Recruitment Matters International December Newsletter
Warmest wishes for a Merry Xmas and a Healthy, Prosperous New Year from the team at Recruitment Matters International!
Only ten more sleeps to Christmas! Our thanks to all of you who supported us and enjoyed our training during the topsy-turvy year that was 2022. We very much look forward to building on our existing relationships and forging new ones during our 25th Anniversary year in 2023..
Before you settle down to enjoy the festive season, do have a look at our Q1 2023 training schedule .
Articles in this festive edition include:-
Warren suggests that now is a good time to reflect on 2022 and how to build on lessons learned for a great 2023
Ideal Marketing's Jess Shailes reckons you should reinstate the tradition of an orange in a Christmas stocking this year and explains why.
JMW's Simon Bloch considers the after-effects that Christmas parties can have in the workplace and has some advice on employee matters that may arise.
And I ask if you really know how much you are worth per hour and show how to calculate it.
As ever, for news of our full range of recruitment services, including upcoming training courses, check out "What's new?" If you don't see what you are looking for, just ask and we'll do our best to help.
December - a time to reflect
Contributor: Warren Kemp, CEO and Trainer, Recruitment Matters International. Warren is also a qualified Mental Health First Aid Instructor
2022 may or may not have been as successful as you would have predicted for yourself. Too many people write off their past year vowing to learn from their mistakes. New year, new ideas, new start, new enthusiasm, blah, blah….. ad nauseum.
On a personal level it isn’t so easy to right the wrongs. On a business front things can be much more objective, as you will have stats and facts to back things up. Inevitably, you don’t do everything right at work and made some poor calls (pun intended). But what about the successes? (However small). Take the time to thoroughly review this year’s positive results.
80% of your successes will have come from 20% of your activity. 80% of revenue from just 20% of clients. Identify what worked, what type of businesses said yes, what activity brought in the right candidates and create a blueprint for success in 2023.
Take your most profitable accounts (or departments within a large account) and dig deep to find out why they are your most profitable.
- How many contacts do you have there?
- Are you getting the buy in from line management or talent acquisition or both?
- How often do you call them?
- How often do you have pre-planned meetings with them?
- What do you talk about?
- What do you send them?
- Are they a LinkedIn connection?
- How did you start contacting that client?
- What activity got your foot in the door?
- How long have they been a client?
- At what point did they become a key client?
- How many vacancies do you get from them?
- What are your TOB?
- And more…
Keep digging, keep analysing. Do it for each one within your top 20% that brought you the 80% of income. As an example - You might have 10 of the top 20 as clients in your market, yet it’s four SME’s that generate the bulk of your revenue. SME’s is your focus for 2023 and scale down your activity with the PLC’s. You might say on your website you recruit for all levels including C suite but in reality £25k - £35k salaries are your sweet spot. And so on. Create a replicable blueprint for success.
If you want to discuss any aspect of this article – or want me to help you review your desk/team/business then contact me. Here’s to a great 2023!
Warren Kemp is CEO and trainer with Recruitment Matters International. For more tips, advice and information on RMI, visit https://recruitmentmatters.com/ telephone 0800 0749 289/ +44 (0)1529 410375 or email info@recruitmentmatters.com.
Why you should reinstate the tradition of an orange in a Christmas stocking this year
Contributor: Ideal Marketing Company MD Jess Shailes.
Christmas is different for many of us this year due to the rising cost of living, so it may feel like there isn’t as much to be grateful for. It got us thinking about past holiday traditions like adding fresh oranges to stockings, which used to be a highlight and a treat!
This tradition may have started during the Great Depression when money was tight and oranges were considered an exotic luxury. Another theory behind the custom is that, as December is the season of giving, the orange segments represent the opportunity to share what we have with others. Oranges in stockings are even thought to represent an important part of St Nicholas’s origin story! Legend has it he gave three bags of gold to a poor man whose daughters couldn’t marry because he couldn’t afford the dowries. The tale says that St. Nicholas tossed the gold down the man’s chimney, which ended up in the daughters’ stockings, drying by the fire. Later in history, people began to honour the story and Saint by gifting oranges to represent the bags of gold.
