Experis Blog

With changes to the off-payroll rules delayed until April 2021 just 10 days before it was due to be implemented earlier this year, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was likely to be delayed again this time around. Whilst we don’t have a crystal ball to confirm with absolute certainty, all indications are that the changes are very likely to go ahead this time, with the amendments now passed into law. ManpowerGroup’s IR35 expert, Simon Higgins explores what the changes mean and what organisations should do to help ensure they are prepared. Available to watch on-demand, the one-hour IR35 refresher webinar discusses: A general update on government progress Employment Engagement options including Statement of Work How to manage status determinations Using Umbrella companies Watch Now

The cloud computing industry has been growing exponentially over the past decade, following Amazon’s initial release of Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) back in 2006. It has continued to fuel businesses’ digital transformation efforts, with organisations increasingly using cloud services for new initiatives. In fact, market data from Synergy Research Group revealed that in 2019, for the first time ever, enterprises spent more annually on cloud infrastructure services than on datacentre hardware and software. Last year, total spend on cloud infrastructure services reached $97 billion, up 38 percent compared to 2018. A major drive for this adoption over the years has been the increasing need for greater agility and flexibility. But in 2020 this demand reached a whole new level, as companies rushed to migrate their workforces into a fully remote working model to contend with the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of COVID Cloud computing is the technology that has allowed businesses to continue operating through an unprecedented crisis that could have easily brought many to their knees. Overnight, companies had to adopt a completely different way of working, and complacency was no longer an option. For many organisations, cloud technology has been vital in facilitating the shift to remote working. Without the cloud affording employees the ability to securely connect to their network through their home broadband and with their own devices, business continuity would simply not have been possible. 51% of UK business leaders now declare that their shift to a cloud-based business model has saved their company during COVID-19, with 60% now planning to substantially increase their use of cloud-based IT through the pandemic and beyond. Equally from an employee standpoint, workers today want the freedom and flexibility to be able to work from anywhere. Even before the rapid swing to remote working imposed by COVID-19, a growing number of business leaders already recognised the importance of this approach. According to one survey, 50% of employees globally were working outside of their main office for at least 2.5 days a week, with 85% saying that productivity had increased as a result of greater flexibility. Our own pre-COVID research also showed that flexibility was among the top 3 priorities for workers of all ages and genders. The pandemic has only accelerated this desire, with 43% of workers believing that the COVID-19 crisis marks the end of the traditional office 9-to-5, and instead craving a more agile work arrangement. The cloud enables this freedom. What’s next The COVID crisis has meant that we have now seen – by necessity – a cloud-enabled workforce in action. For many business leaders who were perhaps unconvinced about the benefits of cloud computing previously, the crisis is likely to prove to be a catalyst for much-needed change. In the months and years to come, we will inevitably see more organisations embracing agile working, and an acceleration in many businesses’ cloud transformation efforts. Companies are increasingly adopting a ‘Cloud First’ approach, looking to deploy cloud for more than just new applications but for all applications, including updating legacy systems. Gartner predicts that by 2024, more than 45% of IT spending on system infrastructure, infrastructure software, application software and business process outsourcing will shift from traditional solutions to cloud. The effect on the talent market As cloud adoption accelerates, so too will competition for individuals with the relevant in-demand skillsets to lead adoption and integration. With demand for talented cloud specialists likely to increase across the board, this will necessitate the hiring of harder-to-fill strategic positions from a wider and more diverse candidate pool. With this in mind, it’s important for organisations to take a long-term view of how they can stay ahead of the competition and secure the relevant skills their business needs, making the acquisition of cloud skills a strategically important matter. Here are a number of things to consider when recruiting and retaining cloud professionals for your organisation: Be willing to offer attractive remuneration. Consider what impact saving a few pounds on your recruitment costs may have on your organisation’s transformative intentions. Efforts to save on a pay packet may hamper your organisation’s ability to secure individuals that can drive substantial business value. Provide an opportunity to upskill. Not all cloud experts are motivated by money alone. Contractors will also be attracted to organisations that provide them with an opportunity to upgrade their existing skillsets. Cloud projects that focus on the latest technology such as IoT, AI, edge computing and advanced data analytics will most appeal to talent. Embrace diversity. According to WISE, women make up on 16 percent of IT professionals. However, research has shown that gender-balanced teams better adhere to project schedules, incur lower costs and achieve higher performance ratings. Addressing this imbalance will help to fix the cloud skills bottleneck and in turn improve the overall economy. Consider hiring untapped talent. Training schemes such as AWS re:Start are working to help organisations give military veterans relevant cloud-based foundation training and allowing them to show their potential to learn and progress in the space. Find talent with the right skills mix. Don’t just focus on finding talent that understand cloud technology and systems. They also need the soft skills required to solve problems, communicate and collaborate. The right blend of hard and soft skills will be increasingly valuable to your organisation. Experis are proud to partner with some of the most innovative and successful cloud organisations in the UK and beyond. These range from Cloud-Native FinTech SaaS start-ups to FTSE 100 service providers and Big Four consultancies. We have an excellent reach in local markets for cloud and infrastructure talent, from entry-level DevOps and cloud administration roles right up to enterprise architects, programme directors and CIOs/CTOs. To find out more about how we can support your business with talent acquisition for these specialist roles, get in touch.

