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Public: The Guardian, Thursday 4th March 2010 |
| Inequality in pay between women and men has been much cause for debate in recent months, but one area where females fair better is local government interim management, says a new study. A recuruitment agency has found that female interim managers earn, on average, 7% less than men - except in local government and education. Local government and education are the two sectors that buck an overall trend tracked by specialist recruitment agency Russam GMS. In local government, women earned £540.50 a day, compared with £512.50 for men, while in education, women earned £678 and men £630. In all other sectors, both private and public, the survey by the agency revealed that women are still lagging behind men on pay. On average, across all sectors, women interim managers are paid £553 a day, compared with an average daily rate for men of £592. In the NHS, male interim managers earn £630 a day, on average, compared to £515 a day for women, while in charities and non-profit organisations, male interim managers earned a day rate of £537.50, compared to £466.50 for women. The survey offers little clue as to why the rates for men and women should still differ in this way. It is not to do with unwillingness to negotiate rates. Almost the same numbers of women and men in the survey - just under half - say they "often" negotiate their rates. Only 3% of men and 4% of women say they never negotiate rates. |
Recruiter, Wednesday 3rd March 2010 |
| The judging is completed, and now Recruiter is proud to announce the shortlist of finalists for the Recruiter Awards for Excellence 2010, supported by Innovate CV. For the first year, the entire recruitment community is honoured in the Awards – from corporate/direct recruiters to agencies and recruitment processing outsourcing organisations. “This move reflected exciting developments in the recruitment world, as well as adding a whole new dimension to our evolution at Recruiter,” said Recruiter editor DeeDee Doke. “Bringing together everyone in this diverse community to celebrate the achievements in recruitment was the only way forward. “And we were amazed and delighted with the uptake of our joined-up offering. The standard of entries was so high that keeping the shortlists tight was very difficult in a number of categories,” Doke added. The blue-chip panel of 16 judges had to scrutinise hundreds of entries to agree on shortlists for 25 categories. (Nominees and the winner of the 26th category, Best Social Networking Site for Recruitment, were voted upon by Awards entrants. The winner will be announced on the night.) First-time judge Samantha Rich, head of group resourcing practice, AXA UK, said: “The quality of entries was generally very high.” She noted that the depth of information involved and number of entries meant that considerable time was required to “do a professional job” on the judging. Fellow first-time judge Virginia Begg, interim resourcing consultant, praised “excellent and thought-provoking entries” and “the flexibility and adaptability both recruitment agencies and inhouse teams have had to adopt to demonstrate value for money to their respective businesses”. Second-time judge Alan MacKinnon added: “The tough economic climate over the past 12 months… provided the perfect backdrop for entrants to demonstrate how they could positively differentiate themselves from the competition.” Business commitments forced leading recruitment industry figure Kate Bleasdale, executive vice chairman of Healthcare Locums, to step down as a judge but she has been shortlisted for Personality of the Year. She said, “The Recruiter Awards 2010 are without doubt the most prestigious night in the industry’s calendar, and an opportunity to honour recruitment’s leading players for their innovation and outstanding contribution to the continuing development of the profession. At HCL, we are proud to support Recruiter and the annual awards - – and we look forward to recruitment’s biggest and best night out in April!” Shortlist: Best Candidate Experience Diageo Kwik Fit Financial Services Network Rail TUI UK & Ireland Best Diversity Recruitment Strategy BT Domestic & General (Nottingham) Guinness Northern Counties ISS Eaton Tesco Thames Valley Police Transport for London Best Recruitment Team Atkins BSkyB Broadcasting Department for Work and Pensions Diageo Discovery Networks International Integrated Dental Holdings Steria Recruitment Innovation in Recruitment Family Mosaic Housing Lloydspharmacy s-com Group Stafford Long & Partners – Barclays Capital Steria Recruitment The Learning Trust Most Effective Employer Brand Development A4e Advanced Resource Managers British Heart Foundation East Sussex County Council Electronic Arts Wm Morrison Supermarkets Most Effective Recruitment Strategy Aon British Antarctic Survey Department for Work and Pensions Diageo HEROtsc Network Rail Steria Recruitment Most Effective Use of Technology/Online British Heart Foundation Kwik Fit Financial Services s-com Group Next Stafford Long & Partners – Barclays Capital Best Recruitment Agency to Work For Blue Arrow CBSbutler Kite Consulting Group Penta Consulting Steria Recruitment STR Tate The Stopgap Group Volt Europe WH Marks Sattin (UK) Best Candidate Care Amicus Recruit Brand Recruitment Career Teachers JM Group Sanderson Recruitment The Stopgap Group Thorpe Molloy Recruitment Best Client Service CBSbutler Digby Morgan Consulting Mandeville Recruitment Group McCarthy Recruitment Morgan Hunt