:00 +0000

It has been a year since joining Exclusive and so much has changed – all for the positive.

Sitting down for a team meeting on 3^rd January 2012, I don’t think any of the team could have foreseen the changes and expansion which have occurred over the last twelve months.

With additional Consultants across different sectors and geographical locations, as well as new offices and an ever increasing number of Clients and Candidates to look after, the role I applied for as Recruitment Administrator has completely changed!

Having played the numbers game and worked to over-important KPI targets for over a year in the often cut throat game of Education Recruitment, the opportunity at Exclusive was not one to miss. I loved recruitment and I particularly enjoyed assisting my former team members in their recruitment – it was team based targets, team based commission....which actually counted for nothing at the end of the day, as all it was really about was the number of phone calls and throwing enough of the proverbial brown stuff until something stuck.

With firsthand recruitment experience, I’ve been able to develop my role away from ‘just’ strengthening the administration and operational parameters of the initial job description. Confident in speaking with both Clients and Candidates, I have been able to provide a consistent level of service when Consultants have been out of the office or on annual leave. The job satisfaction obtained from this is immense, particularly because it has always been recognised by the individual consultants (something which doesn’t necessarily happen when you are in a large number bashing company).

Working with a team of individuals who genuinely have each other’s best interests at heart and want to help make sure that everything is going well is a far cry from the role I found myself in before, where it was every (wo)man for them self and it didn’t matter who trod on who.

So, I guess the question you’re asking yourself is why am I harping on about how fantastic Exclusive is to work for? Well, the reason is because I am looking to find an individual with the same values and experience to provide Maternity Cover for myself.

Working in a close-knit team, in a multi-faceted role will not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it may be yours or possibly somebody you know? Due to upcoming projects and how I have expanded the role, the person needs to have recruitment experience as well as expecting high standards not only from the team around them, but of themselves at all times.

This really is a unique opportunity to join Exclusive as a pivotal role within the business.

So, what’s the next step? Simply click here for further information regarding the role and requirements and if it sounds like your ideal challenge, then why not apply via the website or send your CV and application direct to myself at victoria@exclusiveltd.co.ukdetailing why you are particularly interested in this role and in working for Exclusive.

I shall look forward to hearing from you shortly.

Victoria Colverson

Resourcer

Exclusive: Recruitment & HR Consultancy

Newcastle, Leeds & Aberdeen

www.exclusiveltd.co.uk

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Mark Ions) — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 11:31:00 +0000

Well, it is that time of year again - new year, new beginnings and at the Exclusive office we are already back, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, working hard to make 2013 an even better year than 2012.

We strive to keep in contact as much as possible and do so on a daily basis through our Facebook and Twitter pages, so make sure to keep updated with Exclusive as we continue to grow this year.

We wish you all best for 2013.

Kind Regards,

The Exclusive Team

Exclusive: Recruitment & HR Consultancy

Newcastle, Leeds & Aberdeen