UK limps in last

I didn’t bother to watch the entries in the Eurovision Song Contest last night but the voting always makes for an interesting half hour; if only to remind me where the UK stands within the European ‘Family’ of Nations.

Most of us have no idea how legislation in Europe is drawn up or voted upon. Well, having spent a considerable amount of time in discussion with the European Commission and Parliament over the last few years, I can confirm your worst fears are true and that the Song Contest is a very close and real analogy. And it equally offers no short term hope of success for the UK.

In summing up the Song Contest you might conclude that the truly talented people always steer well clear, leaving the music, lyrics and performance to a group of talentless ‘D-listers’ who struggle to produce a decent delivery. They get stacks of airtime ahead of the competition and look and seem genuinely hopeful throughout and everyone nods their acceptance and support. But when it comes to a decision the judges, who might not even be in attendance, cast their votes according to some historical prejudice or political allegiance to ensure that friends or allies win the day.

Well sadly the EU is much the same and until we put forward our ‘A-list’ performers we will never win the day; at anything.

This is particularly true in recruitment where European staffing practice is quite different to our own and we need to argue the case that we do have the best, most flexible and most sustainable model within the community (at the very least, the best for our own marketplace) and it is being destroyed by endless, unnecessary legislation. There are three things that will destroy the recruitment industry and all are gaining in strength, these are; 1) the mediocrity of Europe, 2) the rebirth of the Unions, and 3) the apathy of UK agencies.

Its time we made the last legislative imposition the final assault on the industry.

Gareth

PS. Apologies to all those who think that winning is a Neanderthal ambition and believe it is better to run with the mediocre masses in a modern caring society; I certainly don’t.

PPS. Sorry to Andy Abrahams for inferring he is a talentless ‘D-lister’.

No Deal for Recruiters

This week’s announcement that agency workers will be given the same employment rights as permanent staff after 12 weeks was a desperate blow for the UK Recruitment Industry; which has been fighting for a 12 month derogation period (or a worst case scenario of six months) for the last seven years. The Trade Unions, in a similarly arrogant position, demanded equality from Day One and secretly eluded to a more realistic expectation of 12 weeks. So who’s the winner here I ask myself?

In a week where the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, was given a public dressing down by Jan Berry, the passionate Chair of the Police Federation, for betraying the honest Copper, I hope the Chair of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation will take a similarly forthright stance and remind John Hutton and Pat McFadden at BERR that they have equally failed the UK’s 1.3 million temporary workers, the 11,000 agencies that place them and the 3.2 million businesses that are dependant upon them to manage their constantly fluctuating staffing needs. And not just leave it to the staff at the REC. Watch this space!

At a time when the Government needs to hold its nerve if the economy is to remain stable (or at least stable-ish), I am not comforted by this apparent appeasement of the Unions and worse, the French! (My earlier pieces refer).

This has been a bad week for recruitment. Not because we can’t accept this new imposition, not because we won’t again have to pick up the tab and not even because it will directly cause the loss of temporary assignments but principally because it will bring even more red tape, bureaucracy and process to an already over regulated and under policed industry and one that is being driven into the ground by a lack of appreciation.

Sometimes I feel like the last Giant Panda saying “They’ll miss me when I’ve gone.”

RIP Recruitment.

Gareth

The power of a PA

It’s a simple mathematical calculation but if new research by the Association of Personal Assistants (APA) is right then every senior manager, leader and principal must employ a PA if they want to achieve and exceed corporate targets. In a report published today the APA details the results of its survey of over 5,000 business leaders and suggests that their effectiveness is hugely enhanced by having an Aid and most report an improvement in excess of 30%.

If the average salary of a CEO for the Top 500 listed companies in the UK is over £750,000 per year then a 30% increase in their effectiveness is sufficient to fund an entire department. And that level of return on investment makes real economic sense says the APA. In a small business, where the owner director fulfils every major management role, a PA is doubly essential to ensure all the competing plates are kept spinning and none of the business critical ones are dropped; in this size business MDs also suggested that their PA is the sole guardian of their corporate quality of life and director of their work life balance.

