How to tackle poor performance in the workplace
20th February, 2012
As a manager, it can be very difficult to address the issue of poor performance in the workplace. Not only can it be a sensitive and personal matter, but also it can be hard to determine how the employee in question is going to react. Despite this, if a member of staff isn’t completing their contractual obligations to an accepted standard, it is vital that the problem is dealt with sooner rather than later before individual employee performance affects the organisational performance.
The secret to becoming a great leader
10th February 2012
It may be a bold title for an article, but the secret to being a great leader is simple yet surprising – listening. Responsive communication is the key to good relationships with both employees and clients and can be the difference between an average leader (and therefore an average business) and a great one.
Recognition as a retention tool
21st December 2011
Finding new employees can be a costly and time-consuming task. Advertising the role, interviewing, a possible drop in productivity if nobody is doing the vacant job and training a new starter are all part of a process that highlights the importance of staff retention.
Retaining key employees year on year not only saves you the above, but also increases your average in-house knowledge and experience, breeds loyalty and helps with succession planning.
There are a number of retention techniques you can deploy to keep staff engaged and many of them come under the theme of “recognition”.
Taking A Break
14th December 2011
Inexpensive worldwide connectivity has overhauled the way we work today, both in and out of the office – but has this flexibility had a negative effect on one aspect of the work/life balance, especially for managers? The temptation for those in senior positions to “keep an eye on things” from holiday is becoming commonplace. Whether it’s workload worry, a lack of confidence in colleagues, or just being a control freak, more managers than ever are monitoring what goes on in their absence. There are a number of reasons why this is a bad idea, both for them, their staff and their business.
Do employers want to see a candidate’s original CV for individuality or a formatted CV for simplicity?
7th December 2011
A recent book extract in The Sunday Times claimed that job applicants had “30 seconds for a CV to impress.” With more candidates in the marketplace for coveted roles, the book declared that it is more important than ever to make your CV stand out from the competition. However, more qualified candidates means more CVs for employers to read, so is there also a converse case for applications to be formatted identically to make them easier to read and make the shortlist process quicker?
Ageism – does it still exist?
1st December 2011
By Ben Davies, Joint Head of Interim Finance.
The planned increases in the state retirement age, combined with a life expectancy now reaching 80 in the UK, mean that the country’s workforce demographic is changing. In 2006, the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations made it unlawful to discriminate against workers, employees, job seekers and trainees because of their age. Employers can no longer get rid of someone for being 65 and, in fact, employment for those above that age increased by 15,000 from Feb 2010 to Feb 2011. However, with more senior jobseekers in the market than ever before, survey after survey of them tells us that ageism is still the biggest hurdle they come up against.
So, if employers and recruiters are all aware of what they can and can’t ask, the age-neutral language they must use, and that job descriptions need to be purely competency based, then what is going wrong, why does ageism still exist and what, if anything, can we do about it?
Do HR professionals see real value in social networking sites or is it just a fad?
23rd November 2011
By Bill Paris, Executive Search – HR
The results of a recent survey of HR professionals showed that three out of five organisations are already using social media as part of their HR strategy, most notably in recruitment, and a further 25% plan to do so in the future. For Generation Y, social networks are a way of life and their knock-on effect has changed the way many people interact and view information online. But should one demographic cause us all to change our ways? Below are a few of the positives and negatives of the social media phenomenon to see if there is ultimately value in it for those in HR.
FD to CEO: a popular transition, but does it work?
16th November 2011
A number of surveys since 2008, when finance became top of everyone’s corporate agenda, have reported a significant rise in the number of Chief Executives who come from an accounting background. Almost half of those in the FTSE100 have finance experience, compared to 31% before the global financial crisis; and 60% of CEO’s appointed in 2010 were former Financial Directors. The credit crunch saw more FD’s promoted to CEO as potential saviours or pairs of safe hands, but now, in times of recovery and growth, many are accused of missing the vital ingredients needed to succeed in the top job.
CFOs and Supply Chains
1st November 2011
Archer Mathieson’s David Morrison was recently quoted in Accounting And Business magazine’s article “Getting Closer: CFOs and Supply Chains”.
The in-depth piece discusses how, post the global financial crisis, CFOs are working closer than ever with procurement teams to review the supply chain in order to control costs and get value for money.
You can read the full article here.
Outlook improving but still uncertain for interim HR managers
27th October 2011
Our head of HR Interim, Gordon Whyte, recently produced an honest HR market overview, referencing this year’s Institute of Interim Management survey, for HR Zone.
The detailed report discusses how the importance of an effective HR function in today’s market has resulted in the HR sector being the biggest user of interims. It also considers how HR professionals with transformations experience are in huge demand in sectors such as financial services that are going through dramatic change.
To read the full article, click here.
