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Can re-hiring former employees be a good thing?

Posted by Monique Holtman

The UK has been facing a skills shortage for some time now and unfortunately, this is an issue that doesn’t look like it’s going away anytime soon.

If you’re sick of leaving job postings empty or making the wrong hires in a desperate attempt to fill a role, re-hiring former employees could be a perfectly logical solution. Can there really be any benefit to taking someone back who chose to leave your organisation however?

They know the business

One of the biggest benefits of re-hiring employees is that they already know the business. This means you know they’ll fit in with the culture, they’re already trained on systems and procedures and they’ll be able to hit the ground running much quicker than someone who is completely new to the organisation.

Improved loyalty

If someone has left once before, your biggest concern is likely to be that they’ll move on again. If the employee in question quit after just a few months, then these feelings are probably justified. If someone was with you for a long time however, it’s perfectly justifiable for them to accept a new challenge so you shouldn’t hold this against them.

Re-hires do in fact tend to become more loyal and dedicated to an organisation because they’re grateful for the second chance and to be part of the culture once again. You’re also safe in the knowledge that your old employer obviously feels like your company is a better fit for them than any other.

Improved performance

Good employees typically move on because they want to get better at their job through a promotion or better training opportunities. In the time they’ve been away, they will have gained even more experience, improved their skills and worked with lots of new people which will all help to make them even better at their job.

Boosts morale

When you give a past employee a second chance, other employees will realise they’re working for a company that’s willing to reconsider re-hiring without harbouring any resentful feelings.

While you obviously don’t want to promote a culture of encouraging people to leave and then come back if they don’t like their new job, the odd re-hire reminds current employees what a great employer you are if people are willing to come back. This can improve morale in the workplace which will also increase productivity as a result.

If you are considering bringing someone back on board, here are some great tips for hiring returners which should ensure a seamless transition.

If you need help attracting great talent to your organisation, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Choralis Consulting and we’ll be more than happy to help.

Posted in Blog Posts, Client News | Tagged Employee Morale, Employee Productivity, Employee Retention, Employees, Employers, Hiring Advice, Hiring Help, Hiring Tips, Recruiters, Recruitment, Recruitment Advice, Recruitment Process, Recruitment Tips, Staff Morale, Staff Productivity, Staff Retention

What’s really influencing your employee engagement?

Posted by Monique Holtman

Employee engagement is a complex matter. After all, what drives one person might not necessarily be of interest to another. Although it’s likely to take time, mastering employee engagement is an important part of running a business because naturally, you want your staff to be happy, motivated and loyal.

Below are some of the most common factors which influence employee engagement and why they’re so important.

Relationships

When we work with the same people day in and day out, it’s important that we get on with them. A huge factor that influences engagement rates is the quality of the relationships that staff have with colleagues, their line manager, the organisation as a whole and even people working outside the company such as suppliers.

Research also indicates that the single most important factor to drive employee engagement and retention is the relationship they have with their immediate manager. Bad management is also often cited as one of the main reasons why people leave their job.

If you’re a manager, questions you should be asking yourself include:

Do you trust your employees? If your staff feel you don’t, it’s likely to sour your relationship
Do you micromanage your employees? Again, this can make them feel like you don’t think they’re capable of doing their job
Are you aware about whether or not your staff are coping with their workload?
Are you providing opportunities for learning and development?
Do you provide your team with regular feedback and give praise when it’s deserved?

Development

Employee engagement surveys continue to reveal that staff would rather be presented with the option to grow and develop their skills than receive a big pay cheque. If you want to keep your team motivated and engaged, ask yourself if you’re providing opportunities for promotion, advancement and learning opportunities.

The company

If your staff believe in your company and what it stands for, they will not only be more engaged but they are likely to remain loyal for far longer as well. As an employer, ask yourself:

How do your staff perceive the products/services that you produce?
Do your employees understand that vision of your organisation?
How does your company vision translate to what your employees do?
Do your employees believe that their individual contribution makes a difference to the business?
How is the company adapting to societal changes?
Are senior leaders trusted by other employees?
Are employees kept in the loop about changes that will affect the running of the company?

Recruitment

If you suffer from high staff turnover or low levels of employee engagement, think back to your recruitment process and what candidates are being told about the job and the company. If the job sold at interviews does not match reality, employees are highly likely to be left feeling very dissatisfied. If the company culture is incompatible with the individual’s beliefs or needs, this is also likely to have a big impact on their happiness in the job.

