The True Cost of a "Bad Hire"

If someone asked you about the cost of a bad hire, more often than not, you would think purely about financial cost and not much else. The truth of the situation, however, is that the wrong hire doesn’t just affect finances but also impacts company culture, productivity, and other employees. So, if you’re wondering what the true cost of a bad hire is – we’ve broken it all down below. 

Financial

Although money isn’t the only expenditure, it is certainly a key element to the ‘true cost’ of a bad hire. By hiring the wrong candidate, the money wasted on salary and training will be of substantial wasted cost. In fact, the Department of Labour estimates that the cost of a bad hire can equal 30% of the employer’s potential first-year earnings. 

As well as this, by hiring the wrong person, the company is wasting money and resources used for onboarding and training - which should have been spent on the right person for that role. If you have to hire another person to do that job, you are doubling your costs before the candidate is even settled into their new role. Therefore, when you invest money into a new hire, you want to ensure that you’re investing into your company’s future and not just throwing money away. 

Company Culture

Another element that is vital with bad hires is how it can affect company culture. If you hire someone who is not right for the job, people will notice and the atmosphere and the company’s working experience will start to alter. By hiring the wrong person, other employee’s may lose morale and engagement as left unaddressed; employees may question your ability to judge who is right for the company. These altering opinions could affect employee viewpoint, which could cause company dissatisfaction and will ultimately affect company culture. 

Employee Morale

If the personality of the company has altered and the company’s culture is different, other employee satisfaction may begin to decrease. When a bad hire starts and leaves, their job is often placed into the hands of someone else, which can lead to increased negativity in the workplace. The rest of the team may become dissatisfied and disengaged and this may cause more employee departures. One employee that comes in and changes everything may cause even your best workers to seek employment elsewhere. 

Low Productivity

If the company culture has changed, so will productivity in the office. If a new hire fails to be on par with the rest of the team – everyone else will be distracted. According to Robert Half International, supervisors spend one day a week managing poorly performing employees. If you’re spending all your time checking on and helping new staff, you’re not performing your own duties, which can seriously affect the productivity of the company. 

Hire the Right Person Straight Away

When you break down the costs of a bad hire, it becomes clear exactly why you can’t afford to waste time, money and resources on people who will not benefit the company in the long run. Hiring the right person will reduce stress in the workplace across the whole company. It is evident that finding the perfect candidate is critical to your company’s morale, productivity and culture. 

The positive thing is there are methods, which can ensure your company hires the right person, immediately. A recruitment agency will save you days of wasted time, and will shift through applications so that you only have to make time to meet those who are seriously worth considering. They will often even schedule interviews and deal with all the admin involved with a new hire.

The Prestige Recruitment Group Quarterly Charity Donation

"A little “pick me up” to squeeze some happiness, cheer, and charity into your day".

Here at The Prestige Recruitment Group, we like to foster a positive culture, so we wanted to spread some happiness amongst our clients.

In August Vicky Byrne, our Senior Temps Consultant that specialises in the temporary sector for Business Support, created a light-hearted mailer for her clients that gave them the chance to win £100 for their chosen charity, that we would donate to on their behalf.

Our winners, Cox Automotive specialise in global automotive solutions and services, with operations, clients and consumer markets all over the globe, their vision is to transform how the world buys and sells vehicles. Their chosen charity is MIND and their focus is working with and supporting people who suffer from Mental Health, as this affects such a high percentage of people around the world, we were more than happy to donate to MIND on behalf of Cox Automotive.

Kelly Wilson from Cox Automotive said- "MIND is a great charity that supports those who need it through hard times. Sometimes people need a little bit of help. The stigma around mental health has been broken over recent years and it's becoming easier to talk about it, without Charities and people volunteering their own time this wouldn’t be the case. If you don’t feel comfortable talking about mental health with friends or family, MIND and other charities are there to support. I am sure that this donation will be used well to support the teams within MIND."                                   

Because this was such a success and a great way to spread some charitable joy, we will now be extending the draw every quarter to everyone who is on our mailing list! So stay tuned for future dates and information regarding the next mailer.

Mental Health Awareness Week

This year, we arranged a competition for everyone on our mailing list, for a chance to win £100 for a charity of their choice. The winners Cox Automotive chose the charity Mind, so we thought this would be a good opportunity given It's Mental Health Awareness Week to highlight Mind and what they can offer you as a business or as a person.

Mind offers so much support, advice and ways to communicate with people who are suffering from Mental Health or Anxiety. Mind charities are all over the UK with trained staff who are equipped to deal with sensitive situations and people, they also give out free advice and training to people who want to help others, which can make all the difference to someone who wants help but doesn't have the confidence to go to a professional. 

