What’s happening?

Archer Mathieson and BIE Interim Executive became one business from 2 April. The newly enlarged business will trade as BIE Group with two, tightly integrated divisions:

• An executive search team with a focus on finance, human resources, supply-chain & logistics and commercial roles.
• An interim management team focussed on matching senior-level executives from all functions and sectors to business-critical assignments, and a specialist team centred on business transformation.

Customers of either company can now find both focussed search and general interim services under one roof, gaining access to a bigger and higher-quality, combined candidate talent pool. The formerly separate teams of each company now work closely together with access to each others’ networks.

Candidates, whether interim executives or those seeking a new permanent role, will also find we can offer a wider and deeper level of opportunities.

What other changes will I notice?

Apart from the improved and more comprehensive level of service already outlined, very few. There will be some subtle changes to our company logo and branding as we become BIE Group, and a new website will arrive in the following weeks. We spent a lot of time thinking about the name of the new organisation and finally chose BIE because it’s a name with higher ‘brand equity’; one that most senior executives know and trust.

BIE Group will continue to operate from offices in The City, Birmingham and Windsor, with a   management team comprising key people from both former companies. Nick Diprose and Gordon Whyte jointly lead the interim division and James Aston heads up the search team. Rob Walker is chief executive.

What people have said about the merger

 “I don’t think this move will surprise anyone and I completely see the logic. The gap between search and interim has narrowed over recent years; organisations see interim increasingly as a very credible way of resourcing. It makes complete sense to bring these two offerings together within one brand.”

Richard Smelt, non-executive director at Hays Plc and former group HR director at Northern Rock Plc

“BIE and Archer Mathieson are two excellent businesses. The combination makes complete sense as the single-stop option for hiring executives.”

Leo McKee, chief executive of nationwide retail chain BrightHouse

“The merger achieves a strong cultural fit. Under common and strong leadership, the new BIE Group will be better able to serve its clients in response to the huge challenges currently faced by the business community.”

Katie Folwell-Davies, mergers and acquisitions partner, Deloitte

Last year it was predicted that up to half a million public sector jobs could be cut by the end of 2015. Unsurprisingly, this has led to an unprecedented number of public sector workers trying to make a move into the private sector. Due to the different working environments, this transition can be one of the most demanding career changes an employee can face.

There are pros and cons of a move into the private sector and for those who have never worked in it there is plenty of advice and guidance available to help make the shift as smooth and successful as possible. Anyone considering the move from public to private sector, even if they are forced to by job cuts, should carefully consider all options, whether it’s the right move for them and if they have the skills and capabilities to do it.

A move from the public to private sector requires a complete change in mindset and the ability to embrace a new workplace culture. A career within the public sector will usually have been serving people or managing different aspects of government investment, under strict policies and financial controls that often mean a slower pace of work. Businesses in the private sector are principally profit driven and not always hampered by legislation, meaning decision-making can be quicker. In the private sector, often an employee’s main objective will be centred on their financial performance and somebody not used to this can find their new environment very pressurised and stressful.

Despite being an undoubtedly difficult transition, with the right preparation and strategic planning, the end result can lead to many career and personal benefits and the experience can be extremely rewarding. In order to achieve any success when applying for a private sector role, a candidate needs to show evidence of commercial focus. Tailoring a CV with genuine statistics or numbers to give examples of cost savings, productivity improvements, process improvements, reduction in waste or losses or improved customer services will all help to secure an interview in the private sector.

Managerial experience in the public sector won’t go unnoticed either, however it won’t necessarily lead to a managerial role in the private sector due to the different skill sets used there. Initiative and flexibility count for a lot in the private sector, but they may not be skills that were required or have been developed as much in the public sector.

There is no doubt that moving from the public to private sector is both difficult to action and adjust to, but the rewards can be worth the trouble. High performance or productivity is often recognised much faster in the private sector with a different pay structure that may include bonuses, as well as more promotion opportunities for the right individuals.

