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How to maintain staff motivation over the festive period 🎄

Maintaining staff motivation over the festive period is tough! Follow these simple steps to keep productivity levels high…

Firstly, it’s important to recognise the hard work your team has put in throughout the year. Consider hosting a holiday party or giving out personalised gifts as a token of appreciation. Hosting a holiday party or giving out personalised gifts can be a great way to show your appreciation. These gestures can boost morale and foster a sense of camaraderie within the team. It’s also an opportunity to express gratitude for their contributions to the company’s success. A simple “thank you” can go a long way in retaining talented employees. Your team will appreciate the effort and it can lead to increased productivity and a positive work culture.

Christmas work incentives can be incredibly effective in boosting staff morale and motivation, which in turn can lead to better performance and productivity. By offering incentives, companies can show their appreciation for their employees’ hard work and dedication and encourage them to continue contributing to the company’s success. These incentives can take many forms, such as bonuses, extra time off, or even small gifts or tokens of appreciation. Whatever the incentive, it is important to make sure that it is meaningful and relevant to the employees, and that it is communicated clearly and effectively.

Try to maintain a sense of routine and structure in the workplace, even during the festive season. This will help employees stay focused and motivated. You could also consider offering flexible working hours or allowing employees to work from home, if possible, which can help alleviate stress during a busy time of year.

Finally, keep communication open and transparent. Make sure employees are aware of any changes to working hours and any upcoming events. Encourage them to share their own ideas and suggestions for how to keep morale high during the festive season. By prioritising their well-being and engaging with them as individuals, you can create a positive and productive workplace culture throughout the holidays. Motivated employees are also more likely to provide excellent customer service, which can lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Connect with us on LinkedIn to see how we’re keeping our staff motivated over the festive period! 🎄

 

The UK Salary Surge: Are We Heading for Unsustainable Heights?

I wanted to touch upon a topic that has been at the forefront of business leaders minds of late – the soaring salaries in the UK job market. While it’s undoubtedly an exciting time for many professionals, it’s essential to take a closer look at the reasons behind these substantial salary hikes and consider their sustainability.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen a significant increase in salaries across various industries in the UK. Tech, finance, sales, and many others have experienced substantial growth in basic compensation packages. 

On the surface, this might seem like a win-win situation for job seekers and businesses alike. After all, who wouldn’t want to earn more?

However, it’s crucial to understand the dynamics driving this trend. 

Several factors have contributed to the rise in salaries:

  1. Talent Shortages: The UK, like many other countries, is facing a shortage of skilled professionals in various fields. Businesses are willing to pay a premium to attract and retain top talent in the face of fierce competition.
  2. Remote Work: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of remote work, enabling companies to tap into a global talent pool. This has increased competition for skilled workers and, consequently, driven salaries up.
  3. Inflation and Cost of Living: Rising inflation and the increasing cost of living in the UK have put pressure on businesses to offer higher salaries to maintain the standard of living for their employees.
  4. Market Trends: Certain industries, such as technology and fintech, are experiencing rapid growth and increased investment, leading to higher demand for professionals and subsequently higher salaries.

While these factors explain the salary surge, we must also consider the potential downsides:

  1.  Unsustainability: Businesses offering large sums of money to attract talent may find it challenging to sustain these high salary levels over the medium term. This can lead to higher stress levels driven by the need to demand higher targets as well as financial instability.
  2. Inequality: The salary gap between high-skilled professionals and others can widen, potentially exacerbating income inequality issues.
  3. Skill Inflation: As salaries continue to rise, job roles that previously commanded a premium may become the norm, making it harder for businesses to distinguish between top performers and average employees.
  4. Retaining Talent: While attracting talent with high salaries is one thing, retaining them can be another challenge. Professionals may jump ship for higher offers, leading to higher turnover rates.

The UK’s salary surge is a complex issue with both benefits and risks. We must carefully consider compensation strategies to ensure long-term sustainability and fair practice. Job seekers should also weigh the pros and cons of high salaries, considering factors like job satisfaction, work-life balance, and longevity of employment.

What are your thoughts on the current salary landscape in the UK? How do you see it evolving in the coming years? Your insights and experiences are invaluable in understanding this critical aspect of our professional lives.

#UKSalaries #JobMarket #CareerTrends #SalarySustainability #BusinessStrategy

What are the benefits of using our Industry Expertise?

At Team First Base, one of our core values is that of Industry Expertise, but what does that mean for the people we work with?

We took a deep dive into what our industry expertise means to our clients across each of the sectors we offer.

