This week we will announce our final speaker for our London Live Talent & Growth event in conjunction with Warner Bros Discovery AND release our first wave of tickets.

When I launched this podcast back in January, I never imagined that I would get to 80 episodes and not that it would evolve into a live face-to-face event!

Building this community for Talent, People & HR professionals has taken a life of its own and has been an incredible journey.

So, I wanted to use this week’s newsletter to provide people with the last opportunity to register their interest in the event before the tickets are released Wednesday/Thursday.

This event is designed to help us all get better at our job if our job is about attracting or retaining the best talent. It will also allow us to network with fellow Talent, People and HR professionals.

AND…to raise money for Mind, a charity that is very close to my heart. All money will go to them.

Speakers confirmed so far are:

Katrina Collier – How to make the business partner with TA & deliver a better experience (for all!)

Christine Ng – How to build an employer brand to attract tech talent

Annie Jackson – How To Build A Careers Page Which Actually Attracts Talent

You can register interest here – https://12ry7qhrk1u.typeform.com/to/ZzKigWXf

FYI – Due to next Monday being a Bank Holiday, there will be no T&G newsletter.

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Alan Sugar is at it again.

I still like to think that Lord Sugar doesn’t actually believe this but rather is leaning into a character that promotes his brand thus growing his follower base.

But whether this is an authentic belief or not, it triggered this weeks topic which is the importance of setting boundaries when working from home.

This isn’t a new conversation.

In 2020 when the majority of us were trying to hang onto our jobs and businesses in the toughest market we had ever seen, whilst simultaneously being locked down and forced to work from home, burnout was a big topic.

Now, as the pandemic has significantly subsided, WFH is no longer an infliction but a choice that most of us who can, choose to make.

Not Alan Sugar obviously, no doubt he is in the office 24/7.

And WFH doesn’t necessarily mean WFH! It could mean working from a coffee shop. It could mean working from another town. Another country. You can work from anywhere.

But the problem with being able to work from anywhere means you will work from anywhere.

You might be more inclined to work more hours because you don’t have your commute.

You might be more inclined to work on weekends.

You might be more inclined to work on holiday.

And if you love what you do, like I do, then this doesn’t always seem like work.

If you love what you do, you will never work another day in your life right?

Wrong.

Everybody needs down time.

Everybody needs time to step away.

To reflect.

To recharge.

To spend time with friends and family.

To laugh, to be brought back down to earth and to step out of that work bubble.

I don’t have this nailed by any degree.

It is something I have to keep working on continuously, often because I get pulled out of said work bubble by my (romantic) partner, my (business) partner or a friend.

But here are some basics that help me set boundaries:

  • Allocate set days where you WILL not allow yourself to look at anything work related. These used to be called weekends. I managed this from 3pm Friday until Sunday and felt brand new when I did log back on.
  • Be clear at the beginning of the working day what time you will finish and log off. Be strict with that. If your to do list isn’t done by then, then tough – you still have to log off. But I have a sneaking feeling that if you set a deadline, you will get what you need done.
  • Leave your phone at home. Hold on, hear me out. Yes, I get that you have already promised that you won’t do any work but removing your device from your person for a few hours or even (oh my god) a DAY will have you feeling liberated and free. You will also be completely present wherever you are and whatever you are doing. Try it.
  • Do you love blocking out your calendar? Cool, me too. But do you block it out with your fun stuff? Your yoga class? Your lunch with a friend? Your trip to the cinema. Do it. Place as much importance in your diary on the fun stuff as you do on the work stuff. It’s just as important.

I hope these help. Let me know what works for you?

And Lord Sugar…be quiet.

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Another week, another shot of me in the Warner Bros. Discovery studios visiting the venue for our very first Talent & Growth live even in London.

We will be beginning to announce our amazing four speakers this week!

We will also be raising money for Mind with this event – all funds will go towards this incredible charity.

If you would like to register your interest in attending the event, please do so here – https://12ry7qhrk1u.typeform.com/to/ZzKigWXf

With the fear setting in to the country around energy costs, inflation and the recession in general, how are you helping your people? I asked this question and Chelsea Foxwell of Uptake Strategies responded.

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I also spotted this post from Ben Rutter which I loved.

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So big up to Chelsea and Ben and their businesses 🙂

If you or your business are doing something special to help their people weather the impending storm then please do get in contact and I will share on this platform.

The more ideas we have the more we can help each other.