There comes a time in many employees’ careers when they need to take a break or make a change, but don’t necessarily want to move jobs. Whether taking time off is needed to look after children or care for someone else; to relieve the pressures of the working environment; to try a new role; or to go and see more of the world, there are a number of options available that have pros and cons to consider.

Sabbaticals

Taking an extended break, safe in the knowledge that you have a job to return to, can be an excellent way of broadening your horizons and being able to see the world. New experiences abroad or staying at home and writing the novel you’ve planned for years can aid personal development, boost morale and renew your hunger when you return to work. Furthermore, an employee on a sabbatical will often feel valued that their employer is willing to keep their job open for them.

Aside from being unpaid, one downside to a sabbatical is that periods of something so immediately rewarding, such as volunteering work in a poor country, often make people reassess their lives and careers when they get home. Employers may not be keen to agree to the sabbatical if they fear losing the employee permanently afterwards.

Secondments

Secondments are an option for employees who are looking to take on a new challenge but don’t want to leave their company. They are excellent for professional development, are paid, and can lead to more career progression opportunities in the future. For employees who feel like they are in a rut or progressing slowly in their role, a spell away can often return them refreshed, motivated and ready for new challenges in their old role.

However, secondments can sometimes progress staff too far and make them over-qualified to return to their old role. An employee who has learnt new skills or experienced a more interesting department may not want to go ‘backwards’ again, leaving the employer having to replace them if they stay in the secondment permanently. Often, secondments are based abroad; leading to employees starting a new life they may not want to give up. For these reasons, again employers may be hesitant to agree to a secondment.

Career breaks

When an employee has something they need to do or have wanted to do for a long time, a career break can sometimes be the only option if they are not to become unhappy and resentful of their job hindering them. Fulfilling these personal ambitions can be life changing and can help kick-start a career when they return.

The downside of taking a career break is that they are often for a long period of time, giving plenty of opportunity for a complete change in lifestyle, location or ambition that may be difficult to come back from. Aside from maternity breaks, employers don’t usually agree to any extended career breaks that don’t have a return date in mind.

In the current economic climate and its competitive job market, job titles are becoming more important than ever. For an employer, a job title can be a tool that helps combat attrition, raise staff morale and attract the best new talent. For an employee, the right title can help secure a dream move or convince them to stay with renewed pride.

For employers

Since 2008, pay freezes or compensation restructures have been commonplace. This has resulted in staff retention moving up the corporate agenda as organisations fight to keep hold of their best talent without using a pay rise as a weapon. One of the tools available has been the job title. A new title can be a promotion that doesn’t cost anything and make the difference between the best performers staying or leaving.

A new title, conveying more authority or responsibility, can have an effect particularly at a more senior level where pay levels are already healthy. Even if the employee sees the new title as a better shop window to help them leave in the future, it can help secure them in the short term, hopefully until further incentives become available.

Aside from successful staff retention keeping recruitment costs down, a new job title can be an excellent motivational tool to improve staff morale in general. The new title instils a sense of worth and pride, often resulting in a new attitude at work and better results. As well as prompting positive behaviour such as taking more initiative and displaying greater leadership skills, new job titles can also help employees to feel more influential and valued within a company.

Impressive job titles are also important for companies looking to attract new staff. Even at lower levels, a Client Relations Executive will probably attract a better quality candidate than an Admin Assistant role, purely because it sounds like a more involved, more professional job – even if the actual job description is identical. Professional recruitment agencies put a lot of time and trouble into helping their clients attract the best talent available and an attractive job title is first on the list.

For employees

If an employee is hoping to progress their career with a move away, then their current job title is hugely important to them. It defines exactly where they are at in their career for prospective employers, but an impressive title may give them a crucial competitive edge over other candidates.

In terms of where they move to, again the new job title will play an important role. Many people will choose the position with the more notable job title even if the pay is less than another role. In the bigger picture of an employee’s career, obvious steps up the corporate ladder are clearer when the job title changes accordingly.

Even when an employee does not intend to leave, a new job title can be just as important internally. The employee will feel valued by the responsibility placed on them and be more inclined to further their career with the same employer if they are visibly moving up with a change in title. Even if the promotion doesn’t necessarily include a pay rise, a new job title can be a motivator and the catalyst to improved performances.