  1. We have well-established networks and access to a specialised talent pool within our respective industries.
  2. We have connections with passive candidates who may not be actively searching for new opportunities but possess the skills and experience sought by organisations. This access allows us to source highly qualified candidates that may not be readily available through traditional channels.  
  3. We can streamline the hiring process and save valuable time for organisations. Having a clear understanding of the required skill sets and qualifications enables us to efficiently screen and shortlist candidates. The industry knowledge we have gained from over 25 years in business, also helps in conducting targeted searches, reducing the time spent on sourcing and screening unqualified candidates.
  4. We stay up-to-date with market trends, including changes in talent supply and demand, emerging skill sets, and remuneration benchmarks. We provide organisations with valuable insights into the current landscape, helping them make informed decisions regarding talent acquisition strategies, salary offers, and competitive positioning.
  5. The team at First Base possess specialised knowledge and expertise in their respective fields. They are familiar with industry-specific recruitment best practices, including sourcing strategies, candidate assessment methods, and interview techniques. Leveraging this niche expertise, we can guide organisations in optimising their recruitment processes and ensuring a higher quality of candidate selection.
  6. We can enhance your business branding and reputation. By working with us in partnership, we’ll support you in attracting top talent and building a positive experience. This can result in higher candidate engagement, increased employee retention, and improved perception among industry peers.
  7. While there is a cost associated with engaging us, leveraging our industry expertise can result in cost savings in the long run. Efficient and effective candidate selection reduces the risk of hiring mistakes and turnover, which can be costly. 

In summary, we offer the advantages of deep industry knowledge, access to specialised talent pools, efficiency and time savings, market insights, niche expertise and best practices, enhanced employer branding, and potential cost savings. These benefits can contribute to successful and targeted hiring, resulting in better-quality candidates and improved organisational outcomes.

If you would like to discuss how we can help, don’t hesitate to contact us on 01453 755330, info@first-base.co.uk or click here.  Anything you discuss with us is completely confidential and there is no obligation to use our services.

8 tips on how to onboard a new member of staff

When someone new joins your team, it’s important to provide them with the support they need to settle in quickly and easily.  Here are a few things you can do to support them and maximise their success from day one:

  1. Assign a mentor or buddy to the new employee, who can provide guidance and support during the transition period. This person can help the new employee understand the company culture, answer questions, and provide information about the team.
  2. Clearly communicate the expectations for the role, including job responsibilities, performance goals, and any specific team policies or procedures.
  3. Make sure that the new employee has access to the resources they need to do their job, such as shared documents, project management tools, and any other software or systems the team uses – this can be right down to the emails they have access to so ensure you have thought everything through.
  4. Organize a team meeting or lunch, so that the new employee can meet their colleagues and start building relationships.
  5. Encourage the new employee to participate in team meetings and activities, and make sure they have an opportunity to share their ideas and opinions in a safe environment.
  6. Schedule regular check-ins with the new employee, to ensure they are adapting well to the team and the company and to address any issues that may arise.
  7. Be available to the new employee, to answer any questions they have and provide support as needed.
  8. Encourage the new employee to provide feedback on their experience truthfully without fear of recourse, and use it to improve the team’s processes, culture, and work environment.

By providing the necessary support and resources, you can help the new employee feel more comfortable and confident in their new role within the team from day one.

We hope everything goes swimmingly but don’t be afraid to bring up issues with them in a professional and clear manner if you see any unexpected behaviours.  It’s so important to set clear expectations from the outset.

How do I find more time to interview candidates?

We’re seeing more and more businesses report that they just don’t have the time to interview whilst they juggle the myriad of demands of running the organisation.

There’s so much going on that they lose sight of the importance of bringing on the right team to support the plans put together for 2023 and find themselves firefighting (doing the work of three people whilst they try to keep all the balls in the air).

It’s important to remember that an engaged and empowered workforce is critical in achieving growth AND adding to that team successfully, is just as key.

Candidates continue to be in short supply and are moving fast hence it’s so important to have a robust network of people that you can call on when business needs dictate it.

If you don’t have time to interview potential candidates there are a few things you can do: 

  1. Consider using pre-interview assessments to help you quickly identify the most qualified candidates. These can be a great way to quickly highlight candidates with the right skills and experience, without having to spend as much time interviewing.
  2. Ask current employees or industry contacts if they know of anyone who would be a good fit for the role. Personal referrals can be a great way to quickly identify qualified candidates.
  3. Conduct virtual* interviews using video conferencing software. This allows you to interview candidates remotely, without having to meet in person. 
  4. Consider hiring a candidate on a trial period or as a temp to start**, to determine if they are a good fit for the role and the company culture. This can be a good way to get to know the candidate without needing to conduct a long interview process.
  5. Outsource the interview process to a consultant, HR professional, or a member of your team who is not involved in the day-to-day operations of the company. This would allow you to focus on your business while someone else conducts the interview process on your behalf.
  6. A recruitment agency can handle the entire recruitment process*** for you, including advertising the job, screening cv’s, conducting interviews, and providing a shortlist of qualified candidates.

