Experis Blog

In recent weeks many companies have taken the step of requiring some or all of their employees to work from home. For many, this is a change to their working arrangements they may be unprepared for. While working remotely does provide advantages such as saving time and money by eliminating commuting, it can also increase stress levels if the right managing techniques aren’t put in place. Working remotely can be challenging under normal circumstances – but for those doing so for the first time or adjusting to sharing their home office with children, spouses or roommates – it is important to create structure and expectations. In addition to any best practices your company will share relative to specific requirements for your technology and cybersecurity, the following tips can help enable optimal productivity: Prepare for Success Create your workspace: Establish a dedicated work environment that is free from distractions. Consider logging out of all social media accounts during work hours (unless necessary for your job). If you are sharing a space with others, it can be helpful to lay ground rules and expectations for noise levels and break times or create a communal calendar for phone and video calls. Evaluate and upgrade your home technology: Working from a laptop? Perhaps consider investing in a laptop stand to minimise stress on your neck. If you’re trying to avoid extra costs, you can also try using books or photo albums to raise the height of your laptop. Consider increasing or boosting your Internet bandwidth, especially if you have multiple people accessing your network at the same time. Those with spotty cell phone reception may consider getting a home phone line if they haven’t got one already. Establish set working hours: When you work in the same place you live, it can be easy to extend office hours and not take necessary breaks. Develop a routine in which you have a set start and finish time. Potentially schedule a recurring meeting in your calendar each morning to ensure you start your day on time. Similarly, block out time for a lunch break and then log out and log off at the end of your workday. Stay Connected Hold daily check-ins: Maintain open and frequent communication with your manager, colleagues and those who report to you. Managers should hold regular meetings with team members where possible. Establish expectations for response times to emails and phone calls while utilising out of office reminders or notifications if you will be away from your desk for an extended period of time. Leverage multiple technology platforms: Phone, email and chat are likely to already be standard in your working life. Using video conferencing may enable feeling more connected and decrease isolation. Be productive and proactive: Plan to deliver the same productivity that you do when you are in the office. Have your manager or colleagues hold you accountable. Alert colleagues if you anticipate delays in your work or if you are collaborating on a group project. Leverage technology support: Leverage your company’s IT support desk if you have questions or need support. Understand that they are likely receiving a large number of requests for similar support at this time, so may not be able to help as quickly as usual. Manage Your Time Practice effective time management: As you adjust to your new environment, you will establish peak performance times such as early morning before other family members are awake. Find the times that work best for you to maximise your productivity. Build in time for the unexpected: If you build in extra time for unanticipated work demands, you will be less stressed if and when these happen. Set aside time and you can always reallocate it to get ahead on a project if no emergencies pop up. Take breaks: Step away from your work area for 10-20minute breaks every two hours. Take a short walk, read a quick article, check in with your family members or other friends working remotely. This shift in your focus will make you more productive when you return to work. Be flexible and patient: This is even more essential now that you are working from home. As your company is responding to properly equip the newly remote workforce, there may be delays in responses from colleagues or a lag in technology. If you would like to receive more remote working tips and tricks, sign up for our newsletter today. hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: "4674640", formId: "b66a797e-e0d9-4949-ae76-a4620ddaaf26" });

The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey for the second quarter 2020 was conducted by interviewing a representative sample of 2,102 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 June 2020 as compared to the current quarter?” The survey results for this quarter report that: National Outlook saw post-election hiring intentions double in Q2 2020 from Q1 North of England set to surge ahead while London stalled. After a string of Brexit false starts and the UK’s third general election in five years, employers are set to increase hiring on the back of newfound political certainty, according to the Q2 ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey. However, the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus may put the brakes on this new-found confidence. Employers in all sectors across the UK intended to take on staff in the second quarter of 2020, bringing the national Outlook to +4%. The picture was particularly bright in the North of England where employers in regions such as Yorkshire and the Humber reported an Outlook of +12%. Mark Cahill, Managing Director, ManpowerGroup UK says: “The good news is that UK employers have been buoyed by greater clarity over Brexit after December’s general election – and a level of political stability not seen since before the 2016 referendum. Q1 was the weakest outlook in nearly a decade, but the data for Q2 had bounced back to +4%. This is a good indicator of employer hiring intentions that we hope will continue.” The survey was conducted before the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) escalated globally. Cahill again: “While it is too early to predict the potential impact of Covid-19 on hiring, we are hearing from employers with global supply chains that they are considering altering their hiring plans to take into account access to materials, slowing business demand and staff availability. The UK has faced a great deal of uncertainty in recent years and employers have remained resilient in the face of previous challenges; early indications from our clients suggests employers remain calm and are preparing their contingency plans.” ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey Report ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey Infographic