Parkside Recruitment SkyBlue Best Commercial Recruitment Agency Berkeley Scott Tate Best Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy Alexander Mann Solutions Goodman Masson Recruitment Services Green Park Interim & Executive Resourcing Joslin Rowe Morgan Hunt Starting Point Recruitment Best Industrial Recruitment Agency Driver Hire Group Services The Transline-Resource Group Staffline Group Top Gear Recruitment Best Interim Recruitment Agency Green Park Interim & Executive Resourcing Russam GMS WH Marks Sattin (UK) Best International Recruitment Agency Antal International Healthcare Locums NES Penta Consulting Robert Walters RP International Tangent International Volt Europe Best Professional Services Recruitment Agency Career Legal Digby Morgan Consulting Goodman Masson Recruitment Services Joslin Rowe LMA Recruitment Xchangeteam Group Best Public Sector Recruitment Agency ITN Mark Education Mayday Healthcare Meridian Business Support (Meridian Health) Morgan Hunt Starting Point Recruitment Best Technical Recruitment Agency CBSbutler Eximius Technical IT Human Resources NES Sanderson Recruitment Outsource UK SRG Steria Recruitment Best Embedded Recruiting Team Alexander Mann Solutions – Deloitte Capita Resourcing Carlisle Managed Solutions Independent Origin HR Resource Solutions Right4staff, Site Managed Services Division Outstanding Outsourced Recruitment Organisation Alexander Mann Solutions Carlisle Managed Solutions hyphen Omni Resource Management Solutions Origin HR Resource Solutions Best Recruitment Campaign Brilliant Media CWJobs – Totaljobs Group Morgan Hunt Synarbor TES Prime Tribal Resourcing – DVLA Wm Morrison Supermarkets Best Job Board Guardian Jobs Season Workers The IT Job Board CWJobs.co.uk GAAPweb.com Monster.co.uk Best Newcomer Agency Availl Eximius Group GPRS Recruitment Hasson Associates Recruitment Henry Fox Smart Start Recruitment Fortune Hill Workshop Recruitment Agency of the Year Acre Resources CBSbutler Communicate Recruitment Solutions Eximius Group Healthcare Locums Medicare First Morgan Hunt Sanctuary Personnel Tate Recruitment Personality of the Year Kate Bleasdale, Healthcare Locums Tony Goodwin, Antal International Matthew Jeffery, Electronic Arts Jackie Lanham, The Cooperative Group Adrian Thomas, Network Rail |
Grapevine Online, Tuesday 2nd March 2010 |
| Evidence that the gender pay gap extends to interim managers has been furnished by a report from interim management providers Russam GMS. The latest instalment of Russam’s bi-annual Market Snapshot Surveys, covering the six month period to December 2009, reveals that female interim managers were paid seven per cent less per day than their male peers. The survey’s female respondents were paid on average £553 per day, compared with £592, the average daily rate for men. News of the gender gap was tempered by a suggestion that proportionally more female than male interim managers may be finding work: 51% of female respondents were on assignment at the time of the survey, against 45% of men. This could, of course, be a result of the lower rates charged by women. It is difficult not to attribute the wage gap to continued sexism. Other explanations remain elusive, here as elsewhere in business. As Charles Russam, Chairman, Russam GMS, notes: “Whilst our statistics showed that women earned slightly less than men in the last six months – we have no concrete evidence as to why this is the case. There is no difference in the way in males and females view money and negotiation and they face common challenges including competition from new entrants and clients being more choosey and cost conscious.” More generally, the report noted a stabilisation of the interim management sector after a couple of difficult years, with overall activity up by 0.9%. In particular there was a significant increase of finance interims on assignment, and a concomitant rise in their daily rates, compared with the previous period. |
Equality Southwest, Tuesday 2nd March 2010 |
| Female Interim Managers earned 7% less than men in the six months from July to December 2009, according to the latest snap shot survey of 11,000 Interim Managers from Russam GMS. Women were paid on average £553 a day, compared with £592, the average daily rate for men. The gender pay disparity was pronounced in sales and marketing, HR and financial services but not so in general management, where women were paid an average of £650 a day, compared with £634 for men. Interestingly, the research also showed that whilst women only accounted for 12% of the database, 51% of women who responded to the survey were on assignment compared with 45% of the total number of Interims on assignment. |
Fresh Business Thinking.com, Monday 1st March 2010 |