If you work in the tech industry, you’re probably accustomed to operating within a functional team aligned to your shared technical expertise. Examples would be DevOps or Quality Assurance. But increasingly this siloed approach is becoming outdated, and businesses are opting instead for cross-functional collaboration. What is a cross-functional team? Cross-functional teams are typically groups or squads of employees from different functions across a business – for example Sales, Account Management, Engineers and Finance – working together to achieve organisational goals. This model has been around for a while, but in recent years it is being increasingly adopted in the tech industry. Technical cross functional teams can see team members such as Developers, Testers, DevOps Engineers, UX Designers and Product Owners all collaborating on projects with a greater level of synergy, communication and a clearly defined common goal. Last month we spoke to one of our clients in the software design and development space, about why they chose to implement cross-functional teams into their organisation and the benefits this has brought about. But why might an individual want to work within a cross-functional team, rather than one dedicated to their own specialism? What are the benefits to you of working in this agile fashion? We asked some of our contractors to find out. Experis QA Engineer “From a QA perspective, a cross-functional team gives a me access to information and people I would not normally have in a more traditional team or project structure. As a firm believer in “if you don’t understand what you are testing, how can you test it”, working in a cross-functional team greatly improves my ability to truly understand the design and purpose of the product under test. “In addition to that, cross-functional teams go a long way to instilling an understanding of ownership and responsibility of a product’s quality within the entire team. Working in a multi-disciplined team gives you a feeling of belonging and togetherness where everyone can clearly understand and relate to individual roles and tasks.” Browse for QA roles here. Experis Development Contractor “I love working as part of a cross-functional team. Having all the skills within a team to deliver value to the end-user almost always results in a greater sense of ownership and empowerment. In my experience, cross-functional teams result in the ability to deliver meaningful value more frequently, are more conducive environments for learning and growth, and result in better overall morale. They are definitely the most sustainable way of structuring a team in my opinion.” Search for similar roles here. Cross-collaboration from a diverse range of employees from different areas of an organisation can bring about powerful results – not just for the company, but for your own personal development. From providing a broader global perspective to your work, to fostering greater innovation, and improving your interpersonal and communication skills, working in – and embracing – an agile environment can add a truly valuable new dimension to your work, making you more attractive to future employers.

