Helping the Recruitment Sector Prepare for the ‘New Normal’

Written by Rachel Allen, Marketing for Evertime by EdenGroup

As the UK enters its second month of a complete lockdown, many organisations are starting to think about the steps they can take now to get their recruitment agency in best shape for when the country returns to ‘normal’ (whatever that will look like).

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation has been a valuable source of information for Evertime and having listened to their Talking Recruitment webinar today (29.4.2020) we were very impressed at the amount of work they have been doing to support recruitment agencies during the Coronavirus crisis.

Neil Carberry, the chief executive of the REC, and his colleagues are liaising directly with the team at No 10 and the Treasury on a daily basis and they have been resolute in their need to have very clear guidance for their members. Although schemes have been put in place to get cash out to businesses who need it as quickly as possible, the guidance needs to be in place so that recruitment agencies aren’t audited in 3-4 years by the Treasury and required to pay back large sums of money. The REC has done a great deal of lobbying to the government about the recruitment sector’s needs and they feel that the understanding of the recruitment sector by the government is at the highest level ever.

The REC asked for four things to help the recruitment sector to get back on its feet:

1. Focus on cashflow

2. Fund Statutory Sick Pay for Workers

3. Help recruiters to help critical sectors

4. Help people to find work quickly and safely

The REC talks about the fact that we are now in a government-enforced recession, which has been created for valid public health reasons. For that reason, they have been very supportive of the government’s decision to delay IR35 until 2021, but they predict that chancellor Rishi Sunak will want to review how the self-employed are taxed, especially given the comments he has made about the support available for directors of limited companies.

We don’t want to publish information or guidance on the Evertime blog because the situation evolves and changes on a daily basis, however, would urge you to look at the official sources. You might want to head over to the REC website to find out more about:

· Temporary measures put in place around DBS checks, Right to Work and face to face interviews

· Business rate exemption for employment agencies (not initially included)

· Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority granting temporary licensing

· Clarity on JRS functions for agencies

The REC team spoke on the webinar about the various options available to help businesses including:

· Deferral of VAT payments until 30 June

· Guidance around Statutory Sick Pay

· Job Retention Scheme (Furlough)

· Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme. There are 40 providers available and the REC suggests you visit the British Business Bank website for more advice. There are different types of loans available, so it’s worth doing research about the options that are available.

· British Business bank also has a section on their website for large businesses. The REC guidance suggests that if you have applied for help before, but were turned down, it’s worth trying again because some people have been successful when applying a second time.

· There is an option to apply for more than one of the schemes available. You will obviously need to be certain that you qualify (which is why the REC has been calling for clear guidance).

· Coronavirus Bounce Back loans are available so that SMEs can borrow up to £50,000.

· If you are exempt for paying small business rates, you can apply for a grant via your local authority.

· Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) is also available.

The advice is being updated regularly as the situation evolves, and the REC’s view is that the government will apply monthly extensions to the various schemes, so it is worth keeping up to date with the help that is available.

We would highly recommend tuning in to these webinars, especially as it was accessible to non-REC members as well. The next Talking Recruitment webinar is on 19 June and you can book future webinars here. If you want a copy of the slides, please email bstanding@edenoutsource.co.uk and we can get a copy sent over for you.

Evertime is the game-changing, brilliant Pay & Bill SaaS solution with brilliant timesheet management capabilities that will power your business growth. 

Evertime unleashes the full potential of your business to rapidly accelerate revenue growth without having to upscale your back office whatsoever. 

The most complete, compliant, end-to-end contractor Pay & Bill solution available, Evertime harnesses the power of the cloud to transform your entire back office activities.

Visit Evertime’s partner page to view their exclusive Recruitment FDs' member offer

7 Top Tips for Working from Home

Written by Francis West, Westtek Solutions

While most working from home tips are concerned with how you work, we often overlook where we’re working. However, our work environment is a key factor in how much we can get done in a day.

Some things to think about include:

· What sort of lighting is best?

· How about temperature and air quality?

· What chair and desk should we use?

· Should we listen to music or work in silence?

· What about office pets?

AND

· What online security do we need?

Tip 1: Get rid of the clutter (both physical and digital)

If you can’t see the surface of your desk (or your computer desktop) it’s probably going to be difficult to work.