| Female Interim Managers earned 7% less than men in the six months from July to December 2009, according to the latest snap shot survey of 11,000 Interim Managers from Russam GMS. Women were paid on average £553 a day, compared with £592, the average daily rate for men. The gender pay disparity was pronounced in sales and marketing, HR and financial services but not so in general management, where women were paid an average of £650 a day, compared with £634 for men. Interestingly, the research also showed that whilst women only accounted for 12% of the database, 51% of women who responded to the survey were on assignment compared with 45% of the total number of Interims on assignment. Russam GMS wanted to find out why women are being paid less than men and winning a greater number of jobs so it questioned Interim Managers to see if there are differences in male and female attitudes to pay and willingness to negotiate rates. The research showed there is very little difference between the way men and women negotiate their rates.54% of all Interims said they occasionally negotiate their fees with clients and Interim Providers, and 42% of men and 41% of women admitted they negotiate often. Only 3% of men and 4% of women said they never negotiate rates. Interims were divided on the question of reducing rates - 47% of women and 43% of men said they had reduced their fees over the last 18 months but 40% of all Interims stated they hadn't reduced their fees. Those that had reduced their rates believed it was far more profitable to work at a reduced rate than not work at all, whilst others urged Interims not to reduce their rates, stressing that Interims should compete on quality and not on price. There was much common ground between men and women in terms of the challenges they faced. Most agreed the market was now flooded with people they termed 'in-betweeners;' individuals who had been made redundant and were trying out Interim Management as a stop gap. These people were squeezing the market rates and intensifying competition for jobs they stated. One Interim described the bun fight for jobs saying, "At a recent interview, 28 qualified accountants were interviewed and put through two hours of psychometric tests for one four month maternity assignment." Others said that management consultants had also reduced their fees and were competing for the same roles. Clients were also more cost conscious than ever said 8 out of 10 Interims. They were more specific and exacting about the skills they needed for each role and less willing to pay expenses. They urged Interim Providers to educate clients about the difference between 'career' Interims and 'in-betweeners.' Chairman of Russam GMS, Charles Russam said, "Whilst our statistics showed that women earned slightly less than men in the last six months - we have no concrete evidence as to why this is the case. There is no difference in the way in male and female view money and negotiation and they face common challenges including competition from new entrants and clients being more choosey and cost conscious. To win jobs, it is essential for all Interims to keep their skills up to date, present themselves well, be flexible and willing to travel to assignments and market themselves effectively." |
Changeboard, Friday 19th February 2010 |
| Last year, The Chartered Institute of Personnel Development predicted 350,000 job losses in the public sector over the next five years, with John Philpott, its chief economist adviser stating the recession will cause ‘a bloodbath in public finances,’ with major job losses. Gary Lawton describes some of the challenges facing the sector and how interim managers are being used increasingly to drive change and efficiency. Spending cuts and job losses in the public sector Job losses and pay freezes were widespread in the public sector last year, particularly in local councils who were under intense pressure to reduce spending and improve their services. In addition, there is major uncertainty in light of the forthcoming election, a potential new government and perhaps further sweeping job and spending cuts. In support of this view, The Institute of Fiscal Studies predicts the next government will cut spending on public services by 2.3% a year from 2011, reinforcing the fact there will be tough times ahead in the public sector. Interims - logical resource for the public sector However, amidst this uncertainty, interim managers are being used increasingly as a resource to help public sector organisations restructure and transform, reshape their management teams, manage change programmes and fill in senior level gaps. In many cases they are being used in favour of management consultants to provide hands-on change management programmes because they are a more cost effective option and have a primary focus on the ‘Big D’ – Delivery. The future for public sector interims looks steady Interims also prove a logical resource option because they hit the ground running on day one, add immediate value and bring their extensive experience to implement programmes tailored to the needs of each organisation. Additionally, the proactive transfer of their knowledge and skills to permanent staff provides a long lasting legacy to their work. The demand for interim managers looks set to continue as Buying Solutions, the government procurement agency estimated last year that £2.5bn will be spent within the public sector in the next four years on non permanent staff. How does public sector pay fare for interims? This view is also supported by the latest market research from Russam GMS which shows that from July - December 2009 pay rates for interim managers working in central and local government remained steady. This stability was notable against a backdrop of the recession and continued uncertainty around future spending in the lead up to general election. Interestingly, interims working in education and the NHS where there is perhaps less insecurity than in local and central government saw their pay increase respectively. Those in education experienced pay increases of 18% and interims in the NHS saw their pay rise by 5% in the last six months. Interims are leading transformation projects One notable change in the deployment of interim managers in the public sector over the past six months is their use in leading transformation programmes that