Hays UK jobs and employment blog

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...

  So, if you have realised that the time is right for you to make a change and find a new job, then the following tips will help you achieve your goals. 1.Think about which skills you will need to achieve your goals Upon reflecting on your current skill set, you need to start filling the gaps as to where you have weaknesses....

    I recently read that  67%  of 6-9-year olds say that saving the planet will be the ‘central mission of their careers’ in the future. That stat struck me as fascinating, but not all together surprising. I think we’d all agree, that for all of us, regardless of our age, the reasons behind the career...

  Modern workplaces are currently being shaken up by a brand-new crop of talent – the digitally native Generation Z. Savvy and connected, these professionals are highly attuned to shifts in the zeitgeist and, even more so than their millennial predecessors, have never known a world without technology. Formulating strategies for...

  Although not traditionally known for innovation, with restricted funding and long-established IT systems perceived as hampering digital change, the public sector is now well into its stride in terms of implementing digital transformation projects in a bid to drive efficiency and improve service. Indeed, according to the research...

  The role of the PA and EA is evolving. Employers today want candidates who are not only able to perform basic administrative tasks, but who can also offer more strategic support to executives – whose own evolving roles as leaders necessitate that their assistants operate as true business managers. The increased emphasis on...

    If 2019 was anything to go by, the world of work is going to evolve and change even faster in 2020. A lot of this change is driven by HR departments, and we’ve seen organisations invest in employee engagement tools as well as introducing artificial intelligence to speed up HR processes. I’m confident that technology...

  We all have our up and down days at work, but if you feel the Monday blues consistently during the week, this could be a sign that your current job is not working for you. If it’s not, it’s time to consider just when and how you want to make your next move. How to know your job’s not for you: 1. You’re uninspired at...

  ‘It’s just a job’, is something we often say to ourselves after a bad day in the office. But is it? We spend so many of our waking hours at work that to settle for less than a job that is fulfilling, challenging and creatively and intellectually stimulating is to do yourself a disservice. Recognising when it’s time to move on...