Wellbeing

People are becoming increasingly conscious about their wellbeing and a good work-life balance is often a top requirement amongst candidates. Ensure that you’re supporting your staff and their personal needs. For example, if somebody is struggling with childcare, allow them to work flexible hours or remotely when they can.

Regularly ask for feedback to ensure that staff are coping with their workload and ensure that nobody is suffering from stress or anxiety because this can have a dramatic impact on their wellbeing.

If you need help with any of your hiring needs, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Choralis Consulting and we’ll be more than happy to help.

Posted in Blog Posts, Client News | Tagged Candidate Management, Employee Engagement, Employee Motivation, Employees, Employers, Running a business, Staff Morale, Staff Motivation, Staff Retention

The top reasons people leave their jobs

Posted by Monique Holtman

Becris@freedigitalphotos.net

Staff turnover is unfortunately part of running any business. Although employees moving on to pastures new is to be expected from time-to-time, if people are handing in their notice on a regular basis, chances are there’s something wrong.

As revealed by a leading recruitment specialist, below are the top reasons why workers in the UK are quitting their jobs.

Better opportunities

As people progress in their career, better opportunities will inevitably present themselves. Sometimes it’s simply time to move on but other times, they can be persuaded to stay if you give them good reason.

It’s important to offer employees new opportunities which help to keep them engaged and excited. Rewarding workers for their service (especially if they’re hitting targets and milestones), is also imperative. They could be in the form of a bonus, pay rise or promotion. Allowing people to move up the career ladder means they’re far less likely to start looking elsewhere.

Salary

32% of UK workers say they’ve left a job because they didn’t think they were being paid enough.

Lack of recognition

21% of us have handed in our notice because we didn’t feel valued in the workplace. This can lead to a bad working relationship with management which is why nearly 14% of us have left a job. A separate study from CV-Library further highlights this after it was found that 69.3% of us think that our boss plays an important part in how much we like or dislike our job.

Mental health

Mental health is a big issue in the UK at the moment with one in four of us suffering from problems such as depression, anxiety and stress every year. Unsurprisingly, employees are doing everything they can to protect their wellbeing which is why 15% say they’ve quit a job which has negatively impacted their mental health.

Bad cultural fit and lack of inclusion

One in 10 of us has left a role because we felt we didn’t fit in with a company’s values, culture or other employees.

Inclusion policies are something which is becoming increasingly important for businesses of all sizes to have in order to attract and retain top talent. A clear policy helps employees feel included and crucially, it can also help to dispel negative or discriminatory attitudes.

Despite this however, 45% of UK workers say that the company they work for doesn’t have a specific policy on inclusion and a worrying 58% said they don’t think their company prioritises diversity and inclusion.

Global diversity and inclusion expert, Dan Robertson commented:

“While many organisations have focused on the diversity aspect of diversity and inclusion, too many are still burying their heads in the sand when it comes to inclusion. This is not beneficial to businesses or their employees. What’s clear is that negative cultures are having a significant impact on companies around the UK, and workers are leaving as a result.”

If you need help attracting top employees into your organisation, please don’t hesitate to contact Choralis Consulting and we’ll be more than happy to help.

Posted in Blog Posts, Candidate News, Client News | Tagged Business, Candidate Management, Candidates, Employees, Employers, Employment, Hiring, Recruit, Recruiters, Recruitment, Recruitment Agency, Recruitment in the UK, Recruitment Process, Running a business, Staff Motivation, Staff Retention, Uk Jobs Market

The hiring statistics that could change the way you approach recruitment

Posted by Monique Holtman

Attracting good employees is hard work and as a result, recruitment is often an expensive and time-consuming task.

Understanding how candidates think and what they want is one of the most effective ways of making a successful hire so below are some interesting statistics which uncover exactly this.

Candidates are 2x more likely to respond to your emails if they’ve already interacted with your brand

If you email candidates who have never heard of you before, there’s a strong possibility that they won’t reply. Because it’s not always possible to speak to everybody you want to contact on an individual basis however, social media is a great way to promote your brand and enable candidates to get to know you. This means that when it comes round to emailing them, they will feel like they already know and trust you.

On average, it takes 27 working days to make a new hire

One of the reasons why it’s so hard to find top talent is because they don’t stay on the market for very long. The best candidates are in fact typically snapped up after just 10 days.

