yolk recruitment hatched issue 8

HatchedTHE LATEST NEWS, ADVICE AND OPINIONS FROM YOLK RECRUITMENT

ISSUE 8

MAY 2014

New Legal Recruitment Division

How to Nurture your Top Talent

Anna Denton-Jones on Flexible Working

Talent RetentionHow to keep your best people

Yolk Recruitment // Cardiff 02920 220078 // Bristol 0117 3291 100 // www.yolkrecruitment.com

Yolk launches new Legal Division2014 started with another exciting development here at Yolk with the launch of a new legal recruitment division.

Kayleigh Rees has joined Yolk after two years working in the legal world, bringing with her specialist knowledge of the law market. Kayleigh’s team will focus on recruiting all levels of legal positions from support through to qualified professionals, in South Wales and the South West.

Kayleigh says, “I’m hugely excited to be joining Yolk’s new division. With my legal background and strong network, I’m looking forward to matching quality candidates to my clients and building strong, long lasting relationships.” Yolk Legal has already been selected as the preferred recruitment supplier of the Cardiff & District Law Society.

Kayleigh will be out and about networking in South Wales and South West over the next few months so if you see her at a business event say hello.

CONTENTS

Networking with a DifferenceIf you’re a young professional in South Wales who is bored of the usual stiff networking events why not come along to a FiftyOne3 event? From bingo to bbq this is networking with a difference as it is based around relaxing and having a drink rather than collecting business cards.

FiftyOne 3 is held 6 times a year in Cardiff and the next event is 4th July-for more information sign up at www.fiftyone3.com or follow them on twitter @FiftyOne3

NEWS New Launches at Yolk 1

News 3-5

New Appointments 6

FEATURESTalent Retention:How to Keep your Top People 7-8

Attenda ‘Our People Set us Apart’ 9

Why More Businesses Should Have Their Head in the Cloud 12

REGULAR CONTENTHR Surgery: Flexible Working

10

Spotlight on... 11

Did you know: of employees make the decision to stay or go within the first 6 months90% 85% of employees say they’d be

more likely to stay if training opportunities are offered

Issue #8– April 2014

RECRUITMENTTECHNOLOGYCAREERSMANAGEMENTBUSINESS

After the success of our quarterly HR Insight Seminars Yolk launched a new networking event in April.

Aimed at digital enthusiasts working in either the marketing or tech world the first Digital Insights was held on 9th April at FoundersHub in Cardiff City Centre.

This free event features talks from leaders in the marketing and digital professions as well as the chance to network with others interested in creative digital from around South Wales.

April’s event provided centre stage to speakers Heledd Jones, Head of Search and Display Marketing at Confused.com, and Matt O’Keefe, Lead UX designer at Sequence.

Heledd spoke on the subject of ‘Innovation in Digital Marketing’ where she discussed the latest trends in digital marketing and exciting developments we can expect in 2014. Matt covered ‘The Importance of UX’ where he discussed how the User Experience plays an increasingly significant role in design.

If you missed this first event don’t worry our next one is scheduled for Wednesday 16th July with two more exciting speakers. Sign up using the link below to ensure you don’t miss out on updates.

To sign up or for more information visit: www.meetup.com/Digital-Insights or contact [email protected]

NEW DIGITAL INSIGHTS EVENT

Networking with a DifferenceIf you’re a young professional in South Wales who is bored of the usual stiff networking events why not come along to a FiftyOne3 event? From bingo to bbq this is networking with a difference as it is based around relaxing and having a drink rather than collecting business cards.

FiftyOne 3 is held 6 times a year in Cardiff and the next event is 4th July-for more information sign up at www.fiftyone3.com or follow them on twitter @FiftyOne3

60%improvement on employee retention when a post placement care package is utilised

For more information or a confidential chat, please contact Kayleigh on 0117 3291 100 or email [email protected]


Yolk Director, Duncan Powell, Takes Part in CEO Sleepout to raise funds to support the Homeless On the 27th March of this year Yolk’s Director, Duncan Powell, joined numerous CEOs and company directors from the South Wales area in a sponsored sleep out. The CEO sleepout event involved sleeping rough to raise money for the charity and to gain a better understanding of what it feels like to be homeless.

