The end of 9 to 5...

I’ve been to Westminster this week and called for a revolution! I want to see a revolution in the work place, and an end of the 9 to 5.

While launching The 9-2-3 Club at The House of Commons I called on all businesses to advertise their next hire as a flexible one, and called on all candidates to ask about flexible working arrangements in their next interview – not a demand, just a question.

Of course 9-2-3 only works on roles with flexible working arrangements. We believe that flexible working leads to increased productivity, fewer sick days, greater staff retention – and a more motivated and engaged work force. And flexible working needn't mean part-time hours, for some it means working full-time but with compressed hours or home-working. Flexible working is for everyone.

The 9-2-3 Club is all about giving individuals the opportunity to get together and share experiences in an informal setting, and for those who have had a career break, hopefully enable them to gain in confidence before re-entering the workplace. We have more meetings planned in London and the Thames Valley and some really inspirational speakers lined up (keep an eye on www.923jobs.com/networking for all the details).

While at Westminster I also revealed the findings of a new survey commissioned by 9-2-3. It found the British workplace landscape will be changing substantially over the next 5 years as nearly 3 out of 4 (73%) office workers envisage that working flexibly will become the norm.

Flexible working is here to stay. Let’s start taking action to help it here faster!

As anyone who’s spoken to me will know – I’m passionate about flexible working, and I was thrilled with the support The 9-2-3 Club had at its launch. Representatives from businesses – big and small – along with candidates (those who have had career breaks and those who haven’t) plus others, such as Digital Mums, who like me, are campaigning for a more flexible workplace. The launch wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Victoria Prentis MP, who sponsored the event. She said:  “Having job shared before I became a MP, I am really supportive of any initiative that encourages flexibility in the workplace. It is not just mums and dads who have career breaks – increasingly we are seeing people taking on caring responsibilities for elderly relatives as well. Helping these talented professionals to continue to work is so important.”

I was also delighted that Margot James MP (Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility) came along and spoke passionately about the benefits of flexible working – for both employees, employers and society as a whole.

It’s funny to think that all this started a few years ago, while I was pushing my children on the swings at my local playground. I had been struggling to find any flexible or part-time work, and I looked around and saw I wasn’t alone. The playground was full of talented and experienced professionals all looking for flexible opportunities. And at the same time I realized there were lots of businesses out there struggling to find the talent they needed to help their business thrive and grow.

9-2-3 now has more than a thousand candidates on their books, and we look forward to welcoming many more. Companies of all sizes are also being invited to take part in The 9-2-3 Club, and join in the revolution!

Be Bold For Change!

This International Women’s Day, we are being asked to help forge a better working world, and #BeBoldForChange.

I’m definitely in!

I founded the recruitment agency “9-2-3” to try and do just that. I want to help enable and empower women in the workplace. Every day I ask businesses to consider flexible work practices. Every day I speak to talented women who feel their experience and expertise is being wasted because there are so few flexible opportunities.

I look around my local playground and see HR professionals, PR execs, marketing gurus, lawyers and accountants – none are working, because they can’t find roles that enable them to spend some time with their family (or at least pay them enough to cover full-time childcare costs!).

So this International Women’s Day I will be working even harder to try and create new flexible opportunities.

I am also looking forward to launching a Career Development Network that will enable women to connect with one another, and be inspired by other women who might be able to help further their ambitions – whether they are women on boards of big businesses, women who are successfully running their own business or women working for progressive companies looking to recruit flexible talent.

I truly believe in flexible working. All the research shows that flexible working leads to increased productivity, fewer sick days and greater staff retention. So this International Women’s Day, I am calling on businesses to Be Bold for Change and embrace flexible working!

07789270183 / HELEN@923JOBS.COM / www.923jobs.com

Who Does Actually Work 9-5 in Today's Economy?

On 26th August 1994 the Sunday Trading Act came into force, possibly one of the pivotal moments that led to today’s 24 hour economy. In 1993 it was a struggle to get a pint of milk on a Sunday, today you can access your bank 24/7 and do your weekly shop (either in person or online) at 2am on a Tuesday! We expect our utilities to answer the phone at 8pm and would even email our accountant at 10pm!

