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Welcome to issue 392 of the ukrecruiter newsletter. If you missed it last week check out the event we are organising with My Long Lunch. It provides an effective way for recruiters to discover what a number of media companies have to offer in the shortest possible time. More information here. | 
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CONTENTS
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Article One: Employment and the Law - Recent Developments by Louise Fernandes-Owen Heyday - ECJ hearing date The European Court of Justice (ECJ) is provisionally set to hand down its judgment in the Heyday case on 5 March 2009. Over the past couple of years, we have reported on the well-publicised developments in this case which challenges, amongst other issues, the mandatory retirement age of 65 under the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006. The Advocate General delivered his Opinion on the case last year, stating that a rule which permits employers to dismiss employees aged 65 or over for retirement can, in principle, be justified - if the rule is objectively and reasonably justified in the context of national law by a legitimate aim relating to employment policy and the labour market, and it is not apparent that the means to achieve that aim of public interest are inappropriate and unnecessary for that purposes. The Advocate General's Opinion was a disappointment for those involved in the Heyday challenge. The ECJ usually, but not always, follows the Advocate General's Opinion. If the ECJ does agree with the Advocate General in March, it will be for the High Court to consider whether the mandatory retirement provision is in fact objectively justified. European Commission: opt-out should stay The European Commission has provided its Opinion on proposals to amend the Working Time Directive, significantly rejecting the European Parliament's proposal last year to remove the opt-out from the 48 hour limit on the working week. The Opinion, also covering a range of other issues, is intended to help the European Council and Parliament reach agreement on the final text. The Commission's Opinion states that it is, in principle, supportive of the eventual phasing out of the opt-out, but does not consider that present conditions allow for this. It therefore considers that the opt-out should be retained, but subject to review. The Commission also rejected a proposal to restrict the validity of opt-outs to six months. However, the proposals that there should be no opt out during any probationary period nor any upper limits on working time for workers who agree to opt out were accepted by the Commission. The European Council now has a further three months to carry out its second reading, so watch this space for further developments. Redundancy pay to rise? It has recently been reported that ministers have launched a review of the minimum statutory redundancy payment, in light of the current economic climate. Since the statutory redundancy pay scheme was introduced in 1965, the maximum limit has decreased from 203% of average weekly earnings to just 56%. The maximum limit on a week's pay, used to calculate statutory redundancy payments, increased to £350 on 1 February 2009, with the maximum amount of a statutory redundancy payment rising to £10,500. Campaigners, including MPs and unions, have called for a rise in redundancy payments, urging the Government to raise the current weekly limit to £500. Other suggestions include lowering the qualifying period for redundancy payments from two years to one and raising the tax-free limit for termination payments from £30,000 to £50,000. Guidance on rights of agency workers The Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) has published a leaflet outlining the basic rights of agency workers. The leaflet covers: New rates for statutory sick pay and maternity, paternity and adoption pay The revised weekly rates of statutory sick pay and statutory maternity, paternity and adoption pay have been published recently in a draft statutory instrument. The draft statutory instrument
states that from 6 April 2009 the weekly rate of statutory sick pay
will increase from £75.40 to £79.15. The prescribed weekly rate of
statutory maternity, paternity and adoption pay will increase from
£117.18 to £123.06. Louise Fernandes-Owen is the Professional Support Lawyer in the Employment and Pensions Group at Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP and can be contacted at louise.fernandes-owen@ffw.com |
Advertisement Collette Davis joins Voyager Software as Sales Manager. Previously Sales and Delivery Manager at RSS Eclipse, Collette’s distinctive Scottish burr is already familiar to many Eclipse customers and the wider market. ‘I’m delighted to join such an established firm,’ says Collette. ‘Working with a much larger team and a vastly expanded product range means that I now have the tools and resources to offer Recruiters a truly complete service. I am looking forward to making an immediate impact.’ Paul Thompson, Voyager Software’s Sales Director is equally pleased. Collette is a great appointment and can be contacted on collette.davis@voyage.co.uk |
