As the country is gripped with Olympic fever and we bask in the glory of the phenomenal exploits of, amongst many, many others Ennis, Hoy, Farah, Rutherford and Wiggins, as mere mortals we can just about begin to comprehend the years of hard work, dedication and commitment to their chosen field that has ended with them sitting on top of the sporting world.

Of course hard work, dedication and commitment aren’t just restricted to athletic achievement. To be recognised as a leader in your field, be it business, politics or artisan cheese making, you have to stand out.

Now there are a number of ways in which that can happen. For some, success is based purely on profit. For others, it’s based on longevity but for Asset Resourcing, we gauge success both on the quality and variety of the service we provide to our clients and candidates and also our standing and reputation in our industry. A reputation we have worked very hard to achieve and most importantly, maintain.

For the £20bn a year recruitment industry and Asset Resourcing in particular, membership of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) validates what we do on a day-to-day basis and we are proud to abide by the REC Code of Professional Practice. It gives our clients and candidates the assurances they look for to know that we –

• Commit to practicing the very best standards of principled and professional recruitment
• Are recognised as a member of a professional body that upholds best practice
• Provide the best possible service we can to clients and candidates

Who Are The REC?

The Recruitment & Employment Confederation was formed in January 2000 as the result of a merger of two long-established bodies in the recruitment industry – The Federation of Recruitment and Employment Services (FRES) and the Institute of Employment Consultants (IEC).  The reasons for the merger were simple –

• To provide a single unified, powerful voice was needed to represent the industry in the face of increasing regulation
• Demand for education and training across all areas of the industry was increasing
• The expectations and demands of an increasingly complex industry for benefits and services delivered by a body that understood those needs

If you’d like to read a more complete history of the REC and to find out more about why we are so proud to be members, please click here.

As a business, Asset Resourcing holds Corporate Membership. Essentially, this gives us a key advantage when operating in such a competitive industry. In addition to an extensive range of services and benefits, news and information, we know that we (as a business and as an industry) are represented and have a voice at Government and European levels.

As individual members,  directors Ben Sweeting and Michelle Scott demonstrate to peers, clients and candidates that they are dedicated to best practice and results, that they commit to the industry’s Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct and perhaps most importantly that they are serious about their own professional and personal development in the industry.

If that’s not enough to convince you to use Asset Resourcing for all aspects of your recruitment, all our fantastic staff, Supriya, Annie and Will, are REC members so you are guaranteed that whomever you speak to here, you will receive a first-class, friendly and professional response to whatever it is you need.

It goes without saying that members of the REC or not, Asset Resourcing has always offered a value-added, professional service to everyone who comes through our doors, both physically and metaphorically, from SMEs with three staff to global, blue-chip organisations with hundreds of thousands.

That notwithstanding, we love what we do. We can’t describe the buzz of matching client with candidate, the buzz of helping businesses of all sizes get to where they want to be and especially the buzz of knowing that the people we deal with on a daily basis aren’t just case numbers. In many cases they become our friends and are with us for as long as they need us.

They know that they can approach us and talk to us about any aspect of their staffing needs or careers and that we are always available to offer advice and suggestions.

Give us a try. Ask us anything. We can’t promise to give you scholarly advice on the Wave Particle Duality Principle of Quantum Physics (although we’ll give it a darn good try), but we know recruitment.

We hope you enjoy the last few days of the Olympics and we’ll be back in September with another great blog post!

Ben Sweeting & Michelle Scott – Directors, Asset Resourcing

A perfect day at work…?

A list of little perks which could bring a smile to your face during your day, potentially creating the “perfect day at work”.