Europe’s shortage of skilled cyber security workers continues to increase and poses a significant risk to both businesses and citizens alike. Just under two-thirds of European employers now say they are struggling to find cyber security staff, according to the latest report from (ISC)2. Regardless of the size of the business, the Cybersecurity workforce study 2019, discovered that survey respondents pointed to the talent shortage as being their number one concern, with just over half reporting that they feared their organisation was at either moderate or extreme risk as a direct result. Cyber security is a varied discipline which has grown rapidly in recent years, with the UK government, in its Initial national cyber security skills strategy policy paper, acknowledging that the ‘rapid development has led to a fragmented narrative around cyber security skills and a lack of coherence between the different specialisms’. A core problem faced is that many employers, when they can afford it, prefer to buy ‘ready-to-go’ talent, rather than building skills internally. This costly process may appear attractive in the short term but perpetuates the skills shortage. Research finds that more than half of all UK businesses and charities (54%) have a basic technical cyber security skills gap, demonstrating the necessity of shifting the focus to building talent. Our research identifies four strategies organisations should use to help develop the workforce of tomorrow. With cyber security workers in such short supply, HR leaders must no longer solely rely on buying new skills as needed. Rather, a complete workforce strategy must be developed which combines the below four elements, taking a Total Talent Management approach. Build – Invest in learning and development for existing employees Upskilling is scaling up. Promoting a culture of learnability through an organisation is critical to success in this digital age. By 2022, over half (54%) of employees will require significant reskilling and upskilling. To really complete and boost the cyber security workforce, companies need to promote a culture of learning, provide career guidance, offer short, focused upskilling opportunities as well as identify and nurture talent with transferable skill sets. Buy – Go to market to attract the talent that cannot be built in-house 79% of employers plan to buy the skills they need, either paying higher market prices when recruiting externally or improving compensation for existing staff. Companies are happy to pay more for sought-after skills; however, the challenge comes when those skills are not available. Then the only option is to build. Borrow – Cultivate communities of talent beyond the organisation Digitisation has created new ways of working and new generations of workers who are increasingly open to flexible work approaches. Companies need to address any disconnect by being more open to offering alternative ways of working to attract, retain and motivate NextGen Cyber security workers. Bridge – Help people move on or move up to new roles Bridging requires tools including assessment, big data and predictive performance to define adjacent skills, identify strengths and help workers create clear career paths. Companies need to treat workers fairly and ideally offer support to move on to new opportunities elsewhere if their skills are no longer required. Find out more about how your organisation can shift to Total Talent Management or get in touch.

With the changes to off-payroll working rules due to come into force in the private sector in April 2020, there is likely to be significant disruption in the contingent labour market and for the organisations who depend on it. ManpowerGroup’s resident IR35 expert, Simon Higgins, recently explained how the upcoming changes could impact businesses in an hourlong webinar which is now available to watch on-demand. Watch today to learn: What the legislation is What you need to consider How you can mitigate the risks IR35 poses How your business can continue to access the talent needed to drive your business forward. Key points to look out for: An easy-to-understand chart which breaks down the IR35 criteria you can use to determine if an employee falls inside or outside IR35 Models of what has changed since the original April 2000 introduction Key questions to consider and suggested next steps. If you would like to learn more and review additional resources, please visit our newly launched IR35 hub, where we have brought together key documents and expert insights.

