Hays UK jobs and employment blog

  The COVID-19 crisis has left most of the nation under lockdown . Of course, many of us have been left feeling worried or anxious about our own health, as well as the health and wellbeing of our loved ones. However, it’s also had a huge impact on our professional lives. Many organisations are feeling the pressure, and employees need to be even more responsive,...

“I’ve never had a phone or video interview before, what if it goes wrong?” “I feel worried about the impact of the virus, what if that negatively impacts my performance?” 80% of all the thoughts we have are negative. Yes, you read that right, 80% of the 12,000-16,000 thoughts we have every day are negative. And, of course, I don’t need to tell you that this percentage has most...

There is no doubt that these are unprecedented and challenging times. However, you might still be thinking about your career and what your next steps might look like. Here are our tips for job hunting during lockdown: 1. Get the basics ready First things first: ensure you have an up-to-date CV – take a look at our tips on getting your CV ready , or find out more about building ...

Managing people is not easy even when you’re in the office, so now everyone is working from home, looking after your team can be a real challenge. In order to succeed and make sure your team’s wellbeing is cared for – while also maintaining productivity – you might need to make some changes to your management style. Here are six best practice tips for managing your team remotely. ...

Given the current circumstances, chances are high that you’ll either be undertaking a phone or video interview during your job search from home . Telephone interviews carry their own set of challenges, so what steps can you take to make sure you’re properly prepared to make the best impression on your prospective employer? Before your telephone interview You may not be...

A few words on a screen just don’t do justice to the global health emergency we all currently find ourselves grappling with. COVID-19, as it spreads throughout the world, is taking over everything we know and everything we are. It’s dominating headlines. It’s dominating our conversations. It’s dominating our thoughts. It’s dominating virtually every part of our lives. Facing a crisis of...

Compassion is an integral leadership quality which is needed to support your team through thick and thin. But never has leading compassionately been more important than it is today in light of a rapidly changing world of work, which is operating more remotely than it has before. It’s becoming increasingly clear that leaders need to adapt their management style under the current...

Clearly public services organisations of all descriptions, but not least the NHS, are on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they are and will continue to work tirelessly to protect and support us all in the weeks and months ahead, for which we are rightfully extremely grateful.  But the pressure on services extends much further - central government departments, local...

Many parents try to limit working from home with their children to the occasional sick or snow day. However, all that is set to change during these unprecedented times. With schools closed, working from home and ‘social distancing’ now our unusual reality, many families are finding themselves in the position of needing to work and mind children – at the same time, under the same roof. ...

What is workplace culture?  “You don’t need everyone physically together to create a strong culture. The best cultures derive from actions people actually take.” Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, founders of Basecamp and authors of New York Times bestseller ‘ReWork’. “Culture” is hard to define, as it means something slightly different for every company. However,...

Working from home can bring with it a number of challenges, whether they be in-home distractions or general technology frustrations. However, it can also be an isolating and even lonely experience, especially if you are new to it. So, what can you do to look after your wellbeing when working from home? How can you create healthy boundaries between your work and personal lives, stay...

The current climate of uncertainty is posing an undeniable challenge to established hiring practices, but for many employers, roles will still need to be filled and business must continue as normal. If you find yourself, as many will, in the position of hiring whilst working remotely, there are several steps you can take to ensure you both conduct a successful interview and find the...

Video interviews are now a necessity and they need to be taken seriously if you want to impress a prospective employer and secure a new role. For some, the perceived lack of real interpersonal interaction during a video interview can be a cause for anxiety. Body language accounts for a large part of communication, and without it the ability to express ourselves decreases significantly. ...

In the coming days and weeks, many of us will be adapting the way we work to work remotely from home. This change will also affect the way interviews are undertaken, so don’t be surprised if your prospective employer suggests a virtual meet-up ahead of a face-to-face interview . Instead, use these steps to prepare for your brilliant (virtual) first impression. 1. Set the scene ...

  IR35 reforms in the private sector are now knocking at the door – and with them, a wealth of uncertainty. The upcoming changes have the potential for far-reaching impacts on the way organisations engage with non-permanent workers. However, organisations will still require talented contractors to support projects, so to help...

  We’re all human. We have different hopes and dreams, and different fears and flaws. We’re all unique in our own unique way. It’s our uniqueness that makes each one of us 7.8 billion human beings on this planet, human. But what is it that sets us apart from all the other species? For a race as complex as ours, this is a...

  Have you recently graduated? Are you grieving the loss of your old student life? Are you wondering what it will be like to be a fully-fledged member of the working world? Yes, and yes? I hate to break it to you, and as patronising as it might sound, you really are about to enter the ‘real world’ – one that will bring a whole...

    ‘Lost time is never found again’ is a mantra that we increasingly live by in today’s modern world. Our lives move fast, and we are constantly looking for the most convenient way to get somewhere, or the quickest way to complete a task. For public sector employers, finding the best candidates to join your...

  These days, most organisations understand why they should support diversity and inclusion, and they have a coherent agenda that works towards this. However, this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t take our own personal responsibility for making our workplaces more inclusive. After all, our individual behaviours, attitudes and...

Given that post-Brexit we might finally have a reprieve after years of uncertainty, it is interesting to look at what job trends we can expect to see and the 2020 employment trends. Many of the employers we speak to are struggling to find the people they need, so it is particularly important to look at what’s happening across employment and reflect on some of the key trends. What are the...