* Remember that virtual interviews should not replace the face-to-face interview, but act as a first step in identifying those you’d like to meet.  Meeting people, and allowing them to see and feel the culture of your business, is key.

**In today’s market, we are seeing a heightened need for stability hence a temp-to-perm arrangement or a permanent role from the get-go is far more attractive to job seekers

***A good recruitment agency will look after your reputation in the marketplace whilst you’re able to concentrate on all the other aspects of your job role. Look for great communication and a commitment to understanding the business. Invest in building a strong relationship in order to get the best out of your recruitment partner.

 

5 Tips to Improve Your Recruitment Process

You’ve come to the conclusion that you need to review your recruitment process. You’re engaging candidates but they don’t go the full distance – some drop out prior to the interview whilst others interview but don’t accept the job you’re offering.

Even if you have recruited people successfully in the past, today’s environment means that skills are harder to come by and the competition for good people is having a detrimental effect on your ability to bring staff on board. When you get recruitment right, your dreams for the future growth of your business can be realised. Get it wrong and it can be a nightmare for you and your employees. Recruiting staff should be seen as a major investment but sadly, we sometimes see more thought put into selecting a new piece of plant or machinery than employing the right individual to join your team.

Refined recruitment processes are efficient, productive and pleasant for both candidates and hiring businesses. With this in mind, we’ve put together a handy hiring checklist that will ensure that you’ve done the groundwork necessary to minimise candidate dropout when you’re recruiting, allowing you to follow a streamlined recruitment process for long-term success.

1. Create and share a clear job description and person spec

You might be surprised how often we get feedback from people that the job they thought they were applying for was very different from the requirements made of them once they had started. This mismatch between the expectation of the job and the reality is often why new recruits leave after a few weeks or months – putting together a clear job description and person specification is key in any successful recruitment process.

Prior to talking to people, make sure you are absolutely clear about the job you want the individual to do and what a good day will look like. When it comes to reviewing performance (making the decision on whether someone has passed their probation or needs to have a more formal discussion), you need to have clear measures documented in order that both parties know where they stand. This negates any surprises and allows for a more successful working relationship.

Think through what type of person you want to hire and what skills are required. Skills are, of course, essential in some areas. However, we’d also recommend thinking about the person “fit” too – what type of culture you have and any changes you want to make moving forwards. What type of behaviours do you want to see? Being really clear on this will make it so much easier to recognise the traits you want when recruiting and hiring new candidates.

Getting all of these things clear in your mind before going out to market is essential. A bad hire is expensive for you and your team (not to mention the individual), and being really clear on who you want can minimise mistakes early on in the hiring process.

2. What are you offering?

We can sometimes forget the fact that we have free parking, free soft drinks, teas and coffees, that we get together on a regular basis or have developed a competitive commission scheme. Have a think about the package you can offer to a prospective employee and ensure that it’s clearly defined. If you offer more than the standard 28 days holiday, this should be included, as well as free access to the gym and fruit in the kitchen. All of this is, of course, in addition to the salary to be offered, pension contributions and any performance-related pay. Look at the whole package and ensure that it’s competitive. Doing some market research is invaluable prior to talking to people.

3. Who will undertake the recruitment process?

Has the person who will be recruiting got the right skillset? We see numerous examples of the interviewer giving a really poor image of the business, asking inappropriate questions, making candidates wait or not turning up to interview themselves.

Things you need to consider when deciding on who should carry out the recruitment and interview process include:

A good candidate should undertake some homework prior to attending the interview and there may be things you’d like them to explore in preparation. Be clear on what you expect from them; advising them of the process for selection, who will be in attendance and anything you’d like them to prepare will give you a head start in understanding if they are engaged with working for your business.

Although candidates can get a feel for the business by checking out your website, socials or company news, the interview remains an important measure whereby a candidate can judge whether you are the right fit for them. Remember that the recruitment process is a two-way street, a candidate is assessing you, just as much as you are assessing them.