A row has blown up after David Hencke at Exaronews broke the story last week about a few senior public sector executives and the departments who employ them, using ‘sole proprietor’ limited company legal frameworks to apparently avoid the taxes paid by and on behalf of full-time employees. On Friday both the Daily Telegraph and The Guardian waded in with reports centred on Paul Brown and John Seddon, COO and FD respectively, at the Office of Nuclear Regulation (ONR).

Disguised employment is a clear abuse of limited company rules and should obviously be stamped out. But look at Paul Brown’s LinkedIn profile and company websites and you’ll see he shows all the hallmarks of an interim executive. That’s not stopped the ONR from instantly terminating his contract, however, and makes you wonder exactly why? Whatever’s going on here, let’s not forget that there are thousands of talented, experienced senior executives who have decided to step off the traditional career ladder to work as bona-fide interim executives.

These people operate through limited companies because of the limited liability protection that structure offers and, yes, because it is tax efficient. Some of these people might work part-time for several organisations, or full-time for one but it will usually be for a short period of time measured in months.

The key point here, as the Institute of Interim Managers shows in this statement, is that they are not employees and enjoy none of the associated perks and benefits: no pension payments, no redundancy pay, no health insurance, bonus or company cars – and as we have seen in the case of Mr Brown and Mr Seddon at the Office of Nuclear Regulation – no protection from instant dismissal at the whim of their employer.

By definition interim managers are holding a position for a limited period, typically between 12 – 18 months until the job they were hired to do is finished, or until a permanent post-holder can be found and hired. They perform a valuable role and offer an important, flexible resourcing option to organisations undergoing significant transformation or change.

In the current economic climate, tax payers are understandably upset at the thought of senior executives in the public sector making what appear to be ‘cosy’ pay arrangements that avoid tax. But at the same time, the danger in all this – and what some are calling a witch-hunt against interims and other contractors – is that it might discourage other employers from hiring legitimate contractors.

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 negative impact of poor performance

Poor performance from an employee can impact on an entire company. One person can affect overall productivity, the motivation of colleagues, the impression given to clients and can even lead to a negative reputation for a business and its leaders.

If the poor performance is an attitude issue, the negativity can spread if the situation isn’t addressed, compounding the problem. The resulting working environment could then make it difficult to retain staff if employees become unhappy or de-motivated.

The causes of poor performance

There can be many reasons why an employee may be underachieving at work and it is crucial to try and identify what they could be. The tasks they have been assigned may be too difficult for them, they could be feeling overwhelmed with the volume of work or, if they have recently had a promotion, they may be finding their new role too demanding. Any one of these, combined with a lack of internal support or unwillingness to ask for help, can lead to poor performance.

Everyone has different skills and strengths and someone who is underperforming may be doing so not because they are lazy, but because they might not have the aptitude or knowledge to complete his or her required tasks. This is why initial recruitment and selection for roles is an important element of performance management.

Once a cause has been identified it will become much easier to rectify the problem.

Why managers avoid dealing with it

Telling someone that they are not doing their job to a good enough standard is a difficult task for even the most experienced manager. Concerns about conflict, worsening the working environment by raising the performance issue or the emotive situation of having to confront a colleague who is also a friend all deter managers.

However, it is important to handle the problem in a professional and sensitive manner, both for the individual concerned and the rest of the workforce. Being sympathetic with the employee is likely to diffuse the situation and increase the chances of it being handled quickly and efficiently. Being open about the process will at the same time encourage the solid performers who want to see poor performance addressed.

How to solve the problem

A private meeting gives both sides the opportunity to offer an explanation, express any concerns and decide how to go forward.

In the meeting, the manager should make it clear why the discussion is taking place and establish if there are any problems inside or outside work that may be affecting the employee’s performance. The job description and what is expected should be clarified and any evidence of poor performance should be presented.

New objectives and standards of work should be set, or original ones underlined, so that the employee has a goal to achieve. Assistance such as in-house training, an external development course or shadowing a mentor can be offered. Finally, an agreed period of time when the employee’s performance can be re-examined must be set.

