Survey shows a sharp increase in mental health issues in the workplace

Posted by Monique Holtman

The results of the Benefits and Trends Survey 2018 has revealed that there has been a sharp increase in the number of employees who are suffering from stress and other illnesses related to their mental health.

In 2017, 55% of employees said their mental health has suffered because of their job but in 2018, this figure has already risen to 68%. It’s perhaps unsurprising that employers are beginning to recognise the importance of tackling mental health and stress issues in the workplace.

42% of companies said they have now invested in proactive initiatives to help with this issue compared to just 36% last year. The survey also showed that more employers are providing health and wellbeing apps, jumping from 21% to 48% in the last year. The use of virtual GP services has also increased significantly with 27% of employers using them, up from 16% compared to 2017.

Head of healthcare and risk consulting at Aon Employee Benefits, Mark Witte commented:

“It’s particularly significant that more organisations are embracing technology to help deliver their strategy – both health apps and virtual GP services have seen considerable growth. We expect this trend to accelerate further in 2018 as increased adoption of technology supports the growing understanding that employee engagement is critical to any successful wellbeing strategy.”

How can you improve your wellbeing?

 Many of us are now affected by mental health issues but by taking the time to focus on your wellbeing, you can significantly help to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. Some great ways to improve your wellbeing include:

  • If you feel your relationships are suffering at home or in the office, speak to your manager about your workload. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, ask if you can delegate tasks, employ an additional team member or extend your deadlines
  • Try not to check work emails in the evenings or at weekends
  • Take your full holiday entitlement
  • Join a class or take up a hobby to keep you busy in the evenings so you’re not tempted to work
  • Spend more time with friends and family when you’re not at work
  • Exercise – this not only keeps you busy but also improves your mental wellbeing and confidence
  • Drink plenty of water throughout the day, take healthy lunches so you’re less likely to eat sugary snacks and get up and stretch your legs every once in a while
  • Don’t feel bad about taking a lunch break – you’re perfectly entitled to one and sitting at your desk all day staring at a computer isn’t good for you mentally or physically
  • Work out what’s triggering your stress or anxiety so you can anticipate problems and come up with ways to prevent them
  • Make an effort with your colleagues and get involved with events going on in the office
  • If your commute is stressing you out, speak to your manager about flexible working
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Why recruiters are here to stay

Posted by Monique Holtman

recruitment agencyWhen online job boards such as Reed and CV Library were launched, everyone feared for the future of recruitment agencies. When the professional social networking site, LinkedIn gained millions of users, once again we all thought recruiters didn’t stand a chance.

Despite everything that has been thrown their way, agencies have well and truly stood the test of time. What’s more, while many think the industry is hanging on by a thread, it’s actually growing.

In 2017, the recruitment industry grew at its fastest rate ever and more than 9,000 new agencies were founded. Its current worth is an impressive £35 billion a year and is consistently growing year-on-year.

Recruiters have of course had to adapt the way they operate so they can align themselves with modern approaches but here are three reasons why recruitment agencies are here to stay.

Recruitment is difficult

Recruitment is not a quick or simple process and if it is, you’re probably going to end up hiring the wrong person. From writing job specs which are going to appeal to top candidates and knowing how to identify the very best talent just from their CV to organising interviews and all the formalities of making a job offer – finding a new hire is a full time job in itself.

Recruiters also have an advantage that most people don’t. They deal with candidates day in and day out and have done so for many years. This means they’ve become experts in spotting employees which are going to be the right fit for your company both culturally and with regards to their skills and experience.

They know where to find passive talent

If someone is actively looking for a new role, they will apply to your advertised position. The truth of the matter is however that often the best candidates aren’t the ones who are actively looking to change jobs.

This isn’t to say that someone who has applied for a position isn’t going to be the best person for the job but with the UK’s current skills crisis, employers have to work hard to find the very best talent.

Recruiters have the softer skills and salesmanship that a computer screen simply can’t possess which means they can bring open-minded talent to the table.

They’re specialists

Agencies which specialise in a particular industry are invaluable to your recruitment process. If you’re looking for a marketing manager, you need a company which focuses solely on filling marketing roles, if you need a builder, you should only use a construction specialist and if you need an accountant, a finance recruitment agency is your best bet.

  • A specialist recruiter is incredibly well-networked and they will be on great terms with all the best candidates. Not only do personal recommendations go a long way when it comes to hiring, if a recruiter already knows of the best person for the job, it dramatically speeds up the recruitment process.
  • An agency which has been recruiting in a certain field over a long period of time has seen every position imaginable. They are absolute experts in their industry and they are the people who are in the best position to help and advise both companies and employees.