In recent years and months, we have been constantly reminded of the threat of cyber criminals and the importance of proper security measures. Yet it seems there are still many people who don’t fully understand the value of their own personal data. According to a 2019 survey, 21% of respondents use personal information such as their pet’s name or birthday when creating passwords, and 9% have never changed their main email account password. It’s easy to assume that if you don’t bank online or keep any sensitive information stored on your PC, your system or your email account is not worth hacking. What do the bad guys stand to gain from access to your messages, and how could they possibly monetise this? Here we aim to shed some light on what is at stake when this type of data is compromised; why it’s so important to secure your email accounts, and why we do what we do to ensure we source the best cyber security talent the market has to offer. Why should I worry if my email account was hacked? In reality, your email account is often the gateway to all your other accounts, services and data. Think about all the times you are asked to provide your email – the number of online services that require you to enter a valid email address. Social media, online shopping, delivery and takeaway services, news sites and subscriptions, retail reward schemes, and cloud-based services for storing your photos and documents. In virtually all cases, the person in control of that email address is able to reset the password for any of these accounts simply by requesting a password reset email. So by hacking your email account, a cyber thief can very quickly access all of your associated services as well. How much is your stolen account worth? The implications of this become immediately obvious when you think about online banking sites, or any online retail accounts you have that perhaps store your payment information. But even if you don’t do any financial transactions online and merely use your email to contact friends and family – your hacked email can be used to blast those contacts with malware and phishing attempts. They may even be sent scam messages claiming to be you, asking them to transfer money somewhere. Not only that, but there is a huge black market for all your other compromised accounts as well. According to one cyber security source, hackers can sell iTunes accounts for as much as $8 each, Groupon.com accounts for $5, and active accounts on Facebook and Twitter for $2.50 apiece. Do you use the name of your pet or your old school as answers to security questions for online banking perhaps? Think how easy these things would be to deduce from your social media profiles. So what can we do? To keep your computer and your accounts from being compromised, adopt some of these recommendations from top security advisors: Use passphrases instead of passwords – the longer the better. Passphrases are much harder for sophisticated software to crack. It should be easy to remember but complex, and should not include any words of personal significance (like pet names or the place you were born) or well-known phrases from films or books. Don’t reuse passwords across multiple sites. If one account is breached, other accounts with the same credentials can be easily compromised and lead to identity theft. Implement multi-factor authentication on all your email and social media accounts. This adds an extra layer of security by requiring you to confirm your identity with a one-time code sent to your mobile, for example. Install antivirus and firewall software, and keep up with patches and updates. Finally, you can check to see if your email account has been stolen here. We should never feel as if our devices are one-hundred percent safe because that means we take our eyes off the ball – and that’s when a breach occurs. Instead we need be continually aware that while we may not have been hacked yet, it can happen at any time. If you are looking for cyber security talent to help keep your organisation safe and secure, get in touch with us to see how we can help.

It’s no secret that women are woefully underrepresented in STEM careers, particularly in the field of technology. Worryingly, the 2019 Annual Population Survey reports that the number of women in IT has flatlined at just 16% of the workforce. As a result, organisations are starting to get serious about levelling the playing field in this area and are carrying out some fantastic and varied initiatives. Whether it’s creating cultural transformation internally, setting gender balance targets for the workforce or examining gender bias in the recruitment process, tech organisations are doing more now than ever before to attract and retain women in tech roles. Similarly at Experis, we’re proud of the fact that we’ve developed our market offering so that we can support our clients as they tackle this complex issue. We have implemented our Train2Fit programme with several clients now to train and employ more women in their organisation. We offer gender balanced interview panels, and support our clients by providing a diverse slate of candidates for their tech roles. Not only this, but we are signatories of the Tech Talent Charter, and live our purpose when it comes to gender diversity internally via our Affinity Network Groups. But despite these efforts, progress is slow and the needle isn’t shifting as far as it needs to. Why not? Because it is a grass roots problem. Because it is a systemic problem. Because our children are STILL being conditioned every day to conform to gender stereotypes. Maybe not to the same degree as generations before us, but it’s still there, insidious in nature and often imperceptible unless you go looking for it. I have two daughters, aged 8 and 11. In preparation for this article I asked them both, and their friends too, if they think there are “girl jobs” and “boy jobs”, and if so, what are they? As someone who feels they live in a fairly gender equal household, with a circle of friends who share these values, I was horrified at the results. The “girl jobs” identified included “dress making”, “being a mummy” and “teacher”. “Boy jobs” were described as “builder”, “fireman”, “policeman” and “inventor”. So why is this still an issue? A 2012 study found that when it comes to attitudes towards STEM subjects, children are significantly influenced by the values of their parents and other caregivers, meaning that change really needs to begin at home if we’re going to have any hope of a diverse tech workforce becoming the norm rather than the exception. Of course we should be addressing this issue – women and men should have equal opportunity in all industries, and it’s a widely accepted fact that a diverse workforce creates a more profitable business. But perhaps most importantly, in today’s rapidly advancing technology landscape where every