If you find that by the time you approach someone they’ve already found a new role, it may be time to update your recruitment processes. You should be constantly looking for new ways to optimise your hiring process and think about how you can shorten it and also use technology to help you.

64% of applicants will share negative application experiences

Regardless of whether or not candidates are successful with their application, you should always aim to contact them to let them know. This is crucial if you want to create a good impression of your company – especially now that so many people can spread the word via social media. Nearly two-thirds of candidates will report a negative experience to friends and family and 27% say that they would even actively discourage someone from applying for a job at a company they had a negative experience with.

60% of candidates won’t apply for a job is the process is too long

It’s understandable that you want to know as much about a potential employee as you can but ensure that the application process isn’t too long because a massive 60% of people are put off by this.

A candidate’s CV should be able to tell you everything you need to know about them and any additional information can be requested at the interview.

15% of candidates who have a positive hiring experience will put more effort into a job

Every part of your recruitment process should be well thought-out and executed with care. If you make your candidates feel good from the moment you contact them, they will instantly start caring for your company and will go that extra mile to ensure they do the best job they possibly can.

More than 75% of professionals are passive candidates

Don’t be afraid to contact people who aren’t actively looking for a new role because you could be losing out on a huge amount of talent. The vast majority of people are passive candidates and often all it takes it just a little push to persuade them to move to a new company.

If you would like help with any of your recruitment needs, please feel free to contact Choralis Consulting and we will be more than happy to assist.

Posted in Blog Posts, Client News | Tagged Candidate Management, Candidates, Employees, Employers, Employment, Finance Recruitment, Hiring, Hiring Advice, Hiring Statistics, Hiring Tips, Recruit, Recruiters, Recruitment, Recruitment Agency, Running a business, Staff Motivation, Staff Retention

Five great ways to sell yourself at a job interview

Posted by Monique Holtman

Few of us are experts when it comes to boasting about our skills and achievements which is why job interviews so often feel like an incredibly stressful and daunting experience.

The bad news is that if you really do want to come across as the best candidate for the role, talking about yourself in a positive light is something you’re going to have to learn to do. The good news however is that practice makes perfect. Below we’ve listed five great ways you can sell yourself to a potential employer and ace that interview.

Make a good first impression

Whether we realise it or not, we make assumptions about people within seconds of seeing them so it’s crucial to make those first few moments before you’ve even said anything count. Dress to impress, walk confidently, maintain eye contact, present a strong handshake and most importantly, smile.

It may seem like a minor thing but an incredible 50% of employers say that not smiling is a good enough reason not to consider a candidate for the role.

20% of interviewers also say they’ve written off a candidate because they sat with their arms crossed and 65% haven’t given the job to someone who failed to make eye contact.

Prepare a short pitch

Before a potential employer decides whether or not to hire you, they need to know you’re going to be the right fit for the company both professionally and personally. It’s therefore completely natural that they’re going to want to know as much about you as they can.

You can almost guarantee that you will be asked ‘can you tell me a bit about yourself?’ so make sure you master your answer. Prepare a one-minute pitch that covers any relevant skills you have but also try to get your personality across because this is equally as important.

Avoid negativity

We can’t help but be drawn to positive people so try to avoid negativity at all costs during your job interview. Even if you’re asked a somewhat negative question, such as ‘what are your weaknesses?’, try to portray yourself in a positive light.

Another key thing to remember is never talk negatively about your previous job or boss. This could create the impression that you’re difficult to work with and no employer wants to think that you might criticise them to others.

Show how you can have an impact on the company immediately

A great tip that will set you far apart from other candidates is to demonstrate how you will be able to start making a difference to the company immediately. Not only does this show confidence and that you will be able to hit the ground running, it also tells an employer that you’re not afraid to use your initiative and work hard right from the get-go.

Use the star method

The best way for an employer to gauge what you would really be like as an employee is to ask behavioural questions. This may include anything from ‘can you give me an example of a time you had to deal with an angry customer?’ to ‘how do you keep yourself motivated when you’re not hitting target?’.

When answering behavioural questions, always try to do so using the STAR method.

Situation – describe the details of the situation you are using for your example

Task – what was the problem and what was your role in the situation?

Action – how did you handle the task or overcome the problem?

Result – what was the result of the situation?

If you would like help finding your next finance or accountancy job, please feel free to contact Choralis Consulting and we will be more than happy to help.