We’ve heard and expressed enough complaints about how bloated and overly commercialised Christmas has become. The resulting stress about meeting financial and time obligations can leave people dreading Christmas, which means the point of the season can be missed. Yet once upon a time we were excited to receive something as simple as an orange in a big sock!
So, should we be focusing on simpler times and what really counts at Christmas? Values like sharing and gratitude for what we do have.
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough and more.” Melodie Beattie
Studies into the impacts of gratitude on our wellbeing are well documented, but there is a business case for showing gratitude too. Employees need to know their work is appreciated. Showing gratitude to employees is the easiest, fastest and most inexpensive way to boost performance. In its simplest form, an expression of gratitude costs nothing and only requires minimal time and effort. You could also show gratitude to customers by sending a handwritten note within a Christmas card, or an email stating why you are thankful for them and why you are looking forward to continuing in the year ahead.
And, of course, at home, whoever you are spending the holiday season with, if you put an orange in their stocking this year, remember it’s not just the gift of a fruit; it’s a reminder of what came before and a symbol of sharing. If the younger people in the household are confused, explain that’s all we used to get, before all the electronics, branded sportswear and hype. Or, if you really want to confuse them, leave a lump of coal!
It’s our turn to follow our own advice – from everyone at the Ideal Marketing Company, we’re grateful for you – whether you’re a client, a contact in our network, a subscriber of our newsletter or just popped by to read this article. What we do is only possible because of you, and we love to do it. So, thank you.
PS. Oranges are also a part of our origin story – find out why here.
For a free consultation about your marketing needs, from branding to PR to digital marketing, visit www.idealmarketingcompany.co.uk or call 01858 44 55 43.
How much are you worth per hour?
Written by Ken Kemp, RMI's MD.
Do you believe that you received what you were worth in 2022? Do you really know what you are worth per hour? Take a good look at all the assignments that you have worked on directly in the last six months. I mean every assignment, whether it was on a contingency basis or retained, whether it was a percentage deal or flat fee.
Now, what I would like you to do, is to look at the number of man hours spent on each one in total including other colleague’s efforts: others in your team such as administrators, researchers, receptionists, everyone. Then include travelling time to meetings with the client and candidate and include time spent putting the proposal together before you actually got the job. Include time spent on each phone call, everything. Now divide the fee you received by the total man hours spent. Have a look at the results and you will find out the assignments where you made the most money per man hour.
For example, if you earned a £4,000 fee and spent a total of 20 man hours on the job that equates to £200 earned for every man hour spent. If you earned a £10,000 fee but spent 120 man hours on the job that equates to £84 earned for every man hour spent.
After carrying out this exercise I guarantee that you will start to evaluate the worth of every client you have very differently and every potential new assignment/vacancy. I am sure you will get a shock or two and will probably find that some of your clients that you currently go that extra mile for, may need another mile or two in addition - or maybe quite the opposite – who knows?
The key to this tip is what you do with that information in 2023, both with current clients and potential contacts. From now on, evaluate the fee that you intend to charge after you have worked out how long the job is likely to take and make sure that you add in everyone’s time who will be involved from start to finish. Then reflect that in your quote to the client.
Go ahead and look at your client portfolio right now - your business may never be the same again.
Ken Kemp is MD of Recruitment Matters International. For more information on RMI, visit https://recruitmentmatters.com/ telephone 0800 0749 289 / +44 (0)1529 410375 or email ken@recruitmentmatters.com
How should employers approach Christmas parties and the after-effects in the workplace?
Contributor: Simon Bloch, who is a Partner at JMW Solicitors LLP.
As companies’ Christmas parties are taking place across the December month, employers need to be mindful of the wide-ranging ramifications which staff parties can have across the business, and how to handle employee matters.