person is increasingly dependent on the use of technology, I want to feel comfortable that the tech I’m using has been designed from concept through to launch by a diverse team of people who have used each of their unique perspectives so that every scenario and issue has been anticipated, identified and resolved, making the products I’m using as intelligent and accessible as possible. Whilst this is very much a nice-to-have when I’m scrolling through social media or conducting research for a blog article, it can be the difference between life and death if you’re looking at AI-assisted robotic surgery, or the use of an algorithm to predict the likelihood of early-stage cancer. So how can we make a difference at this fundamental level? Home life tweaks We all need to ask ourselves in what areas of our home lives are gender stereotypes still being reinforced, even if it’s subconsciously? Are the “technical” roles reserved for any men in the house. Are the “nurturing” roles assigned to the women? Find out from your children what their beliefs are, and see if they understand how they’ve come to think of things in such a way. What types of messages are they receiving in the media they’re consuming? Can you try to “crowd out” the messages that look to reinforce gender stereotypes in favour of those that challenge the status quo? Role models and home education Whether it’s the device your children play on, the game they’re immersed in, the clothes they wear or the bikes they ride, science, technology, engineering and maths have gone into the design and creation of these things. Do our children understand the connection between these subjects and the world around us? The concept of “science capital” developed by Professor Louise Archer and her colleagues at Kings College London, highlights the fact that the children more likely to pursue STEM careers are those that have parents who have interests, hobbies or careers already rooted in STEM fields. As such, it could be worth thinking about the ways in which you could be a role model for STEM subjects – do you have any relevant experiences or interests that perhaps you don’t share already with your family? If not, do you have other family members or friends that could bring to life the rich landscape of STEM subjects? Failing that, which women in this field are inspirational and could be a role model? Make STEM accessible and attractive Nowadays, there are plenty of accessible ways to teach your children about STEM subjects. I recently subscribed my eldest daughter to a course in Programming for Kids. In our house, Saturday mornings are usually reserved for arguments about the volume of YouTube and the lack of completed homework. Last Saturday morning however, I didn’t see her until she emerged from her bedroom – triumphant at having written code that made a tiger move across the page. A quick Google search can point you in a million different directions to free-to-use or inexpensive resources for children to engage with. To sum up… As a Technology Recruiter, I’m fortunate enough to help talented professionals into a plethora of career pathways that STEM education enables. But I have to ask myself: do I spend enough time telling my children about this vast array of opportunities available to them in the future? So on Ada Lovelace Day, a day which celebrates the fantastic achievements of women in STEM careers, I’m setting the intention, and I hope this article encourages others to do the same, to thoroughly examine the social cues that my children are exposed to and then look at where can I create a shift that encourages them to think differently about traditional roles. Written by Sarah Doyle, Regional Manager, Experis

With the end of the EU Transition period fast approaching, the potential impact of changes to immigration rules in the UK is becoming an increasingly urgent item on the boardroom agenda. To ensure companies have the information they need to be fully prepared, ManpowerGroup recently partnered with Fragomen LLP, one of the largest international immigration law firms, to highlight the key points organisations should be considering to avoid disruptions to their talent strategies in 2021. Available to watch on-demand, the one-hour webinar discusses: Supporting your existing workforce through the EU Transition How the new points-based system will affect hiring from the EU and further afield Which sectors are likely to be most heavily impacted The importance of auditing your organisation for EU Transition vulnerabilities How ManpowerGroup is preparing our workforce through the EU Transition Which workforce strategies you should consider post 2020 WATCH NOW

You’ve settled into a job that seems to work for you and your goals. Until you changed your mind. You are not alone. Staying in the same job for your whole career is no longer the norm. Changing university or training programmes, a role within your company or even the industry you work in is becoming more common in today’s transforming economy. It is not always clear what the future of work will look like. But we do know that soft skills, adaptability and learnability will be the building blocks to ensure long term employability and career satisfaction. For young people, exploring a variety of skills and paths now can help in the long term. There are also ways to strategically change direction and build on your journey. Here are a few tips on how to prepare for a career pivot: Focus on soft skills Developing soft skill abilities can have an immediate and long-term impact on any career. The soft skills employers want most are communication, collaboration and problem-solving. This means focusing on creativity, leadership and learnability will pay off no matter what field you ultimately find yourself working in. Get frequent feedback As much as we dread performance reviews, human feedback and communication help us become resilient and understand the ways in which we can improve. Others can see blind spots we don’t see in ourselves. Unsure if you’re on the right track or if you should reassess? Seek out help and feedback. Ask more questions ‘I don’t know’ are three of the hardest words to say. It can be difficult to admit when you need help. But no one can understand everything. Use this to your advantage by asking questions on any topic where you may be unsure. If there is a different skill set you’d like to develop, or a different career opportunity you wish to pursue, seek out people with a higher level of relevant experience than you and ask for their insights, you might be surprised at how willing people are to share advice and assistance. Changing your mind and pivoting doesn’t have to be a setback. By building your soft skills and gathering information from educated resources you can put yourself in a strong position to tackle new challenges and progress your career in new directions.