Posted in Blog Posts, Candidate News | Tagged Candidates, Career Progression, Careers Advice, Employees, Employers, Employment, Finding a Job, Getting a Job, Interviewing, Interviewing Advice, Interviewing Techniques, Interviews, Job Advice, Job Hunting, Job in Finance, Job Interview, Job Interviews, Tips for getting a job, Work Advice

Flexible working has increased five-fold in the UK

Posted by Monique Holtman

An analysis of working trends carried out by the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo) has found that the number of employees working flexible hours has increased five-fold in the last two decades.

Back in 1999, just 9.5% of workers in the UK worked flexible hours. Recent statistics from the CIPD shows that 54% of us now have the option to work outside of traditional nine-to-five office hours.

While flexible working provides obvious benefits such as missing rush-hour traffic, fitting in personal appointments and getting the kids to and from school, chief executive of APSCo, Ann Swain, talks about how it also helps to promote inclusivity.

“Flexible working plays an important role in bringing equality to the workplace. People with disabilities or caring responsibilities, for example, often are unable to commute to the office or work conventional hours, therefore the option to work part-time, compressed hours or remotely is a necessity.”

She continues:

“As more employers begin to see the opportunities associated with flexible working, we can both boost diversity and inclusion and help end the dire skills shortages which are impacting many sectors.”

Can flexible working help with the UK’s skills shortage crisis?

The UK has been facing a skills shortage crisis for some time now. A report commission by The Open University found that in 2018, a staggering 91% of organisations struggled to find workers with the right skills.

What’s more, three in five senior business leaders (61%) report that the skills shortage has worsened over the last 12 months. As a result, 51% of roles have been abandoned and left vacant.

Coming at a cost of £6.33 billion a year in recruitment fees, inflated salaries, hiring temp staff and training workers hired at a lower level than intended, it’s important that businesses do everything they can to attract the right people.

Speaking about how offering flexible working to employees can really help in this area, CEO of Guidant Global, Simon Blockley commented:

“Through offering the option to work flexibly, businesses can access a wider, deeper and more diverse pool of talent to drive increased innovation, creativity and profitability. Here at Guidant Global, 82% of our entire workforce have flexible working arrangements in place, allowing mums to fulfil their career goals, dads to spend more time with their children, neurodivergent people and people with physical disabilities the options to work in ways better aligned with their individual needs. We are also working with a number of clients to ensure that this approach to flexible working – and the associated benefits – are replicated across the wider business landscape.”

If you need help hiring great talent into your business, please get in touch with Choralis Consulting for all your finance recruitment needs and we’ll be more than happy to help.

Posted in Blog Posts, Candidate News, Client News | Tagged Business, Candidate Management, Candidates, Employees, Employers, Employment, Finance Recruitment, Hiring, Industry News, Recruit, Recruiters, Recruitment, Recruitment Agency, Recruitment News, Recruitment Process, Uk Jobs Market, UK Recruitment

Five ways to make yourself more appealing to recruiters

Posted by Monique Holtman

Recruiters sometimes get hundreds of applications for every job they post which means it can be incredibly difficult to stand out from all the other candidates out there.

The good news is that there are a number of ways you can make yourself and your CV more appealing when you’re looking for a job. Free Resume Builder has put together this fantastic infographic which highlights exactly how you can do this.

If you need help with any aspect of your job search, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Choralis and we’ll be more than happy to help.

Posted in Blog Posts, Candidate News | Tagged Candidates, Career Progression, Careers Advice, Employees, Employers, Employment, Finance Recruitment, Finding a Job, Getting a Job, Interviewing, Interviewing Advice, Interviewing Techniques, Job Advice, Job Hunting, Tips for getting a job, Work Advice

UK workers reveal their biggest office gripes

Posted by Monique Holtman

A survey of 1,000 UK-based office workers has revealed our biggest annoyances in the workplace.

The data was collected by electronics giant, Samsung and although the results may seem like a bit of light-hearted fun, employers have been warned that employee irritations are actually resulting in a huge loss of productivity.

It’s estimated that unnecessary distractions in the workplace are costing workers an average of 22 minutes per day which equates to nearly two hours per week and just over 73 hours a year.

According to the Samsung survey, exactly what is it that annoys us the most about being in the office?

Among the biggest complaints were noisy or messy eaters, moaning and being interrupted while talking. So if you want to avoid being shunned by your colleagues, stick to eating lunch in the canteen and if you fancy having a good old moan about your boss or your workload, save it for when you’re with friends.