If you would like help with your recruitment process, please feel free to contact Choralis Consulting and we will be more than happy to help.

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With vacancies and salaries on the rise, the UK’s job market is flourishing

Posted by Monique Holtman

According to data published by CV-Library, both job vacancies and salaries were on the rise in the UK in the last quarter of 2017.

It was found that advertised pay increased by 2.7% quarter-on-quarter and 1% year-on-year. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2016, advertised vacancies increased by an impressive 12%.

Some of the UK’s top industries saw sharper pay increases when data was compared quarter-on-quarter. Most noticeable were the legal (9.5%), recruitment (7.6%) and education (6.5%) sectors.

When questioned about what has driven salaries to increase, the founder and managing director of CV-Library, Lee Biggins commented:

“Competition for the top candidates is tough and this is reflected in the increase in advertised salaries last quarter. Many companies might be reluctant to loosen the purse strings but it’s clear that offering competitive packages is important right now, especially given that unemployment is at its lowest in 42 years.”

He continued:

“It’s great to see the job market is flourishing. In Q4 of 2016, the Brexit vote was still raw and very much in the forefront of everyone’s minds. This is not to say that this is no longer the case but the increase in advertised jobs suggests that as the dust begins to settle, employers are continuing to invest in their recruitment efforts and are working hard to keep driving the economy forward.”

The graduate jobs market is also expected to go from strength-to-strength this year with a predicted increase in vacancies of 11%. The public sector is set to see the biggest boost with a 22% increase in vacancies. IT and utilities firms will also offer plenty of graduate opportunities with vacancies rising by 18% and 13% respectively.

If you’re looking to recruit in 2018, please feel free to contact Choralis and we’ll be more than happy to assist with all your needs.

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What does the future of recruitment look like?

Posted by Monique Holtman

Leading HR technology company, CareerArc, surveyed more than 1,000 professionals about the current and future state of recruitment. The infographic below provides a helpful guide to what’s happening before and after candidates submit a job application, as well as the risks and opportunities these findings pose to employers who are competing for top talent.

recruitment infographic

 

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How to make your company a happy place to work

Posted by Monique Holtman

employee productivity Chances are that in the run-up to Christmas, your team is in pretty good spirits. The office Christmas party is just around the corner and we’re all about to get some much-needed time off so it’s not surprising that we’ve all got a spring in our step.

If your workplace isn’t always such a happy place to be and you’re particularly dreading the January blues and how they’re going to affect employee motivation, below are some great tips for creating a workforce that stays engaged all year round.

Hire happy people

They say to choose who you keep for company wisely and there’s absolutely no reason why this shouldn’t apply to your professional life as well as your personal life.

When interviewing, pay extra special attention to how a candidate made you feel. Did you walk out feeling positive and optimistic or did you feel a bit deflated even though they seemed perfectly qualified for the job? Enthusiastic people will naturally bring us up whereas people that bring doom and gloom will kill productivity and motivation.

Next time you’re hiring, make a note of how often the person you’re interviewing laughed or smiled and if you think they’re capable of building nurturing relationships with others in the company.

Give praise and recognition

Nothing saps motivation quicker than feeling unappreciated. It is in fact, one of the most common reasons people quit their jobs so make sure you take the time to provide regular feedback or impromptu praise.

Break routines

Routine can help us to thrive but it can also really drain motivation. Most people will appreciate knowing what’s expected of them on a day-to-day basis but if your staff are coming in and doing the same thing day in, day out and can pretty much predict their day down to the exact time they’ll make themselves a cup of tea, it won’t hurt to inject a bit of spontaneity every once in a while.

Grab your team and take them out for lunch, have your Monday morning meeting in a coffee shop instead of the office or introduce some new incentives or benefits. Allowing staff to connect with co-workers on a more personal level is also a great way to encourage people to bond with each other and we all know how much more enjoyable work is when we get on with everyone there.

Encourage a good work-life balance

Technology has made it almost impossible for us to switch off from work and this is having a huge impact on happiness and productivity.

There may be times when people need to put in longer hours than usual or someone is worried about a certain project so may check their emails in the evenings but if you know someone is regularly struggling to switch off from work, talk to them about it. Maybe they have too much to do or they feel like they need to impress you. Either way, employees should be made to feel that they’re entitled to a life away from work and they shouldn’t feel guilty about it.