CEO SleepoutUK is a new and energetic charity which aims to capture the connections and influence of local business people helping to fight the causes of homelessness and poverty across the Cardiff city region where they live, work and do business.

Duncan said ‘After spending the night in cold and damp conditions I really appreciate how lucky I am to be able to go home to my warm house and family. Before doing the sleepout I didn’t really grasp the reality of being homeless and how it feels to do this night after night without the luxury of a hot shower in the morning and, of course, a home to return to.

Homelessness can happen to anyone and CEO Sleepout is doing a great job supporting charities who not only help the homeless but also those at risk of homelessness. The experience will definitely make me think twice before passing a homeless person in the street in future.’

Learn more about CEO SleepoutUK at ceosleepoutuk.com Sponsor Duncan at www.justgiving.com/Duncan-Powell1

Yolk’s Director, Dale Williams, and David Jenkins our waste management sales recruiter enjoyed the Masters of Waste Golf Tournament on 3rd April with our clients Steve Burns and Gary McKinnon of Hills Waste.

NEWS

Over£70kRaised

Duncan attempts to keep warm and get some sleep


Best Companies announced last week that our client The Source have been awarded a 2 star grading, achieving 89th place in the Sunday Times Top 100 Best Small Companies to work for in the UK 2014.

Published by the Sunday Times annually, this prestigious award researches the people in all the organisations assessed to determine if they are in dynamic and fulfilling places of work, where their contribution is valued and makes a difference. The levels of workplace engagement required to make the grade as a ‘best company to work for’ are high, but bring significant business benefits.

Commenting on the award, Source MD Kevin Paterson said ‘This is a fantastic achievement and recognises the sheer talent The Source has been able to attract and retain and I am looking forward to trying to improve on this going forward’.

Well done The Source from all of us here at Yolk!

Siarad Network donates iPad to autism projectSwansea-based communications company Siarad Network, one of Yolk’s clients, have donated a state-of-the-art iPad Air to a local community project devoted to autism. Technology such as the iPad Air has been proven to help autistic children with speech therapy and other learning skills.

Week on the Street is a community project founded by Tom Shaw in October 2013 when his 4-year-old son Jack was diagnosed with autism. To raise money for the project, Tom spent a week living homeless on the streets of London in December last year. He raised just under £18,000 in the process.For more information on Tom’s project visit: weekonthestreet.co.uk

The Source makes the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies in the UK to work for

NEWS

Over£70kRaised


B&M extends carbon neutral commitment to Indonesian project

One of Yolk’s key clients, B&M Waste Services, is supporting an eco-friendly landfill gas project in Indonesia as part of its Carbon Neutral commitment.

The total waste management specialist is backing a substantial Landfill Gas Management & Power Generation project at the Bantargebang site – the biggest landfill in Indonesia covering 120 hectares. The Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) carbon offset project works to reclaim landfill gas which can then be converted into energy at the power plant.

B&M is working with Carbon Footprint Ltd on the project to offset its entire annual emissions of 2,783 tonnes of CO2.

Over the past three years B&M has offset more than 8,000 tonnes of CO2 through supporting a range of renewable energy projects in developing countries such as Vietnam and India. This is equivalent to 40million miles in a family car or the annual output of 800 UK households.

Mick Ashall, Director at B&M, said: “Our commitment to total waste management whilst remaining carbon neutral since 2011 make this project a perfect match for B&M, and one which we are very proud of.”

For more information visit www.bandmwasteservices.co.uk

TechspottersOur IT team always have their finger on the tech pulse and report all the latest technology and IT news on their techspotters blog. You can read the latest at www.techspotters.co.uk

Recent posts include:

30 years of MacintoshTechspotters take a look back at the remarkable rise of this tech giant and the key reasons why it is now such a household name.

Revealed: Amazon game controllerAs images are leaked of a game controller techspotters discuss what this might mean Amazon’s game console has in store.