4. Make a job offer

Recruiting good people is key to the future success of any business. Happy employees lead to happy customers and a healthy growing business. Never be caught in the trap of hiring the best of a bad bunch – take your time and plan to find the best possible fit.

Once you have made a decision, be decisive. Good people have options and won’t wait around if you dither about making an offer. Whether the offer is made face-to-face or over the phone, you will need to confirm details in writing.

Don’t forget to communicate with those candidates that haven’t been successful. Better that they are telling their network that they were impressed by you and your business, rather than they are glad they weren’t offered a job!

5. It doesn’t stop there

Ensuring you have an all-encompassing onboarding process for training (and the softer side) is key to a successful recruitment process. Have a think through the following in preparation for a start date to ensure that your new member of staff feels engaged and welcomed:

All being said, it’s important that if you do lose a candidate during or after the recruitment process, you keep your head held high and start again. There are great candidates out there for your business and you will find them. If you lose a candidate, for whatever reason, it’s so important not to tar the next candidate with the same brush. Keep looking. We often find that the person you may have had concerns over, morphs into the person you want, right in front of your eyes.

If you would like to know more about how the First Base team can help you to recruit staff and make your recruitment process for both you and potential candidates, please give us a call on 01453 755 330 and speak to one of our friendly team.

Communication & Well-Being for Furloughed staff

This time last year I certainly did not envisage 2020 playing out the way it did for thousands of companies and for many, the full extent of the pandemic came as a complete (and prolonged) shock. Our first concern was, of course, the spread of the virus and looking after our people’s health. For many of us, this has now settled down as we know our teams are safe, staying inside and are successfully adapting to remote working life. Now that we are in 2021, our understanding of the virus has somewhat changed and the vaccine provides hope that we will return to some form of normality.

Most organisations we have spoken have had to make decisions over the last year which they could not have foreseen. Many have utilised this time to review their forecasts, look at streamlining where possible and putting plans in place to grow, as we begin to return to some form of normality.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be posting some helpful tips to continue to help you through this challenging time.

 

Communication & Well-Being for Furloughed staff

To help business through the pandemic the Government created the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme which allows employers to Furlough their staff in return for 80% of peoples wages*, up to a maximum of £2,500 and was further extended until the end of April 2021.

If you currently have staff on Furlough, one of the best ways to retain your employees is to continue to communicate and check in on them from a well bring perspective. Check-in and remind them that you are available for support and advice if they ever require it. You could provide them with well-being tips such as healthy eating, exercising regularly and the importance of keeping in touch with friends and family. You could also direct employees to external sources of support such as Charity Mind, the Mental Health UK Website Headspace and Future Learn. 

We also have some great blogs on our website that may help around identifying and managing stress.

 

Communicating with your staff during Furlough will help you identify any issues that they may be facing and help them through this difficult time. A good communication strategy will also minimise the risk of losing members of your team due to any perceived lack of engagement.  Surprisingly, we have continued to see a high degree of movement in the market as people continue to look for alternative employment.

David Thomason, Hospitality Business Manager

 

*Now excluding NI and AE contributions.

How to Stop Candidates Dropping out of the Hiring Process

A man proposing to a woman with an engagement ring in a red velvet box. The woman is holding up her hand as a refusal
Why do some relationships just not work?

 

Have you ever had someone back out of a job offer? 

Often, you may not discover that your new recruit has dropped out of the hiring process until a couple of weeks before their start date or worse, on their first day, when they just don’t turn up! This can cause all sorts of issues including the time and resources spent on the interview process, discussions with teams surrounding a plan for onboarding and the purchase of tech or a vehicle.

Most candidates will have a notice period and therefore may have a gap of a month or more, between accepting a job offer and their first day in the role. For more senior roles, a realistic notice period could be up to three months.

Keeping in touch with your new recruit is key to ensuing your candidate doesn’t drop out of the recruitment process. Regular communication between making an offer and their start date is often overlooked, but this key strategy can prevent any disappointing news in the future and beginning the process again. We call this maintaining the motivation to move – this can quickly diminish if comms are stopped altogether.

A lot can happen in a month. Think about how quickly things moved in 2020! 

People change their minds and sometimes they are just too nervous to let you know. As a recruitment agency we are now finding an increasing trend in candidates declining offers, that they had previously accepted. Applicants may be at risk of redundancy and therefore panicking about both their financial situation. This is resulting in job seekers making quick decisions to accept an offer that may not actually be the right fit for them. An increasing number are being counter offered by their current employer as a result of changes happening fast, or backing out of a role if they accept a better offer.