On Friday, as I watched Sky News for the impending news on the energy cap, it hit home to me how difficult a time we have ahead of us in the UK.

And I mean, REALLY hit home. As in slapped me in the face and said, “Paul, this is happening”.

I began my career in recruitment in 2008, which was the height of the “The Great Recession”. Having spent a few months on the dole before getting into the industry, I had no money anyway, so perhaps the significance of what was happening was lost on me.

Looking back, I definitely realise how lucky I was to remain employed through that year. I didn’t show any particular aptitude for recruitment early on and around half of the business was let go in my first year.

Members of staff would be called into rooms and would never return. The rest of us would keep our heads down and bash the phones, hoping we weren’t called out next.

We survived, came out of that difficult period, and my career grew as the market did.

The next downturn of significance for me was, of course, not that long ago – April 2020. I was in a very different position, working as the Managing Director of a leading recruitment business that had just had their best quarter in ten years and was expecting our best year EVER.

Then a pandemic called Covid hits us, and suddenly I am the one having to call people into rooms (virtual rooms this time) and talk to them about furloughs and everything else. A very dark period indeed, but one that taught me a lot about management, business, my values, and how I want to operate as a leader in the future.

And, of course, we came out of that, the market became buoyant, and we were then discussing the upcoming “roaring twenties” – a new period of spending and affluence.

And yet, here we are on the 29th of August, 2022. The energy price caps spearhead another pandemic – a cost of living pandemic.

Back in April, energy prices rose 54%. In October, they will increase by 80%. In January, they will rise again. In April, they will rise again.

That, along with inflation not matching wage growth, means that the country suddenly has less money.

A lot less.

And again, I find myself in a very different position. I am the Co-Founder of what is currently a two-person business.

We have no employees. We have no significant overheads. In a short period, we have managed to build a client base that should keep us relatively secure, and we are optimistic we can add to it.

And whilst I am an entrepreneur in his first year of business and I am worried about my family’s finances and personal situation, I also know that I am working in a more reliable sector than most which means I am more protected than most. I am also at a point in my career where I know that I can survive any belt-tightening that needs to happen personally.

But I am terrified.

I am terrified for the country.

Financial stress is ALREADY the cause of so much poor mental health, and now we are hitting so many people so hard that some quite simply may not survive.

Many people will need to make choices around food or energy and often go without both.

People will lose jobs.

Businesses may go under.

I am angry that this has been allowed to happen and fearful of the repercussions.

We must help each other. If we are in a position where we can help others, we must. We must look after ourselves first, of course, but then we must turn to those who need support.

Limit our waste. Donate to food banks. Donate to charities—check in on friends and family members who may not be in as fortunate a position as we are.

I am sure as the country gets its head around the situation it is in, more ways and opportunities to help others will become clear.

And if I put on my professional, optimistic hat, there is an opportunity here.

There is an opportunity for businesses to look after their people, help them through these tough times and not only do a damn good thing but also cement authentic relationships with them, which will lead to high retention and general good vibes all around.

On Friday, I posted this – https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6968831141814382592/

Just some very top line ideas.

But I would love to hear what other businesses are doing to help their people.

What innovations have you come up with to protect the people who work in your company?

What basics are you getting right?

What will your business be remembered for when people look back and talk about how you handled this crisis? 

PLEASE…share these ideas with me. And I will use this platform and any others to share them back to the community so others can be inspired and take action.

We must stick together, share ideas and do our best to look after ourselves and our people.

In other news…

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I made sure I took more than a few snaps when I visited the venue of our very first Talent & Growth event and this is one of my favourites – the Iron Throne. As a huge Game of Thrones fan, I couldn’t resist.

Warner Bros. Discovery London will be the host of our live event on 19th October – an event for all things talent attraction and talent retention, presented by The Animo Group.

We have four AMAZING speakers lined up – and I will be announcing them in the coming weeks.

We will also be raising money for Mind with this event – all funds will go towards this incredible charity.

If you would like to register your interest in attending the event, please do so here – https://12ry7qhrk1u.typeform.com/to/ZzKigWXf

I have said PLENTY on LinkedIn of my advocacy of working models in which businesses encourage people to feel empowered to work where they wish to. Whether that’s at the office or home – it’s not about where. It’s about giving people the trust to have a choice.

I encourage collaboration in person when you can, and I think businesses should encourage and enable that where possible for those who want it (like me!).

But the choice and balance of work/life should be a priority focus for businesses.