Europol warning over wi-fi hotspotsAs a growing number of cyber attacks are being carried out via public wi-fi, Europol issues a warning over the use of public wi-fi networks.

John Lewis turns to tech start-ups for digital innovation in retailDepartment store chain John Lewis is backing a Silicon Roundabout-style technology incubator – to be called “JLab” – to develop the next big thing for its stores.

NEWS


NEW APPOINTMENTSIt’s been a busy start to 2014 for many of our clients with lots of new starters and internal promotions

A very special dog has recently joined our client MITIE’s payroll and become a valued asset! MITIE’s pest control business continues to work with Mother Nature to control pest infestations. Archie, a Springer Spaniel, is trained in locating and identifying active mouse infestations, ignoring any old activity. He is the first dog in the UK to be trained to this specialist level of detection.

His training has been carried out by leading experts who train sniffer dogs to locate illegal substances for the police and Customs & Excise. When he finds what he’s been instructed to look for he indicates the exact position of infestation by pointing his nose and standing very still wherever the rodents may be.

Regional Director Gareth Davies is wowed by his latest recruit. “Archie is the most enthusiastic of employees – he is always happy to see me! There is a serious environmental advantage to using Archie as well. He is able to identify levels of infestation more accurately than other methods, which reduces the need for rodenticides, thus reducing the levels of toxic product used to control an infestation. We estimate that we are able to reduce the use of toxic rodenticides by two thirds.”

The Partners at Harding Evans have announced the promotion of three of their Solicitors to Associate Roles.

Siobhan Downes has been with Harding Evans since joining as a Residential Conveyancing Paralegal in 2007. Having completed her Training Contract in 2010, Siobhan has specialised in children’s law and is now a key member of the Care Department. More recently Siobhan has gained Law Society Accreditation as an expert in Children’s Law and is now a member of the specialist Law Society Children’s Panel.

Sara Uren and Lauren Watkins also joined Harding Evans’ Residential Conveyancing Department in 2007. They both went on to complete their Training Contracts with the firm and, since qualifying in 2010, have specialised in Clinical Negligence. Both Sara and Lauren have proved to be valuable members of the team.

Demonstrating Harding Evans’ commitment to helping employees build and develop their careers, these promotions recognise individuals who have made and who continue to make a strong contribution to the continuing success of the firm.

Congratulations to Siobhan, Sara and Lauren from Yolk!

TES Aviation Group Appoints new Chief Financial OfficerTES Aviation Group of Wales, UK, Singapore and Dallas welcomes Nick Louden as their new CFO. Nick is a chartered accountant having started his career with KPMG before taking a variety of Finance Director and Group Finance Director roles with Christie Tyler, National Britannia and Environmental Scientifics Group.

In the last 5 years Nick has worked at Board, Executive and Operational Levels in integrating a large number of businesses on behalf of a leading international private equity investor. He brings a wealth of experience in broader finance roles, change management, deal modelling, deal performance reporting, investor management, re-financing and debt /equity raising.

Harding Evans Promotions

Meet Mitie’s Newest Employee


TALENT RETENTION: HOW TO KEEP YOUR TOP PEOPLE

Tracey Spiller People and Performance Director at AgencyPort Software EMEA

At AgencyPort our staff are our most important asset so we really focus on retaining our top people, we do this in a number of ways:

• Treat each and every one with respect and as we would want to be treated regardless of seniority or place in the business.

• Work hard but also play hard by providing things such as pool tables, table tennis tables, darts and play stations make the staff environment a pleasant one.

• Listen – people are our greatest asset, and they have some amazing ideas• Communicate – openly and often – our staff like to know how we’re doing, what’s going on

(good or bad) and where we’re headed• Talent management and career development is important – we like to promote from within and

develop their skills across different disciplines

Dale WilliamsDirector at Yolk Recruitment

At Yolk we believe talent retention begins right from the recruitment stage. It’s important to employ people who share the same values as your business and then vital to nurture and support their career growth.