Do you have any tips for creating a happy and motivated workplace? Feel free to share your thoughts with us below.

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15 top tips for managing your time more efficiently

Posted by Monique Holtman

If you’re regularly faced with a desk full of paperwork that needs to be dealt with or an inbox full of unopened emails, resolving this issue may be a simple case of learning how to manage your time more effectively.

The fantastic infographic below has been created by Jack Milgram from Custom-Writing and details 15 great ways you can be more time-efficient.

productivity infographic

 

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Survey reveals the funniest reasons people call in sick after the work Christmas party

Posted by Monique Holtman

christmas partyWe’ve all been there – you have a few too many at the office Christmas party and have to struggle through work the next day.

What happens when we get carried away with the festivities however and are either too hungover or too embarrassed to drag ourselves in?

The UK’s largest indoor go-karting company, TeamSport has surveyed 1,000 workers in a bid to find out some of the best and the worst excuses UK workers have used when calling in sick the day after the work Christmas party.

A brave 60% of those who have called in sick were simply upfront about the fact they were too hungover to make it in. Others felt they had to get a little more creative with their stories and include some bizarre tales including:

  • “I forgot to put the washing machine on so I have no clean clothes.”
  • “I swallowed a spider so I can’t come in.”
  • “I’ve bruised my brain.”
  • “My ears are sore from the music at the party last night.”

While managers will have no doubt heard an array of bizarre excuses for why employees can’t make it into work, some of us prefer to stick to the more traditional excuses. Of those who were surveyed by TeamSport:

  • 16% said they had managed to get food poisoning
  • 11% said they felt sick
  • 5% had suddenly picked up a stomach bug
  • 3% couldn’t come in because their car had broken down

Interestingly, the survey also picked up on the fact that the real reason why people call in sick the day after the office Christmas party varies between the genders. 12% of women didn’t want to go in because they felt they had embarrassed themselves compared to just 6% of men who thought the same thing. 10% of women wanted to avoid an awkward run-in with a colleague they’d had an argument with the night before compared to 6% of men.

For the men, 23% said they needed time to recharge their batteries compared to 14% of women and 6% of men just couldn’t face work commitments such as meetings whereas only 2% of women called in sick for this reason.

The report also found that workers in certain industries are more likely to call in sick than others. The worst culprits were:

  • Information Technology (24%)
  • Business, consulting and management (19%)
  • Creative arts and design (18%)
  • Property and construction (12%)
  • Engineering (12%)

Perhaps unsurprisingly, if you’re a London-based business, your employees are the most likely to call in sick the day after the office Christmas party. This is closely followed by workers in the West Midlands and the North West.

Have you ever called in sick the day after the office Christmas party? What excuse did you use? Feel free to share your stories with us below.

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The skills you need to be a great manager

Posted by Monique Holtman

skills to be a managerMost people would agree that the perfect combination of experience, education, knowledge and communication skills are what makes a great manager. While these are all great attributes to have, there are also many softer personality and behavioural skills that play a vital role in successful leadership.

Whether you’re aiming to get promoted, you’re new to the position or you’ve been in a leadership role for some time now, below we’ve highlighted four skills you need in order to be a great manager.

1) Trust

Trust has been cited as the number one influencing factor that determines the relationship between a manager and their employees.

Hopefully your employees already trust you but if you’re unsure about this, it can be built in a number of ways. The most obvious is being honest and transparent with your staff. Communication, being willing to assist, not being critical or condescending, reliability, loyalty, fairness and supporting employees in their growth and development also go a long way when it comes to building trust.

2) People skills

Do you have the ability to relate to and connect with your employees on an emotional level? Can you understand and support different cultural and generational differences within the business? Do you have the ability to resolve conflicts, build morale, motivate people, coach those who need it and acknowledge a job well done?

All of these skills have an incredible power to influence and impact the emotions, motivation, inspiration, engagement and willingness of employees to consistently perform at their best.

3) The ability to delegate

When you’re very passionate about your job, it can be difficult to pass control to others. Being able to delegate is however crucial to the growth of the business and your team’s faith in you as a manager.

The key to delegation is identifying the individual strengths of your team and utilising them the best you can. Find out what each team member enjoys doing the most because chances are, if they find a task enjoyable, they’re likely to put much more thought and effort into it.

4) A sense of humour

Yes, people need to respect you as a manager but they also need to be able to relate to you as a human being.

Having a sense of humour is a crucial part of managing a happy and successful team. Morale is linked to productivity and it’s your job as a leader to install a positive energy even through the difficult times.