Because I believe that a happy and balanced workforce is a productive workforce.

I have said all this so much that I decided I wanted to stop for a while for fear of sounding like a broken record. But over the past few weeks, this string of events happened, which led me to feel the urge to chip in once again:

Firstly, this podcast – The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett: E162: Malcolm Gladwell: Working From Home Is Destroying Us! on Apple Podcasts

This podcast naturally made me angry as it seemed to miss all the good remote working has done for the world and how it benefited people’s happiness, work/life balance and feeling of inclusion.

Somebody who shared my anger was Hannah Litt – she wrote a passionate comment in response to this posted podcast, which led me to reach out to her. We will run an episode of Talent & Growth to discuss How To Use Remote Working To Create An Inclusive Culture. Stay tuned for that.

Then, Apple announced this: Apple tells staff to come into the office for at least three days a week | Apple | The Guardian

Again, for me was a real shame that such a pioneering business was taking this approach.

Then I saw a fantastic post in Recruiting Brainfood by Ethan Sherwood Strauss, which summed up so much and made me feel good about the world again. But it also encouraged me to write my own opinions on it – yet again 🙂

Read it here – Work From Home Is Good – by Ethan Strauss (substack.com)

From my experience, the new world of remote working has changed my life so much for the better. It has positively impacted my mental well-being, my happiness and my productivity. I spent a considerable amount of my life in the rat race, hours upon hours on busy trains and whilst I feel I was successful in that part of my career, I was miserable and living an unbalanced life.

After being raised professionally on a diet of long office hours and soul-crushing commutes for so long, I couldn’t see how anything could ever change. Even when I started feeling burnt out and recognising why I could not see how to stop the machine I was in for me or my workforce.

Recruitment has always been about face-to-face office time, bustling sales floors and being able to see your people do the work they do. Historically, it has been an untrusting profession where if you can’t see your people, your first thought is that they weren’t working.

And then Covid hits, we are all forced to stop the machine and hey presto – a new world is born.

A world where people realise they have been spending too much time on trains and not enough time with their children.

A world where people realise that they have been spending too much time in the office and not enough in the fresh air.

A world where people realise they have been spending too much time with colleagues and not enough time with friends and family.

A world which suddenly meant that those with disabilities or neurodiversity, which affected their attendance at the office, didn’t feel like they were missing out on career opportunities that others had – because the playing field was now even.

And perhaps most significantly, after we got out of the economic hole of 2020, a world where productivity and results rose to high levels even though people were still working at home.

And as that market picked up last year and the war for talent increased beyond anything we have seen before, businesses shouted from the rooftops around how they emphasised how vital the wellbeing of their people was and that work/life balance was a must.

The power was in the hands of the candidates.

But now, the market tightens, and we begin to head into a recession.

Fear is setting in amongst the workforce around money, bills, inflation, energy costs and everything else. And I believe this fear is being exploited as those same companies banging the remote working and mental well-being drum are now pushing people back into the office to justify their office space costs and give operational managers an increased sense of control.

This decision is short-sighted. Because guess what, the market will shift again, candidates will be in control again, and the companies who genuinely care about their people’s happiness and mental wellbeing will stand out like an oasis in a hot desert.

Even now, I advise any candidates out there who are being forced back into the office to be cautious and protect their position but also to be curious – look around and see if there are any companies out still hiring and who can offer you the conditions that you need to look after your mental wellbeing, happiness and your family.

The remote working argument wages on. I implore those who have options to use them. Be smart but be bold.

In other news…

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As a huge Harry Potter fan, I was thrilled to have a snap of me heading into Platform 9 3/4. What’s the relevance? This snap was taken at Warner Bros. Discovery studios which, thanks to the legend Michael Carter, will be the venue for our first ever Talent & Growth live event, hosted by The Animo Group.

We promise an evening of thought-provoking discussion and learnings for anybody involved in Talent Acquisition. We have four excellent speakers who will help us be a little better at our jobs. Further news to come on that, but for now, lock in 19th October as the date and register your interest here and now with this Typeform link: https://12ry7qhrk1u.typeform.com/to/ZzKigWXf

The Animo Group has partnered with cord to give you access to a pool of over 10,000 active and 1,800-2,000 new engineers per week actively looking for permanent work.

The Animo Group is an embedded Talent Solution provider, we offer a flexible, tailored solution, giving you the freedom to scale up or down depending on your hiring needs. The Animo team behave as your in-house recruitment team, living your values, talking your language, and improving the success of your hires.