deliver efficiencies or economies of scale. This is evident in the design and implementation of shared services programmes in local councils - streamlining IT, HR, finance and procurement services to deliver savings and improve services. While UK councils are at completely different stages of developing their shared services programmes, interims are being used to help at all levels, with both small and large councils. Birmingham City Council for example, has a well established transformation programme, saving around £120m over the last three years, while other councils are just starting out. Interims can help public sector get back to basics It's likely that this trend will continue as councils plan more radical reforms to save money. Take the ‘easyCouncil’ model currently being pioneered by Barnet, where much like the services offered by no frill airlines such as easyjet; it will offer a range of base-line services with additional ‘added-value’ services at extra cost to residents. As other councils follow suit and adopt these types of models, there will be opportunities for interim expertise to assist in council reform. Interims - managing change in NDPBS? The future of Non Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBS or Quangos), could also prove another area of opportunity. The Conservative party has indicated that NDPBs will be under threat and the void this would create would be filled at a more regional and local level with greater involvement of local authorities and the third sector. Interims could play a big part in helping with this restructure and managing this change. The future: interims can always help deliver We cannot predict with any certainty how the interim management market will evolve in the next six months given the level of change and uncertainty ahead. However, we do know that interim managers will be used more strategically than ever before to help the public sector, both centrally and locally, deliver transformation projects that will allow them to deliver more with less. Gary Lawton, managing director, public sector, Russam GMS Gary Lawton joined the Russam GMS executive team in 2007 to direct and drive forward the company’s public sector practice. Gary has an enviable track record of success with over 10 years experience of supplying senior executives into the public sector. Original article here |
Public: The Guardian, Monday 15th February 2010 |
| What is the outlook for interim managers in the public sector? With the emphasis on achieving more for less, strategically their input could be invaluable, argues Gary Lawton Last July The Chartered Institute of Personnel Development predicted 350,000 job losses in the public sector over the next five years, with its chief economist adviser John Philpott stating the recession will cause 'a bloodbath in public finances,' with major job losses. Redundancies and pay freezes were widespread in the public sector last year, particularly in local councils who were under intense pressure to reduce spending and improve their services. Now there is major uncertainty in light of the forthcoming election, a potential new government and perhaps further sweeping job and spending cuts. The Institute of Fiscal Studies predicts the next government will cut spending on public services by 2.3% a year from 2011, reinforcing the fact there will be tough times ahead in the public sector. Restructure and transform Amidst this uncertainty, interim managers are being used increasingly as a resource to help public sector organisations restructure and transform, reshape their management teams, manage change programmes and fill in senior level gaps. In many cases they are being used in favour of management consultants to provide hands-on change management programmes because they are a more cost effective option and have a primary focus on delivery. Interims also prove a logical resource option because they hit the ground running on day one, add immediate value and bring their extensive experience to implement programmes tailored to the needs of each organisation. Additionally, the proactive transfer of their knowledge and skills to permanent staff provides a long lasting legacy to their work. Buying solutions, the government procurement agency estimates that £2.5bn will be spent within the public sector in the next four years on non permanent staff. This view is also supported by the latest market research from Russam GMS which shows that from July – December 2009 pay rates for interim managers working in central and local government remained steady. This stability was notable against a backdrop of the recession and continued uncertainty around future spending in the lead up to a general election. Interestingly, interims working in education and the NHS where there is perhaps less insecurity than in local and central government saw their pay increase respectively. Those in education experienced pay increases of 18% and interims in the NHS saw their pay rise by 5% in the last six months. One notable change in the deployment of interim managers in the public sector over the past six months is their use in leading transformation programmes that deliver efficiencies or economies of scale. This is evident in the design and implementation of shared services programmes in local councils - streamlining IT, HR, finance and procurement services to deliver savings and improve services. Shared services programme While UK councils are at completely different stages of developing their shared services programmes, interims are being used to