http://www.rec-con.co.uk News from www.rec-con.co.uk http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Gangmasters_arrested/2114 Yesterday morning (November 19) 200 members representing several agencies, including Gangmasters Licensing Authority and Northants Police, descended onto a field near Holbeach, South Lincolnshire. Three men were arrested on suspicion of human trafficking for purposes of labour exploitation. It is alleged that more than 60 workers from across Eastern Europe had been picking leeks. Police have also been searching homes in the Kettering area and a Market Harborough business premises where a further four men and a woman were arrested on suspicion of trafficking and money laundering. Operation Ruby had come about after allegations of recruiting through Eastern European agencies and adverts. Houses were raided as it was believed many of these workers were living in cramped and potentially unsafe conditions. Chairman of the GLA Paul Whitehouse said: "Protecting vulnerable workers and dealing with rogue gangmasters is what we do. "The action taken today shows that no gangmaster can get away with this abuse, the GLA and our colleagues in other agencies are watching and will deal with the unscrupulous individuals that use their control over the lives of their workers to cause misery." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Y_bother/2113 The whole Generation Y concept of work- where flexibility, work life balance and a socially responsible employer is demanded by jobseekers - is set to change according to Steve Carter, managing director of accountancy and finance recruitment specialist Nigel Lynn. He said: "I'm not suggesting that we shouldn't have flexibility in the workplace, far from it, but according to recent research from the London Business School, while Generation X often requires flexibility for childcare, Generation Y demands it for lifestyle reasons. "According to a report in The Observer back in May, Generation Y jobseekers are 'ready to resign if their jobs are not fulfilling and fun, with decent holidays and the opportunity to take long stretches off for charity work or travel.' "In this market, that attitude isn't going to go down terribly well with potential employers - many of whom may well be boomers and Generation X themselves and who had to really buckle down during the last major recession. And it's going to be those people who can demonstrate that they can add real value to a business that will succeed. That means getting back to the Generation X ethos of hard work, long hours and potentially less time off. " He added: "There will also need to be an acceptance that Generation X managers and leaders who have worked through a major downturn in the past will have valuable lessons to pass on. And above all, job seekers will need to demonstrate an attitude which reflects what they can do for their employer - not what their employer can do for them!" He also suggested that as Generation Y is a group that has never witnessed recession or economic hardship it is not surprising that they tend to talk about what they want from work. He concluded: "They may have some hard lessons to learn in the months to come." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/Features/Benefits_for_business/2112 In the current economic climate holding on to the best people can be a key factor in how well a business performs, particularly after an economic upswing. These days, many employees and prospective candidates are looking for a certain amount of choice in the ways in which they are rewarded. This means that salary is only one of the considerations for a prospective employee, and it is often the full employee package which is considered. At the same time, the economy brings a strong possibility of restricted cash flow and smaller profit margins, meaning some employers choose to cut back on benefits rather than other expenses. This leaves employers with a tricky situation - they need a good benefits package to retain and moralise their staff during the downturn, but traditional packages with all the trimmings may not be financially viable. Intelligent approach And so companies need to look intelligently at their benefits. One option, which can have significant effects, is that of salary sacrifice where an employee will halt their contributions into a group pension scheme and sacrifice the equivalent amount of money from their salary. Employers can take the money saved in salaries and pay it into the pension. The additional benefit here is the employees can make PAYE and NI savings while the employer saves 12.8 per cent in Employers' National Insurance contributions on the sacrificed amount. The employer can then use the savings to invest in additional employee benefits thus passing them back to the employee, without any additional spend. If employees are willing to reduce their salary by a small amount, but receive benefits that reduce their cost of living by more than the sacrifice, this opens up the possibility of going down this route. Flexible benefits need not always mean additional financial outlay. Work-life balance is an increasingly important issue and many companies realise that employing staff who work flexi-time or use other flexible working patterns can have significant benefits and provide great incentives. If it's appropriate, companies can even consider employing staff who work from home and in this way can increase their talent pool without increasing cost, sometimes even reducing overheads. Consulting staff It is often the case that businesses spend a great deal of time and money on employee benefits packages, but never actually ask their staff if a particular benefit is appreciated. If people don't want, or don't understand their benefits package, then this can simply be a waste of money that doesn't benefit employee engagement, retention or recruitment. Of course, it would be impractical to simply ask employees "What do you want?" as the list would be far too varied to be practically implemented, but there are other ways to consult on what benefits are valued. For example, you could list the benefits they already have and find out, first of all, if people understand how to get the most of them, and secondly if they value them compared to other alternative options the company could afford to replace them with. Working intelligently and engaging employees means that you can increase benefits without overspending, while being confident that you understand which type of benefits are most likely to be valued by employees and prospective employees. What this means that even when budgets are tight, you can develop a bespoke benefits solution that will result in minimum cost with maximum impact. Chris Metz is head of employee benefits at Oval Ltd http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/BT_aftershocks/2111 Last week's announcement of large scale job losses at BT has highlighted the particular vulnerability of agency temps and self-employed contract workers at times of economic recession. But John Philpott, chief cconomist at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) believes this reality should not be used to question the merit of the UK's flexible labour market. Dr Philpott said: "CIPD evidence indicates that at times of trouble, employers will first cut temporary and contract staff so as to avoid the greater cost and difficulty of making permanent staff redundant. \"This is why so far in the current economic downturn redundancies have only been the tip of the iceberg of total job losses.\" He added: "While this makes agency temps and contract workers more vulnerable at such times, one should not forget that most people who work on this basis want to do so and are often best able to seek out opportunities when the going gets tough. \"And contract staff will also be first in line to be hired when the economy eventually recovers since employers will at first be reluctant to recruit people on permanent contracts.\" Dr Philpott concluded: "As with many other aspects of our economic life, the emerging recession may result in a questioning of the merits of a flexible jobs market and result in calls for tougher employment regulation. \"But the upsides outweigh the downsides, enabling the UK to adapt quickly to change. This increases the prospects of the swift return of relatively strong job creation once the economy returns to health." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Pay_disparity/2110 Figures from the 2008 Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings released earlier today by the Office for National Statistics show that women have slipped further behind men in the pay stakes. Gerwyn Davies, public policy adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), said this presents a challenge to employers and policy makers but cautions against simply attributing the gap to poor employer practice. Mr Davies added: \"Today\'s figures showing that the pay gap between full-time male and female employees widened in the year to April is most disappointing and a blow to progress towards equality. \"The poor year for women in the workforce is further exacerbated by relatively small increases in the pay of part-time workers and public sector workers, categories of work where women are in the majority. \"The figures demonstrate that even greater effort will need to be made by employers and government to narrow the gap. But it is simplistic to conclude that the gender pay gap is the result of overt pay discrimination by employers. \"The gap mainly reflects variations in the type of jobs done by men and women, different working patterns and, in particular, the impact of child and elder care on women's career choices and hours of work. All these factors need to be taken into account when devising changes to policy and practice designed to close the gap.