 | OCC Recruitment & OCC Human Resource Development News Update |
Spring 2009 | |
In this issue § Savings on Recruitment Fees § Riding the recession § Raising productivity through your people § Boom in UK Tourism? § Interim Management § Career & Redundancy Coaching § Free information and Fact Sheets Free Information & Fact Sheets We have a range of free information fact sheets available and will be adding to and expanding on these in future news updates. § CV Fact Sheet § Corporate Coaching § Anxiety & Panic Attacks § Public Speaking § Stress Awareness § Career & Personal Wheel of Life § Counselling & Coaching – The key differences If you would like to receive any of the above please e-mail jeremy@occltd.co.uk
Redundancy Coaching Support for those faced with redundancy Facing redundancy or having to make peoples roles redundant is a very difficult task indeed requiring a degree of empathy, support and at the same time there is the challenge of ensuring that those staff unaffected don’t feel that they may be next. Redundancy affects people in different ways; a sense of loss, fear of the future, feelings of failure coupled with the fact that often it is not fully understood that it is the job that is made redundant not the person. By providing a bridge between the employee faced with redundancy, and the current job market, a more positive attitude is achieved whilst maintaining commitment amongst remaining staff For further information on Career & Redundancy coaching contact Jeremy Ornellas on 01273 725510. | A very warm welcome to the first of our regular news updates aimed at keeping you informed on the latest developments, items of news and opportunities to help you make informed decisions enabling you to recruit, retain and motivate your staff during these challenging times. Over the coming months we have lots of exciting topics to share with you and will be offering industry specific snippets, interviews and concise information all geared towards helping you to plan, manage and add value to your people development and recruitment costs more effectively. We would also like to invite you to share your views and contribute with any topical thoughts or ideas that would be of interest to all of you who work within the Hospitality Industry. Savings on Recruitment Fees Helping you to spread the costs Late last year we wrote to you telling you about our 3 Option Fee & Guarantee Plan whereby each time you recruit a member of staff you get to choose the best option for you and your business; choosing from either lower fees, revised guarantee periods or payment terms best suited to your budget at any given time. This has proved to be a great success and as a result we have decided to go one step further and are pleased to announce a new payment plan aimed at making recruitment costs even more affordable and reducing the impact these costs might have on your cash flow. Throughout the whole of 2009 you can now pay by 3 equal interest free monthly payments – all we ask is that you settle each instalment within 28 days. As it is impossible to know when a key member of staff might decide to leave we believe this option now provides you with a cushion by spreading out any unexpected recruitment costs when you least expect to have them rather than impacting in one go on your monthly budget. Boom in UK Tourism? What’s on the cards for mid 2009? Last week consumer financial expert Martin Lewis told the Tonight programme on ITV that people in the UK should expect to pay 50% more for their holiday than last year if they intend travelling to a country who use the Euro or Dollar and estimated that many people will be taking a UK based holiday this year. In addition, Simon Calder, renowned travel writer talked about the massive increase of tourists planning to come to the UK from Europe, Australia, Canada and The USA this year to take advantage of the great rates of currency conversion offered against the pound. If this is the case can we expect increased volumes of business for 2009? Riding the recession? Despite the talk of a potential boom in UK tourism, if we listen to the news or read a newspaper, almost on a daily basis, we are reminded of the doom and gloom across most industries – some have even reported that this is the worst since the late 1940’s! To try and put this into some perspective. Yes we are experiencing a recession – shrinking or stagnant markets with low inflation compared to the late eighties when we had shrinking markets and high inflation – so maybe already it’s not as bad as it could be! However, in any recession markets do shrink or become stagnant, the fear factor becomes dominant in our thinking, caution becomes a primary driver and both personal and professional optimism tends to take a dive. The flip side (evidenced by previous recessions we have encountered) is that a downturn in the economy is an ideal time to review and plan for future growth and can provide you with an opportunity to assess and explore realigning your market position, enable you think of ways to add value to your business offering and ultimately become stronger than before by re-clarifying your business aims and objectives. So what is the first course of action we most commonly take? The first move many business managers and owners often take (perhaps based on panic) is to reduce costs and cut rates hoping that customers will continue to reappear –this may seem like a sensible idea but is it in practice? Reducing unnecessary costs is a healthy exercise at any time but only if you can be assured that