Gone are the days when a PA was a glorified secretary (a ‘Miss Jones’) and even less true is the stereotype portraying the PA as a flunky who runs errands, makes coffee and looks attractive in the outer office. Modern PAs are highly business savvy, using every technological means at their disposal and are increasingly well educated, trained and qualified to maximise their boss’s time. They plan meetings and diaries, co-ordinate travel plans and accommodation and process all of the day-to-day issues of an executive office

A PA has to be a great communicator and even better negotiator; managing people’s expectations when they hope to access the boss, and making sure that all priority tasks are processed quickly. If you ask the modern boss what takes the most time in their busy working life most will say meetings and emails and their PA is of fundamental importance in managing the problems associated with both. As our research suggests, a good PA is worth a fortune and every business leader should have one.

I have been blessed by having three of the very best supporting me over the years (Johanne Hawes, Faye Jennings and Carly Beales), each different but each possessing an abudence of skill, good humour and patience and playing no small part in the successes along the way. Faye still calls me now and reminds me about birthdays I definitely should not forget and we haven't actually worked together for 5 years!

Gareth

The Image shows me with my two wonderful PAs, Carly Beales (left) and Faye Crisp (right)

REC goes Green

Congratulations to the REC for finally completing its process to appoint a new CEO; Kevin Green - announced today. I will resist offering advice to my successor but the obvious and immediate problem he needs to overcome is the likely claim from industry cynics that he will be a Gamekeeper turned Poacher; coming, as he does, from the world of HR – the natural prey of the recruitment industry. With the talented and highly experienced Helen Reynolds as his Number Two and Anita Holbrow as Marketing Director I am sure he will quickly grasp the realities of the job and win over the Beaters.

I certainly wish him every success in a job I adored and at a time when Agencies need strong leadership and understanding if they are collectively to overcome the revitalised TUC and a weakened Government likely to jump quickly to win influential friends.

Gareth

The height of incompetence

Are the Banks getting more incompetent or is it just me (jokers beware here)?

Yes, I know they are an easy target but why is it that their administration can be so abysmal and yet their arrogance (and profit) remains at such an award winningly high level; it’s the way they talk down to you as though you simply don’t understand how complex banking must be.

In the last twelve months Barclays have completely lost a wire transfer of £267 from one business account to a supplier in India and then completely given up on me because I dared to suggest that they try and locate it! And then today Nat West has lost the papers that Colin and I filed to open a new business account – and that after going to the branch with passports and water bills in hand for "money laundering purposes" (I tried to explain we didn’t want to launder money but I think it must be compulsory these days).

If the recruitment industry acted this badly with paperwork and identity verification the Government would bring out another swathe of legislation to keep us in our place. Its time the Customer regained their throne – let the Banker beware.

Gareth

All a matter of balance

As a former RAF pilot I learned at a very early age that keeping the various forces on your aircraft in balance was the fundamental skill required to ensure you have happy passengers and a safe flight.

Now, 30 years on, the balance may be totally different (and sadly far less exciting) but it is no less important and I have suddenly mastered the art of working from home and getting a far better work life balance than I ever have had before.

To all those who struggle into the office (especially in London) only to sit on their computer for ten hours before joining ‘the great unwashed’ on their journey home, I would say “Think about it.” I now only go into the office for meetings, cleverly arrange to coincide, and on the writing, thinking and doing days I work from my own desk, overlooking my own trees and breath a far less polluted combination of gases and feel much healthier for it. And on a sunny day (like today) the world seems a much happier place.

Working in London, especially in this weather, does have certain perks but, on balance, I think I’m far more effective in the Suburbs. I usually start at 6 am, work through to breakfast, work until lunch and again until I break for ‘Deal or No Deal’ and then do a bit more if I feel inclined or need to contact the far flung parts of the Empire. I can do three days work in one and regularly take a long weekend.

So to all my small business friends out there I would say “For once, you should do as I do not just as I say and work on your balance.”

Gareth

It's time for a change at the top in Recruitment

I believe this is possibly my most important statement about the industry and one that could change the fortunes of many within it. Please read on.

For years, and especially whilst at the helm of the REC, I tried to get Clients to believe that Recruiters are professionals. I also tried to convince Recruiters themselves by introducing better structured qualifications and even a Recruitment Degree and opened the door for the organisation to become Chartered – still, sadly, a long way off.

However I missed the key point, you can’t create a Profession overnight, but you can watch what Professionals do and learn from their experience and successes.

I want all readers to stop and think for a moment and answer the following question; What is the fundamental difference between a Lawyer and a Recruiter?