"Every year, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem, but hundreds of thousands of people are still struggling. We believe no-one should have to face a mental health problem alone, we’ll listen, give you support and advice, and fight your corner". - Mind

Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention was the main topic for MHA Week this year as this has had a lot of media coverage due to having such high statistics. Unfortunately, this topic affects all ages It is so important to keep these topics current and in the media, so it becomes normal for everyone to talk about it and seek support.

If you or someone you know is suffering from a Mental Health problem and/or Anxiety you can visit mind here. 

6 Small Things That Make The Workplace More Enjoyable

We spend most of our week at work, and so it’s important that you and your employees are as happy as you can possibly be while there. An uncomfortable, unpleasant working condition will seriously affect productivity levels, so it’s vital that your workplace is an inspiring, happy environment. Prestige Recruitment Group has therefore listed six small things you can do to make the workplace more enjoyable for everyone: 

1. Allow a Sociable Environment

It’s important that you allow employees to have breaks and time to talk about things that aren’t work-related in order to ensure that people feel as happy as they can be while working. If appropriate, let employees talk freely, play music or play games when on breaks. If employees are allowed to talk freely in the office, it’s likely that they will probably discuss work-related subjects too, which increases productivity anyway! 

2. Communication

Employees will feel happier in the workplace if there are regular, structured levels of communication. This can come in the form of offering feedback, regardless of whether it’s negative or positive. By communicating frequently with your employees, you not only get to measure their development, but they also feel appreciated on an individual level, which will make them happier. As well as this, if you make yourself an approachable manager, employees will enjoy work more. 

3. Offer a Good Training Program

Everyone feels motivated at work when they feel like they’re being invested in. If you offer employees a structured, thorough training programme where they are learning, they will enjoy work more because they’ll be engaged. Linking into this, you could offer new starters a mentor who will be the person they can approach about anything. This clearly illustrates to new employees who they can communicate with about anything and everything, and also lets them learn things first-hand. 

4. Continuous Development

Linking into the previous point, don’t just stop training when your employees have been in the company for a few months. An element that makes individuals happy in the workplace is when they feel like they’re still learning – and that’s because they’re still engaged! Provide opportunities for continuous development, whether that’s sending people to networking events, letting them attend seminars or allowing them to spend time educating themselves on online learning platforms!  

5. Perks

Offering employees things like free coffee and free snacks will seriously improve motivation and happiness in the workplace. Think about your own experiences – when you start losing motivation at work, what’s the first thing you’ll do? We bet it’s grabbing a cup of coffee or a quick snack. Now imagine that coffee is free – don’t you feel happier?

6. Breaks When They’re Needed

In some jobs, this isn’t possible. For example, if you work in retail, it may be more difficult to step out of your working environment whenever you need it. However, if this would work in your workspace, do it! Let employees leave the office whenever they feel like they need a break from their computer. It’s surprising how much happier an individual is when they feel like they’re trusted enough to manage their own time! 

4 Reasons Why The Recruitment Industry Isn’t Going to Die in 2019

Every year, someone somewhere will post an article along the lines of: 

Recruitment Agencies to die in 2019.

or

2019 will be the death of the Recruitment Industry.

or

Recruitment will be gone in 2019.

Sound familiar? Even if you change ‘2019’ to any other year, it will still sound like you’ve heard it before. That’s because you have. There are always articles predicting recruitment death - every year someone says it’s going to happen – and every year they are wrong.

People make predictions all the time – and more often than not, they are wrong. Remember when people predicted the end of the world in 2012? We’re still here, and so is recruitment. In 2010, people were convinced that with the development of LinkedIn, job boards would die. Yet, nine years later and sites like Monster and Indeed are bigger than ever. Stop predicting the death of recruitment companies and read these four key reasons as to why the Recruitment Industry isn’t going anywhere! 

1) Recruitment is about Human Interaction

Artificial Intelligence is a key reason why people believe the recruitment industry will die. It’s true that the development of AI means that candidates can be screened quicker and more efficiently without the need of a human recruiter – but how accurate is it? 

The recruitment process is inherently human – a computer can’t tell you how passionate someone is. A computer can’t pick up the phone to screen candidates and hear the joy and excitement in their voice. So yes, while the development of artificial intelligence can quicken the process of hiring; it cannot tell you how much an individual cares for, enjoys and loves a profession. With AI unable to screen candidates for this, companies would miss out on amazing candidates. This is why the recruitment industry isn’t moving anywhere. 

Another element, which is vital to recruitment, is a human’s ability to sell a job to a candidate. If a candidate is unsure about a job role, AI will never be able to promote the job to the individual – and this is a vital part to any recruitment process. 