Handling poor performance in the correct way can help employees to enjoy their job once again, improve overall productivity and send out a positive message to other employees.

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.

Anyone who wants to reach the highest level in his or her career can only do so through effective listening. A good listener will get the best out of people by understanding who they are, where they want to be, why they’re there, how they think and what they can contribute.

Leaders frequently make the mistake of believing that talking is more important than listening, but the most successful individuals have learnt that listening first and talking later is what got them where they are. The good news is that these skills can be learnt and developed and once done correctly, the benefits are more valuable than people realise.

How to be a good listener

• Concentrate solely on the speaker and what they are saying. If it’s a private meeting go to a quiet room where there are no distractions and give the person your full attention.

• Give visual encouragement. When your subject is speaking, look them in the eye and encourage them by nodding your head. This shows that you are listening, have respect for them, want to hear what they are saying and are taking their points on board.

• Don’t interrupt. Trying to talk over somebody gives the impression that you’re only interested in what you have to say. Not only does this come across as rude, but also people are unlikely to approach you next time under the assumption that you don’t want their opinion.

• Take notes. This shows that you value what the person is saying and want to remember the points they are making.

• At the end of your conversation, relay back to your subject any particularly important or interesting facts they brought up, proving that you were listening closely.

• Not to contradict the above, you also need to know when to stop listening and to deploy an element of selective listening. Good leaders know how to listen and extract good information from people, but also when it is time to stop listening and to act.

The benefits of being a good listener

Learning how to listen can effectively help you in both your private and professional life. Firstly, it increases your knowledge. The more you hear, the more you learn. A leader who is well informed will always have the respect of others.

Listening effectively means that you are narrowing any gaps in communication. This leads to fewer misunderstandings, disappointments and broken relationships, both internally and externally. A business that has employees who can communicate with each other will operate smoothly and efficiently because everyone knows what is going on at all times. The knock-on effect to clients is therefore positive.

To be a good leader you must be able to not only think about yourself, but also understand and learn from the thinking of others. This undoubtedly improves interpersonal relationships and you are likely to become the kind of leader that your employees respect, value and want to work with. So, listen up.

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”.

Recognition

The importance of acknowledging employees’ contributions is vital. People like to know when they have done well because it makes them feel that their effort was worthwhile and appreciated. Failing to do acknowledge them can be de-motivating and lead to reduced productivity, pride in their work or even them leaving.

Recognition can take a simple verbal form or be something more tangible. Incentives are an excellent way of keeping staff morale and motivation up, especially in target-driven industries. Performance-related pay is fine, but recognising what your employees actually want is also worthwhile, for example bespoke or optional benefits to suit their situation, or an improvement on their work/life balance, such as flexible hours.

A more formal verbal recognition can be given through appraisals. Employees like to receive feedback because they have no other way of knowing how their manager rates their performance. Not only do regular appraisals provide you with an opportunity to tell your team what they are doing well, you can also offer constructive criticism, set new goals to work to and concerns can be raised that one might not want to discuss in front of colleagues.

An open environment

Outside of the appraisal scenario, it is important to recognise that employees need to be able to speak their mind, voice concerns and express their ideas. Publicly acknowledging open communication channels and encouraging a forum and environment where people can share their thoughts is important. If people feel restricted or too scared to speak up, they are likely to resent the company and the subsequent bad atmosphere created could result in them leaving.

Don’t underestimate your staff

To retain the best employees, it is important to make sure that you recognise their talents, capabilities and ambitions. Underestimating what they can do or not acknowledging how far they want to go will make them feel unappreciated, undervalued and underachieving.

If someone is competent enough to take on something new, propose that they do. If someone has a definite career path in mind, make sure that the training and development opportunities are there, so that they don’t seek them elsewhere. Never underestimate an employee’s take on the bigger picture either – if they have defined career ambitions, they will want to have confidence that existing management and senior staff can ensure the company’s success, otherwise they might start looking for a better prospect.