If you can encourage your team to learn from but not beat themselves up about mistakes, it helps keep productivity levels high and morale even higher.

If you need help with any of your recruitment needs, please feel free to contact Choralis Consulting and we will be more than happy to help.

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The warning signs of an unhappy employee

Posted by Monique Holtman

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As an employer, there’s absolutely no doubt that you want to ensure your staff are happy. After all, a happy workforce equals increased productivity, lower staff turnover and an overall better place for everyone to work.

While some employees are all too happy to air their grievances, others will quietly get on with things until they resign. Losing top talent is always devastating and it can be even more upsetting to learn that they’re going elsewhere because they didn’t enjoy working for you.

If you’re concerned that your staff aren’t being vocal enough about their feelings, below are some of the most common warning signs that an employee may be unhappy in their role.

They’re always late – when we’re low on morale we tend to be more reluctant to go to work. While some people are just always late, if an employee who has historically been very punctual starts coming in late on a regular basis, alarm bells should be ringing.

They frequently call in sick – this could be because they can’t face coming into work or because they’re attending job interviews.

They won’t spend a minute longer in the office than they have to – some people may have to leave work on time every day in order to catch a train or pick up their children and while you shouldn’t expect employees to stay late on a regular basis, if someone can’t wait to run out the door as soon as the clock strikes 5:30, this may be something to worry about.

Productivity has decreased – one of the biggest indicators that an employee no longer enjoys their job is a decline in productivity. Even if they are getting their work done, maybe it’s not up to their usual standard, they’ve become unwilling to take on extra tasks or help others in the team.

They’re unsociable – if an employee refuses to socialise, attend work-related gatherings or even join in conversations with teammates around the office, it could be because they’re unhappy in their job. If you notice this behaviour in an employee, it’s important to talk to them about it sympathetically. They may be struggling with personal issues or perhaps they would love to come for after-work drinks but have childcare issues.

They’re no longer professional – unfortunately, when people are unhappy in their job, they can stop caring. If there’s a sudden change in a person’s attitude, ethics or they’ve stopped complying with company rules, they could be acting out because they no longer want to work there.

They seem fed up – keep an eye on employees who constantly sigh, fidget or complain about being tired. This could be down to issues at home or they could just be having a bad week but it can also be a sign that someone is completely fed up in their job and is ready to leave.

If you would like help with any of your recruitment needs, please feel free to contact Choralis Consulting and we will be more than happy to help.

 

 

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What are the benefits of working for a small company?

Posted by Monique Holtman
Job search

www.freedigitalphotos.net

Many of us are automatically drawn to the idea of working for a big company and while it is of course great to get a well-known brand on your CV, working for a smaller company can be just as beneficial to your career.

Whether you’re just starting out in the world of employment or you’re thinking of changing jobs, below we have listed four benefits of working for a smaller company.

It broadens your skillset

As tempting as it may be to go for roles at bigger companies, it can actually be more beneficial to take on a role in a small company. A lot of placements with smaller organisations are project-based which means that you can take ownership of a task and see it through to the end.

Within a larger organisation you may be responsible for one specific aspect of a project whereas in a smaller company, you can be involved in the entire business process which allows you to gain a real insight into how the business operates. You will also be able to practice your skills and increase your responsibilities which is something that would probably take a very long time in a bigger company.

You can make a bigger impact

When you’re working for a large company amongst thousands of other people, it’s natural to feel like a small fish in a big pond. In a smaller organisation however, it’s much easier to make an impact.

Processes in SMEs tend to be shorter and more visible which means that you can see the effect of your work relatively quickly. Not only is this great for your self-esteem and career prospects, but being able to clearly highlight your achievements on your CV will make you an incredibly attractive prospect to any recruiter.

Gives you greater responsibility

You are likely to be given more responsibility much quicker with a smaller company. You can also gain access to more senior level staff who can offer you advice and act as a mentor. The extra responsibility you can be given at a smaller firm allows you to develop your leadership, team-working, time management and organisation skills – all of which look fantastic on your CV.

Your placement can be tailored to suit you

Possibly one of the biggest benefits of working for a smaller company is that your time there is unlikely to follow a standard and pre-determined schedule. There is a lot more flexibility in an SME than there is in a huge corporation which means that you can be given opportunities that reflect your interests and the career path you want to go down.

If you would like help finding your next finance role, please feel free to contact us and we will be more than happy to assist. Alternatively, you can also take a look at our current vacancies or submit your CV via our website.

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