• Waking up before your alarm clock and realizing you’ve got lots of sleep time left
• Opening the curtains and seeing a blue sky and sunshine
• Opening a fresh jar of coffee and smelling it
• When you get the milk to cereal ratio just right
• Stepping into the shower and it’s the perfect temperature
• Finding money in your pocket that you didn’t even know you lost
• Turning the radio on and realising your favourite song is playing.
• Wearing underwear just out of the dryer
• Wearing your favourite pair of underwear and nobody knows
• Receiving a “Happy Friday” text
• Getting a seat on the train during rush hour
• Peeling an orange in one go
• Good escalator etiquette
• Finding a coffee waiting for you on your desk
• Getting something with actual handwriting on it in the post
• Paying for something with exact change
• When your boss leaves early for the day
• When your laptop or mobile is just about to die but you manage to run and plug it in before it completely shuts down
• Typing in your username and password at the speed of light
• When someone compliments your new haircut
• Getting put straight through when you call a big company
• When someone’s leaving the bathroom at the same time as you so you don’t have to touch the door
• When the hold music is actually good and you put it on loud speaker
• Getting a free lunch off of your loyalty card
• When the guy who borrowed your pen actually gives it back
• Spinning on an office chair
• Finishing early
• The first sip of a cold pint
• An easy drive home
• When the guy with a full trolley lets you go ahead because you’re only buying one thing
• Takeaway that’s delivered earlier than they said it would be
• No washing up because you had takeaway!
• The perfect number of bubbles in your bath
• Finishing your shampoo and conditioner at the same time
• A clean and fluffy dressing gown to snuggle up in
• Your favourite movie is on TV
• The feeling just before you fall asleep
• Payday!

There’s no getting away with it, the UK is in recession. For many of us, when we hear that word, we immediately think ‘job cuts, redundancy and unemployment’ and it seems our fears aren’t without justification.

However, in any economic climate, the most talented and committed will always find work and in amongst the doom and gloom, there are bright spots…

In the second quarter of 2012, the private sector hired an additional 205,000 people than were hired in Q1 yet jobs for professional staff are still less prevalent than they have been in the past. In addition, the number of vacancies is falling.

These statistics show that demand for professional-level permanent staff – a sector that until very recently helped lead a jobs recovery – fell by 7% in May leaving demand 21% off on a year-by-year basis.

According to the Association of Professional Staffing Companies (APSCo), May was the third month in a row that permanent vacancies for professional staff had fallen and demand for temporary professional-level workers, usually more resilient to worsening economic conditions also fell, down 10% year-on-year.

Notwithstanding the Eurozone crisis that is frightening almost everyone, the accountancy and finance sector is positively booming! It was the only industry sector in which vacancies for permanent candidates rose (up 2% in May).

John Nurthen of Staffing Industry Analysts said ‘demand for specialist accountancy skills particularly in London and the Home Counties is holding up quite well. To a significant degree, this is being driven by the regulatory environment’.

In addition to the news coming out of the accountancy and finance sector, the IT sector is also doing well. In fact it’s doing very well.

IT employs roughly 1 in 18 of the UK workforce and employment is set to grow by 2.2% a year. It doesn’t sound like a large number but it is almost five times faster than the UK average.

Figures from the IT Job Board, a specialist online IT recruiter show –

• Permanent IT jobs advertised are rising 11% Q-on-Q
• Demand for JavaScript and PHP roles rose 27% and 36% respectively year-on-year
• Average salaries for skilled PHP employees is rising 7% Q-on-Q
• Average annual salary for those working in Oracle is approaching £50,000
• Advertised contract IT jobs rose 21% Q-on-Q
• Daily rates for C++ and Java skills are over £450 with Oracle, Linux and C# over £40K

Alexandra Farrell, MD of IT Job Board says ‘More and more businesses are looking to invest in new innovations, and IT professionals with the necessary skills are in high demand. Take Cloud computing for example. Businesses now understand that it is not only a money saving device, but also a far more efficient way of running a company. The adoption rates are on an extraordinary rise. IT professionals are making business happen and they are becoming the linchpins at the heart of the European economy’.

She continues ‘Whilst there are still tough times ahead, both for the recruitment industry and the economy at large, there is evidence of better times to come, particularly within the IT industry. As businesses look at innovation and applications to remain competitive, naturally, new opportunities will arise, creating excitement, new skill sets, and most importantly, jobs’.

According to the 2011 Cloud Dividend Report, cloud computing will create 2.4m jobs across the EMEA region (which includes the UK) by 2015 which could potentially benefit the economy to the tune of almost £650bn and it’s the public sector that looks like it will be the biggest beneficiary in terms of job creation with an estimated 800,000 positions expected to be created over the next five years.

So there we have it. It’s never all doom and gloom where Asset Resourcing is concerned!

As always, we are on hand to answer any questions you have and to give you the most appropriate advice you’ll need across all aspects of recruitment, employees and jobs.

Don’t forget, we have the best IT, accountancy & finance, sales & marketing and admin & clerical jobs as well as the best recruits so contact us today.