The FinTech sector is going through a period of rapid global expansion and development, with new technologies and ways of working constantly being created. With a workforce of just over one million IT professions and the recognition as both a financial powerhouse and thriving base for European start-ups, the UK sits at the heart of the sector’s impressive growth. Increased investment and growth of the industry has driven high levels of demand for talent in the FinTech space. Merging the prominent tech and finance sectors, FinTech is an understandably attractive field yet the skills needed to sustain and fuel this continued development are already in short supply. Organisations within the industry and its related neighbours will need to carefully consider how they build their talent pipelines to secure their near and long-term futures. This requires a rethink of how talent is viewed, to avoid the five key pain points which could result in a loss of talent and slowdown in business development. The five main roadblocks FinTech companies should be careful to avoid this year are: 1. Externally focused development When businesses decide they require expertise in a new skillset, they often immediately look towards new hires and team expansion. Focusing on the roles that they believe they require can be an expensive mistake that leaves resources untapped. Organisations should look to build out their talent strategies to offer a range of options. Read the full report for our suggestions of where you can develop. 2. A weak employer brand In a competitive labour market, like FinTech, employers need to work hard to attract the best talent. As new businesses, this can be difficult at first, but there is also significant opportunity to develop a strong, standout proposition that highlights why a particular business, in such a vibrant and diverse industry, is an attractive place to work. But how can organisations manage this? 3. Only looking at permanent hires By only focusing on permanent hiring, too many businesses are missing out on key opportunities to help boost projects or fill critical gaps. Particularly in a fast-paced sector like FinTech, overlooking key hiring practices can be detrimental to short-term development. Download our full report to learn which hiring practices FinTech firms should consider this year to upskill existing employees and plug gaps quickly. 4. Traditional demographics Technology and finance roles have traditionally been filled by men and data indicates this is still very much the case. FinTech firms should take clear steps to avoid having the same entrenched issues. Fill out the form below to review the steps FinTech firms should take to become leaders in talent attraction. 5. Geographic limitations Consistently, candidate demand is highest in London and the greater South East region. In the capital, the number of cyber security vacancies currently outstrips candidates (1,975 vs. 1,420), increasing competition and wages for sought-after roles. Companies could be missing out on a more rich and diverse talent pool with lower salary demands through their location requirements. You can find out more about where the talent is based in our full report. Download our full report, ‘Industry Insiders: The Rise of FinTech and the Fight for Talent’, to find out more about the most effective strategies to combat these issues. Industry Insiders: The rise of FinTech and the fight for talent examines which skills are most in demand among FinTechs, the threat to supply posed by established technology and financial services players, and where FinTech firms will need to focus efforts to safeguard their talent pipelines and futures. Download the report hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: "4674640", formId: "350060f3-1865-4d49-bd55-0c3ae7bc6b79" });

From April 2020 there will be major changes to the off-payroll working rules otherwise known as IR35. These changes will bring the private sector into alignment with the introduction of similar rules to the public sector in 2017. The reforms will have far-reaching impacts to both clients and contractors alike. Now is the time to plan and prepare for what these changes mean to you. As one of the UK's leading workforce management companies and having in-depth experience of the introduction of these IR35 rules to the public sector we are well-placed to help you navigate these important changes. Click below to find out more about how IR35 will affect your business from April 6th. Learn more

The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey for the first quarter 2020 was conducted by interviewing a representative sample of 2,101 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 March 2020 as compared to the current quarter?” The survey results for this quarter report that: Q1 2020 Outlook is lower than any time since 2012 but skills shortages continue London dips to first negative Outlook in a decade West Midlands and the manufacturing sector buck the trend with more optimistic hiring sentiment. UK employers are reporting their weakest hiring confidence in seven years, according to new research from ManpowerGroup. Hiring intentions for the first quarter of 2020 are down three percentage points to +2%, the lowest they have been since 2012. Declining confidence in nearly every sector and region paints a sluggish picture for the start of 2020, with only a few bright spots standing out. Chris Gray, director of ManpowerGroup UK says: “Signs of a slowing global economy, a General Election and a lack of clarity about Brexit are all weighing heavily on the minds of employers leading to many hiring plans being put on ice. Employers want certainty before they can make investment decisions and firm up hiring plans.” Gray continues: “Employers are hitting the pause button after many years of strong hiring. The challenge is how employers ramp up their hiring plans in the future – the labour market continues to be very tight with employers continuing to report a shortage of skills such as engineers, IT staff, trades people, customer service representatives and medical professionals – irrespective of sector or location. We see little sign of skills shortages easing in the foreseeable future. Our advice is that employers must keep planning – thinking about their strategies for attraction, retention, training and succession planning to best prepare for the future.” One of the most eye-catching figures this quarter is the abrupt fall of employer hiring confidence in London to -1%, a five-percentage point quarterly decrease and the capital’s first negative Outlook since 2010. This can perhaps be linked to the four-point decrease in the Finance and Business Services sector, which is now at +2%. ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey Report ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey Infographic

The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey for the first quarter 2020 was conducted by interviewing a representative sample of 2,101 employers in the UK. This infographic highlights the key takeaways from the Q1 2020 report, including a regional heat map of jobs outlook. Click here to download the pdf. What do the percentages mean? The % of employers anticipating an increase in headcount – the % of employers expecting to decrease in headcount = Outlook Percentage. Seasonally adjusted – Seasonal adjustments are applied to research data to remove employment fluctuations that normally occur at the same time each year, such as the end of a school term or a change in season. For all the data, download the full ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey report.