\" http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/NORAs_announced/2109 In the eighth annual NORAs held in Leicester Square last night (Thursday) the industry celebrated the strength of its online presence. Fish4jobs managing director firstly gave his slant on the economic situation before the awards were handed out. The winner of the best general jobsite was Totaljobs and CW Jobs walked away with best niche site. Regional website winner was s1jobs and www.arm.co.uk won best national recruitment agency website. The best website for small recruitment agency website went to McCarthy Recruitment while best national employers website recruitment section top honours went to Innocent Drinks. The Guardian walked away with the best recruitment section by consumer publication and trade publication best recruitment site went to www.thegrocer.co.uk. Best employment advice site went to Monster and top innovation and newcomer went was www.linkedin.com. AlljobsUK's Stephen O'Donnell said: "The field of finalists for the National Online Recruitment Awards 2008, has been the strongest and most diverse ever. "Furthermore, the outstanding, world-class qualities of our winners truly exemplifies an industry that leads the world in levels of candidate service, formidable marketing and technical sophistication. "The UK has always led the world in the online recruitment field, and the sector maturity has grown visibly throughout these eight years of the NORAs. Self-congratulation aside, these are very challenging times for the recruitment market as a whole. "However the very nature of the online recruitment industry is such, that it is well prepared to continue to offer the most efficient and cost-effective route to sourcing the very best available candidates." He added: "It has always been the case that the firms who are most able to actively source the very best candidates, are those who survive, and are best prepared for growth. The winners of the National Online Recruitment Awards are the finest examples of companies who are meeting this challenge head-on." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Recruiter_ejected/2108 The Recruitment and Employment Confederation has expelled the Suffolk-based company Goose Recruit Ltd for breaching its code of professional practice. The decision was made by REC's professional standards committee which is made up of business and trade union representatives. Goose Recruit provided no or insufficient evidence to refute the finding by the GLA that they were charging unacceptably high accommodation rates, had no legal system in place to provide holiday pay, and allowed employees to work excessive hours with insufficient breaks. Commenting on the expulsion, REC Chief Executive Kevin Green said: "The REC has an important role to play in ensuring compliance to our standards and making sure members observe the highest principles of ethics, integrity and professional conduct. "The REC Code of Professional Practice provides a clear framework of how recruitment businesses should behave. Goose Recruit Ltd was not adhering to the Code and was tarnishing the reputation of REC members and the recruitment industry." Goose Recruit Ltd had appealed against the decision but it was subsequently upheld last week by the REC's independent appeal panel. http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/Financial News//2107 Privately-owned recruitment communications agency ThirtyThree Limited has secured a £4m funding package with The Royal Bank of Scotland to fund ambitious expansion plans. The company, which employs 140 staff in London and Bristol and provides services to blue chip clients such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, Nationwide Building Society and BT Group, recently completed its first acquisition of Bristol-based competitor RAA Sprague Gibbons. The £4m funding package is designed to enable further investment in the South West operation which now accounts for one third of group sales and has enjoyed a bumper year in terms of both financial performance and success at the industry's major creative awards ceremonies. The firm won the CIPD Grand Prix for retailer Claire's Accessories and Best Website for The Audit Commission. In line with plans to fully integrate RAA with ThirtyThree's existing Bristol office, a move to new premises with capacity for all 42 staff is scheduled for Q1 2009. Commenting on the new arrangements, Andrew Young Chairman of ThirtyThree said: "Despite the changing economic climate, we are continuing to think long term and make judicious investment decisions. The RBS team worked closely with us to understand our business and support our objectives, while also taking us through a robust due diligence process." Richard Clark, Financial Director, Thirty Three added: "The RBS team impressed me right from the start. They share our belief in building long term relationships and I'm confident that we now have the right partner for both our transactional banking and strategic financial needs." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Summit_announced/2106 The Recruitment Consultant's breakfast summit The Recruitment Market 2009, to be held at the British Library on December 3 and sponsored by Charterhouse Group International, will focus on the expected tough trading conditions for the coming year. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development is supplying its chief economist John Philpott who will present his unique insight into how he believes the markets will react to the downturn and looming recession. His role within the CIPD means he has unrivalled knowledge of the potential impact in 2009. Joining John at the speakers' table will be managing director of Premier Group's UK organisations Steve Carter. Steve's background, reputation, experience and deep understanding of the recruitment industry means his presentation should be both lively and informative. Spaces for the two-hour seminar are limited and strictly on a first-come-first-served basis and cost is £90 per delegate. To book your place email summit@rec-con.co.uk or call 0845 0948022. http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Recruitment_up/2105 Despite today's announcement that unemployment had risen to an 11-year high Monster Employment Index has announced recruitment figures were slightly up in October. With unemployment hitting 1.82m up from 5.4 per cent to 5.8 per cent the index shows modest growth for last month following a four-month decline. Healthcare and education sectors saw a surge with surprisingly moderate increases seen across finance and engineering. According to the index architecture, construction and HR suffered a drop as did demand for shop workers and market sales. Hugo Sellert, Monster's head of economic research said: "Although the recent financial crisis adds uncertainty to an already weak economic outlook and job offerings in some sectors are declining significantly, the October index shows areas of sustained high demand such as engineering, education and healthcare.\" http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/Analysis/Age_old_problem/2103 Our company Forties People is calling for much sharper government focus on the problems created by the national default retirement age. Worryingly, despite legislation in 2006, blatant ageism is still a malevolent mantra in far too many organisations. I am sure we are no different to many other recruitment agencies in that we are still seeing evidence of blatant ageism. Two years after the enshrinement of the new law my staff still finds itself dealing with weeping candidates' descriptions of workplace discrimination. When the Employment Equality (Age) regulations came into force I was cautiously optimistic but I voiced serious concerns about the likelihood of inadequate monitoring and follow-up support. Older job seekers needed reassurance before they could really feel that things had indeed changed for the better. At the time the government made it very clear that it wanted employers to work within the spirit of the law, not just the letter. The fact is we have still not nearly achieved enough of the necessary culture shift to render discrimination obsolete. ECJ decision The latest European Courts of Justice edict regarding the Age Concern 'Heyday' challenge to the retirement age isn't helpful either, from a mature worker's point of view. It looks increasingly likely that the ECJ will endorse the default retirement age of 65 set by the 2006 law, despite the strong and well-argued case by Heyday that it discriminated against older workers. We must rally to support this key Heyday challenge otherwise what sort of a message is this sending to employers and indeed to candidates? The plain fact is that there should be no mandatory retirement age