The formation of human relationships within recruitment is why agencies will be around for a long time. Through interaction between human and human (rather than computer and human), relationships and friendships can be formed as the agency really understands a candidates needs and wants. A computer may be able to list what you want – but they will never understand you the way that a recruitment consultant will. 

2) Recruitment Isn’t Easy

Finding the right candidate for a vacancy is not easy – and this is a key reason why recruitment companies won’t be going anywhere. Companies who need to find the perfect fit to embody their company culture rely on agencies being able to fill their needs. 

Large companies may be too busy to deal with the whole recruitment process themselves – which is why recruitment agencies are so vital to companies who need people with the right skills, knowledge and passion for a role. Hiring the wrong person can lead to dreadful mistakes for the business and so companies will always need agencies to do the hard work for them! 

3) Recruitment Companies can find Passive Candidates

Companies will always want to attract the best candidates. The problem with this is that the best candidates aren’t necessarily always looking for a new job. Therefore, recruitment companies can do something that direct applications cannot do – they can look for, research and approach individuals who are not actively looking for work. Recruitment companies can source ‘passive’ individuals – those who are not necessarily job searching, but those who would be open to new opportunities if they were a right fit for them. Recruitment companies are valuable for this! 

4) Recruitment is a central UK Industry

The UK Recruitment Industry is valued at a staggering 35 billion pounds a year, with that figure growing every year. Does that sound like something that’s about to die? No. 

Recruitment wont die, it will evolve – the same way that everything does. Years ago, before the internet, before phones – recruitment agencies would walk door to door registering candidates, placing adds in newspapers and compiling their databases on pen and paper. With the development of technology, recruitment agencies have developed and evolved – and this will continue to happen. The development of artificial intelligence has lead to differences in the way that we recruit, but hasn’t stopped us recruiting. So Recruitment Agencies certainly won’t die in 2019 (or 2020, 2021 or 2022). 

Prestige: Mental Health Awareness Week

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It’s mental health awareness week and with mental health being a subject we care thoroughly about here at Prestige Recruitment Group, we have compiled some tips on how to support mental health at work.

A recent survey showed that 20% of people have gone to work while experiencing suicidal thoughts or feelings. This statistic is high and shows that workplace mental health support is something that needs to be available for everyone. If you’re worried that someone within your workplace may be experiencing thoughts of suicide, the best thing you can do is explicitly ask them. Talking about suicide does not make it more likely, and so it is vital that you encourage the person you are concerned about to get help. They should contact the Samaritans straight away through their free 24-hour helpline on 116 123.

Other people may not have depression as severe, and there are also other mental health disorders you should be concerned about including Anxiety, Bipolar and Substance Abuse and Addiction. Regardless of the illness, if you feel that someone is struggling with their mental health, it is vital that you reach out and be there for a colleague that needs it.

How Can You Support Mental Health at Work?

1)   Informal Checks

Even if you don’t think anyone in your team is suffering with any mental health problems, it’s vital that you check in with colleagues informally. Check regularly to see how they are doing, how they are managing their workload and how they are feeling at work. Stress is a serious cause behind mental health problems, so it’s vital that everyone knows you are there for them should they need you.

2)   Performance Management

You should make sure you check in with individuals on a professional level too – consider meetings and confidential supervision sessions. These are great for mental health and staff engagement. Sometimes, drops in performance can illustrate potential mental health problems, and therefore it’s vital to keep an eye on staff performance.

3)   Active Listening

If someone is opening up to you about something, you need to give that person your full support and actively listen. Try and keep eye contact with the person, and look interested in what they’re trying to say. Make appropriate acknowledgements, and repeat things back to them to check that you got it right. Don’t probe for more details than they are prepared to give – just listen. If they want advice, you can give them some but don’t give advice if they’re just after someone to listen.

4)   Time off

Sometimes staff may need time off because of their mental health. It is important that you look at this the same way that you would look at a physical injury. If someone had broken their legs, they wouldn’t be able to get to work, the same way that someone with a mental health disorder can’t get into the office. Mental health issues should be treated with the same attitude you treat physical illnesses when it comes to work. Make sure you communicate with the individual who needs time off. 

5)   Coming Back

If an employee is coming back to work after having time off for their health, you should support them with their re-induction. See if they need anything specific for their first day or week back and greet them enthusiastically when they’re officially back in the office. They probably won’t want a fuss but they will appreciate the fact you are happy to have them back.

This advice is mainly guidelines and it’s vital that you remember that every mental health disorder is different, and different people will be affected in different ways. The best way you can support mental health at work is to treat everyone as an individual – see what they want you to do and support them the best way you can.

Happy World Mental Health Awareness Week – don’t be afraid to speak out.

Be sure to check out our other blogs here.

Jessica Greaney
Digital Marketer
0121 244 5004

How Do You Create a Happy Workplace Culture?