I will avoid the obvious one-liners but most will eventually agree that a Lawyers charges far more per hour for his/her time than does a Recruiter. It’s true and if you follow that logic through to its final conclusion you will also find that Senior Lawyers charge more than Junior Lawyers and Practice Principals charge heaps more than the rest.

In short; "Your Top People should be your Top Billers!" I’ll say it again; "Your Top People should be your Top Billers!" Definitely not true in most recruitment firms.

I have had the rare privilege of visiting over 2,000 recruitment agencies during my time and since leaving REC have worked with some of the best and most entrepreneurial of them (now about 40 in total) and one thing has become glaringly obvious to me; the owners are, or were, the businesses best Recruiters and they have all ‘promoted’ themselves away from recruiting to a wholly spurious role (usually titled Managing Director) which they don’t understand, have no talent or empathy for and from where they look down on lesser mortals struggling to achieve targets they themselves once realised without breaking into a sweat (and wanting more and more money for doing it)..

So why, I ask myself, don’t Recruiters learn from Lawyers and Accountants and Architects et al and create a career progression where Junior Consultants become Senior Consultants become Principals; all still doing what they are good at and all staying as fee earners.

OK, I accept that Top Lawyers don’t do the grunt work, they have juniors to do that for them, but they work with the Client (and more particularly with the Client’s CEO) and establish the relationship and lead on the important cases. And so should we.

But what about the management of the business I hear you shout, who’s going to do that? Well hire a business manager, a general manager or even an MBA. They are ten-a-penny and they can do what most recruiters can’t; they can plan, they can budget, they can administer and they can market the business and use the businesses greatest assets, its Recruiters, to maximum effect and profit.

I call this the ‘Osborne Model', or the Professionals Approach, and as the holder of a Doctorate in Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation I am told that I have the right to postulate the odd theory, so please allow or excuse me my Newtonic moment. I believe this could work for many in the industry and add significant value to their business as it grows.

Think about it. And trust me, I’m a Doctor!

Gareth

Browned Off - and facing another charisma crisis

Can you imagine how deflated Gordon must be feeling today after an appalling day at the polls yesterday? It really proves my point that real leaders must have charisma to command a following and not just an over abundance of intelligence and self belief.

Gordon won’t be the first Number Two to have aggressively and conspiratorially displaced their boss only to find they have neither the guile, guts nor panache to fill his (or her) shoes but surely he will be regretting losing his place in history as ‘The Best Chancellor ever’ to become known as ‘The worst Prime Minister in living memory’. Ergo ego!

Gareth

What is the best Recruitment Software? Answered!

During my three years at REC as their ‘Technology Bod’, I was forever being asked ‘What is the best recruitment software?’ normally on the back of being told by recruiters that everything out there is rubbish, including their own existing technology! Since leaving, it is still the main question I get asked.

Asking ‘What is the best recruitment software?’ is effectively the same as asking people ‘What is the best music band in the world?’ or ‘What is the best car?’ Everyone has a different opinion of what ‘best’ really is and how do you work it out!

Let’s take Radiohead as a personal example. They are one of the biggest bands in the world, so must be ‘best’ for many people, but they just don’t do it for me. That doesn’t make them rubbish, far from it, they just don’t hit my personal hot buttons. Likewise, no one technology is ever going to be ‘best’ for every recruiter and the objectives they have for it.

After reviewing more recruiting technologies than you could shake a stick at, I formed a fixed opinion that the majority of platforms out there are not rubbish and are in fact extremely good in terms of functionality, user ability and the potential efficiency and value they can provide to a professional recruitment business.

This provided me with a problem because after reviewing some of the technologies called into question, including some of the leading edge and emerging ones, my conclusions were probably not what recruiters wanted to hear and when I delivered my opinion and still do, it didn’t and doesn’t provide the response those asking are looking for.

I will expand!

Using my example above and relating it to recruitment software, what one recruiter thinks is good and a key feature, another will think is surplus to requirement. Throw in the different technical abilities of the users and it gets even more complex.

A business will be sold a technology and naturally all staff will be made to use it. Some will take to it like a duck to water, but others, who maybe prefer the good old days of the rolodex and the telephone will not, and in some circumstances it will effect, albeit and hopefully temporarily, their efficiency and productivity when it was actually purchased to enhance it.

This highlights just how important a decision this is and that all stakeholders in the business, including and most importantly the users must be involved in the decision making process.

In most cases I have been involved with, when the truth really comes out, the decision making process has not necessarily been based on solid and sound investigation and analysis. Recruiters are great salespeople and although it pains me to say it, I, like most salespeople, can easily get sold to.