Article Two: Candidate strategies for the downturn by Fiona Lander In the specialist recruitment world, we have all been busy concentrating on adapting our business strategies for the downturn and focusing heavily on client relationships. It’s been too easy to forget that we also need new strategies and approaches for managing our candidates, as it is still difficult to find the right talent for key positions with our clients. Many less experienced consultants may assume that as unemployment and advertising response are both rising, the need for headhunting techniques in order to source the right candidates is diminishing. This is not so – in fact it has never been more important to use headhunting skills appropriately as part of the operational approach to the success of your desk, whether on a contingency or retained basis. In the current climate, good candidates are staying put and will be reluctant to make a move from what they may see as a secure position. However, they will always be willing to talk about opportunities that are out there, partly because they want a back-up plan if anything happens to their current organisation, and partly because they will always want to know whether demand for their particular skill sets will translate into a more attractive salary package. Consequently, core competencies in headhunting techniques still apply and in fact it is far easier to make the approach call now than it is in a buoyant market place as at the moment, more potential candidates will be willing to listen. The challenge then, for consultants who utilise headhunting techniques, is two fold. First, to find good candidates who are willing to do more than just talk about their options and are actually willing to commit to making a career move. Second, to manage those candidates who do make the move, through the process. Deal breakers such as candidates getting ‘cold feet’ and clients putting offers on hold will be rife and consultants must be able to tightly manage the recruitment process step by step to the final result. This means correctly handling the process through to the start date and beyond the probationary period. The candidate pool is continually growing and it is therefore absolutely essential that your qualification process is rigorous and robust. Much time can be wasted by working with candidates who are not right for an opportunity or who are not truly committed to making a move. It’s vital that you don’t view your candidates as a second priority customer. They are equally as important as your clients and you need to be offering them outstanding customer service. In any market, it’s important to provide a consistently high standard of service for candidates regardless of whether or not you place them. It is always best to be honest with candidates and if you can’t help them, then refer them to someone who can - or perhaps give them some advice on how they may be able to help themselves. It’s important to remind ourselves that clients and candidates are interchangeable and the candidate that you didn’t place - but who benefited from your advice - could become a client later on. If you are finding and attracting the very best candidates, everyone else will be looking for them too. Candidates have many choices and if you don’t offer them an exemplary service, they will go to someone who will. Time management and prioritisation need to be re-addressed at desk level as there will be a stronger demand from candidates for more interaction. For example, you are likely to get a much higher advertising response meaning that it will take longer to filter through to those you pre-select and then qualify. Additionally, you will get a higher volume of candidates contacting you for progress updates as they will be keen to move the process along and find their next position. You will need to be disciplined and planned so that you can still be proactive with your candidate searches while being reactive to the needs of your existing candidates. Of course, it is also still essential to ensure you have plenty of time for business development. In this ever increasingly competitive market place, the consultant with the right candidates for their clients will be the consultant who ultimately closes the most deals. Focusing on quality candidate care as well as strong client service will help give you the competitive edge you need to work through the downturn triumphantly. Fiona Lander, Director of Lander Associates, training and performance experts to the international specialist recruitment sector |
Advertisement Factoring, Funding, Payroll, Invoicing – you choose We understand that recruitment agencies need a back office solution that is as flexible as they are. Our services include the preparation of payroll, payment of temporary staff and raising client invoices. We can also provide factoring through our sister company Calverton Factors ensuring a seamless, fully integrated service. We are offering a 25% discount on our standard charges for the first 6 months of the agreement when you quote ‘UKRecruiter’. Contact Mark Byrne at markbyrne@calvertonfactors.co.uk or 01908 268888 Or visit our website www.calvertonfactors.co.uk
and follow the link to Payroll Finance. |
Online Recruitment Update (This section is sponsored by http://www.1Job.co.uk; "the leading UK job search engine") UKRecruiterJobs:
Traditional, On-line and Corporate HR Recruitment Job Board Hitwise top 10 Recruitment
Sites, week ending 21st February 2009 Louise's UK Recruiter blog Discussion Board Summary This section is sponsored by http://www.1Job.co.uk; "the leading UK job search engine" |
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Don't Miss This My Long Lunch for Recruiters, 11th March 2009, London ERA Annual Research
Conference, 29th April, London Online
Recruiter Training dates for February and March |
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Regards
Louise Triance
UK Recruiter http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk
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