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Nowadays, work is much more than just the job you are doing. Over recent years, there’s been an increased emphasis on workplace culture and atmosphere, as well as happiness in the workplace. People want to be happy at work, so adjusting and changing your workplace culture to ensure that your employees are content, engaged and excited is absolutely vital. In fact, companies with happy employees outperform the competition by 20%! Prestige Recruitment Group have therefore created a list of the top five things you can do to try and encourage a happy workplace culture: 

1) Deliver Praise and Recognition 

In a working environment, it can become easy to only pull your employees up when they have done something wrong or not performed as well as they should have. In order to keep a happy workplace culture, it’s absolutely vital that you also deliver praise and recognition when your team do well. Feeling under-appreciated is one of the main reasons why people quit their jobs so make sure you encourage and motivate your employees by constant recognition. When you notice someone going above and beyond, let them know that you have noticed it. 

2) Make Work Fulfilling 

If people feel like the work they’re doing doesn’t matter or make a difference, they’re not going to find it fulfilling. If someone doesn’t find their work fulfilling, they’re not going to enjoy their job and working environment. Therefore, it’s vital that you explain the importance of each person and their roles so that people can feel important and happy within your organisation. This is quite an easy process – you can actually just write down and illustrate how each team member’s role is important to the company. 

 3) Meaningful Benefits

Jobs are so much more than a salary now and new generations of workforce appreciate other perks and benefits that come along with the job. There are tonnes of different perks you can offer your employees to illustrate that you appreciate them and the work that they do – from free breakfasts and gym memberships to unlimited holiday entitlement! Even little things will make your employs feel appreciated and happy, which emphasises the happy workplace culture! 

4) Invest In Your Team’s Personal Growth 

Personal development is something that shouldn’t stop just because your employees are working for you. When employees feel stagnant and like nothing is changing, they are likely to start scrolling through the job boards in search of something new. There are a few things that you can do to help your members of staff with their growth from sending them on courses or letting them attend conferences! It’s important that as a team, everyone is always setting personal goals. Everyone should aim towards these goals over the period of a year, and when employees reach their goals, they will feel like they’ve achieved something from work – which makes them feel motivated, engaged, and most importantly, happy.  

5) Build and Share Trust

One of the most important things about having a happy workplace culture is that your employees need to feel trusted! If you’re constantly micromanaging or making your employees feel unworthy, they’re not going to feel happy at work! Give your team responsibility because it shows that you’re confident in their abilities, which makes them feel appreciated and responsible! 

If you saw our blog last week, you’d have seen our blog about company culture and what it means to us. As well as this, Prestige Recruitment Group are currently busy shooting videos on the ‘Art of Company Culture,’ but we do have a prequel video to give you a flavour of what to expect. (There are doughnuts too!)

Jessica Greaney
Digital Marketer
0121 244 5004

Is it Time to Rethink the Meaning of Work?

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In recent years, there has been a great deal of information written about the development of automation, tech and artificial intelligence, and although many people have different opinions – the general census is that this development is something to fear. There are reports of predicted mass unemployment and declining wages. In fact, a recent study from Oxford University estimated that that 47% of all American jobs and 54% of jobs in Europe are at a very high risk of being replaced by machines over the next twenty years. So is it time to rethink what we thought we knew about working?

Work: The Definition

If you were asked to define the meaning of work, what would you say? For some, it’s a moneymaking enterprise that they’re not too bothered about whereas for others, it’s a place of paradise where they are truly happy. What’s most surprising is that the number of people who enjoy their job is slowly decreasing as technological developments grow.

In 2013, a survey by Harvard Business Review surveyed 12,000 professionals and found that 50% of participants felt that their job had no ‘meaning and significance.’ Another poll carried out later among 230,000 employees in 142 countries showed that merely 13% of workers actually enjoy their job. The most shocking statistic is probably the fact that a recent poll found that 37% of British citizens think their job is actually useless.

In Britain specifically, our education system is used as a way to train individuals so that they are suitable for employment later into their life. So it’s surprising that these people who are deemed successful and knowledgeable after preparing to join the workforce, have said their job is actually useless. Is this just another sign that we need to rethink the meaning of what it means to join the workforce?

The World Economic Forum believes that the meaning of work depends on what you define the meaning of life as, which for most, is probably true. If life is about making money to you, the job you have should probably reflect that; whereas, if your life is about freedom and flexibility, you’ll probably find yourself working less hours and earning less money.