The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey for the fourth quarter 2020 was conducted by interviewing a representative sample of 1,258 employers in the UK. All survey participants were asked, “How do you anticipate total employment at your location to change in the three months to the end of December 2020 as compared to the current quarter?” Interviewing was carried out during the exceptional circumstances of the COVID-19 outbreak. The survey findings for the fourth quarter of 2020 are likely to reflect the impact of the global health emergency, and may be notably different to previous quarters. The survey results for this quarter report that: UK jobs Outlook for Q4 2020 at -8%, up 4 points from last quarter’s 28-year low Early signs of twin-track recovery as construction, finance and manufacturing all rise sharply while retail and hospitality are unmoved Two-thirds of employers to overhaul workplace policies on remote working, flexi-time and new skills. COVID-19 continues to weigh heavy on the UK employment market but there are clear signs of improvement in the final quarter of 2020, according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey. While the Q4 UK Employment Outlook is -8% – a near-historic low – new data reveals a 4-point lift compared to the previous quarter. As lockdown eases and employers embrace new ways of working, the uptick is driven by stronger hiring intentions in utilities and agriculture as well positive momentum in several other key sectors. Mark Cahill, Managing Director, ManpowerGroup UK says: “The headline number illustrates just how tough the labour market is currently. This is still the second weakest Outlook we’ve seen since 1992. But the four-point national increase from last quarter, along with a positive trend in several key sectors, is cause for some cautious optimism. Despite the end of the furlough scheme in October and signs of a resurgence in the virus in some areas, employers expect the UK jobs Outlook to be tentatively heading in the right direction as 2020 ends.” The main bright spots among the sectors for Q4 are utilities (+4%) and agriculture (+8%) – the only sectors in positive territory. Elsewhere there are indications of progress. While still low compared to historic norms, finance and business services saw a nine-point upswing to -7% this quarter – its biggest quarterly bounce since 2005. Manufacturing and construction are up sharply, from -14% last quarter to -7% in Q4. In contrast, two key sectors stand out for their continued weak performance. Transport, storage and comms is languishing on -17%, up slightly from -21% in Q3, but still very downbeat. Retail, wholesale and hospitality remains on -10%, an equal all-time low. ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey Report ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey Infographic

A dramatic workforce transformation is happening in front of our eyes. COVID-19 began as a health crisis and is playing out as an economic crisis and a social crisis. Work literally left the building and whole industries are disrupting at speeds never seen before. Workforce demand is shifting too. Increased demand for cyber security experts, data analysts, software and app developers and new roles like contact tracers, distance monitors and temperature checkers are emerging as fast as others decline in aviation, hospitality and entertainment. Read the full report by filling out the form below: hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: "4674640", formId: "c298e9df-b12d-4dbe-a551-a7e4aeba8af6" });

As the Bank of England recently set out its yearly annual economic forecasts, its projection that unemployment would reach 7.5% by the end of 2020 casts a very different picture to the one we saw pre the global health crisis. Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, the UK was experiencing the tightest labour market in a generation, with talent shortages in key skills across a range of industries, it was without doubt a candidate-led market. Fast-forward to today and candidates from all sectors are on the job hunt and employers are looking for the right fit. The number of candidate applications have soared in past months. In the third week of March when the crisis was unfolding, we saw a 250% year-on-year increase in applications for roles in the Driving and Logistics sector. Across Q2, we witnessed a 58% increase in external applications across all engineering roles when compared with the previous quarter. For one client, where we had a large order for Administrative Officers with skills in customer service, decision-making, and empathy & compassion, we saw a record number of applications with over 40,000 candidates. For employers, whilst a greater volume of candidates does grant access to wider availability of talent, it does also present challenges. First and foremost, evaluating the quality of all applications is an increasingly larger undertaking for hiring managers. The focus has shifted to how organisations are screening and matching the right candidates to the right roles. As a business, we’re helping candidates apply for roles by enabling more self-selection. This focus means we’re being more explicit in our job postings, while also applying filter questions to assess skills demanded versus supplied and suitability for each role. Putting these safeguards in place will enable jobseekers to progress with roles to which they are most suited and leave employers with a more targeted group of relevant candidates with the greatest potential to stay and succeed. This will be a win-win scenario, the applicant has a greater chance of being called for interview from the early stages of the application process, and the employer avoids being inundated with applications that do not