Are businesses liable for their employees’ actions?
Employers are responsible for their employees’ conduct which takes place in the course of their employment. The actions of their employees need to be ‘sufficiently connected’ to their employment in order for the principle of vicarious liability to apply. This means that employers will inevitably be responsible for disputes between employees which occurred during a business-organised event.
The proximity in time with work-related activities also needs to be taken into account when determining whether an employees’ action was done in the course of their employment. Specifically in the context of discrimination claims, a distinction is made between social gatherings of work colleagues that may be regarded as an extension of employment (such as Christmas parties) and chance encounters outside of work between colleagues.
A case from 2018, Bellman v Northampton Recruitment Ltd, confirmed that the company was liable for an assault carried out by the managing director to another employee at a separate drinking session organised after the Christmas party. There was found to be sufficient closeness between the work-arranged event and their meeting after the Christmas party.
In light of the above, businesses should be proactive and warn employees about their conduct in advance of Christmas parties. For example, it is advisable to send business-wide memos about the standard of behaviour which is expected from their staff. Companies should also be mindful to keep their equality and diversity training, including any harassment training, up-to-date and make company policies openly available.
What can employers do in the New Year if employee disputes are not resolved?
Issues which originate from Christmas parties often lead into the New Year, where employers have to deal with ongoing grievance procedures, and have to take pragmatic views on whether to commence disciplinary action.
Businesses should not dismiss minor comments said at Christmas parties as ‘banter’ or humorous comments, as they may be considered discriminatory and/or of a harassing nature. As always, companies’ own internal procedures in dealing with complaints should be followed.
Prior to considering formal action, however, companies should attempt informal resolution. Especially if the disputes arise from personal disagreements, then issues can often be resolved through apologies and individuals taking account for their actions.
What are umbrella companies’ obligations with regard to these procedures?
In the recruitment sphere, umbrella companies employ staff directly, who are then supplied to end-clients. In these instances, the umbrella companies are vicariously liable for the actions of their employees who are placed at other companies, and they need to be extra-vigilant of issues which arise in the course of their employment. This is inherently more difficult for umbrella companies to control, as they are not necessarily having day-to-day involvement or interactions with their employees. However, they are ultimately responsible for handling disciplinary and grievance procedures, and will be in receipt of claims if issues arising from Christmas parties turn litigious.
What about the position with agency workers?
The position with regard to the supplying of agency workers is slightly different if they are engaged through an employment business directly to the end-client. The end-client may assume liability for the actions of the agency worker if the relationship is ‘sufficiently similar to one of an employment relationship.’ Therefore, end-clients may still nevertheless be responsible for disputes arising from work-sponsored events, and need to reinforce their expected standards of behaviour.
This article is for general guidance only and should not be used for any other purpose. It does not constitute, and should not be relied upon as legal advice.
If you would like to discuss this article or any recruitment issue in more detail, please contact Simon Bloch of JMW Solicitors LLP either by email at simon.bloch@jmw.co.uk or by telephone on 0161 838 2628.
What's new?
Here is a link to our Q1 2023 training schedule
Recruitment training course options to look forward to in the New Year include:-
Winning Exclusivity and Selling Retainers
Two Day Introduction To Recruitment
Business Development
The Billing Manager
Candidate Sourcing
Become A Mental Health First Aider
Mental Health First Aid Champion
Remember that we can come in-house to you via Zoom or visit your offices to deliver face-to-face training. It just needs a bit of forward planning, so do contact us as soon as possible to discuss your potential requirements.
We continue to welcome subscribers to our FREE pre-recorded online training programme ku.dos to help provide further support for you in your recruitment career.
If you think that mentoring could work for you, please contact us to have a chat about your options.
For more information on all our courses and our other services and products, visit www.recruitmentmatters.com, email ken@recruitmentmatters.com or call Ken on 0800 0749289 or, if you’re overseas, 0044 1529 410375.
Contact us
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Tel: 0800 0749289 / +44 (0)1529 410375
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