We all love a bank holiday – an extra lie-in and a four-day week never do any harm. However, we’ve just had the last one until Christmas. That’s four months of long weeks with shorter days and worsening weather to look forward to before we get another break.
Indeed, in England we only get eight public holidays a year – there’s no independence or national day like 4 July in the US or Bastille Day in France. We compare quite poorly with other countries around the world – for example, the Americans enjoy eleven ‘federal’ holidays each year.
There are movements afoot to improve things over here. Campaigns to introduce holidays on St. George’s Day and St. David’s Day are gathering momentum, and new legislation increasing the national minimum holiday allowance is due to come in soon. Until then, we’ll count the days to Christmas…
Wednesday, 29 August 2007
Tuesday, 28 August 2007
Summer fun
After a long summer of hard work, Aston Taylor’s team got to enjoy an exciting day at Surrey’s Thorpe Park. The day out was organised as a reward after the team hit all its targets for the month. With rides such as Stealth, Colossus and Slammer, everybody ended up thoroughly wet, shaken - or both!
The incentives are chosen by the team, for the team. These could include anything from Zorbing and skydiving to a simple game of bowling and a pizza. We like to do different things each time so there’s something for everyone.
There are always monthly and quarterly targets to work towards – next up is an afternoon’s golf followed by a meal out. We hope to have some pictures of the Thorpe Park experience available soon!
The incentives are chosen by the team, for the team. These could include anything from Zorbing and skydiving to a simple game of bowling and a pizza. We like to do different things each time so there’s something for everyone.
There are always monthly and quarterly targets to work towards – next up is an afternoon’s golf followed by a meal out. We hope to have some pictures of the Thorpe Park experience available soon!
Tuesday, 14 August 2007
Counter-offer conundrum
It seems like an ideal situation: discontented with your job, look elsewhere and manage to secure an attractive position with another employer. You might be getting better pay and conditions; it might fit your career plan better, or simply be more convenient in relation to where you live. But what happens if your current boss makes you a counter offer to persuade you to stay?
In the recruitment industry, Aston Taylor have found that almost 75% of our candidates who accept a counter offer to remain with their current employer end up contacting us again within four months, usually saying that promises have not been kept and asking if the role we originally suggested is still open.
This is indeed a common phenomenon. In recruitment, even respected Recruitment coach Mark Whitby has prepared his own eight reasons for not accepting a counter offer. But the problem is present across all industry sectors, as Job Circle’s article shows here.
The main question to ask yourself seems to be: will I really be any better off staying where I am? Plus, when you look at the array of recruitment opportunities we can offer you, maybe you should consider finding a new role.
In the recruitment industry, Aston Taylor have found that almost 75% of our candidates who accept a counter offer to remain with their current employer end up contacting us again within four months, usually saying that promises have not been kept and asking if the role we originally suggested is still open.
This is indeed a common phenomenon. In recruitment, even respected Recruitment coach Mark Whitby has prepared his own eight reasons for not accepting a counter offer. But the problem is present across all industry sectors, as Job Circle’s article shows here.
The main question to ask yourself seems to be: will I really be any better off staying where I am? Plus, when you look at the array of recruitment opportunities we can offer you, maybe you should consider finding a new role.
Monday, 13 August 2007
Incentivise, man!
Incentivise may not be a word (yet), but that’s certainly what one of our clients has done for us. Synapps have offered Aston Taylor consultants the chance to win a day driving sports cars on a professional circuit.
What a fantastic idea. Our team feels motivated to make sure they get hold of the very best candidates possible for Synapps, who not only get to benefit from any successful placements, but get to enjoy a day out with Aston Taylor on the track!
Obviously it’s nice to receive the financial rewards of the recruitment industry, but sometimes doing something different can be just as enticing. Are there any other exciting incentives out there? Has your company, or a client, offered something interesting?
Let us know.
What a fantastic idea. Our team feels motivated to make sure they get hold of the very best candidates possible for Synapps, who not only get to benefit from any successful placements, but get to enjoy a day out with Aston Taylor on the track!