help at all levels, with both small and large councils. Birmingham city council for example, has a well established transformation programme, saving around £120m over the last three years, while other councils are just starting out. It is likely that this trend will continue as councils plan more radical reforms to save money. Take the 'easyCouncil' model currently being pioneered by Barnet; it will offer a range of base-line services with additional 'added-value' services at extra cost to residents. As other councils follow suit and adopt these types of models, there will be opportunities for interim expertise to assist in council reform. The future of non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), could also prove another area of opportunity. The Conservative party has indicated that NDPBs will be under threat and the void this would create would be filled at a more regional and local level with greater involvement of local authorities and the third sector. Interims could play a big part in helping with this restructure and managing this change. We cannot predict with any certainty how the interim management market will evolve in the next six months given the level of change and uncertainty ahead. However, we do know that interim managers will be used more strategically than ever before to help the public sector, both centrally and locally, deliver transformation projects that will allow them to deliver more with less. Gary Lawton is managing director, public sector, Russam GMS |
Times Online, Sunday 14th February 2010 |
| Jobless executives see short-term missions as a stop-gap not a key role Carly Chynoweth Jane Hanson: 'As an interim, there is no pension, no car allowance, no insurance' Pay for interim executives has come under pressure as new entrants to the market charge day rates half as much as the going rate. “At the moment there is an influx into the market of candidates [leaving permanent positions] ... who might not previously have thought of interim as an option,” said Paul Botting, chairman of the Interim Management Association (IMA) and the managing director of Odgers Interims. “They are offering themselves to clients, often informally, and they are unaware of the market rate,” he said. This, combined with tighter budgets generally, is placing pressure on fees. “There are times where I have had to tell a client that the rate they want to pay was half the market rate, even without my margin on top of it,” he said. However, hiring interims who see such assignments as a recessionary stopgap rather than a profession can leave clients exposed, Botting said. “If someone’s long-term aim is to return to permanent employment they might not be the best interim because if they get offered a job they might desert the interim project before it is complete.” Clients should also be careful about “temporary” interims’ tax and employment status and their professional indemnity insurance, said Rachel Youngman, a director-level interim. Mary Day, a chartered management accountant who has been a professional interim for 10 years, has also noticed an influx of new arrivals considering interim as an alternative to unemployment after being made redundant. “It means that, as professional interims, we have to sharpen our act,” she said. “We should be able to convince the client that we have something we can bring to the table that perhaps people new to the interim market cannot.” Turning down a low rate is certainly an option and it’s one that Youngman has taken. “I have been asked to cut my rate by a third [because a new interim was undercutting her] and I turned the job down,” she said. “I had to think of the impact on future assignments because agents often ask what the price of your last job was.” Temporary interims who plan to move back into the permanent market as soon as possible don’t have to worry about this, or about whether they are charging enough to cover the cost of time between contracts. The market has also seen a steady rise in the number of women on interim agencies’ books. Figures from the IMA show that, since 2007, the number of assignments completed by women has risen from about a quarter to a third. Hilary Husbands, a director of the Institute of Interim Management, believes that the two may be connected, as she suspects that women might be more willing to accept lower rates. “Women in general, because they are used to lower salaries [in the permanent market] will accept lower rates,” she said. A survey by Russam GMS, an interim provider, found that women interims earned an average 7% less than their male counterparts (see table, left), although 37% said they made more than when they were permanent employees. Doug Baird, managing director of Interim Partners, another provider, said that becoming an interim could give women a way to break through the pay “glass ceiling” and earn significantly more than as employees. Going through an agency rather than negotiating directly with clients ensures gender does not become a factor. “We often determine the rate of pay before determining the candidate,” he said. “That means a rate that will attract the right people on board, regardless of whether they are male or female.” Rates start at about £500 a day for a project manager or a No 2 position in HR or finance and rise to about £2,000 a day for a chief executive, said Baird. “There’s not much in the market beyond that, although people might then be incentivised in different ways.” For example, a private equity firm recently refused to pay more than £1,500 a day but