Let’s be honest, if someone were to pitch a technology with all the bells and whistles, that will actually make the tea and sweep up at the end of the day, cheaper than anything else on the market, you wouldn’t be surprised if that technology got some interest and traction in the market.

However, once it has been taken out of the box and implemented, some will find that the tea really is great and the office has never been cleaner, but as for managing their specific client, candidate and vacancy records and facilitating placements in the style they are accustomed to, it is lacking.

Also, how much of the whizzy and jazzy functionality that closed the deal will really be used to its fullest extent or at all. I would guess that certain solutions are only being used at half strength and the core functionality elements for an individual recruiter that should have formed the basis of the procurement decision, were overlooked at the making the tea and sweeping up stage, and therefore, the technology turns out not to be the best for the job.

In addition, I have spoken to many vendors and one of the biggest issues they report is getting the training message through to the end users. Just because you can drive a car, it doesn’t mean you can drive a lorry, so absorbing and disseminating the training is as important as the procurement process. If barriers exist for doing this, then problems will ensue.

Now, some vendors can paint a good picture and sell a good story and might not be the best training organisations in the world, which is something they could brush up on, plus the sales processes can be so technical and complex that recruiters are forced to decide on price because they are so confused at the end of the process. However, if you have a solid procurement process in place you should not get caught out.

You can see where this is heading. I have told many recruiters a few home truths and that their decision making process was leaky. They did not understand what the core objectives and needs of the business were before making a purchase and it isn’t in fact the technology that is ‘rubbish’, it was the process used to identify the technology that was suspect, which created the wrong fit!

Believe me, my opinion goes down like a lead balloon, especially in seminars, where groups of recruiter’s are looking for a swift answer to what they believe is an easily answerable question.

So to draw conclusions, there is no swift answer and the only way to really identify what is the best recruitment software solution for your business is to do the necessary homework, which will include an internal needs analysis, a user and business impact analysis, a detailed specification exercise and a thorough tender process.

I expect that some recruiters believe their software to be inadequate, but in reality it might be perfectly suitable for their business and that they might be wrong to judge it without going back to the drawing board and working out what they need the system to do, and giving the vendor the opportunity to configure and train it accordingly.

If it is ultimately inadequate and a new solution is required, there is a defined, lengthy and sometimes internally painful process that you need to go through if you are to answer the question on every recruiters' lips; ‘What is the best recruitment software?’ Believe me, it’s well worth the effort!

Colin.

Recruiter Awards - congratulations to the winners

As a great supporter of meaningful awards I was especially pleased to see Bob Wicks being recognised for his outstanding contribution to the Recruitment Industry, through the award of the Gary Clark Individual Achievement Award.

Also to see an Elite Group member at the head of the pile, with Kate McCarthy of McCarthy Recruitment picking up two awards for Best Newcomer and Best Retail Recruitment Firm, was especially pleasing. It proves my point that you don’t have to be long-established to be the best – well done Kate.

Gareth

Leader, thought leader

Too many business leaders, who aspire to be a Managing Director, find themselves with nothing to do and start doing menial tasks and rarely elevate themselves to the strategic. This is true in all sectors but especially true in recruitment.

If you stop and break the words down, then a managing director is someone who manages the process of direction; the Captain of the ship – the one who says ‘hard to port me hearties’ not the one who takes the helm and steers the boat.

I like the phrase ‘thought leader’ when defining the role of an MD and explain it as ‘someone who explores opportunities (or problems) and inspires their team, through the introduction of innovative debate, with the sole aim of making progress in areas that are essential to business success or are losing focus’.

I still believe one of the very best management practices (although now seen by some as outmoded) is that of MBWA (Management By Walking About). I make a point, on every day I am in the office, of walking around and talking to people; hopefully finding out more about their life and what makes them tick but especially exploring their working life and participating in their successes and frustrations. Remembering of course that any intelligence I gather must go straight to their manager so as not to circumvent the chain of command. This also gives me the opportunity to ‘Columbo’ them; ‘One last thing before I go .. how is the Tennison Project progressing? I haven’t heard much lately’. You will be amazed what you find out and how receptive people are to you questions, ideas and solutions.

MBWA has always worked for me; give it a try, it might work for you and turn you from a busy fool into an engaged and essential thought leader in your business.

Gareth