The nature of our 24 hour society has changed the way people want to work. A recent Millennial Branding reportfound 45% of Millennials will choose workplace flexibility over pay. Dori Albert, crowdsourcing practice manager at Lionbridge Technologies Inc., stated that ‘Millennials helped create a “new nature of work,” with increasing reliance on the gig economy and freelancing.’

Increased numbers of families with two parents working, along with expensive childcare has led many to seek flexibility. In 2014 there were around 7.7 million women with dependent children in the UK. Approximately 70% of these women were in employment (69.6%) - which was a higher percentage than for women without dependent children (67.5%).

With so many different organisations opening earlier or longer there is now surely an increasing need for staff to work hours outside the normal 9-5. Along with an increase in freelancers1, the traditional 9-5 is less the ‘norm’. So is flexible working slowly taking over?

Nicholas Bloom, a Stanford University economics professor, carried out a study in 2013 that found home-working employees made, on average, 13.5% more calls per week than their counterparts in the office. Which suggests that working from home is more productive - possibly due to the lack of ‘water cooler moments’ and office gossip, or maybe just fewer meetings! This suggests that even when your organisation operates 9-5, flexible working offers benefits. It is also worth considering that without a stressful commute workers have more energy.

It is possible in the near future we will be entering our virtual reality offices using some amazing technology and working at the hours that suit both employer and employee. Whilst the virtual reality concept may be a while off, the flexibility is available today. Employers who are forward looking are actively encouraging flexible working, and reaping the benefits of more dedicated staff, often willing to sacrifice salary for flexibility.

923 Jobs specialise in helping employers find staff to operate a flexible working model. If you want to find out more email helen@923jobs.com

1 UK Freelance Statistics

In the UK, the Professional Contractors Group estimates that:

●There are 1.4 million British freelancers working across all sectors

●This has grown 14% in the past decade

●The flexibility offered by Britain’s freelancers is worth £21 billion to the UK economy in added value

●78% of the UK public think that freelancing and flexible working help promote a good work/life balance

●72% think freelancing has a positive effect on family life

Is Flexible Working the Ultimate Win-Win for Small Businesses?

Small businesses win because they are flexible, nimble and maximise opportunities. But usually small businesses cannot afford experienced staff. Possibly flexible working is the way small businesses can get the staff they deserve!

Flexible working is becoming something of a ‘buzzword’ and creating some interest in even the mainstream media. But most of the discussion is around why larger businesses should embrace flexible working. It is arguably easier for a larger organisation to offer flexibility as the larger workforce is more able to flex to adapt to individual needs. However small businesses have a unique opportunity to embrace flexible working. Peter Etherington, (in an article in the Guardian*) an employment law and HR professional said: “A lot of people would put it [flexible working] well ahead of pay when it comes to choosing a job/employer.”

In order to embrace flexible working you would need be creative about when and where you expected your team to work. But as a successful small business you have probably been creative about what you do and how you do it already. Many small businesses started in the local coffee shop (so much that an article on the BBC** suggested some coffee shops may be scrapping free WiFi). Many have embraced creative ways of delivering solutions, and creative ways of operating the business, so now it’s just to seek creative ways to employ staff.

An experienced employee who is seeking a more flexible work pattern will often give up salary and hours to achieve this. Imagine as an employer engaging a member of staff who has the experience and skills within your budget, and knowing that the employee is committed to your organisation because you are uniquely solving their problems! Loyal, experienced staff that you can afford, who want to work for you!

Flexible working is a true win/win for small businesses, to find out how you can engage the right team member contact Helen - helen@923jobs.com.

*(https://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2015/dec/04/why-small-business-embrace-flexible-working-experts-views

**http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37443649

Are you missing out on talent by being inflexible in your employment practice?

“The future of leadership will see employees being given far more freedom and opportunity. The days of successful leaders being overly controlling are numbered – new ways of working mean flexibility and empowerment will become central to businesses large and small.”

Richard Branson

(see https://www.virgin.com/virgin-unite/entrepreneurship/five-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-future-of-work)

There are many articles written that suggest that the 9-5 model is now dead, maybe something of an over dramatisation! However, the way we work is undoubtedly changing. According to an Office of National Statistics report from 2004 68% of families with dependent children have both parents working, and it may be reasonable to assume that figure has risen in the last 12 years. That statistic alone requires a re-think in the meaning of working hours.