While we all have little habits that may get on other people’s nerves, in a world that’s becoming increasingly dependent on computers and the Internet, it comes as no surprise to learn that workers have cited issues with technology as their biggest problem.

A whopping 92% of respondents said that their computer crashing, a slow Internet connection and having no access to emails annoys them. Worryingly, this problem alone is costing workers half an hour a day, two and a half hours per week and an eye-watering 100 hours a year.

Another familiar office gripe is the temperature. Whether it’s summer or winter there seems to be a constant battle over the heating and air conditioning. If you regularly find yourself feeling annoyed about the office being too hot or too cold, you’re not alone. 82% of workers cited this as their biggest frustration.

Uncomfortable seats and a messy workplace also featured highly in the list of frustrating distractions.

When you take into account all of the irritations involving colleagues, IT problems and workplace issues, workers are losing five and a half hours in productivity every single week – this is the equivalent to nearly one month of lost work time every single year.

As well as being a huge financial loss, another risk to businesses is that these annoyances could push people into looking for a new job. Almost a third of those who were surveyed said that they have quit a job because of an annoying colleague, 20% have left because of the workplace itself and 10% looked for a new job because they got sick of constant technology issues.

Posted in Blog Posts, Candidate News, Client News | Tagged Business, Candidate Management, Candidates, Employees, Employers, Employment, Running a business, Staff Motivation, Staff Retention

How do you attract quality candidates?

Posted by Monique Holtman

The one thing every employer wants to know is how to attract quality candidates. Aside from knowing where to look, the one thing you need to know for successful recruitment is exactly what job seekers are looking for in their next role.

Below we’ve highlighted some of the best ways to attract quality candidates to your workforce.

Utilise your social media

The average person in the UK has five different social media accounts and spends nearly two hours every day on them. If this is where people are spending their time, it makes sense to try and reach them through this medium.

If you’re not convinced that job seekers want to hear from recruiters via social media, the following statistics collected by company review site, Glassdoor should change your mind:

79% of people are likely to use social media when looking for a new job
This goes up to 86% among those who are in the first ten years of their career
42% of candidates say that they feel it’s important for employers to engage in social media
This goes up to 53% among those who are in the first ten years of their career
Despite these figures, nearly two in three employees say that their current employer doesn’t (or they’re unaware if they do) use social media to promote any job opportunities at the company
Nearly three in four say that their employer doesn’t (or they’re unaware if they do) promote their employment brand on social media

Offer the right incentives

The perks a company offers is often what sets them apart from their competitors and can play a huge role in swaying someone to accept a job offer. It’s important that you understand exactly what it is that candidates want however:

The majority of job seekers (52%) are looking for opportunities to grow within the company
44% want a decent salary
43% are swayed by good health benefits
37% want flexible working hours
23% would like the option to be able to work from home sometimes
15% would like to be offered equity/stock options
13% are interested in career planning programmes
A good work-life balance has become incredibly important to employees and 59% say that they are happy to accept lower pay for perks such as unlimited holiday, flexible working hours and/or being able to work from home

The main reasons why employees leave a company

Naturally, when you find a great employee you want to do everything you can to hold on to them for as long as possible. As well as understanding how to attract candidates in the first place, it’s also very important to monitor employee satisfaction. Here are some of the most common reasons why people leave their job:

33% will move on if there’s no career growth
27% can be lured away if they’re offered a better salary elsewhere
15% are looking for a better company culture
14% want a better work-life balance
12% aren’t happy with the work environment
11% of employees leave their jobs because of the company outlook/performance

If you would like help attracting quality candidates to your company, please feel free to contact Choralis Consulting and we will be more than happy to assist.

Posted in Blog Posts, Client News | Tagged Business, Candidate Management, Candidates, Employees, Employers, Employment, Finance Recruitment, Hiring, Recruit, Recruiters, Recruitment, Recruitment Agency, Recruitment in the UK, Recruitment Market, Recruitment Process, Recruitment UK, Running a business, Staff Motivation, Staff Retention, UK Recruitment

Can re-hiring former employees be a good thing?

What’s really influencing your employee engagement?

Top answers to some of the most common interview questions

The top reasons people leave their jobs

The hiring statistics that could change the way you approach recruitment

Five great ways to sell yourself at a job interview

Flexible working has increased five-fold in the UK

Five ways to make yourself more appealing to recruiters

UK workers reveal their biggest office gripes

How do you attract quality candidates?

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