Research has shown that an employee retention program results in a:

58% increase in employee retention

38% increase in employee engagement

35%

It’s not just all about recruiting the right people it is also important to make sure those people stay and grow with your business. Here are some tips on making sure the right people stay with you for the long term.

increase in Return on Employee Investment


Kelly Morgan HR Manager at Graham Paul Chartered Accountants:We pride ourselves on providing a successful and secure environment, where we appreciate and recognise staff for the contribution they make to Graham Paul. We have achieved this by focusing on four key areas during the ever-changing economic situations:

Performance Employee’s objectives are clear ensuring they are aware of the company’s expectations. This enables them to not only feel but also to see the valuable contribution they make to the company as a whole.

CommunicationWe have taken our family based business ethics and formalised them providing structure to the original company.

Loyalty This is a two way exercise. Staff show loyalty to the company because the company has demonstrated commitment and trust in each and every staff member.

Competitive Advantage Stability in the workforce allows us to provide our clients with an outstanding level of service and continuity, resulting in high degree of client satisfaction. Our staff thrive on being part of a successful team and strive to maintain this.

James Doherty Managing Director of Celtic School

‘I believe the most important element of staff retention is investing in your staff because they will then look after the customers which will in turn take care of the sales. This approach makes for a great working environment; a tight knit and supportive team of staff all delivering quality English language services to our clients. Here at Celtic we recognise the importance of the strengths of all members of the team and value each individuals input within the organisation. Our staff are involved with anything from contributing to office layout and re-branding decisions to planning team building away days, this boosts morale, staff satisfaction and talent retention.’

Amy LloydeTalent and Training Manager at Yolk Recruitment

We are often asked for our tips on staff retention from clients. These are my top 5:

For more help with staff retention and how you can help your new starters get orientated with your business visit: www.yolkrecruitment.com/employee-orientation-guide

Don’t underestimate the importance of your staff’s surroundings. Making sure the office environment is modern and comfortable and providing them with the right technology to do their role can make a big difference. 5

Incentives are always a winner and they don’t necessarily have to be monetary. For example a fun activity such as go karting or night out for those who have done particularly well always goes down well.

Make training a priority - here at Yolk we have a dedicated internal trainer to work both with groups and one-on-one to maintain career progression and identify any areas where our staff need more support

1 Allow your staff to be in control of their career path if possible. Make sure they know what targets they need to achieve in order to move to the next level.

234

Recognition is really important, your staff need to know they are doing well. Think about implementing annual awards or a treat for the best performers over the year.


If you follow us on Twitter you might have seen the recent addition to our family. She’s big, colourful and gets a lot of attention.

Be sure to give us a beep if you see us on the road!

One of Yolk’s key clients, Attenda, tells us how they maintain their key talent.

As a knowledge based information technology services business Attenda’s success depends totally on people; their knowledge, skills, experience and attitudes all being clearly focused on meeting and exceeding clients’ business needs. It is this combination of purpose, approach and portfolio of quality solutions and services, Clients, and most of all people, that sets them apart.

Attenda focuses on employing the very best people, processes and technology; and investing in the wellbeing, motivation and professional development of its employees, to achieve excellence in workplace engagement. The business strives to create a collaborative environment with a strong emphasis on TEAM work and professionalism, providing the perfect platform for innovation, creativity and the realisation of personal ambitions.

Attenda continues to demonstrate year on year improvement in its performance, moving up from 35th to 23rd place in ‘The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For 2014’ – true external validation and testament to the loyalty, dedication and commitment of our most valuable asset: people. In addition, the company has also moved up from Two Star Outstanding to Three Star Extraordinary Best Companies Accreditation.

Contributing positively to communities and the environment is a deeply held belief within the company and goes far beyond donating money or volunteering time to worthy causes.

On a daily basis people work together as TEAM Attenda; helping build better and stronger local communities, minimise the company’s environmental footprint, create a great working environment, promote diversity; and to be responsive to employee’s health and wellness needs.