Changes in technology mean that the way we work is significantly different, most professionals are constantly connected, meaning working can be from anywhere. This was illustrated when a survey by Premier Inn cited the most important factor in deciding a hotel for business was a fast internet connection. The same survey suggested 40% of business was conducted outside ‘normal’ working hours.

Despite this it took a change in the law to mean that employees now have the right to ask for flexible working, but why are employers not proactively seeking these solutions? Possibly the fear of the unknown, or of a loss of control may be a driving factor. But why would you not seek the most efficient way to engage the best talent?

Consider the possibility of a successful and talented individual who has taken a career break to have and raise a family, that person remains as skilled and valuable, but now may have different priorities. The ability to do the school run once a week becomes more important to them than negotiating a big salary. In fact, for many candidates, workplace flexibility has a direct cash value.

Some concerns from employers include how the rest of the team will react to such a flexible contract, and how to find that unique individual. The former will require planning and conversations, and possibly more flexible working with your current team; the latter is simply resolved by contacting 9-2-3 Jobs. The benefit of embracing flexible working (especially if your competition isn’t) is a huge advantage when employing and retaining staff. Increased loyalty and possibly even productivity is a hugely valuable outcome.

If you would like to know how to embrace flexible working and find some extraordinary talent and help grow your business to new heights why not get in touch? Email helen@923jobs.com

Why should Employers Embrace Flexible Working?

If you Google ‘the way we work is changing’ there are over 270 million results, and articles by some heavyweight publishers. The reality of what work means is changing irrevocably, and changing rapidly. The demands of employees and the means of delivery are so different from even a few decades ago that we need new ways of working. As we reach toward infinite connectivity we are dipping in and out of work 24/7, so the idea of a 9-5 employee is slowly disappearing.

As an employer it is hard to let go from traditional methods of employment, and some remain remarkably intractable in their approach, feeling that they are doing their employee a favour employing them. The more forward looking understand that it is a two-way agreement. In some instances a lack of appropriate skills may mean that the balance is very much in the favour of the employee, and the traditional tool to combat this is to pay more. However there is an alternative, true flexible working.

Flexible working should be a true win/win situation, offering the employee a way of working on their career path and the employer getting access to talented and experienced staff who are dedicated and loyal, often at a lower cost! The team member who has an employer who understand their needs and helps them return to work after a career break, enables them to balance a rewarding career with outside commitments, and feel they can achieve both without compromising either will be less likely to leave.

Flexible working can mean as an employer you can have a senior, dedicated member of the team to help you compete with larger companies who are better resourced. Flexible working can mean you have longer term employees. Flexible working can mean you have employees who are less distracted whilst at work. Flexible working can often mean you get much more from your team.

If you want to know what flexible working means for your company, and how to create the role, and recruit the right person, get in touch. 9-2-3 Jobs is a specialist agency set up to match those returning to work with employers who are forward thinking enough to find a way of accommodating their needs, in order to access some unique talent for their organisation. You can get in touch with us by emailing: Helen@923jobs.com

Opportunities for Senior Returners (Summer 2016)

9-2-3 Jobs has five exciting roles especially for Senior Returners...

* Senior HRBP
* Senior Commercial Finance Manager

* Legal Partner (with a strong commercial b/g)

* Sales Manager (B2B)

* IT Project Manager

These are really fabulous opportunities for anyone looking to return from a career break (who has been out of the workplace for 6 months+). So if these roles aren't for you, please do spread the word anyway, and hopefully someone can benefit from the chance.

All five positions are being offered with a 4-day week (with at least one day likely to be from home), good salary, great benefits package and extra training & mentorship to ease the successful candidate back to the workplace. They are initially being offered as a 6-month contract, which if the role works out, is then likely to become a permanent position. They are based in the Thames Valley area (with the exception of the Sales position, which depending on the successful candidate, could also be based in Manchester, Birmingham or Glasgow).

For more information or to arrange a chat, please do send me an email: Helen@923jobs.com