If you’re off on your holidays, have a great time and we’ll see you in August.

Ben Sweeting & Michelle Scott – Directors, Asset Resourcing

Call me mad but I enjoy exercise, in fact I really enjoy it.

Why? Because not only does it keep me fit and healthy but I can rely on a run, a swim or a gym session to wake me up in the morning, get rid of the “fuzzy office head feeling” we all get by lunchtime or calm me down after a particularly hectic day.

With busy lifestyles, work, kids, social activities, exercise is in my mind the best way to escape from the “madness” and hopefully de-stress whilst improving general fitness.

I am not a Pilates or yoga type of girl (although I can see the benefits) I need to feel the burn to get my kick. The burn can change my day from bumbling to bouncing along.

I know I am not the only one to feel like this but I wish more people could see how good it can make you feel.

So a few facts from the University of Bristol to support my campaign –

People who exercise on work days are more productive, happier and suffer less stress than on non-gym days.

University of Bristol researchers found that employees who enjoyed a workout before going to work – or exercised during lunch breaks – were better equipped to handle whatever the day threw at them.

It also found that people’s general mood improved on days of exercise but they became less calm on non-exercise days.

So dust off the cobwebs – and whether it is a brisk walk around the block, a few laps in the pool, a cycle ride home, a gym class – do it!!

Half an hour in the morning can set you up for day

Half an hour at lunch can restart your brain and make you bounce back into work

Half an hour after work can get rid of stress and wipe the slate clean for the next day

Michelle Scott, Director

It seems a bit ironic writing a blog post about summer dress codes given the inclement weather we’ve been having but adopting a coherent dress code for the summer months is a difficult and time-consuming aspect of compiling your employee’s corporate policy information.

The majority of employers have a dress code policy concerning clothing requirements but for most, it’s basic common sense.

Relaxed summer dress codes make working conditions more bearable, especially on really hot days and even the commute into the office can feel like you’ve done a hard day’s work but there are some simple ways in which you can ease the unpleasantness of working in a boiling hot office that won’t affect productivity –

• Let your staff know that it’s OK to come in dressed less formally, as long as what they’re wearing is appropriate
• Ensure a plentiful supply of drinking water
• Consider hiring in some portable air-con units
• A cool, hydrated workforce will be less lethargic, more creative and therefore more productive

If you are a client-facing business, such as recruitment or estate agency, you could reasonably expect your staff not to wear jackets and ties however they still need to maintain a professional outlook. On the flip side, if you are a creative business like advertising or design, you may be happy with your staff wearing t-shirts, shorts and flip-flops, given that it’s appropriate for those particular industries.

Problems arise when you’re trying to put together a dress code policy that’s equal for all employees.

For men, the policy is usually fairly simple –

• They don’t have to wear a jacket or tie
• They can wear trousers of a lighter fabric, such as linen, but not jeans or shorts
• They can’t wear flip-flops, sandals or trainers

However, making specific requests of female staff could potentially be deemed as discrimination under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, since by restricting their clothing choices, females are suffering a detriment on account of their sex.

In a poll taken by workplace experts Croner, a few interesting facts emerged –

• 55% of employees said women ‘get away’ with more casual clothes that men to stay cool
• Only 8% suggested that the weather plays no part in what they wore to work
• 25% thought that that both men and women equally disregard summer dress codes

It may sound like a seemingly trivial aspect of your corporate policy but an unequal dress code can affect staff morale, increase tension and in certain cases, could lead to escalating complaints.

The key is to keep the dress code policy as simple as possible –

• Adopt a dress code that is appropriate for your industry
• You can require staff who come into contact with the general public or other organisations to conform to a dress code that maintains the public perception and image of your company and helps to facilitate it’s business
• Act reasonably by balancing the rights of your staff with the needs of your business
• Make sure the principles of your code are right so that they genuinely reflect a core business need and are neither discriminatory nor arbitrary
• The dress code needs to be made clear and understood by all staff who are expected to abide by it
• The code must be enforced in a consistent and proportionate manner

As always, we are on hand to answer any questions you have and to give you the most appropriate advice you’ll need.

Don’t forget, we have the best IT, accountancy & finance, sales & marketing and admin & clerical jobs, as well as the best recruits so contact us today.

We’ll see you in July.

Ben Sweeting & Michelle Scott – Directors, Asset Resourcing