The Attenda Extreme initiative was introduced at the start of 2012. The initiative manifests itself in two parallel and supporting themes, Extreme Charity and Extreme Endeavour. Both themes embrace Extreme challenges that live up to the definition of Extreme – Reaching a high or the highest degree in very great undertakings. Attenda Extreme aims to realise the collective efforts of many resources, encourage and foster long lasting relationships with the selected cause(s), create memories of achieving Extreme challenges and provide people with a chance to make a real, substantial, positive difference.

In 2013 Attenda undertook the Rolex Fastnet Challenge. The company entered 3 boats in the race and achieved Best Corporate Entry Award in the race. Attenda’s efforts raised £8,500 for Kidsco.This year’s challenge is the London 2 Barcelona Bike Ride in June. 26 people are cycling 950 miles over 9 days, with a target to raise £25,000 for Kidsco.

For more information visit www.attenda.com

Attenda ‘our people set us apart’


FLEXIBLE WORKINGshould be at the top of every employer’s HR agenda This was the recommendation of a recent survey conducted by Regus which highlighted the importance of flexible working to reducing staff turnover and increasing employee loyalty. More than half of people said they would stay with their employer longer if they had greater flexibility and companies simply won’t retain the youngest employees unless it is on the table. For the one third of employers who offer no flexibility at all, you should be worried as you may not be able to attract or retain talent because of this.

From a legal perspective, the right to make a request to work flexibly is being extended by 30th June 2014 to all employees with 6 months service, not just those with caring responsibilities and children. A lot of employers already accept requests from a wider group of staff, so the attention then moves onto whether or not to accept the request.

Over the years I have come across a lot of employers who simply are not prepared to even try any flexibility. In one case the employer would not allow someone to work half an hour less in the evening by working through half her normal lunch break. Those sorts of employers are risking a finding of sex discrimination as any policy of ‘not allowing that sort of thing around here’ will affect female workers disproportionately to the male workers as Tribunals are willing to accept that women still take the lion’s share of child or elderly care. It will only take one person willing to challenge it and the employer will be in trouble.

Whilst the Flexible Working Regulations give an employer eight business reasons for saying ‘No’ to a request, for example because what is being requested

would have an impact on customer care. Clearly employers need, on the basis of the Regus survey, to think about what the wider implications of saying ‘No’ might be and whether there are some small steps towards greater flexibility that can be introduced. In these days of difficulty rewarding employees with money, it might go some way towards making you an employer of choice.

When the changes in the Work and Families Bill come into force the process to be followed when considering a request for flexible working will be more fluid. No longer will the employer have to follow a timetable, instead, they will have to meet with the employee to discuss their request ‘within a reasonable time’ and in ‘a reasonable manner’ and to complete the process including any appeal within 3 months. Again, this is an area in which employers can score points: if a returner to work from maternity leave is worrying about whether or not she can change her hours, she will want to know the answer quickly, not some 3 months down the line when childcare might no longer be available.

Employers with detailed policies will have to decide whether to stick with them, because they provide a useful structure for managers, or whether to water them down in line with the new Code of Practice ACAS are publishing to sit alongside the Bill.

Personally, I am of the view that giving everyone a framework to work through is useful, especially as managers don’t tend to read the Code of Practice.

Anna Denton-Jones, Director at Refreshing Law Ltd

YOLK HR Insights Session

Our next free seminar is on Tuesday 15th July at Cardiff City StadiumFor more information and to sign up visit: hrinsights.yolkrecruitment.com


What is the biggest threat to waste management services at the moment? The rise in the landfill tax is going to have a big impact on smaller companies which may force their hand into diversifying into other markets.

What has surprised you the most about working in the Waste Management Sector?Before I came into the industry I had no idea how diverse it or large the Waste Management Sector was. The amount of different sectors, from hazardous waste to recycling and varied skill sets of the people has really surprised me. I am also very surprised, given the size of the industry, the amount of people that actually know each other!

What do you think 2014 holds for the waste management sales?The start of 2014 has been very successful for the waste management sector with lots of companies expanding. This has meant I have seen a massive rise in recruitment in the first quarter. With companies looking to strengthen and grow, the sales side of the businesses seem to be the first stop in making that happen.