high service levels will be maintained. Reducing your pricing however is a different challenge as whilst room sales and restaurant bookings may temporarily increase (everybody likes a bargain!) the actual cost of maintaining that volume increases over time too; staff work longer hours, profit reduces as the cost of providing the service increases (people hours and additional costs) and a vicious circle starts to appear – over worked and de-motivated staff, lower profit margins, potentially diminishing service standards and a reduction in repeat business. Research shows that organizations who increase their marketing and add value to their existing services tend to be those who’s market share increases and who are best poised for faster growth once the recession has started to slow down. A brief SWOT Analysis – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats can be a useful tool followed by an action plan based on your findings - The action is of course the key part! To receive a free SWOT Analysis template e-mail jeremy@occltd.co.uk Interim Management Providing a bridge when you need it most Interim Management - aimed at bridging the gap for senior temporary roles is a recently launched niche service we introduced to our clients late last year and has been very well received. You may have a key member of your team who is unable to work due to perhaps ill health, had an accident or is on maternity leave for a period of time or maybe you have to wait before deciding on a permanent recruit but still need to be assured that the role is professionally covered for an interim period. We have some excellent people who are experienced Hoteliers, Senior Chefs, Sales Managers, Heads of Department who are currently available and would be ideal for an interim role – our fees are less than you think! – Speak to Kerry Turner on 01273 774815 for more information. Raising productivity through your people During challenging times there can be a tendency to spend more time being reactive than proactive – focusing on targets and budgets – not surprising really when the pressure is on. It can be at these times that we have unrealistic expectations of our staff and expect them to work harder, longer hours and remain committed despite a feeling of uncertainty for the future. Being aware of four key areas will help you retain a committed and hardworking team. Staffing - Take a look at your current staffing – after all your staff are your most important asset. A declining market/business environment demands greater commitment, stamina and creativity from its staff than a buoyant business scenario. It is best practice to seek out the very best talent you can possibly find for each particular role within the business. Designing a set of competencies for each role in your business can help ensure a reduction in recruiting the wrong people – Details on Competency based recruitment interviewing & selection is available on: http://www.occltd.co.uk/recruitmentselection.html Work /life balance– Acknowledged as a potential hotspot within the hospitality industry perhaps as long unsociable hours have been seen very much as the norm over many years. Striking a work /life balance between both employees and the business is crucial in order to maximize on staff retention and avoid stress related illness leading to long-term absenteeism. Times have changed considerably - today employees acknowledge that a job is no longer for life and greater emphasis is placed on striving to achieve a healthy balance between work and quality leisure time. For the employer though this presents additional challenges, as they need to ensure that they can respond to their customers needs in order for the business to be successful - in addition to managing costs and maintaining profitability. Do you have a system in place that ensures a healthy work/life balance for your staff? Training - Many businesses cut their training budgets during a recession at precisely the time when training needs could be at their greatest. A straightforward Training Needs Analysis can be conducted which will highlight any perceived training needs that are essential for staff in order that they may make a valued contribution to the business. Further information can be found on: http://www.occltd.co.uk/training-needs-analysis.html Duty of Care & Support – Most companies today recognise that when a person comes to work that the “whole” person comes to work – it is not always possible to leave personal problems at home or work problems at work – the two tend to merge together and the impact is predictable; absenteeism goes up and productivity and commitment goes down just when you need it most. Explore putting in place a coaching or counselling programme for your staff – perhaps a 24 hour confidential helpline with access to a limited number of counselling or coaching sessions – this can be done for very little cost and enables individuals to feel supported and valued. For further information on employee support services please go online to http://www.occltd.co.uk/introduction.html Finally…We hope you have found our first update to be of interest and we welcome any feedback and suggestions you may have for future topics. Until next month,  |
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All Rights reserved. Site designed by www.webdesigns.ltd.uk
Occupational Counselling Consultants Ltd
is a company registered in England and Wales
Reg. No. 3284978 VAT Registration No.735648507
Registered Office: Alpine House, Honeypot Lane, London NW99RX
Terms of Use