A potential change in government, some progressive steps towards sustainability and preparation for the 2012 Olympics: 2010 looks to be an exciting year. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement, and recruitment agencies need to ensure that they are prepared for an upturn. Matthew Sanders, Chief Executive of de Poel, lists 5 top tips for recruiters for the year ahead:
1. Do YOUR bit for climate change
At the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit, the UK set themselves a target: to reduce carbon emissions by as much as 80% by 2020. This means not hanging around for other businesses to act first, but setting an example to your rival agencies, staying one step ahead of them and implementing greener business practices now. Whether you choose to increase your overall business efficiency, streamline your administration and accounts processes or cut back on paper waste, efforts to reduce climate change will make your agency more attractive to suppliers and clients alike. Utilising more up-to-date computer systems is a great start, with any opportunities to convert paper to electronic documents allowing you to measure exactly how many trees you're saving - something you can broadcast!
2. Don't let the recession beat you - look for new revenue streams
To say that the recession has been tough on the recruitment industry would be an understatement. Hit early by a dramatic fall in share prices, agencies have struggled to stay afloat in the context of widespread redundancies and freezes on recruitment. Though the jobs market has shown signs of improvement this last quarter, agencies are encouraged to give their business a boost and get ahead of their competitors by looking for alternative revenue streams. One such source of income is popularly known as TempSureTM. A membership club for temporary agency staff, it gives workers a range of lifestyle benefits, including discounted goods and services at 70 different companies ranging from retail and travel, to leisure and insurance. By offering this scheme to workers, agencies can make as much £1 per sign up. It is also a great idea if you're looking to retain your candidate availability pool and make quick placements, as it encourages workers to stick with your agency.
3. Get insured
2010 is no time to be without insurance. Most clients or intermediary bodies now require proof of a minimum of Employers' Liability, Public Liability, Professional Indemnity and Drivers' Negligence insurance if you're supplying drivers. Without these insurances agencies run the risk of breaking the law, breaching client contracts or of exposing themselves to legal action and negligence claims. But whilst digging around for policy documents and insurance certificates can be laborious, being insured with different companies for different types of cover can also prove extremely expensive. Adding hassle, most policies have a renewal date on which the policy will have to be reviewed and renewed. An easy and increasingly popular way to keep on top of your insurances is to take out a policy called AgencySureTM. Covering recruitment specialists for all their insurance needs under one policy, it cuts back on costs, removes the need to keep re-submitting schedules and offers a rolling policy (with no renewal date) payable monthly with interest-free direct debit. Cover is also extended to include Office Insurance and Fidelity Bonding - to protect agencies' office equipment, and monies and securities, respectively.
4. Don't cut corners on worker checks
In light of the avalanche of legislation landed on the industry last year, now is not a good time to be cutting corners on worker checks if you want to reap the benefits of an economic recovery. Making sure your workers are properly trained, legally allowed to work in the UK, CQC and ISA registered and have undergone CRB checks where relevant will be crucial as the government clamps down on legislation cheats. Clients and intermediary bodies will also be checking up on workers and suppliers whilst the industry remains unregulated and liability for legislation cheating remains unstipulated. Thus, if you want to be recognised as a reputable industry player, it is wise to keep on top of legislative updates and make sure all the workers you supply have been thoroughly checked before they arrive for their placements.
5. Stay aware of National Minimum Wage when venturing into partnership with travel and subsistence scheme operators
Travel and subsistence schemes are vast becoming popular in the recruitment industry as a means of legally reducing the amount of tax temporary agency workers shell out out on their overall pay cheque. The problem with these schemes is that there are a number of erroneous operators who go against the law, paying workers less than the minimum wage to reduce tax, supplementing the gap with holiday pay and effectively cheating their workers out of money. In a wage against erroneous operators, the GLA issued its latest guidance for scheme providers at the end of last year to take effect in February. The new rules, which included updated terms for employers, have made it a criminal offence for agencies to work with an unlicensed umbrella company. To avoid prosecution, recruitment specialists are best to partner with full licensed scheme operators. The best, as far as I'm concerned, is a company called Esentual. They are one of the top ten umbrella companies in the UK providing only full-compliant solutions.
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