What do your days consist of?Being a recruitment consultant is very varied. I spend my time talking to many different people. I speak to candidates both on the phone and at face-to-face interviews, I also get out the office meeting clients and learning about their businesses. In addition to meetings I also attend conferences and networking events specific to the Waste Management Sales industry.

What is your favourite thing about working in recruitment?I enjoy the social aspect of the job- getting out and about meeting a large variety of clients and candidates and learning about the variety of roles they do.

SPOTLIGHT ON....

In every Hatched a member of Yolk staff gives us the latest news from their specialist division and their favourite elements of working in recruitment.

David Jenkins Waste Management Sales Recruitment Specialist

If you are looking to hire a Waste Management Sales professional contact David Jenkins on 02920 220078 or email [email protected]


Why More Businesses Should Have Their Heads in the CloudCloud computing has become one of the most commonly used phrases when talking about everything from smart phones to corporate IT infrastructure, yet in the world of the SME, very few people seem to know what it means, or more importantly, what it can do to enhance their business. In its simplest form, cloud computing is the process by which IT services, applications and data are stored on servers in a remote location such as a data centre and delivered over a network, in most cases the internet.

The benefits of using the cloud for SMEs are many. It saves on the need to purchase expensive hardware and software, giving them access to the latest technology and computer programmes without the huge costs associated with buying them outright. Through a ‘virtual desktop’ a computer’s desktop space can be expanded beyond what is physically available and is useful for workers who may need to utilise many different programmes at once. In this respect it allows smaller businesses to compete on a more level playing field with much larger organisations.

As the data is stored remotely, it is perfect for businesses that need to access their data on-the-go, and allows for features such as automatic data backup and easy restoration in the event of a disaster, something which is absolutely crucial for every business. Simply ask yourself how long you would survive if you couldn’t access key data, client information and financial records – the honest answer is not long at all.

Cloud computing also delivers economies of scale as any good cloud provider will allow you to expand or reduce your server space in line with the current requirements of your businesses, making it a far more cost effective option in the long term.

You only have to look at the picture in America to see that the move to the cloud is the way forward. Google spent $1.6b on data centres to host their cloud services in the second quarter of 2013 alone, while according to the technology research group Gartner, the nationwide spend for this year is expected to hit $143bn.

Certus Technology Group launched their own data centre in 2011 in response to the huge growth in demand for cloud services in the UK, and were fortunate enough to find the perfect home in Next Generation Data’s (NGD) world-class facility in Newport. Not only is highly secure but thanks to a quirk in the original design, it is also earthquake proof! It means that their clients know when they entrust their data to us it is 100% secure, and that they can access it 24 hours a day without any disruptions or unscheduled downtime.There is no doubt that cloud computing is the future, and in Wales, we are lucky enough to have one of Europe’s largest Tier 3 facilities on our doorstep in the form on NGD. For SMEs in Wales it should no longer be a case of asking ‘what is cloud computing’ but more ‘what can it do for me’.

If you would like to find out more, please contact Certus Technology Group on 03333 708090 to go along to one of their data centre open days.


Yolk Recruitment [email protected]

Twitter: @yolk_recruitLinkedIn: Yolk Recruitment Ltd

Google +: Yolk Recruitment Ltd

Yolk Recruitment LtdCardiff 02920 220078Bristol 0117 3291 100

Are you a Digital or Marketing Enthusiast who wants to meet other tech creatives?

Then sign up to come along to our Digital Insights events held every quarter at Founders Hub in Cardiff City Centre.

Digital Insights features influential speakers from the digital and marketing worlds covering topics such as User Experience, the latest trends in digital marketing and social media as well as the opportunity for informal networking with other professionals.

Our next free event is on 16th July and the first drink will be on Yolk so why not come along?

Sign up at www.meetup.com/Digital-Insights/ or email [email protected] for more information

Thank you for reading Yolk Recruitment’s latest Hatched Magazine. For all our latest news check out our website or follow us on social media.

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