Working with a good recruitment agency can help prevent candidates dropping out between the offer and start date as, ultimately, good recruiters want to find you the right candidate from the get go – they don’t want to be looking for a replacement a few weeks down the line. 

Your recruiter will qualify applicants in a series of communications over time.  I recently had an experience where, having spoken to a candidate several times, alarm bells started to ring.  I’ve been doing this a long time and my gut instinct is spot on. I spoke to my client to raise my concerns and together, we decided on a course of action which included agreeing on a timescale and keeping other candidates close by should we need them. As it turned out the candidate, as predicted, dropped out and took another job role where, perhaps, no such diligence was applied. We dodged a bullet.

By maintaining contact you really can ascertain any problems early on and protect your business from being on the back foot.

I suggest keeping in touch at least once a week; this could be a courtesy email to check they have received their contract and see if they have any questions, or a video call to explain what their first day will be like. Let’s face it, their first day probably isn’t going to be the same as it would have been this time last year and this will open up a conversation to cover off any concerns or questions. If you don’t receive a response don’t worry initially, however, make sure you follow up and have a plan B just in case. 

Once your job offer is accepted don’t just sit back and wait. From my experience, communication with your new recruit, right up to their first day is hugely important.

Lilly Chappell, recruiting into the office environment at all levels.

Why use a recruitment agency? The benefits

“Why do I need to use a recruitment agency when there are plenty of people looking for work?”

It’s a fair question and one that some employers are probably thinking. Even those who have done well throughout the pandemic might be thinking it’s now time to review their recruitment strategy.

It might be true that it’s easy right now to place an ad and get hundreds of applications within a few hours, but here’s why using a good recruitment agency can help you in this new world of continued restrictions and subsequent pressure on businesses.

What are the benefits of using a recruitment agency?

Save time (and possibly lower your blood pressure!)

Ok, so you might get hundreds of applications, but a huge proportion will be generic CV’s from people not right for the role you’ve advertised. It’s difficult enough in ‘normal’ times but the task is now an order of magnitude and hugely time-consuming. When you partner with a recruitment agency, they will make sure that you only have to deal with the candidates suitable for the role you’re looking to fill.

Get on with business

Recruiting the right people takes time and customers still want innovation and high service levels. Your time (rightly so) will be split in dealing with the pandemic and all the HR related issues surrounding this. Normal day to day business is hard enough without recruitment becoming a full-time job. An agency makes sure you only need to be involved in the decision making stage of the process.

Tap into your consultants’ network

Quite often the right person for the job isn’t actually looking for work right now. You might be surprised that agency’s still have daily contact with great people thinking of a career change but not actively applying for anything. Good consultants haven’t stopped networking and building their database. That means agencies can proactively recruit on an employers behalf, reducing the time and effort it takes to find the right candidates to interview – often within a few hours –  and reduce the chances of a bad hire.

Manage your employer brand

For even the best employers, the pressure of recruiting can sometimes mean the recruitment experience for candidates is less than satisfactory. Easy and frequent social media access means that, even for the best-intentioned, a bad experience can be shared and widely commented on.  Consultants recruit as a full-time job and make sure an employers reputation is protected and promoted.

Companies are still recruiting!  

Undoubtedly, it is a tough time for a lot of companies and a lot of people. Never the less, many organisations are still hiring.  Many companies are already planning ahead for better times and growth – and they haven’t stopped looking out for good talent.

When you partner with a good recruitment agency, you can not only gain access to the best people, but you can put yourself in pole position when it comes to hiring them, pandemic or no pandemic.

The team at First Base can help you recruit the right quality of people for your team and give you access to the right talent whilst at the same time helping reduce the stresses of these testing times.

If you’d like further info regarding placing a role with First Base click here.

Office management and support

Did you know that we place candidates into HR, Sales, IT, Finance, Marketing and Financial Services roles?

Our commercial team have continued to source, engage, shortlist and propose only the best candidates for any and all office-based roles during lockdown (1.0, 2.0 and 3.0).

Roles recruited to date this year include: Software Developers, HR Managers, Customer Service Administrators, Finance Managers, Mortgage Advisors, Service Desk Technicians, Events and Training Administrators and Marketing Executives, to name a few.

The team have built up a solid reputation in the market place and have a fantastic retention rate, whereby 90% of the candidates placed remain in post at their first years anniversary.  Their mission? To offer an exemplary experience to both candidates and employers, an experience that they enjoy from start to finish.

Don’t take our word for it – head on over to google and see what our clients have to say.

Lilly and her team are available on 01453 755330 or by emailing commercial@first-base.co.uk or by utilising our chat box at www.first-base.co.uk