The WCF argue that for too long, people have been working jobs they don’t enjoy to buy things they don’t need, and that maybe the time has come to ‘stop sidestepping the debate’ and answer the question ‘what would our economy look like if we were to radically redefine the meaning of ‘work’?’ In fact, Rutger Bregman, an author who writes about modern day utopia states:

‘I believe in a future where the value of your work is not determined by the size of your paycheck, but by the amount of happiness you spread and the amount of meaning you give. I believe in a future where the point of education is not to prepare you for another useless job, but for a life well lived. I believe in a future where jobs are for robots and life is for people.’

The fear of tech and artificial intelligence has certainly shaken the concept of what we believe work to be, and as we look into redefining the meaning of work, what do you think that means for higher education and the way we prepare future generations to join the workforce? Unfortunately, there is no clear-cut answer, but it’s clear that attitudes and opinions will change over the next few years as technology continues to develop. What do you think?

Jessica Greaney
Digital Marketer
0121 244 5004

What Is The Best Way To Manage Millennials?

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In 2015, Millennials passed Baby Boomers as the largest part of the workforce, as they currently make up about 35% of the working population. Due to the differences in society as they grew up, Millennials have completely different needs to that of their Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers working counterparts. Due to this, employers need to take a different path when managing them. 

Millennials are usually very educated, and that’s because many of them have been to University. Growing up, it was common that they were rewarded for chores as children, which has led to a very competitive nature where they strive to be rewarded in the workplace. They are often stereotyped as entitled, and their ambition is often misinterpreted as disloyalty, as they’re likely to leave a job quicker than previous generations when their needs are not met. So how exactly can we manage Millennials in the workplace?

5 Tips for Managing Millennials 

1) Provide Training and Mentoring

At work, Millennials want to learn. They are constantly trying to better themselves, learn new skills and become further educated on the industry or field they are working in. In order to manage Millennials, you need to make sure you have a thorough structured training programme where all their needs are met. In addition to this, offer mentoring and constant support on a one-to-one level, so that they know they always have someone they can shadow and learn from.

2) Provide Feedback

Similar to the previous point, Millennials also need feedback! If you can show that you are investing into your Millennial employees and showing them ways to learn, they will flourish in the workplace. Millennials want to know what they are doing well, so make sure you offer positive feedback too!

3) Challenge Them

In order to manage your Millennial employees and ensure that they are engaged in the workplace, you should challenge them. Give them more responsibility, and let them help out on huge projects. Millennials feel appreciated when they are given responsibility, and so in turn feel further engaged in the workplace. 

4) Be Fun

Continuing on from the previous point, Millennials want to work, but they also want to have fun while they’re there! Foster integration between the workforce generations and allow people to communicate and speak freely. Millennials don’t want to sit at a desk all day in silence – they want to laugh!

5) Provide a Work-Life Balance

Unlike previous generations, Millennials have a further emphasis on the importance of a work-life balance. They are constantly busy and may play for sports teams or have hobbies that they take up outside of work. Not only this, Millennial’s are very socially focused and spend a lot of time with friends and family. Balance is vital to a Millennial and so in order to better manage your employees, you should offer flexible working and remote working if possible. For example, letting a Millennial leave early on a Wednesday for football practice would make them feel appreciated and engaged at work! While at work, Millennials will give it their all, but in the grand scheme of things, other elements are also important to them, so you should support this.

Therefore, in order to engage with a millennial, you may need to make slight adjustments to the way that you manage them. Make a conscious effort to keep things fun and challenging, and respect their work-life balance. Millennials are engaged through freedom and responsibility, so give it to them!

It’s not just Millennials who want to work from home! It's on the increase for most companies, so check out our other blog, 5 Reasons Why You Should Offer Employees The Opportunity To Work From Home.  

Jessica Greaney
Digital Marketer
0121 244 5004

5 Quick Tips to Make Employees Love Their Office Workspace

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We’ve all heard the saying that a happy office is a productive office, which is completely true. The space in which someone works can seriously affect mood and morale within the office. Therefore, it is vital that you as their employer try your hardest to ensure that your office workspace is the best it can possibly be. Your employees spend most of their week at their desk, so you need to work hard so that they are happy. Remember, happy employees are productive employees! Prestige Recruitment Group have therefore compiled a quick list of 5 simple things you should do to ensure your employees love their office workspace. 

How to Ensure Your Employees Love Their Office Workspace:

1)  Stay Organised

Motivation and productivity take a serious hit when your office space is messy and disorganised. With a disorganised workspace, you seriously run the risk of your employees becoming disengaged. If everything in your office workspace has a set place as to where it is meant to be, your employees will certainly be happier. Therefore, make sure that you have places for stationary, folders and files. If you make it easier for your employees to find what they need, when they need it, it makes a big difference to office happiness.