was prepared to offer a success bonus. Jane Hanson, a chartered accountant, turned to interim management at the start of 2007. “The whole concept of job security isn’t what it used to be,” she said. “I also felt that I had got to a stage where I was prepared to take a bit of a risk. I don’t think I could have done it earlier, though. I am not sure that I would have had the skills and experience to make me credible then.” She hasn’t struggled to find interesting work but she certainly didn’t get a pay boost by shifting into self-employment — even though rates for her specialist skills have increased during the recession. “There are a whole lot of things that you get at a senior level when you’re corporate that you do not get as an interim — for example, share options and bonuses,” she said. “As an interim, there is no pension, no car allowance, no insurance — your daily rate covers everything.” Would-be interims should not fall into the trap of multiplying a daily rate by the number of working days in the year, and need to factor in unpaid time taking care of their accounts, keeping their professional development up to date and time between contracts. On the other hand, Hanson finds the flexibility of project work enormously convenient. While assignments themselves tend to involve very intense effort, she could choose not to take a contract over the school holidays, for example. She said she also enjoys the variety and the intellectual challenge of working on projects with tangible outcomes. “Would I go back into a permanent role? Yes, I would, but only if it was exactly the right role in exactly the right organisation.” Original article here |
Recruitment Today, Friday 12th February 2010 |
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Buying Solutions selects Russam GMS as successful supplier for new Non-Medical, Non-Clinical Resources framework agreement. Russam GMS, a leading provider of Interim Managers to the public sector, has been selected by Buying Solutions, the government’s national procurement partner for public services, as one of its successful suppliers for its new Non-Medical, Non-Clinical framework agreement. Russam GMS will supply Interim Managers throughout the public sector as part of a three year agreement that started on 1st January 2010. Through the new framework agreement, public sector departments will have the opportunity to hire temporary staff, interims and contractors in any role throughout the public sector, from the most junior to the most senior, including board level roles, through a list of pre-qualified suppliers. Russam GMS will be working closely with Buying Solutions to provide experienced, senior level Interim executives able to deliver organisational efficiencies and major cost savings to government departments. Gary Lawton, Managing Director – Public Sector at Russam GMS commented, “Russam GMS is delighted to win recognised supplier status under the new Buying Solutions framework agreement through a competitive tender process. We look forward to supplying high calibre, experienced Interims who can work with government departments to deliver organisational efficiencies, costs savings and quality improvements. We have the most extensive database of Interim Managers in the UK and a proven track record of delivering the first class resources needed in the public sector. Original article here |
Recruitment Today, Friday 12th February 2010 |
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Public sector interim managers provider Russam GMS has been selected by Buying Solutions, the Government’s national procurement partner for public services, as one of its successful suppliers for its new Non-Medical, Non-Clinical framework agreement. Russam GMS will supply interim managers throughout the public sector as part of a three-year agreement. Through the new framework agreement, public sector departments will have the opportunity to hire temporary staff, interims and contractors in any role from the most junior to the most senior, including board level roles, through a list of pre-qualified suppliers. Russam GMS will be working closely with Buying Solutions to provide experienced, senior level Interim executives able to deliver organisational efficiencies and major cost savings to government departments. Gary Lawton, Managing Director – Public Sector at Russam GMS said: "Russam GMS is delighted to win recognised supplier status under the new Buying Solutions framework agreement through a competitive tender process. We look forward to supplying high calibre, experienced Interims who can work with government departments to deliver organisational efficiencies, costs savings and quality improvements. We have the most extensive database of Interim Managers in the UK and a proven track record of delivering the first-class resources needed in the public sector." |
Government Business, February 2010 |
| Jason Atkinson, deputy chair of the Interim Management Association, explores the valuable role interim management has to play in helping the public sector achieve its goals
Today, public sector organisations face more pressure than ever to deliver a wide range of services. That means meeting demand for even higher levels of quality and service and putting resources to the front-line. Quite often these pressures necessitate changing how the authority or body operates – to inject a more commercial outlook, to redefine roles, to eliminate unproductive work habits, or to integrate new processes and procedures, as well as technology, to support the business.