According to neuroscientists at Princeton University, physical clutter in your surroundings compete for your attention. This can lead to decreased performance and increased stress.

To clean up your workspace start with these suggestions:

· Become selective about what you accumulate. Ask yourself: Will this really add value?

· Clear out any digital tool that doesn’t bring you high value. Delete everything and only add back valuable ones.

· Conduct a monthly review of your space: Set time aside to clean, sort, and discard your physical and digital clutter.

Tip 2: Design your work environment for willpower

Our brains are lazy, and the choices we make often come down to a matter of convenience. This means that whatever is nearest to you—your phone, social media, TV—will be harder to block out.

You’ll be less likely to do things you don’t want to if you make them less convenient. This could be as simple as putting your TV remote in a drawer when you’re working. Or keeping snacks in the kitchen.

Tip 3: Music vs. silence in your work environment

Research shows that silence is the best option for an optimal work environment. But noise doesn’t have to be a deal breaker. Either find a place with a suitable level of volume, or pick the right music for the right task.

Tip 4: Should pets be in the office?

There are 2 sides to the argument

The good:

· Pets can reduce our stress

The bad:

· Pets can of course be another form of distraction either through unwanted noise, smell, or wanting your attention

In the end, having pets in your work environment comes down to personal preference and the people you work with.

Tip 5: Bring a bit of nature into your work environment

Adding more natural light is one of the quickest ways to improve your work environment.

Along with light, fresh air can also have a direct positive impact.

The final natural element you’ll want to be sure to include is nature itself. Surrounding yourself with plants can help alleviate mental fatigue.

To be more productive, try to bring all three into your work environment: Light, fresh air, and nature.

Tip 6: Look for quality office furniture

Although the thought of working on the couch or on your bed may sound attractive, your back and neck won’t thank you for this. Depending on the amount of space available, consider purchasing a large desk, bookshelves, and a comfortable office chair.

You don’t have to go top of the line but remember, the point is that you will be working in this space every day. So it needs to be comfortable and functional.

Tip 7: Stay Vigilant Against Security Threats

Just because you’re not in the office doesn’t mean you’re not a target for hackers. Your work machine is incredibly valuable for thieves and criminals, so take care to work securely.

Be aware of your company’s network policies such as the use of Wi-Fi, personal devices, and more. Ask if you are not sure.

Be alert for any documents or links sent to your inbox. Don’t click something that looks strange or suspicious.

Use a business-grade Virtual Private Network (VPN) for encryption.

Close your room’s door to avoid disclosing sensitive information to family members or visitors. Children especially hear and repeat everything.

Working from home can be a pleasant and enjoyable experience if you think things through and plan properly. Contact Francis.W@westtek.co.uk if you have any questions about cybersecurity or working from home for friendly expert advice.

Visit the Westtek partner page to view their exclusive Recruitment FDs' member offer 

Is your business COVID-19 ready?

Do you know which way to turn during the COVID-19 lockdown or if your staff are told to self-isolate?

Staff are unable to work from home effectively if everything they need if office based.

The effect on your business could be catastrophic.

You need to have a plan of action!

Ø  Having accessibility tools helps in creating an all-inclusive workplace for users with vision, hearing, mobility and mental health difficulties. These tools are pertinent in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak too.

Ø  We must create a solution for those in isolation to continue to work seamlessly.

Ø  We also need a solution in the event that the office is on lockdown

Ø  We must enable collaboration and productive working to continue

Collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams will bring your business through these challenging times. You may well have the Microsoft Teams license as part of your current licensing package.

 Microsoft Office 365 is a cloud-based service that combines the familiar Office desktop suite with Microsoft’s next-generation communications and collaboration software to help organisations meet their needs for productivity, mobility, and security. With a top-of-the-line set of productivity tools, it offers the complete Office experience with services integration for your PC, Mac, and mobile devices, so users can be productive from virtually anywhere. Microsoft Office delivers the power of cloud productivity to businesses of all sizes, helping save time, money, and free up valued resources.

We can help you to set this up as pain free as possible.

If you need assistance in getting your workplace ready, please get in touch and we will book you a slot with one of our engineers to show you how.

You can contact us on:

0800 915 6666 or myteam@synergygrp.co.uk

Visit the Synergy Group partner page to view their exclusive Recruitment FDs' member offer