We do this by understanding your business, making Talent Acquisition a strategic part of your organisation, and building your teams for now and the future.

The Animo Group has built up a network of experts within People, Culture & Talent to share their insight on Animo’s Talent & Growth podcast channel accessible via their website https://theanimogroup.com/talent-growth-podcast/.

What is cord?

cord is a messaging tool to source active engineers, make direct hires and build great teams. No hiring fees and flexible subscriptions, built for talent teams and hiring managers.

Where does cord help?

cord helps companies make direct hires into their technology and product teams. Typical roles include Software Engineers, Infrastructure Engineers, Product Designers, Data Engineers/Scientists, Product Managers and Technical Leadership positions. cord caters for onsite, hybrid and remote work within the London and New York markets and for remote roles across Europe.

Pricing

The Animo Group companies are able to join cord with a recurring 20% off subscriptions. The only way any company can access recurring discount is via cord’s partnership program so this is the most cost-effective way to join cord. To redeem the 20% discount, reach out to [email protected] and reference the The Animo Group partnership program.

Flexibility

Unlike other products, you can join cord on a flexible, month to month subscription. This means you’re not tied into long-term contracts and wont be paying for access if you have any months where you’re not hiring or if you need to prioritise other tasks. You can simply cancel your subscription from with the product and reactivate it again (still using the discount) when you’re hiring again.

Onboarding

The onboarding process is really simple:

  1. Once you’ve paid, there’s a quick Typeform to complete.
  2. Our team will build your account using the information provided in the Typeform.
  3. A Customer Success Manager will be in touch with next steps and onboarding information.

Our Customer Success Team will be on hand throughout your time on cord to ensure you have the best experience possible, and our Support team ([email protected]) is also available to answer any questions or issues you may have.

Diversity & Inclusion

You can easily search cord based on gender and background. To combat the deficit of women in tech we are committing to proactively invite more women to cord than Industry Standard. Today 16.1% of active engineers on cord are women.

Our Q4 diversity report showed 36.64% of people joining cord came from BAME backgrounds (Industry Standard 15%).

What do companies say about cord?

Check out some video and written reviews of cord on our cord.co/stories and cord.co/testimonials pages.

The Animo Group has announced it will work with The Confidence Collective, a 4 part programme designed to develop and empower women in their careers and with a particular focus on women in technology looking to move into leadership roles. 

Animo will support two places on the upcoming programme starting January 2022 enabling those who may not otherwise be able to access the programme to take part in the 4 part programme. The Confidence Collective is led by which is led by Beckie Taylor, a People expert and coach and provides practical advice and activities and a range of free resources covering topics including building confidence and resilience, managing imposter syndrome, developing leadership skills and processes to build effective teams and partnerships all as part of a unique journey towards confidence and success. 

The programme forms part of a wider confidence mission for Beckie Taylor who created online platform The Confidence Community, a home for free resources and advice and in her own words is “ a community shaped by a community, we don’t just want to be another unread notification in a sea of content and there are plenty of fantastic resources already out there who do excellent work, so we’re building our community with the help of the people within it and taking their guidance on what is important’ 

Whilst the community platform is a relatively new project for Taylor, her mission around women and confidence was the original catalyst for the Tech Returners organisation of which she is CEO and for which her work saw her win The Northern Power Women Transformational Leader Award in 2021. Most recently she has been focusing on The Confidence Collective’ programme which has been quietly gathering momentum since 2018 having seen more than 70 women already complete the programme and go on to win industry awards, obtain promotions and new roles and even speak at TEDx. The programme has also worked exclusively with The CoOp and AO.com to develop female talent. 

Speaking about the programme Paul Church said 

“It’s a privelege for The Animo Group to partner with The Confidence Community. The UK needs more diverse leadership teams and that in turn will help create more diverse teams overall. 

Apart from it quite simply being the right thing to do, both ethically & commercially, by creating more diverse businesses, we are helping combat the severe talent shortage we have in the UK. 

For us, this partnership was a no brainer * 

Individuals can apply for a free place on the programme by completing the following form.

Paid places on the 4 part programme are ÂŁ1,500 per person with payment options available. Bespoke packages are also available for businesses considering multiple individuals for the programme, whilst sponsorship packages are available for businesses looking to support the programme and enable women to participate free of charge. 

For more info about the programme visit https://confidencecommunity.co.uk/programmes/