The FinTech sector is exploding, as new ways of delivering financial services, whether bank accounts, loans or insurance, enter the market. The UK is at the heart of this growth, due to its twin roles as a financial powerhouse and thriving base for tech start-ups. Thanks to increased investment and the sheer extent of the industry, which covers everything from disruptors, such as Monzo and Transferwise, to the back-office technology being deployed by incumbents, the sector has an ever-increasing thirst for talent. Indeed, as one government report points out, this “access to talent has played a critical role in the success of the UK’s FinTech sector to date”. Sitting at the confluence of the established tech and finance sectors, people might be forgiven for thinking that talent would be one area where the FinTech would not struggle. Yet the skills needed to sustain and fuel this continued growth are already in short supply, with this issue compounded further by the demands of those related industries. Despite being built on technology, the sector will thrive or die based on its human resources. Without a clear solution, the future of UK FinTech lies in the balance. In October 2019, Experis undertook an in-depth analysis of the UK’s talent landscape to better understand the availability of the skills needed to fuel FinTech growth. Drawing on data from a number of sources, we have identified the challenges the sector is facing, why they are potentially occurring and mapped the way forward to safeguard its talent pipeline and ultimately, its future. Highlights from the report reveal that: With a record-breaking $2.9 billion invested into UK FinTech in the first half of 2019, its talent requirements are growing The UK FinTech sector currently comprises around 1,600 firms. By 2030, this is expected to more than double to around 3,300 The most in-demand skills are similar to the experiences sought by other sectors. Is this a challenge for Fintech? hbspt.cta.load(4674640, 'f5f60353-2995-4959-9d4d-383fcab9771b', {});

As Gen Z enters the workforce, the latest technologies they have grown up with will inevitably start to influence the technology we see in the workforce. Employers need to be open to embracing new ways of having conversations with this younger, tech-native talent pool. Gen Z is defined as those born after 1996 and are the first generation to come into the workforce haven’t known a life before technology or the internet. While older generations prefer to apply for a job online using a desktop, and millennials want to use their time efficiently to search for jobs on their phones, with Gen Z, everything is an app (or should be). And if there isn’t an app for it yet, this entrepreneurial generation will post on social to launch the start-up and build one. In our Millennial Careers: 2020 Vision Report, our research predicts that Gen Z will comprise 24% of the global workforce by 2020. With this in mind, companies looking to attract top Gen Z talent over the next three to five years will need to appeal to their digital preferences. One tool to consider adding to your recruitment process is video. Video is the most prominent content medium used by the younger generations; over 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, and almost 5 billion videos are watched (just on YouTube) every single day. Experts estimate that today, video accounts for 80% of all global internet traffic. With numbers like these, there is no doubt that video content is king. Whether we like it or not, company’s intent on a successful digital transformation should consider adding video interviewing into their hiring process to stay competitive. The benefits that video offers can help to keep companies ahead of the competition when it comes to finding the right candidates. Using video in recruitment can improve your hiring process. Here are some of the potential benefits for your company: Increased candidate reach; opening your company up to global talent Presents your employer brand in a compelling and engaging way Increased job post views Increased application rates Provides an opportunity to test and interview candidates Enhanced candidate experience Boosts search results Increased candidate to culture match Reduced costs Gives your company a mobile edge HubSpot recently revealed that video now accounts for 50% of all mobile traffic, and a whopping 50-75% of business executives view and share work-related videos at least weekly. A mobile-first strategy is rapidly moving from being a ‘nice to have’, to being the core of the hiring process for many companies who wish to recruit top talent. Video can give your company an edge in mobile searches and is the perfect tool to experiment with innovative technologies such as social video and gamification in the hiring process. Savvy companies will continue to evolve their recruitment process alongside this technology, adopting further sophistication as it becomes available while taking mindful steps to counteract its pitfalls. We are still understanding the full implications of its use on the recruitment journey, but that does not mean organisations should just wait and see. On CNBC’s Squawk Box series ‘The Learning Curve’, ManpowerGroup’s Managing Director, Mark Cahill, was interviewed about the recruitment process and how it is changing. Mark explains how companies need to not only upskill existing talent as technology becomes more sophisticated and companies deal with skills shortages, but they also need to bring new technology into their hiring process. By using video as an interview tool, companies can easily connect and engage with busy candidates in different cities who might not find it as easy to meet with you face-to-face in the early stages of the recruitment process. For example, companies in the Northern Powerhouse cities are hiring contractor talent from hotspots like Birmingham and London, with a potential view to attracting candidates permanently in the future. Using more advanced hiring tools will help to address several regional growth issues. Demand for graduates and high-skilled workers will be affected by the development of these emerging strategies. Increasing connectivity, science, and cultural investment in hubs outside the south-east will help to deepen the UK’s labour market. Videos offer a unique and engaging way for companies to present their employer brand and employee value proposition, explain the hiring process, and to test and interview job applicants. There are also sophisticated tools to automate even the assessment of candidates through their video interviews using AI and machine learning. Here are eight potential uses for video that we recommend considering: Live video for interviews and/or initial screenings Candidates recording video resumes and/or introductions Candidates recording presentations Candidates recording answers to pre-selected interview questions Video AI assessment of candidates Video job descriptions Employer brand videos for the career site explaining the hiring process Employer brand videos to be shared on social media profiles Attracting and retaining the right talent should not be a battle between human and robot. With the right skills mix, personal interaction will augment rather than compete with technology. It’s important to blend high-tech with high-touch when recruiting for open job vacancies. ManpowerGroup provides a wide spectrum of workforce solutions. One of these is coaching clients through the implementation of new tools and teaching best practices for organisations looking to attract the tech-savvy talent of a new generation with video. If you’d like to learn more about the importance of blending high-tech with high-touch during the hiring process, get in touch today. Get in touch