and people should be allowed to retire when they want to. With recession kicking in, growing numbers of older workers' fears are going to turn into nightmares. There's talk already of a possible two-and-a-half million people out of work by this time next year and companies alarmed and panicked by the worst financial crisis in a generation will all be looking hard at just who they axe from their workforces. They may take the view that in a 'when the chips are down' situation they would morally prefer to keep on younger workers who are likely to be struggling with mortgages and bearing the financial burdens of bringing up small children. But many older people still have mortgages and large loans to pay themselves; alternatively they may well be forced into helping finance their own offspring who have careered into a credit-crunched brick wall. Experience required And that rationale, from an objective corporate strategic point of view, isn't bullet-proof either. Many older people have been through recession before and they have that valuable experience behind them. In this marketplace it is the mature people who have in a manner of speaking been there, done that and got the recession T-shirt. These people are gifted with diverse and often pivotal skill sets they can usefully deploy on behalf of employers in times like these. Despite this there is little doubt in my mind that it will indeed be the older demographic that will bear more than its fair share of the imminent pain. Property prices are spiralling downwards, so older people who had hoped to downsize, grab the equity and run, are having to revisit their retirement strategies. They know that somehow they are going to have to find work or stay at the workplace longer, maybe years longer than they had originally intended. And when it comes to hiring key staff, the new environment may dissuade employers from hiring older people, in their 50s and 60s, who then may have to be shown the door within a few years. It is a very unfunny irony that as medical science develops and increasingly allows us longer life expectancy - coupled with the fact that older people are going to be wielding ever-increasing political power - that the blight of ageism still prevails to infect and scar our so-called developed culture. In 2006 a poll by the Employers Forum on Age found that 1.6 million people witnessed ageist practices at work despite the fact that 86 per cent of Britons were by then aware that it was illegal for firms to discriminate against them on age grounds. This miserable statistic just reinforces my scepticism regarding the government's ability and desire to ensure older workers get a fair deal on a level playing field. Spencer Jacobs is managing director of Forties People. http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Gangmaster_punished/2102 A GLA investigation has uncovered alleged illegal activity by a Preston gangmaster who supplied workers to the pet food industry. The licence of Voluntary People Limited, the gangmaster business that supplied the workers, has been revoked. It has now been ordered to stop supplying workers to the GLA-regulated sector or face prosecution. There was no appeal made against the GLA decision. Both men and women were working on the pet food production line and records kept by the gangmaster showed that no checks to confirm their right to work in the UK had been made. Records suggested the workers were from Brazil, Bulgaria, Portugal, Poland and the Czech Republic. The allegations included that Voluntary People Limited had subcontracted workers from an unlicensed gangmaster in Poland and that at least two workers supplied by Voluntary People were not legally entitled to work in the UK. The GLA also alleged the workers had been charged for their own safety clothing and equipment. Paul Whitehouse, chairman of the GLA said: "We are determined to catch the rogue gangmasters; this time it is not the food on your plate but the food in the bowl of your pet that has been processed by an exploited worker. "We shall continue to protect the rights of workers and ensure that all gangmaster businesses meet basic legal requirements. You cannot hide from us, you cannot avoid us. We are determined to root out the rogues." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Survey_welcomed/2101 The REC's Industry Research Unit officially launched its annual industry turnover report results at a breakfast seminar held at sponsor Lloyds Tsb's London headquarters in Gresham Street on Friday. The research, also sponsored by Recruitment Consultant Magazine, was introduced by IRU head Roger Tweedy. He explained the rise in total industry revenue was due to a 21.7 per cent increase in permanent placements - up to £4.276bn. Mr Tweedy believed this spike was due to businesses spending more on the right candidate in the current economic climate. Lloyds Tsb chief economist Trevor Williams then spoke on his interpretation of the downturn, the cut in interest rates and his theories as to why the country is heading for recession. He also compared figures such as unemployment rates with the last recession and explained it was not as gloomy as many voices in the media had suggested. "I genuinely believe that interest rates can be cut even more - but they simply can't lower them to the same levels as the US, that would be disastrous," Mr Williams told delegates the day after interest rates had been cut to three per cent. Speaking at the event REC chief executive Kevin Green said: "It is vital that the recruitment industry retains its ability to help the economy bounce back from the bottom of the cycle which will in turn enable early recovery." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Report_published/2100 The Recruitment and Employment Confederation's Annual Industry Turnover and Key Volumes Survey 2007/08 shows turnover in the UK's recruitment industry hit a record high of more than £27bn between April 2007 and March 2008. The growth has been achieved through a sharp increase in turnover from permanent placements rising 21.7 per cent from £3.514bn to £4.276bn. This high has appeared despite the number of permanent placements falling from 787,280 to 726,863 which the REC believes is down to employers willing to pay more for the right candidate. The report is published in association with the Recruitment Finance Division of Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance and Recruitment Consultant magazine. REC chief executive Kevin Green said: "The huge growth in permanent recruitment turnover shows that employers are willing to pay more for the right candidate. "This remains the case even in the changing employment climate. The downturn is really putting the skills of professional recruiters to the test but at the same time, this is giving them a real opportunity to shine and show employers what they're really made of." He added: "As we enter a significant economic downturn, it is vital that the recruitment industry retains its ability to help the economy bounce back from the bottom of the cycle which will in turn enable early recovery. "Within this context, we must ensure that new legislation such as the EU Agency Workers Directive and the taxation of recruitment services are implemented and reviewed in a way that does not add further barriers." Paul Saunders, director of the Recruitment Finance Division of Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance added: "While the results of the survey are broadly positive, recruiters will be feeling cautious now that the impact of the economic turbulence is being felt across the industry. "The recruitment industry plays a crucial role in the economic success of the UK by ensuring the efficient delivery of human resources where they are most needed - in both good times and bad. "Currently, some niche players are faring particularly well, for example those providing risk management specialists to the financial sector, while good opportunities for consolidation are emerging in most occupational sectors. The year ahead is likely to test companies, with flexibility and control of cash the key factors in achieving success. "The best managed agencies are dealing with the current challenges by converting fixed overheads into variables (for example, outsourcing non-core functions), cutting costs that can no longer be justified, mitigating risk by insuring against bad debts and avoiding over-dependence on particular customers. Such agencies will be well-positioned to come through the present difficulties ahead of their competitors and take full advantage of the upturn when it occurs.