correspond to the advertised role. As part of our guidance, we always encourage our clients to be clear and conscientious when communicating with candidates. As well as applicants self-selecting and taking the time to personalise an application, the employer should also take the time to explain the outcome of their application – successful or unsuccessful – this is an important measure not only for your employer brand but also to support candidates whether progressed through the hiring process or not. A negative candidate experience now is likely to deter these candidates from applying to your business in future, and potentially put them off from buying your products – so maintaining a positive experience is vital for employers. Want to hear more insights on the latest issues impacting the world of work? Download the eleventh edition of our Human Age newspaper. Chris Gray Chris represents our Manpower brand in the UK as well as being responsible for UK brand strategy and transformation, he is also responsible for our ManpowerGroup Ireland business. His people focused leadership style combined with deep industry experience in sales and operations provides the perfect platform for creating a client centric culture that develops and delivers sustainable innovative workforce solutions with our clients. This solution mind-set combined with a collaborative and engaging style of leadership is a hallmark of his success in ManpowerGroup. Previous roles include Managing Director Manpower UK, Sales Director for Managed Service Programmes across Europe in TAPFIN, ManpowerGroup Solutions and other senior sales and operations roles in Manpower and Experis at both a UK and global level. Prior to joining ManpowerGroup in 2002, Chris was with ING Bank where he was on the Operating Board for the Fleet Finance division in the UK. In his younger days, he was Vice Captain of Southgate Hockey Club competing in the English Premier National League, also representing Middlesex and the South. Nowadays, cycling is his passion often partaking with the ManpowerGroup team riding from London to Paris in support of the Royal British Legion. He lives in Brighton with his wife and two daughters.

The COVID-19 crisis has done little to slow the increasing appetite for flexibility among UK workers. While the transition to remote working has brought many challenges – balancing work and parental responsibilities, maintaining our mental health – it’s a change that many workers have embraced, and one that has them stating their claim for more flexibility in future. But how does flexibility stack up against the other factors when deciding on a role – a good salary, career progression opportunities, or working towards a strong societal purpose? We know from our research and the hundreds of thousands of people we put to work each year that what workers want varies by age, gender and geography, yet the biggest determinant is where someone is in their career lifecycle. This crisis has accelerated the move to understand what workers want, and in many cases there may be no going back. Now is the time for employers to think differently about what they offer, starting with the opportunity to blend work and home and creating clear career pathways to in-demand jobs. According to our What Workers Want data, the results are varied: GEN ZS (AGE 18–24) Gen Zs are ambitious, hungry for cash and career development. Women and men have differing priorities. When looking for a job, women look for competitive pay twice as much as their next priority – flexible hours – while men say a strong brand and diversity are most important. MILLENNIALS (AGE 25–34) Millennials want more pay, flexibility and challenging work. They understand they have a career ultramarathon ahead of them and want to achieve a One Life balance for the long run. YOUNGER XERS (AGE 35–44) Young Xers start to see balance kick in. Men prioritise flexibility as much as women. They want a flexible start and finish to their day, the ability to work remotely some, if not all of the time, and they want their share of parental leave. BOOMERS (AGE 55+) Boomers are also driven by pay, challenging work and flexibility. The boss they work for and the people they work with matter a great deal too. Older workers want to pay it forward: those over 65 are also motivated by purpose. What does this mean for businesses? Work has literally left the building. For years we’ve heard the growing chorus of calls for more flexibility, while maintaining productivity, and this has been realised overnight. We predict offering remote work will continue to be the fastest rising non-wage benefit: people value it and it’s cost effective for companies. The organisations that demonstrate they live their values and deliver on their purpose, especially in these challenging times, will be those that attract, retain and motivate the best skilled talent for future growth. Leadership has been redefined. Leadership today needs to be in service of the emotional and physical wellbeing of people first, and then in service of the business. This isn’t just your direct team; this is everyone. Ask yourself: what is it that you can uniquely bring? No-one has a playbook for this. Agility and authenticity are key. What does this mean for workers? Performance finally outweighs presenteeism; the way work gets done has had to shift to accommodate children being out of school and family members needing more support. We are increasingly living One Life (that blends work and home) at one time. Before this global pandemic, flexibility was growing in favour and part-time work was on the rise, enabling companies to manage their balance sheets and people to better blend work with home and other interests. The proportion of part-time roles have almost doubled and demand for contractors is on the rise. Keep your focus on women and diverse groups that might be negatively impacted by the pandemic. In the UK, women and ethnic minority groups have historically been the most impacted by rapid rises in unemployment. Employers need to work hard to avoid re-marginalising those that have worked hard to engage – women, parents, carers, older workers and other underrepresented groups. If you’re interested in learning more about candidate preference and the latest from the world of work, please find the eleventh edition of our Human Age newspaper: https://www.manpowergroup.co.uk/the-word-on-work/human-age-eleventh-edition/