2)  Make It Comfortable

Your employees spend so much of their week within their office workspace, and so it is vital that they feel comfortable. You should try hard to ensure that your space is as comfortable. Make sure that there is as much natural light as there can possibly be. People spend a lot of time in front of their computer sat on a chair, so make sure the furniture options you offer are comfortable for people to sit on for long periods of time. You should also ensure that there is a comfortable place for employees to sit down to eat lunch and take some time away from the desk.

3)  Give Everyone a Say

At the end of the day, there are many people in your office, and not just you. You should make the effort to ask employees about what they’d really like to see in their office space. Would your staff like to listen to a radio while they work? Would they like a coffee machine? If you can hear what people want, you can have more of an idea on what to change so that everybody is happy. Take their suggestions, and if possible and reasonable, give it to them. Involve your team!

4)  Office Perks

Everyone loves perks! Sometimes the smallest of things, like offering your employees free coffee and allowing them to leave early on Friday, goes a long way. When hard work is recognised and appreciated, it makes a happier office!

5)  Allow Personalisation

Some offices workspaces may not allow their desks to be cluttered with personal items and objects, however if you can, let employees bring some of their own items in. Some people may just want to bring in their own mug or some photos for their desk, and some people may want to bring in their own chair. If you can, allow employees to do this. These things obviously mean a lot to your employees, so if they can bring it in to their work environment, they will feel more comfortable in their workspace. Appreciate your employee’s differences and individuality.

The suggestions we have listed are not difficult and not too hard to embody within your company, but they’ll make a huge difference to your employee morale and happiness. We are currently writing another blog about bigger changes you can make in order to improve your office. If you're interested, please leave an email address below. 

Jessica Greaney
Digital Marketer
0121 244 5004

5 Reasons Why You Should Offer Employees The Opportunity To Work From Home

Remote working is on the increase as more and more companies allow their employees the opportunity to work from home. If you’ve seen our previous blog, you’ll know that there are actually predictions that by 2020, 50% of workers will be doing their jobs remotely. Remote working has tonnes of positives for both employee and employer and so Prestige Recruitment Group have listed 5 Reasons Why You Should Offer Employees The Opportunity To Work From Home!

1)  Increased Productivity

Every single person in a workplace environment is a unique individual with different needs, wants and preferences when it comes to working. Within a workspace, it can easy to forget that every member of a team will have different work styles that work for them. For example, some individuals will work better in the morning after they have just woken up, whereas some people will prefer to work at night. By appreciating your employee’s needs and giving them the choice to work when they feel most productive, your company's overall productivity levels will also increase.  

Some people may argue that when people work from home, there are more distractions than there would be in an office. However, this is not always the case. Working from home gives your employees the chance to get away from the office environment, avoid time-zapping colleagues and work however suits them – whether that’s with blasting music, or complete silence. Being able to choose where you work rather than being forced to sit at a desk in an office space means that your staff will work more productively as they get to work how they feel works best for them.

2)  Retain Talent

The idea of home is often associated with feelings of comfort and relaxation, and regardless how hard you try as an employer – no space you create will match the comfort created when at home. When someone is comfortable, they are the happiest they can be. Happy employees are unlikely to want to move company, and so offering remote working is a sure way to help retain talent within your company. More than ever, people want to be able to work remotely and that’s because there is such an increased emphasis on the importance of a healthy work-home life balance.

It’s evident that remote working is a great way to keep your employees happy. In fact, Investors in People (II) revealed that 32% of employees would rather have a more flexible working environment, such as the opportunity to work remotely than a 3% pay rise.  So, if you offer your employees what they want, they are likely to stay loyal to your company.

3)  It’s Eco-Friendly

When all your employees are working remotely, there is no need to travel into a workspace. By doing this, you are shrinking your company’s carbon footprint. Cisco WebEx reports that if those with remote work-compatible jobs worked from home just half the time, we could eliminate 119 billion miles of highway driving – which is enough to wrap around the earth almost 5 million times. As well as this, a report from FlexJobs cities the examples of Dell, Aetna and Xerox, who all experimented with offering remote work. They found that by allowing employees to work from home, the three companies together saved 94,294 metric tons of greenhouse gases – in one year. Seeing these facts and figures, it makes sense for your company to go green, and let people work remotely.

4)  Cost-Efficiency

When all your staff work remotely, you can save your company a lot of money. For a start, employees don’t need to travel to work, which cuts costs from having to commute to the office. If your company is completely remote, there’s no need to rent an office space. You also don’t need computers, electricity, Wi-Fi, stationary and other office supplies. Therefore, your company will automatically reduce the amount of outgoings that you would usually spend on having a physical office space.    

5)  You Can Hire The Best No Matter Where They Are

With the development of technology, people no longer need to live close to their workspace. Gone are the days where you’d need to work somewhere within an hour travel time from your home. When you offer remote working, you can offer the job to anyone, without limiting the talent pool to a certain location. This means you can really search for the best of the best and ensure that they work within your company.