Obviously it’s nice to receive the financial rewards of the recruitment industry, but sometimes doing something different can be just as enticing. Are there any other exciting incentives out there? Has your company, or a client, offered something interesting?
Let us know.
Tuesday, 7 August 2007
Web 2.0 – a sackable offence?
Inspired by this article in The Telegraph, it seems appropriate to analyse the impact of so-called web 2.0 sites – social networking and community sites like Facebook, MySpace and, (ahem) Blogger.com.
Many companies are banning these sites to their employees on the grounds of wasting work hours or even company security, but is this the right way to look at it? Are there in fact valuable business opportunities to be had, contacts to be made – valuable networks to tap into?
While there’s no doubt that it’s possible to spend hours on the net instead of in a more productive, work-related manner, it’s also possible to make important contacts – so crucial to the recruitment industry – and even to do deals. There’s also the possibility of checking out prospective candidates for their suitability for roles.
At Aston Taylor, our Consultants are here to make money – we’re quite happy for them to be on Facebook, networking and making deals. Of course there’s a social aspect to what they do, but they’re happy in their jobs and so they’re free to do as they please.
Maybe if you’re spending time on networking sites instead of working it means you’re not happy with your job. If so, perhaps you should give us a call and we can find you a better job.
Many companies are banning these sites to their employees on the grounds of wasting work hours or even company security, but is this the right way to look at it? Are there in fact valuable business opportunities to be had, contacts to be made – valuable networks to tap into?
While there’s no doubt that it’s possible to spend hours on the net instead of in a more productive, work-related manner, it’s also possible to make important contacts – so crucial to the recruitment industry – and even to do deals. There’s also the possibility of checking out prospective candidates for their suitability for roles.
At Aston Taylor, our Consultants are here to make money – we’re quite happy for them to be on Facebook, networking and making deals. Of course there’s a social aspect to what they do, but they’re happy in their jobs and so they’re free to do as they please.
Maybe if you’re spending time on networking sites instead of working it means you’re not happy with your job. If so, perhaps you should give us a call and we can find you a better job.
Monday, 6 August 2007
What happened to summer?
It’s the time of year where it’s supposed to be warm and sunny – we’re either supposed to be sweating it out in the office wishing we were outside with an ice cream or sunning ourselves on a beach somewhere.
Yet something’s gone wrong this year. At best, we’ve had patchy sunshine mixed with rain for the last three or so months – at worst, we’ve had torrential rain and biblical floods more akin to The tropics than Gloucestershire.
So where did the summer go? Is it all the fault of global warming? Or just a blip (after all, it’s only four years since the UK’s hottest ever day)? How is it affecting work? Well, apart from those unfortunate people who have lost their houses and places of work, opinions seem to be mixed about the weather.
Some prefer the heat as it means nice sunshine and summer weather; others prefer the rain (particularly those sitting further from the windows), as it’s easier to work in the cooler conditions. Either way, it’s a safe bet that we should enjoy what sun we do get as it’s sure to turn to autumn any minute now!
Yet something’s gone wrong this year. At best, we’ve had patchy sunshine mixed with rain for the last three or so months – at worst, we’ve had torrential rain and biblical floods more akin to The tropics than Gloucestershire.
So where did the summer go? Is it all the fault of global warming? Or just a blip (after all, it’s only four years since the UK’s hottest ever day)? How is it affecting work? Well, apart from those unfortunate people who have lost their houses and places of work, opinions seem to be mixed about the weather.
Some prefer the heat as it means nice sunshine and summer weather; others prefer the rain (particularly those sitting further from the windows), as it’s easier to work in the cooler conditions. Either way, it’s a safe bet that we should enjoy what sun we do get as it’s sure to turn to autumn any minute now!
Friday, 3 August 2007
STRESSED !
The heat is up; there’s no air-con; you’re feeling lousy; you can’t find any worthwhile vacancies to work on, or another candidate just let you down - and your boss is asking you how you’re going to achieve your targets! That’s stressful! Estimates from the Health & Safety Executive indicate that work-related Stress and related disorders account for an estimated 10.5 million reported lost working days per year in Britain.