Retention can be difficult to manage but when done correctly, the benefits are clear. With motivated staff and happy employees, any company is going to perform to the best of its ability. Recognising this is the first step to success.

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.

On a personal level, checking email or making calls while you’re away is not being on holiday, it’s working. All of us, regardless of seniority or experience need a break from our professional lives at least once a year. We need to recharge our batteries, or we risk premature burnout. We need to spend time with family and friends to sharpen our focus when we return. Checking a BlackBerry to see hundreds of emails waiting for you will see you back in work more stressed than when you left. For your development as a manager and for your own well-being, learning to be hands-off and delegate properly is an important, as well as healthy, attribute.

In terms of your staff, showing confidence and faith in them by passing on your responsibilities works for both of you. They get invaluable experience and vital career development by stepping up to the plate. In turn, they also feel trusted with this opportunity and are more likely to stay and further their careers with you. With them running things, you may also get a fresh perspective on any problems, or new ideas that you should take on board as if they were from your experienced contemporaries. Finally, they will also learn from your shining example of taking holidays, resulting in less risk of your employees burning out themselves.

From a business point of view, taking leave is the perfect time for you to take a step back to look at the bigger picture. Some of the best ideas come from relaxing by the pool and your holiday may be the best thing that’s ever happened to your business plan. There are also your stakeholders’ perceptions to consider – what kind of workforce do they look like if you can’t let them make key decisions in your absence? Leaving a capable deputy in charge shows strength in depth and will not go unnoticed. If anything were to happen to you that meant you weren’t in work for an extended period, clients need to know the business is in safe hands. Consider your holiday a training period for potential future crises or change.

Given a vast number of us use the same phone or laptop for both our business and personal lives; it may be impossible not to take it with us on holiday. If the temptation to look at work communications really is too great, then a few premeditated steps should help ensure quality time away. Plan for your absence by alerting key contacts and setting certain email to forward to colleagues, to avoid high volumes on your return. Inform colleagues that your phone will be off, but you will check text messages once a day for emergencies. If you can’t help yourself, then use this same 5-minute window to delete a few emails to minimise the amount you come back to. Above all, don’t feel threatened by your temporary replacements, but proud of them. Oh, and wear sunscreen.

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?

An original CV, diligently prepared by a candidate, can give an employer a genuine sense of the applicant’s personality, despite the constraints of its expected contents and universally accepted layout, such as reverse chronological order. It allows a candidate to make an impact with a personal statement; include the skills, attributes and experience they consider relevant; and can give a sense of whether there will be a good cultural fit between both parties.

On the other hand, an original CV can work against a candidate, particularly if they have taken the “standing out” advice to heart. Crazy fonts or smiley faces won’t even get to the 30-second mark with employers. Irrelevant material, possibly hiding perfectly suitable skill sets and experience, make the employer’s task too difficult and, however interesting the life story of the applicant, they won’t be shortlisted.

The contents of a CV transposed into a standardised format allow an employer to pick and choose what they want to see. If certain qualifications are not important or relevant, they don’t have to be there. If hobbies, family life and summer jobs as students are of no interest to the recruiter, they can be omitted. A standard format also enables an employer to search through more applications faster – handy with high volumes of contenders.

The downside is that a standard format doesn’t do everyone justice. A candidate’s strongest points, skills or previous experience may not technically satisfy the criteria and will have to be left out. There is no scope for individuality, so the chance for any personality to come through has gone, placing greater weight on the interview element of the hiring process.

Catherine Turner of Archer Mathieson’s Interim Finance practice says,

“At the mid- to senior management level I work at, many candidates have been long-term employed and have not considered their own CV for some time. I advise all of them on CV preparation, but they construct it themselves. If they do it well, chances are they will interview well, after spending time analyzing their career in detail. There is an argument that if a client has retained us on a search and is looking for specific details, then the structured format can work, but my preference is for the former.”

With the vast majority of CVs submitted over email or uploaded via a website, and thousands of companies offering to cheaply construct your CV for you, is the art of CV presentation dying and if so, do employers actually care? Let us know what your preference is.