So now is the opportunity to allow your staff members to have some freedom and work from home when they can. The opportunity to work remotely is a huge positive that many companies actually sell as a benefit of their company, and it is slowly increasing.

Diversity - The Top Trend Shaping the Future of Recruitment

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If you look around your workplace - whether that is an office, a school, a restaurant, a bar or a shop, you’ll probably see a mix of people. That’s because the value of a diverse workforce is widely acknowledged across many work forces and sectors. In fact, according to LinkedIn’s global recruiting trends report, diversity is the number one trend shaping the future of hiring and recruitment. The survey of nearly 9000 talent acquisition professionals and hiring managers found that in today’s society, diversity is directly linked to company culture and financial performance. The global recruiting trends report showed that:

• 78% of companies prioritise diversity to improve culture

• 62% of companies prioritise diversity to boost financial performance

• 49% of companies prioritise diversity to better represent its customers.

But what does diversity mean?

For many years, diversity in recruitment meant how well your company embodies a range of different people. However - today diversity goes even further and there are three elements involved within it. These three elements are:

• Diversity Representation

• Inclusion

• Belonging

It is important that companies not only represent a diverse community but that they also ensure the individuals within that workplace feel like they are both included and belong within that community. Even at the most diverse of companies, employees are likely to disengage and leave if they do not feel included and accepted within that company’s culture. LinkedIn’s global recruiting trends report found that more companies than ever are focusing on all three elements of diversity to ensure new hires stick with that company. The report found:

• 51% of companies are very focused on diversity

• 52% of companies are very focused on inclusion

• 57% of companies are very focused on belonging.

Where is diversity focused?

From the global recruiting trends report, it is clear that gender and race are the red-hot topics within diversity:

• 71% of companies focus on gender

• 49% of companies focus on race and ethnicity

• 48% of companies focus on age

• 43% of companies focus on educational differences

• 32% of companies focus on disabilities

• 19% of companies focus on religion

Why aren’t more companies diverse?

Very few companies have actually cracked the code on diversity. LinkedIn’s data found that many companies wish that they could be more diverse but they struggle to find diverse candidates for some job roles. The study found that the biggest barriers to improving diversity are as follows:

• 38% of companies believe the biggest barrier is finding diverse candidates to interview

• 27% of companies believe that the biggest barrier is retaining diverse employees

• 14% of companies believe that the biggest barrier is getting diverse candidates past interview stage

• 8% of companies believe that the biggest barrier is getting diverse candidates to accept the offer

• 14% of companies believe it is none of these.

How do companies support diversity?

So the report shows that diversity is important and that more companies should embody it into the way their company is run. The question this leads to is how? How can companies ensure that they are supporting diversity within the company? The LinkedIn global recruiting trends report found that:

• 67% of companies foster an environment that respects differing opinions

• 52% of companies encourage people to be themselves at work

• 47% of companies have leaders acknowledge importance of diversity

• 45% of companies embed diversity in company mission and values

• 44% of companies emphasise diversity of leadership team.

How do companies show candidates they value diversity?

Once you have an inclusive culture, recruiting diverse talent is much easier. The global recruiting trends report found that companies show candidates that they value diversity by:

• 52% of companies use diverse employees in web and print materials

• 35% of companies present diverse interview panels

• 30% of companies talk about employee resource groups

• 28% of companies recruit at schools with diverse student bodies.

So what can we do?

Unfortunately, no easy answer to the global lack of diversity exists which is why inequality is still so alive in 2018. However, the positive trend of companies starting to address this matter does seem to be building momentum to help balance this issue. Putting this on the agenda at your company and highlighting the positive values of other companies that are striving to achieve diversity is a great way to start and move things forward in the right direction.

The best advice is not to have a diversity strategy – but to embody it into your company culture and mind-set. Ideally, we shouldn’t have to live in a world where there are overt rules and regulations in order to have an inclusive, equal workspace and we believe that company culture is a huge part of the solution. Of course, if a company doesn't have this ideal culture in place, a diversity strategy would be a good place to start to foster the correct company culture. Companies need to ensure that your company uses inclusive language, empowers employees to tell their stories and promote inclusion. Think about unconscious bias in your workplace and deliver clear messages to all members of staff about the importance of diversity. 

How to Attract Candidates Who Are Looking for a New Job

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Grow Your Company Brand

If you have a strong company brand, more people will recognise your company and in turn, want to work for you. A great way to ensure your brand comes across as positive is to motivate current employees – that way when they leave reviews on websites such as Glassdoor or tell potential employees what it’s like to work for your company, it will all be positive. This will attract candidates who are looking for a new job – as the more your company is recognised for positive employee experience, the more likely you are to attract all the right candidates. 