The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey for the fourth quarter 2019 was conducted by interviewing a representative sample of 2,102 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 2019 as compared to the current quarter?” The survey results for this quarter report that: Brexit recruitment drives employment Outlook to +5%, a 9-month high Business Services, Construction and Manufacturing scramble to secure talent South East buoyed by demand for Border Force officers ahead of Oct 31st deadline With the latest Brexit deadline a month away, UK employers are again looking to stockpile talent and shore up their workforces. In a virtual re-run of behavior seen at the start of the year – which saw UK employers looking to hire people in response to the original Brexit deadline of March 29th – hiring intentions for the fourth quarter are up two percentage points to +5%, the highest level since the start of the year. James Hick, Managing Director ManpowerGroup Enterprise: “It’s Groundhog Day in the UK jobs market. The stockpiling of raw materials and goods surged in the first three months of 2019, driven by the need to protect supply chains against the potential impact of a hard Brexit. But they also did the same with their workforces, taking on staff to help navigate choppy waters. The extra economic activity even helped boost the UK’s growth figures in Q1 2019, before the surprise contraction in Q2. “With a no deal scenario on October 31st looking ever more likely, employers across the board are once again experiencing ‘stockhiring syndrome’ in the attempt to Brexit-proof their businesses in the final three months of the year. 2019 turns out to be a U-shaped year, with weaker Q2 and Q3 data bookended by spikes in the first and last quarters.” The strengthening employment Outlook has broad foundations, with six out of nine industrial sectors and nine out of twelve regions and nations reporting a rise in hiring intentions. The Finance and Business Services sector is up three points to +6%, its highest level in over a year. Retail & hospitality, Construction, and Manufacturing are also up. ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey Report ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey Infographic

Digitisation is transforming the manufacturing industry – disrupting skill requirements, creating new jobs, and making others obsolete. Manufacturers are already battling against growing talent shortages, as they struggle to find people with the right blend of technical and soft skills to fill open job vacancies. As we enter the third generation of manufacturing, these challenges are only set to worsen – unless action is taken now. It’s clear that manufacturers need new ways of upskilling their people at speed and scale, in order to develop the talent they need to remain competitive. What’s more, as machines become more intelligent and connected, manufacturers will be challenged to find the right blend of people and technology within their operations. Understanding future talent needs will be critical. Mapping The Skills That Will Power Manufacturing To find practical solutions to this skills shortage and ensure up to two million new manufacturing jobs do not go unfilled, ManpowerGroup and MxD assembled more than 30 academic, government and industry partners – including Siemens, Microsoft, Caterpillar and General Electric – to create an industry-recognized taxonomy that defines digital manufacturing roles of the future. The ground-breaking workforce analysis, developed in partnership with MxD, outlines the manufacturing skills and roles of the future. It’s the first taxonomy of it’s kind and acts as a practical guide for manufacturers looking to futureproof their workforce in the face of ongoing change. Please complete the form below to download your copy. hbspt.forms.create({ portalId: "4674640", formId: "a1325d6e-ab98-43f2-8801-0f525dc14231" });