\" For more detailed information on the report visit the Features section of our website. http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/Conference//2099 The Recruitment and Employment Confederation's Annual Industry Turnover and Key Volumes Survey 2007/08 shows turnover in the UK's recruitment industry hit a record high of more than £27 billion between April 2007 and March 2008. The growth has been achieved through a sharp increase in turnover from permanent placements rising 21.7 per cent from £3.514bn to £4.276bn. This high has appeared despite the number of permanent placements falling from 787,280 to 726,863 which the REC believes is down to employers willing to pay more for the right candidate. The report is published in association with the Recruitment Finance Division of Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance and Recruitment Consultant magazine. REC chief executive Kevin Green said: "The huge growth in permanent recruitment turnover shows that employers are willing to pay more for the right candidate. "This remains the case even in the changing employment climate. The downturn is really putting the skills of professional recruiters to the test but at the same time, this is giving them a real opportunity to shine and show employers what they're really made of." He added: "As we enter a significant economic downturn, it is vital that the recruitment industry retains its ability to help the economy bounce back from the bottom of the cycle which will in turn enable early recovery. "Within this context, we must ensure that new legislation such as the EU Agency Workers Directive and the taxation of recruitment services are implemented and reviewed in a way that does not add further barriers." Paul Saunders, director of the Recruitment Finance Division of Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance added: "While the results of the survey are broadly positive, recruiters will be feeling cautious now that the impact of the economic turbulence is being felt across the industry. "The recruitment industry plays a crucial role in the economic success of the UK by ensuring the efficient delivery of human resources where they are most needed - in both good times and bad. "Currently, some niche players are faring particularly well, for example those providing risk management specialists to the financial sector, while good opportunities for consolidation are emerging in most occupational sectors. The year ahead is likely to test companies, with flexibility and control of cash the key factors in achieving success. "The best managed agencies are dealing with the current challenges by converting fixed overheads into variables (for example, outsourcing non-core functions), cutting costs that can no longer be justified, mitigating risk by insuring against bad debts and avoiding over-dependence on particular customers. Such agencies will be well-positioned to come through the present difficulties ahead of their competitors and take full advantage of the upturn when it occurs." For more detailed information on the report visit the Features section of our website. http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Conkers_integrated/2098 The Daily Mail and General Trust's digital arm (AND) has now integrated its job posting service Conkers into its newly-purchased Broadbean operations. Broadbean has said that current Conkers clients will experience no immediate change as all existing contracts will be honoured to their full term. Broadbean also confirmed it will ensure a dedicated technical and customer service team continues to be available on the existing Conkers support number. It is believed that Conkers managing director John Cassidy will be stepping back from the daily operations of the service and moving elsewhere within the company. The Broadbean website also stated that all Conkers clients will be offered the opportunity to switch to the Broadbean AdCourier system should they wish to. Upon expiry of their contract however, any further business or renewals will be offered only via the Broadbean platform. http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/New_launch/2095 Geoff Warburton, the founder of both Voyager Software and expressHR, is launching Recruitment Software International (RSI) to offer front office solutions to professional staffing organisations. In the past, the choice has been between the 'one system fits all' approach of package products and the high cost of bespoke solutions. Now RSI offers fully customisable solutions, in any language, that can be easily adapted to the needs of niche recruitment businesses, with a very low cost of ownership as it is delivered as a fully managed hosting and support service that means our customers do not need an IT department. In addition it can be fully integrated to other applications, like Outlook, Broadbean, and Daxtra, to provide one seamless solution. For further information go to www.myrecruitment.net or contact Geoff Warburton at geoff@myrecruitment.net http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Gloomy_report/2094 Staff appointments and vacancies have suffered a dramatic decline in October's Markit Economics Report on Jobs. An industry figurehead has also warned the worst is yet to come and for the country to prepare for further large-scale redundancies. The REC and KPMG sponsored report has revealed that not only did the figures show the lowest placements and vacancy rates since the survey began 11 years ago, but that candidate availability had surged. Recruiters reported a drop in permanent placements for the seventh successive month in October while it was the third consecutive month a decline in temporary placements had been recorded. Demand for staff has fallen for the fifth month in a row hitting a survey low with a record rate of contraction. Accountancy and financial placements were hardest hit in both the permanent and temporary sectors in line with the economic downturn. Nursing, care and medical, however, were the only sectors to show growth in October for both temp and perms. Partner and head of business services at KPMG Mike Stevens said: "This latest survey reveals a gloomy picture of the UK labour market. "The terrible news from the equity markets and the broader economic front have led to a steep fall in the demand for permanent and temporary jobs across most sectors of the economy and the worst is probably yet to come." He added: "As UK companies are increasingly under pressure and economic conditions are getting worse, many employers won't have any choice than making large-scale redundancies. "Job losses will most likely affect all sectors across the economy with only a few exceptions. "Support services companies for example could be relatively protected as they provide essential but modest value services to the corporate and public sectors; even they however are feeling the squeeze and their margins are often too thin to absorb any level of corporate failure in their customer base." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Homework_boost/2093 The numbers of those looking to work from home have almost doubled in a month. The figures released by UK jobs website TipTopJobs.com show that applications for home-based roles during the month of September leapt to 1,673 from 1,176 in August - an increase of 42 per cent. The cost of living including steep rises in fuel costs, food, clothing and utility bills, as well as worries over an impending recession, are thought to be behind the increasing desire to work from home. This is believed to include a large rise in stay-at-home mums and housewives looking for work to help their partners with new economic pressures. Corinne Dauncey careers expert from TipTopJob.com said: "We forecast an increase in home-based applications as it's becoming more acceptable to work from home. However such a sharp rise is not in line with our predications. "We believe it's another worrying sign that consumer confidence is low and that candidates are worried about the current economic turmoil. "Economists believe headline rates of inflation are now set to fall back, with oil prices having recently dropped, so it will be interesting to see what happens to these applications, whether they continue to rise or fall in line with inflation." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/New_launch/2092 TriSys Business Software, one of the UK's fastest growing software and services providers, has released version 8.0 of its advanced recruitment software. TriSys Version 8.0 is designed for recruitment agencies of all sizes and industry focus, whether specialising in contract, temporary, permanent or executive search and selection. TriSys is delivered as a fully operational recruitment system 'out of the box' or on-line, ensuring a rapid delivery and efficient adoption by both recruiters and administration staff. TriSys Version 8.0 is available both on-premise and on-demand. The on-premise version is installed on an existing IT network, whilst the on-demand version is delivered to customers as a fully hosted solution together with Microsoft Office, Exchange E-Mail, SQL Server, anti-virus, anti-spam, unlimited disk space and technical support. "This latest release of our product directly addresses the unique challenges faced by today's recruiters by aggregating information from a variety of sources and managing every stage of the recruitment business process. Offering software plus services means that we can offer our customers the choice of an on-site or off-site fully managed deployment. Our strong recruitment industry and IT industry partner network ensures that TriSys can deliver highly functional and tightly integrated recruitment systems whilst ensuring limitless scalability and availability" commented Garry Lowther, Chief Executive Officer, TriSys Business Software. http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/RecruitRank_awards/2091 UK jobseekers nominated the country's top performing recruitment agencies for customer service at the annual Jobsite