Get Online & Get Connected

As we move into 2018, digital technology is becoming more and more essential when recruiting for jobs. Constantly engaging and sharing connections online is a great way to attract candidates. By sharing information across your online platforms, you continue to nurture your company brand and allow individuals to get to know the company. Establishing these online relationships will attract candidates who know about your company and thus, you will be first point of call when they are looking for a new job.

Be Mobile Friendly

With the development of mobile technology, job searching has never been easier. Many individuals now browse for jobs on their phone while commuting or in bed or watching television and so in order to attract candidates who are looking for a new job you must offer full mobile functionality. 

Great Job Description

The job description is a vital opportunity to attract potential employees to your company. The best advertisements should include the best features of the job, it’s duties and the company. Describe the company’s benefits, wages, hours and work environment. The clearer you are, the more candidates you will attract. 

Streamline The Company’s Hiring Process

In order to attract candidates who are job searching, the job hiring process should be as easy as possible. Candidates applying through social media or online job posting don’t want to apply to a complex application process. If the process is too long, you run the risk of boring potential employees! Make sure you fully explain every stage in the selection process to job applicants and keep them informed of the company’s decisions.

Competitive Pay & Benefits

With most jobs, the primary thing that attracts candidates into applying is the salary. In order to attract candidates, offer a competitive salary with other benefits. Over the past few years, there has been a growth in companies that offer benefits that improve an individual’s quality of life. These include gym membership, car parking and free drinks.  Offer small benefits like this and it will often attract more candidates into applying for your vacancy.

Flexibility & Room For Growth

As we progress further into 2018, more and more companies are offering flexible working hours. This is a really great feature for a company to have, and employers that understand the needs of a modern workplace will appeal to more candidates. Another important element in attracting candidates is to illustrate the chance of progression when working for your company. Often, a starting salary isn’t too important to a potential employee as long as they know there is a chance for growth within a company.

Now What?

So you’ve attracted a variety of candidates to your job role – and even offered one of them the job. It’s important that from the very second you offer the role to a candidate, you have an onboarding strategy in place. Onboarding is the action of integrating a new employee into an organisation and is vital to keeping employees motivated within the workplace. Prestige Recruitment Group are in the process of creating a document with information, data and facts about the onboarding process. If you’re interested – sign up to receive the free document as soon as it’s completed!

Jessica Greaney
Digital Marketer
0121 244 5004

How Your Fashion Business Can Attract Top Candidates

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Fashion is an extremely sought after industry - it’s fast paced, exciting and will continue to develop as the years pass. Due to it’s fast development, every company within the fashion industry wants to attract the very top candidates and so Prestige Recruitment Group have compiled a list to ensure that your company can choose from the very best.

1) Be Worth Working For

There are a lot of companies within the fashion industry, with some offering completely different benefits to others. In order to attract the best candidates, you have to make your company worth working for. As there’s a lot of competition, you can do this by offering competitive salaries and benefits. You need to show that you are a fashion brand that recognises hard work and commitment. All these factors will make your fashion company appear attractive, and so top candidates will be more inclined to want to work for you.

2) Keep Your Current Staff Happy

It’s a well-known fact that within the fashion industry people are constantly networking, particularly at the numerous fashion events that are held throughout the year. If a potential employee asks a current employee what it’s like to work at your company – their response needs to be positive. Happy employees networking within the industry attract the top candidates.

3) Be Transparent Through the Hiring Process

Communication is vital in finding the top candidates. The fashion industry is constantly growing and moving, and so the best candidates don’t have the time to waste on vague conversation and unclear job roles. Let candidates know the specifics, be clear on salaries and be honest about the downsides of the position. The best talent can see straight through your company and so you should always be clear, precise and honest.

4) Remember that Interviewing is a Two-Way Street

The best candidates within the fashion industry probably have options. In order to make your company seem like a viable option, you need to remember this. Assuming that interviews are a one-way street may make your company come across badly and generally turn off the top candidates. The top candidates will interview and assess your company the same way your interviewer is going to assess the potential employee – so be ready. Send out a great interviewer who can communicate clearly about everything your company offers.

5) Use a Specialist Recruitment Company

In order to ensure that your company gathers the best candidates, specialist recruitment companies such as Prestige Recruitment Group help considerably. By using a recruitment company, your fashion company widens the pool of candidates as recruitment agencies have a large database of candidates. Some of these candidates may not be actively job searching but would be interested if the right job for the right company came along. By using a company such as Prestige, your fashion business has access to this pool of candidates that you would never be able to find without the agency. Specialist recruitment agencies save time and money and ensure you get the best talent.