Aston Taylor, the UK’s leading Recruitment-to-Recruitment Consultancy, takes this research very seriously. ‘A stressed employee will struggle to be productive’, says Vic Chuntz, Aston Taylor’s CEO, ‘We do as much as we can to reduce the irritations that can lead to stress, for instance our Consultants do no cold calling at all, and they do no admin. However, we can’t remove all the pressures of Recruitment. We considered the above research, and as well as wanting to avoid any legal ramifications, we wanted to help our staff feel better, so they would be more effective at work’.
Some time ago Aston Taylor contacted Catherine Hedges, a trained masseuse, who visits the office every week to give all staff a 20-minute ‘seated’ massage.
She uses one of their interview rooms, so it doesn’t effect daily operations at all, and she brings all her own equipment. Catherine says: ‘Seated massage uses special techniques that focus on relieving tension and any discomfort from key stress-affected areas including neck, arms, hands, shoulders, back and scalp. You can experience the benefits of massage while remaining fully clothed and without the use of oils or creams’.
Chuntz says, ‘Maybe it’s a coincidence, but since Catherine started the treatment here, we’ve achieved record sales. We’ve reduced lateness/sickness, staff turnover is better and the general atmosphere has noticably improved.’
Catherine conducted her own poll and found Consultants commented : ‘Great feel-good factor and great as company incentive’, ‘Instant de-stress’, ‘Don’t feel sleepy after massage, just relaxed and more alert’. In addition, research into this form of treatment suggests that it helps with issues such as back & neck problems, RSI, eye strain and headaches.
Aston Taylor, the UK’s leading Recruitment-to-Recruitment Consultancy, takes this research very seriously. ‘A stressed employee will struggle to be productive’, says Vic Chuntz, Aston Taylor’s CEO, ‘We do as much as we can to reduce the irritations that can lead to stress, for instance our Consultants do no cold calling at all, and they do no admin. However, we can’t remove all the pressures of Recruitment. We considered the above research, and as well as wanting to avoid any legal ramifications, we wanted to help our staff feel better, so they would be more effective at work’.
Some time ago Aston Taylor contacted Catherine Hedges, a trained masseuse, who visits the office every week to give all staff a 20-minute ‘seated’ massage.
She uses one of their interview rooms, so it doesn’t effect daily operations at all, and she brings all her own equipment. Catherine says: ‘Seated massage uses special techniques that focus on relieving tension and any discomfort from key stress-affected areas including neck, arms, hands, shoulders, back and scalp. You can experience the benefits of massage while remaining fully clothed and without the use of oils or creams’.
Chuntz says, ‘Maybe it’s a coincidence, but since Catherine started the treatment here, we’ve achieved record sales. We’ve reduced lateness/sickness, staff turnover is better and the general atmosphere has noticably improved.’
Catherine conducted her own poll and found Consultants commented : ‘Great feel-good factor and great as company incentive’, ‘Instant de-stress’, ‘Don’t feel sleepy after massage, just relaxed and more alert’. In addition, research into this form of treatment suggests that it helps with issues such as back & neck problems, RSI, eye strain and headaches.
Wednesday, 1 August 2007
Phone a friend!
Want to earn up to £500 for doing nothing? Don’t worry, it’s not a scam, and you don’t need any recruitment experience either. Give us your friend’s details and, if we successfully place them, you could earn a cash reward!
It really is as simple as that. Maybe you’ll see one of our jobs advertised and think it’s suitable for your friend (or friends), or you know someone who works in the industry who may be looking for a new role. There are only three rules:
We don’t have them on our database.
We place them into a role.
All fees are paid and no refunds are due.
That’s it. Get in touch!
It really is as simple as that. Maybe you’ll see one of our jobs advertised and think it’s suitable for your friend (or friends), or you know someone who works in the industry who may be looking for a new role. There are only three rules:
We don’t have them on our database.
We place them into a role.
All fees are paid and no refunds are due.
That’s it. Get in touch!
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