RecruitRank Awards ceremony, which took place on Thursday night. Recognising best practice and customer service in recruitment agencies, the RecruitRank Awards (www.recruitrank.co.uk) are the only industry awards based purely on feedback from jobseekers and not the traditional peer judging panel. Launched in November 2005 by Jobsite.co.uk with the aim of reducing candidate jobhunting frustrations and raising industry standards, RecruitRank is an online tool that tiers recruitment agencies on a daily basis based purely on the experiences of jobseekers. The categories and winners are: Low volume Jobsite user: Communication (iTS European) High volume Jobsite user: Communication (networx) Low volume Jobsite user: Understanding Candidate Needs (Big Red Recruitment Ltd) High volume Jobsite user: Understanding Candidate Needs (CELECTUS Recruitment Ltd) Low volume Jobsite user: Best Recruiter (iTS European) High volume Jobsite user: Best Recruiter (CELECTUS Recruitment Ltd) Low volume Jobsite user: Industry Knowledge (EMS Sigma Ltd) High volume Jobsite user: Industry Knowledge (Fircroft) Low volume Jobsite user: Most Improved (Big Red Recruitment Ltd) High volume Jobsite user: Most Improved (Enterprise Recruitment Ltd) Commenting on the awards, Keith Potts (pic), Jobsite CEO, said: "We are all aware of the power of recommendation - when you want to eat at a nice restaurant or stay in a quality hotel, you generally ask friends or colleagues if they know of anywhere - the same is true with recruitment. If you've been treated well you're likely to recommend the agency to someone else who is looking for work. RecruitRank offers this on a larger scale and gives jobseekers a voice." "With several thousand recruitment consultancies eligible for inclusion in the RecruitRank Awards, these winners stand out as examples of providing exceptional customer service. RecruitRank is based entirely on candidate feedback, providing the industry's most comprehensive insight into candidate needs and demands. Listening to this voice is critical for the future success of the industry as a whole. There is a lot we can learn from the RecruitRank Award winners, who epitomise best practice in the area of customer service." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Bank_run/2090 Students and graduates are losing confidence in the once resilient banking and finance sector. The credit crunch and banking crisis have cut the graduate interest in banking and finance jobs in half. Management consultancy and accountancy have emerged as the most attractive alternative options, two industries set to benefit as firms look to them for guidance on shoring up their finances. Graduate recruitment website Milkround.com asked nearly 300 users for their views on job hunting in the wake of the credit crunch and banking crisis. When asked if they had considered starting a graduate job in banking and finance before the credit crunch, nearly seven out of ten (68 percent) said they had. However, that figure has dropped by nearly half to 36 percent and 38 percent said they have ruled out banking and finance completely compared to 21 percent before the crunch. Milkround.com spokesman Mike Barnard said: "These figures just go to show the extent to which the confidence of working in the banking and finance sector has been shaken - but our survey does show that students and graduates still want jobs in the industry. However, with job security at a low and no sign of a recovery any time soon, there's every chance when banks and financial institutions look to recruit, they could struggle to fill their vacancies - particularly at graduate level." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Winners!/2089 UK jobseekers nominated the country's top performing recruitment agencies for customer service at the annual Jobsite RecruitRank Awards ceremony, which took place on Thursday night. Recognising best practice and customer service in recruitment agencies, the RecruitRank Awards (www.recruitrank.co.uk) are the only industry awards based purely on feedback from jobseekers and not the traditional peer judging panel. Launched in November 2005 by Jobsite with the aim of reducing candidate jobhunting frustrations and raising industry standards, RecruitRank is an online tool that tiers recruitment agencies on a daily basis based purely on the experiences of jobseekers. It allows candidates to feed back anonymously on the quality of an agency's service after they have applied for a vacancy advertised by them on Jobsite. In turn, recruiters have private access to this feedback, which allows them to monitor and, if necessary, improve their service offering. The RecruitRank Awards recognise those agencies with outstanding customer service, who achieved the highest levels of positive feedback over a 12 month period. Jobseekers' feedback determined the winners of the 11 award categories, with special congratulations to the winner of Best Recruiter Overall, which was awarded to iTS European. The categories and winners are: Low volume Jobsite user: Communication (iTS European) High volume Jobsite user: Communication (networx) Low volume Jobsite user: Understanding Candidate Needs (Big Red Recruitment Ltd) High volume Jobsite user: Understanding Candidate Needs (CELECTUS Recruitment Ltd) Low volume Jobsite user: Best Recruiter (iTS European) High volume Jobsite user: Best Recruiter (CELECTUS Recruitment Ltd) Low volume Jobsite user: Industry Knowledge (EMS Sigma Ltd) High volume Jobsite user: Industry Knowledge (Fircroft) Low volume Jobsite user: Most Improved (Big Red Recruitment Ltd) High volume Jobsite user: Most Improved (Enterprise Recruitment Ltd) Commenting on the awards, Keith Potts, Jobsite CEO, says: "We are all aware of the power of recommendation - when you want to eat at a nice restaurant or stay in a quality hotel, you generally ask friends or colleagues if they know of anywhere - the same is true with recruitment. If you've been treated well you're likely to recommend the agency to someone else who is looking for work. RecruitRank offers this on a larger scale and gives jobseekers a voice." Potts continues, "With several thousand recruitment consultancies eligible for inclusion in the RecruitRank Awards, these winners stand out as examples of providing exceptional customer service. RecruitRank is based entirely on candidate feedback, providing the industry's most comprehensive insight into candidate needs and demands. Listening to this voice is critical for the future success of the industry as a whole. There is a lot we can learn from the RecruitRank Award winners, who epitomise best practice in the area of customer service." The Awards, which are in their third year, were held on 30th October 2008 at stunning private London venue, One Marylebone Road. The Awards host was James Caan, founder of the Alexander Mann Group and one of the most memorable Dragons from the BBC series Dragons' Den. As a successful entrepreneur, James spoke on how businesses can win through in tougher times and keep their staff motivated and focused. His speech was of high value and relevance to the recruitment consultants present. http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Redundancy_rise/2088 Employers are predicting a sharp rise in redundancies brought on by the current financial crisis with older workers likely to bear the brunt of jobs losses according to research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). The survey also found that many employers have been hanging on, hoping the economy would pick up so they could avoid making job cuts. CIPD chief economist John Philpott said interest rates should be cut further to boost business confidence. "The onset of recession is already putting jobs at risk but many more are in the firing line as employers consider their next move in a fast deteriorating situation," he said. He called for the Bank of England to cut interest rates further "to prevent a nightmare scenario for jobs." A quarter of the 721 organisations surveyed said they had prepared fresh plans for redundancies, with most planning to cut any jobs by the end of January. One in five employers said they would take advantage of the rules which allow them to make workers aged over 65 redundant, without having to provide a business reason. http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/GLA_warning/2087 Over a third of recruiters in Northern Ireland supplying workers to farms and the food industry are operating without a license according to ICM research conducted on behalf of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA). The research surveyed employment agencies in Northern Ireland and found that only 63 per cent of agencies supplying workers to the food processing & packing sector and 64 per cent who supply workers to the farming & horticulture sector hold a GLA licence. It also noted that the smaller agencies were more likely to be unlicensed. The stakes are high with penalties of up to ten years imprisonment for operating without a licence, but the end user clients could also face prosecution as using an unlicensed agency carries penalties of up to six months in prison. Anybody who supplies workers to agriculture, horticulture, forestry, shellfish gathering, food processing and packaging to Northern Ireland businesses needs a licence. The GLA, which was set up to safeguard the welfare of workers across the UK, has already made its mark by revoking the licences of 76 businesses found to be exploiting workers in Scotland, England and Wales. With Operation Ajax under way in Northern Ireland, the GLA says those operating without a licence in the regulated sectors should come forward now, rather than risk facing prosecution. Since Operation Ajax was launched in Northern Ireland the GLA have conducted 18 inspections with six formal warnings issued. A number of operations aimed to catch unlicensed operators and those who use them will take place over the coming months. Paul Whitehouse, chairman of the GLA, commented: "Ignorance of the law is no defence, anybody operating without a licence must come forward immediately or face the consequences. It is unacceptable that the food you eat could have been picked packed or processed by an exploited worker. Anybody with information about exploitation or anybody supplying workers to agriculture or the food industry without a licence should contact us on 0845 602 5020 or anonymously at www.gla.gov.uk/report." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/i-Pod_hit/2086 Jobsite.co.uk has entered the iTunes charts at number eight with four career advice podcasts created alongside Absolute Radio, formerly Virgin Radio. The new campaign, which entered the iTunes business and careers chart this week, features a series of weekly career podcasts featuring advice from some of the UK's leading employers, career counsellors and life coaches. Advice on negotiating a pay rise, CV writing and interview technique is included in the series which is promoted through on-air editorial and advertising to almost one million listeners. Jobsite chief executive Keith Potts said: "Our partnership with Absolute Radio is an integral part of our brand campaign as it helps to introduce Jobsite to a new audience, offering them vital advice on how to go about finding the right job for them. "It's fantastic to have launched into the Top 10 and proves there is a genuine need for clear, practical advice on how to go about finding a new job. "Our new partnership with Absolute moves beyond traditional advertising and through our unique content lets us really demonstrate to potential jobseekers that Jobsite is committed to making it easier to find a new job and dedicated to looking on their behalf." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Third_worried/2085 A third of UK employees believe they are in danger of being laid off by their company according to new figures. However, the Kenexa Research Institute revealed in its latest survey that 67 per cent of the 1,000 employees questioned have the highest level of confidence in their employers. This falls below other countries including India (81 per cent), United States (76 per cent) and Russia and Canada (both 74 per cent). Surprisingly, only 46 per cent of the Japanese employees surveyed had the highest level of confidence in their firms. The research was carried out in September as part of a larger quarterly study by Kenexa measuring global business conditions. Only half of those quizzed in the UK believed there was a promising future for them at their current company, half also agreed they were not being equipped with the necessary skills by their employer to prepare them for the future. Kenexa\'s industrial psychologist and principal Jeffrey Saltzman said: "Workers in the UK feel good about the future of their organisations, how they are run and the products they produce. "A majority do not fear losing their jobs, and for those who do there is uncertainty regarding being able to find another. "This is especially true when salaries are taken into consideration; 66 per cent say they could find another job that paid them the equivalent to what they currently earn." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Voyager_success/2084 Recruitment consultant Jackie Brown of Jackie Brown Medical Ltd was awarded the title 'Recruiter of the Year' at this years' National Recruitment Federation Awards. Jackie Brown Medical Ltd was also shortlisted for awards in the categories of 'Best Online Services' for their website http://www.jackiebrownmedical.ie and for 'Best New Agency'. The event, hosted by RTE's Pamela Flood and sponsored by RecruitIreland.com was held in the Ballsbridge Court last Friday night 17th October. Jackie launched Jackie Brown Medical in October 2007, having previously worked for five years in acute nursing and a further eight years in the medical recruitment industry. To win the Recruiter of the Year award is a significant achievement. Ireland is home to hundreds of recruitment agencies and the awards were open to all registered agencies, both members and non-members of the NRF. Commenting on her win Jackie said, "I am absolutely honoured by this award. Recruitment is very much a service industry and we strive to provide both our clients and candidates with a level of professional service that is beyond their expectations. I am very proud of the progress the company has made in the space of a year and we will continue to build on that in the future." Jackie comments: The importance of technology in the business today. "The recruitment industry is heavily reliant on web based services. Recruitment is also a hugely competitive sector and our web presence is a vital ingredient to our success. Our website was developed in-house and we have made a point of embracing the social networking phenomenon that has swept the web by including social bookmarking facilities and a forum for medical and healthcare workers. We invested in cutting edge Recruitment Software from Voyager Software Ltd www.voyage.co.uk which has ensured our customer services, speed of response and general performance are second to none. As a small agency, to be shortlisted for three awards is fantastic. To be that competitive requires a fully exploiting the strengths of the technology we use. In this era of ever increasing automation it is massively important to keep service personal. Our technology partners are state of the art. It gives us more time to spend on personal communication with our clients and candidates. No agency is ever going to get shortlisted for automated responses. Recruitment is all about people and I believe that recognising how and where to use technology without taking away from the human side of our business has been a key factor in our success." When you have achieved the highest personal accolade your industry has to offer where do you go from there? Jackie Brown is clear in her response. "There is never a time when you can become complacent. We will continue to build on our success to date, keeping our clients and candidates at the heart of the business. We are entering uncertain waters with the economy at the moment but there will always be a place for companies that can provide a professional, useful and personal service." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Graduates_flock/2083 Tens of thousands of graduates will be logging-on and hoping to buck the pundits' bleak economic forecasts from today by taking part in a huge virtual recruitment event. GradU8.com goes live from today and organiser totaljobs.com is expecting up to 40,000 graduates to get involved. The event includes more than 50 of the UK's biggest graduate recruiters 25 of which are listed in The Times top 100 graduate employers. Graduates will be able to chat to prospective employers and take part in a CV clinic as well as being able to view all vacancies. Today(Monday)sees focus on the IT and engineering sector while finance and professional services, retail and sales are highlighted from Tuesday until Thursday and other sectors joining in on the final day Friday. Totaljobs.com's graduate sales director Mike Fetters said: "The appeal of GradU8.com lies in the unique opportunity it offers both graduates and recruiters to interact in an engaging and real time virtual environment. "It offers jobseekers a platform to view all the latest graduate opportunities while giving them the opportunity to chat with potential employers and apply for jobs online. "And, for recruiters, it offers a dynamic way to showcase their corporate offering through videos and webinars to a highly targeted audience." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Board_launch/2078 Free job posting site uktemps.co.uk has launched today specialising in advertising temporary, contract, part-time and shift work. The independent website will cater for all sectors and both recruitment companies and employers can directly post their vacancies for free. The company believes the system will attract greater numbers of candidates through the predicted high turnaround of vacancies. Director Andrew Carroll said: "With so much negative reporting on the state of the economy we are delighted to announce the arrival of www.uktemps.co.uk. "Many people seem to think that the market for job boards is overburdened yet no one has ever managed to develop a truly effective bespoke board for the UK temporary/contract market which caters for £23bn worth of revenue, places 1.3m temporary or contract workers for every week and constitutes 86.8 per cent of the recruitment market." Mr Carroll concluded: "Given the fact that recruitment companies and businesses alike are looking for more cost-effective ways to attract and source talent, our free service has been launched at a very opportune time." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Graduates_flock/2077 Tens of thousands of graduates will be logging-on and hoping to buck the pundits' bleak economic forecasts from today by taking part in a huge virtual recruitment event. GradU8.com goes live from today and organiser totaljobs.com is expecting up to 40,000 graduates to get involved. The event includes more than 50 of the UK's biggest graduate recruiters 25 of which are listed in The Times top 100 graduate employers. Graduates will be able to chat to prospective employers and take part in a CV clinic as well as being able to view all vacancies. Today(Monday)sees focus on the IT and engineering sector while finance and professional services, retail and sales are highlighted from Tuesday until Thursday and other sectors joining in on the final day Friday. Totaljobs.com's graduate sales director Mike Fetters said: "The appeal of GradU8.com lies in the unique opportunity it offers both graduates and recruiters to interact in an engaging and real time virtual environment. "It offers jobseekers a platform to view all the latest graduate opportunities while giving them the opportunity to chat with potential employers and apply for jobs online. "And, for recruiters, it offers a dynamic way to showcase their corporate offering through videos and webinars to a highly targeted audience." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/Moves/Holt_returns/2075 Aimee Holt, Principal Consultant has returned to Jacques Jones Search after her summer sabbatical. Aimee rejoins the mother and daughter team on Fleet Street at this exciting time in the company's dynamic growth and development. http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Re-design_for_leading_job_board/2072 Leading niche recruitment website LegalProspects.com, specialist job board for the legal sector, today announces its re-design following a significant six month re-branding project. Consisting of a new logo, re-designed website and fully integrated marketing campaign the re-brand helps to differentiate LegalProspects in the competitive legal market. The advertising campaign, featuring the tagline 'Do your career justice', is in the style of a broadsheet cartoon which ensures it is distinctive, memorable and fun whilst still being professional. It is targeted at the modern lawyer and is a step away from other advertising in this sector which tends to focus on more traditional imagery. The ads, which target both jobseekers and recruiters from across all legal sectors, will feature in leading law publications including; The Law Gazette, In-House Lawyer, Independent Lawyer, The Firm, Specialist Paralegal and Legal Executive Journal. The breadth of this advertising will expose LegalProspects to a wider and more experienced level of candidates which will help to provide more quality applications to clients. The re-designed site also incorporates best practice SEO to achieve better natural search result listings which will help to drive more targeted traffic to LegalProspects. This is supported by a highly effective pay per click campaign which has seen a 74% increase in the number of applications made since its launch at the beginning of 2008. LegalProspects, which is part of the Jobsite group of recruitment websites, has seen clear year on year growth since its launch in 2006. It recently exceeded 44,000 registered users and boasts the largest CV database in the legal sector with over 20,000 searchable CVs. The current re-brand signifies the beginning of a host of activity planned for 2009 Greg Holt, Head of Business Development for LegalProspects, comments; "This is a really exciting time for LegalProspects. The site has enjoyed great success to date and the changes we've made through the re-brand will be sure to help this continue. The re-designed site will help to ensure that we keep delivering the highest quality service to both recruiters and candidates to make LegalProspects.com the first place to visit when looking to fill or find a new legal job." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Legislation_passed/2070 The European Parliament has voted in favour of the controversial Agency Workers Directive prompting industry figureheads to question its timing and effect on the economy. The new rules mean temporary agency workers will have the same pay and working conditions as their permanent counterparts after 12 weeks of work. Member states now have up to three years to implement the changes, however, the Government has previously said it would like to see it done at the earliest opportunity. Yet while politicians see the legislation as a landmark victory for workers' rights it has brought little joy to many on the frontline. REC chief executive Kevin Green said Thursday: "The UK's £26.6bn recruitment industry will be directly affected by the new legislation. Today's vote is extremely significant as the focus will now shift onto how the Equal Treatment Regulations will be applied in the UK." Mr Green added the REC was aiming to ensure implementation in this country was workable and was also pushing for the legislation to be delayed because of the economic downturn. He concluded: "Temporary workers will also play a vital role as the economy picks up; it is essential therefore that we avoid adding any unnecessary bureaucracy and cost to the provision of agency workers." A warning was also issued by commercial lawyers emw law whose head of employment Jon Taylor said: "With the UK labour market in such a fragile state and unemployment rising, the Government should seriously reconsider whether now is the right moment to be imposing additional burdens on business." He added that agencies on already tight profit margins would potentially have to absorb the extra costs themselves. London Green Party MEP Jean Lambert welcomed the approval: "Temporary workers are vulnerable and can experience lower pay or poorer working conditions, even after working at the same company for many months, or even years." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Murder_charge/2069 A 52-year-old man has been charged with murder following the death of the director of driver recruitment agency Driverline 247. The agency's director Kingsley Monk, 45, died at the New Inn offices, close to Pontypool, on Monday. Russell Carter, 52, from Cardiff, also faces attempted murder and false imprisonment charges and is due to appear at a court in Newport today (Friday). Mr Carter was arrested on Monday just a few hours after Mr Monk's body was found along with three other men who were subsequently treated in hospital. Detectives said the four men had been tied up with cable ties and a post mortem examination revealed that Mr Monk\'s death is in keeping with pressure to the neck. Mr Monk was described by his sister as "a lovely, lovely man" following his death, and Gwent Police are asking for the public's help in tracking down a credit card reader, a silver gun, a blue shirt and a black laptop bag. http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Partnership_programme_proving_a_winner/2067 Lander Associates, the performance development and training specialist for the recruitment sector has further developed its unique partnership programme. Aimed at small, medium and growing recruitment companies, the innovative partnership programme provides a holistic approach to upskilling the entire workforce from trainee to Managing Director. It links into the organisation's talent management strategy and supports both short and long term company objectives. "Bespoke comprehensive training and development programmes have a positive impact on attraction, retention and performance of the staff and management" says Fiona Lander, Managing Director of Lander Associates. "However, this is not a quick fix and working in close partnership is essential to maximise on the success of this approach to performance enhancement." The partnership programme begins with a full assessment of an organisation's - and its individuals' needs. A tailored strategy is then designed which includes modular skills development workshops and one to one coaching as well as management consultancy and senior level mentoring. The fee structure for the programme is split into equal monthly instalments making it a highly cost effective resource with a real measurable return on investment. Spinnaker Consulting, a medium-sized privately owned niche recruiter specialising in the maritime industries partnered with Lander Associates through the programme four and a half years ago. "Lander Associates were engaged to do a root and branch analysis of the business, which was followed by methodical business planning incorporating training plans and mentoring at all levels in the business," says Managing Director Steve Cox. "In the last three years the company has more than doubled turnover and profit, average salary bills are down and income per consultant has risen." "To date, twenty five recruitment firms have signed up to the programme", says Fiona Lander. "It's really about taking training and development consultancy to the next level - we are acting as an extension of the company's own brand." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/Moves/Living_the_Dream/2066 Alexander Arnaudon has joined the London based team for international Rec 2 Rec Live The Dream Recruitment. Originally from Sydney, Alex will be sourcing and working on behalf of experienced Recruiters who are looking for a new role in any location across Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the Middle East. Alex has a solid knowledge of the international Recruitment markets and has an active client base ready and waiting for strong Recruiters from him from all levels and all sectors. http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/National_Online_Recruitment_Awards_2008/2065 The National Online Recruitment Awards 2008 (NORA's), in association with Recruitment Consult magazine and sponsored by JobG8, are shaping up to be the biggest celebration ever of the UK Online Recruitment Industry! In the eighth year of the annual awards, the event will be held on 13th November at an exclusive venue, in London's West End, on Thursday 13th November. This spectacularly designed, modern venue has already played host to many events since its launch in April 2008. Please register to attend, and reserve your place at the online recruitment event of the year! Our venue's stunning interior of soft lighting, muslin drapes and staging, provides the perfect backdrop for the National Online Recruitment Awards. Located in the heart of London's West End, it echoes the progressive cutting edge nature of the world's most advanced online recruitment industry. The event will commence at 6.00pm, with canapés and drinks. Joe Slavin, MD of Fish4jobs, and a winner in 2007 will be speaking first followed by Dan McGuire of Broadbean. The awards themselves will begin at 7.15pm. Held in conjunction with the Recruiter's Network, which is in turn run by UK Recruiter and Broadbean, we fully expect this to be the busiest event of the year. As a non-ticketed event, which is free to attend, we nonetheless need you to register in advance - over 300 have already registered to attend. We recommend you register as early as possible to guarantee admission. http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/Compensation_claim/2064 Blue Arrow has been ordered to pay £9,000 to truck driver Vikki-Marie Gaynor, a former soldier who used to be known as Mike. The recruiter was ordered to pay the compensation after a tribunal ruled it had breached Ms Gaynor's contract, unlawfully discriminated against her and had failed to comply with the Employment Act. Employer Exel Europe, an arm of DHL, was ordered to pay compensation of £11,000 for injury to Ms Gaynor's feelings. The industrial tribunal in Liverpool heard how, after gender transition, Ms Gaynor had been the target of cruel remarks from colleagues and had inexplicably lost shifts after turning up to work in women's clothing and jewellery. Make-up and other items belonging to Ms Gaynor had been taken from her lorry and dumped in a bin at the DHL base in Kirkby. The tribunal found that DHL had removed Ms Gaynor from her regular run in part because of her gender change but made clear Blue Arrow had no part in that. The tribunal did conclude, however, that Blue Arrow had discriminated against her because of the way it had dealt with her two grievance complaints. Ms Gaynor, a Wirral resident who dressed secretly as a woman for 20 years, has appealed against the ruling and is in the process of setting up her own company which deals with transgender discrimination. A spokeswoman for the recruiter said: "Blue Arrow accepts the outcome of the employment tribunal's ruling and has reviewed its policies and procedures accordingly. We now consider the matter closed.\" "We believe that every employee has the right to work in an environment free from harassment, victimisation and bullying. We constantly review our anti-discrimination policies in order to ensure employees are treated with respect." http://www.rec-con.co.uk/article.php/News/The_best_time_to_start_your_own_business?/2062 A downturn is often seen as an opportunity to start out on your own and many people now facing redundancy will do just that, says Marc Shoffman, of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). With this statement Marc provides a warning: "of the 500,000 small businesses which will start this year, 300,000 will fail within 12 months". The success rate is much higher through launching with a franchise business as proven by a survey conducted by Natwest bank which states that 93% of franchisees were still trading profitably by year 5, compared to 80% of other business start-ups failing within the first 2 years. Liz Kilford, Franchise Development Director at Antal International says "we have found that the main banks are still lending money to franchisees, as long as the franchise proposition is sound and the business plan is realistic. Here at Antal International we have been a finalist for 3 years running for the BFA sponsored Franchisor of the Year award, which gives us credibility with the banks." Doug Bugie, CEO of Antal International Network, has more than 25 years experience in franchised global recruitment (google Doug Bugie) and has helped lead franchise owners through 4 downturns helping them to increase their profitability throughout. Doug says, "I know many people become disheartened when faced with a downturn, but we at Antal International get excited! This is the time to really help companies compete and gain market share through placing high caliber candidates that have the ability and drive to help companies grow and thrive. Because of this, it is a great time to launch a recruitment business with a proven system!" Tony Goodwin, Chairman and Founder of Antal International and one of the most successful people in global recruitment, was quoted at the start of 2008 on how a recruitment company can protect themselves through a threat of a downturn in what he called a downturn resistant business model: "To be downturn resistant, recruitment companies must have the ability to adapt quickly to market needs and seek out and leverage supply and demand gaps" (review this article in full). This advice has been crucial to Antal International's success in 2008 where they have seen a business increase of nearly 70%. "There are literally hundreds of thousands of skills shortages globally", says Tony, just look at the Home Offices National skills shortage list at www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk and we took this concept a step further and held a global brainstorming exercise, which surfaced nearly 500 professions globally experiencing notable skills shortages internationally." This is further supported by the conclusion stated in the Antal International recently published 'Global Snapshot' which states that 'whilst the 'War for Talent' as defined by McKinsey & Co, may rage in one nation, whilst in another, individuals are almost literally queuing for work.' 2008 is shaping up to be one of the best years ever for Antal International. A strategic partnership deal with USA recruitment company SearchPath International (SPI) has more than doubled the number of offices we have globally and taken us into the USA, which accounts for 25% of global business. Just two days ago we were delighted to announce that our first assignment was signed with SPI and Antal from our Amsterdam office worth a total fee of $150K for placing an Account Manager with RES Software. Antal International have launched 12 new franchised offices this year, new offices have been launched in the UK and into new countries including the Philippines, Brazil, Ghana, Egypt and Singapore - just this month! Doug, who was the business partner of Dragons Den, James Caan and features in James's latest book 'My Story: From Brick Lane to Dragons Den'. Doug and James built their business and went on to launch 200 offices starting in 1992 when the UK was going through the worst recession, since the Second World War. Doug continues by saying "it is essential that recruiters look closely at the industry sector they are working in, diversify if necessary and mitigate risk by operating globally." "One of the reasons, I made the decision to become a major investor and shareholder in Antal International", says Doug, "is because I truly believe that it has the right platform for success. There is no doubt that some of our competition will suffer during this period, but Antal International has such a robust business model it cannot fail to come out on top!" The Antal downturn resistant model is built on the following philosophy: • Strong sector focus- which can be adapted to industry trends to gain more placements which equals fees • Specialists in placing high impact mid to senior level individuals who have the capabilities to help companies grow through tough times • Together with SearchPath International with 70 offices in the US takes us to a global count of 120 offices across 28 Countries and 5 Continents - sharing around 30% of business • Exceptional award winning training, continuous professional development and ongoing support for our franchisees • In business for 16 years and has a strong team of international business leaders with 200 years plus aggregate global experience. Contact us to find out how you can launch a profitable global recruitment business with Antal International.