Cross-functional teams are not a new concept. The idea of groups of employees working together from different functions within a business – for example Sales, Account Management, Marketing and Finance – has been pioneered particularly by startups to tackle organisational goals. Traditionally, however, this approach hasn’t been favoured by large tech organisations. Typically, these businesses have structured their teams around shared skillsets – such as development, testing or infrastructure teams. What we’re beginning to see more of are tech companies shaping their teams with a fresh model in mind – one that focuses on agility and a mixture of skills, all the while with members working towards a shared goal. Technical cross-functional teams can see members such as Developers, Testers, DevOps Engineers, UX Designers and Product Owners all collaborating on projects with a greater level of synergy, communication and a clearly defined common goal. We spoke to Ben Hutton, Managing Director of one of our Edinburgh-based clients xDesign, about how and why they chose to implement cross-functional teams in their business. Why cross-functional teams? “It goes hand in hand with moving to a more agile method,” says Ben. “We needed to do a version of agile that allowed us to do the great things about it, to deliver value more, and that was really the drive.” As the projects that xDesign were winning were getting bigger, they needed to deliver things in a more ‘agile’ fashion. “We were moving away from just delivering and developing what was on the page, further up the chain to solve the problems behind the brief, and that facilitated a need to change the structure that we had,” says Ben. What are the defined roles within a technical cross-functional team? As Ben explains, many of the roles within the team are traditional ‘agile’ roles. “The product owner for us often straddles that role of half BA [Business Analyst], half translator. They’re the person that is responsible for the vision of the product. Often that’s a job about translating the vision, pushing past the wants of the clients into the needs of the client and then into the users… and balancing those to eventually turn into user stories. “In the same vein, our designers do more than just the ‘pretty pictures’ element,” Ben continues. “There’s a big push at the moment for user-centered design, and that’s absolutely right because it’s massively important, but there are ways where you can end up making things 1% better for the user, but ten times harder to build – and so our designers are very well versed in the patterns and frameworks that will make things more easily implementable. Which is why they are also often responsible for building our information architecture. “That lets them really understand the user experience because they’ve not just looked at their slice of it – they understand the ramifications of what’s going in and what’s coming out.” Ben also explains the decision to integrate QA into the Engineering team: “We have two types of engineers essentially: we have software engineers – and they might be mobile or web or front end or back end or full stack or any one of those specialties – but our other part of the engineering is the QA. They are part of the engineering team and I think that’s often a misunderstood role. “The reason our QA are QA engineers is that, yes they do regression testing and they work through it as a user and make sure that it does what it was meant to do, but they’re also responsible for developing tests and coming into discovery sessions and making suggestions to make a better quality product.” Joining up with the client Equally, the type of end client also factors into how the cross-functional team will operate. As a business that works with multiple clients of varying sizes and different software requirements, xDesign must adapt to these different clients’ ways of working. Ben categorises the people they work with as falling into broadly three categories: “They’re either a technical person, interested in engineering; or they’re a product person, and they’re interested in product and utilisation; or they’re a business person who’s interested in the end result. And each of them all require something different.” Knowing the needs of the client and their priorities is vital to the success of the project – by implementing a cross-functional team to execute the project, with a blend of different skillsets and working styles, the team is able to pivot towards their client’s requirements and deliver the project in a way that works best for them. Cross-collaboration from a diverse range of employees from different areas of an organisation can bring about great results, from how projects are broken down, planned and ultimately delivered. Businesses that work in agile environments can often see great success by equipping team members with a full understanding of the workload and roles of their peers, allowing for less conflict and stronger relationships being forged. Watch the full interview here. To find out more about implementing cross-functional teams into your business, get in touch with us.