Procurement and Supply Chain Forum
14th October 2011
Where does your career in Procurement go from here?
Archer Mathieson’s first Procurement and Supply Chain breakfast forum was held at Great Fosters, Egham with Full Potential Group’s Carole Gaskell and John Blakey who facilitated a discussion around the challenges and opportunities faced by Supply Chain and Procurement leaders in advancing their careers.
CFO Forum: Thames Valley
15th September 2011
Moving from Chief Financial Officer to Chief Executive Officer
Our latest CFO Forum was held at Cliveden House, Berkshire on Thursday 15th September, with eleven senior CFOs from the Thames Valley Region attending and the Full Potential Group facilitating.
The discussion was on the development of leadership skills in order to make the transition to become a CEO and asked:
- How has your CFO role changed in the past 2-3 years?
- How has the role of your CEO changed?
- What are the biggest challenges for you when considering a successful transition to a CEO role?
- How do you plan to bridge the gap?
Sunday Times, 11th September: How to avoid growing pains
12th September 2011
Jennifer Price from Archer Mathieson’s Executive Search Finance team was recently quoted in an interesting Sunday Times piece on recruitment during expansion or rapid growth.
CFO Event, Celtic Manor, 5th-6th July
21st July 2011
Archer Mathieson consultants Ben Davies and Catherine Turner recently attended the inaugural CFO Event, hosted by Global Business Events, at the Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, South Wales, in the role of event sponsor and chosen recruitment partner.
Interims are now a permanent City feature
15th July 2011
By Kerryn Hooper, Interim HR
Interims are part of the fabric of HR in financial services but good preparation is the key to success, says Kerryn Hooper*
Archer Mathieson CFO Forum: Moving from CFO to CEO – Growing your leadership skills
11th July 2011
Archer Mathieson’s Finance Practice recently held a business breakfast at One Aldwych, London 
where 11 Senior Finance Leaders discussed developing leadership skills in order to make the transition to become a Chief Executive Officer.
Optimising the Relationship Between Finance and Procurement
7th July 2011
By David Morrison & Michael Seymour – Procurement & Supply Chain.
The relationship between the finance director and the procurement department is notoriously hard to navigate…
Interim life: not for everyone but rewarding for some
5th July 2011
By Archer Mathieson’s Ben Davies and BIE’s Nick Diprose
What it takes
The most successful finance interims tend to be very well-rounded individuals: they have highly attuned diagnostic, analytic and people skills; they are confident enough to lead, coach and challenge, but sensitive enough to know when to keep quiet; they are often very commercially minded. Read more
Developing a New Procurement Function
28th June 2011
By David Morrison, Procurement & Supply Chain.
In the early stages of growing a business, procurement may be a job that’s shared between many people – with each department taking responsibility for their own procurement. This can lead to different parts of the business paying different prices for the same item.
How to make your recruitment cycle more efficient
27th June 2011
By Bill Paris, Executive Search – HR.
In the current economic climate, many employers and candidates are understandably cautious about recruitment – companies need to make sure if they’re hiring someone, they’re hiring the best possible candidate.
Interim FDs: a permanent career fixture
24th June 2011
By Archer Mathieson’s Ben Davies and BIE’s Nick Diprose
Working as an interim manager has become the considered career and lifestyle choice for hundreds of finance professionals in the UK. But stepping off the traditional career treadmill means abandoning all the benefits and security of permanent employment and selling your skills, know-how and experience on the open market. So what kinds of people choose to do this, what experience and skills permit this way of working and why did they make the move?
How do you know if a successful senior finance professional will succeed in your organisation?
22nd June 2011
By Jennifer Price, Executive Search – Finance.
In the highly competitive finance sector, attracting the best and brightest individuals to your organisation can be a challenge. During a recession, when many people are more risk-averse than usual, it can be particularly difficult. Read more
Archer Mathieson CFO Forum: Raising finance; the government’s role in helping growth; hiring senior talent
2nd June 2011
Customer complaints about banks are at a ten year high but it’s not just consumers who have cause for complaint, as we heard from the group of CFOs who came together for our recent CFO Forum event held at The Wentworth Club, Surrey, on 13th May.
Archer Mathieson HR Forum: How does your role as senior HR professional increase leadership capability and improve business performance?
2nd June 2011
Archer Mathieson’s HR Forum came together on 19th May at Great Fosters, Egham, with Full Potential Group’s Carole Gaskell and John Blakey who chaired a debate focusing on the following questions:
Why RPO fails all sides when it comes to interims, argues Ben Davies for Executive Grapevine magazine
28th May 2011
The benefits attributed to Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) make for a compelling proposition to large employers. Suppliers talk about ‘working in partnership with the client’ and ‘taking accountability for the end-to-end recruitment process’ with the aim of ‘increasing quality, providing a better service to the business and reducing costs and risks’. Read more
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