It’s a human trait that we are cautious of change. Yet, managers have to be able to introduce and manage change to ensure organisational objectives are met. And, they have to ensure that they gain the commitment and understanding of their people, both during and after implementation. The pressures of change are often compounded with the need to ensure that business continues as usual. It’s a strong ask. Managing change For these reasons, it’s important that the way change is managed is carefully considered by organisations. Whilst each situation will be unique, there are still a number of common threads that will help ensure that the transition stands the greatest chance of success. One way of ensuring any change is managed effectively is by using the services of an interim management consultant. Interim managers are highly skilled and specialist operators that bring specific experience and a proven reputation for implementation and results. ‘Interims’ can be placed for a defined period of time – where a permanent position may be inappropriate within current recruitment/employment policies or more likely, the role is not deemed to be a permanent position. In fact, as the public sector demands more flexibility from its workforce interim management is fast becoming the answer. Consequently the opportunity for this niche pool of specialists is on the rise and it’s now an industry worth an incredible £1bn. The benefits The business case for employing the services of an interim manager is extremely compelling. Interims are self-motivated and experienced individuals. They operate to clear objectives, which they look to achieve within a set timescale, and are experts at joining a team or department and hitting the ground running; delivering results from day one. Financially, the argument remains sound. Interims are paid to an agreed day rate – with no hidden costs. They operate as self-employed businesses in their own right. No recruitment fees (which at senior level can be significant), no holiday pay, no sick pay and no pension contributions. Simply a cost-effective solution to a business challenge that adds value and needed skills whilst negating long term costs and overheads that would otherwise impact on the bottom line. It’s an industry that drives innovation and renovation. Research shows that recognition within the public sector is growing with adoption by many local authorities and healthcare trusts. Russam GMS case study – member of the IMA Case study Interims are often called upon to deliver major strategic projects, including projects, where millions of pounds are at stake. One such interim is Ian Gray, who has more than 17 years experience of delivering major turnaround and improvement projects in the private and public sector. Ian has now been appointed by one of the largest government organisations to undertake a major programme, which is set to deliver significant efficiencies. His current role involves overseeing 15,000 people and working closely with people from every level within the organisation to gain their commitment and acceptance of the changes needed to ensure major financial improvements. The former CEO of Tottenham Hotspur has a proven track record in the private and public sector. Last year, Ian worked at two NHS Trust Hospitals – Mayday University Hospital and Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, where he was responsible for changing their respective financial situations through the introduction of smarter processes. At Mayday the predicted £9m deficit was eliminated and at Epsom and St Helier University Hospital, the deficit was reduced by £6m in just a year. Original article here |
Post Magazine, 4 February 2010 |
| Research into the interim management market indicates demand is growing for their services in the financial services sector. Every six months a survey is undertaken by Russam GMS involving interviews with 11 000 interim managers. And the latest one claims that a slowdown in the interim management market appears to be over. While activity increased only slightly (0.9%) over the past six months, it marks a major contrast to the 15% drop in market activity recorded in the 12 months between June 2008 and June 2009. While average daily pay for interim managers fell slightly — by 1.5% — financial specialists have seen their pay rise by 8.8% in December 2009. The average rate for interim managers across all sectors was £592 at the end of last year, compared to a high of £611 recorded in December 2008. But interims working in banking, finance and insurance commanded £716 a day on average. Charles Russam, chairman of Russam GMS, said: "These results suggest the slowdown in the interim management market is over and that things won't get any worse. "Finance professionals are back out in the field helping streamline and position organisations financially for the future and we think these specialists will continue to be in demand this year, providing cost effective and timely resource to help companies emerge from the recession." |
Edge, January 2010 |
| When times get tough, there is one breed of driven manager that seems to be weathering the storm better than most. Helen Mayson asks whether interim managers really are the best at handling a crisis or simply cause short-term disruption Want more? The full version of this article is published in Edge February 2010. For the latest leadership and management news, views and advice, join ILM or upgrade your membership and start receiving hard copies of Edge direct to your door As companies struggle to operate in a climate of budget cuts and hiring freezes, they’re looking for new ideas and new ways to get the job done. Increasingly they are turning to interim managers. This unusual breed of managers, many with years of experience, are parachuted into businesses undergoing change to tackle large projects, often at a very senior level. Doug Peck, marketing consultant at Practicus, one of the UK’s largest interim management recruitment companies, says that sometimes there’s a negative view of interim managers, particularly in the public sector. This often comes from a misunderstanding of what interims do, or from confusing them with the more common contract manager or consultant. “With contract management, you go in, do a job, and you leave. In interim management, you go in, do a job, but you leave a legacy: you upskill people and leave the business in a better state,” says Peck. This process of upskilling, or knowledge transfer, is the key factor that separates an interim from a contract manager and makes them such an appealing prospect for CEOs under pressure. Although interims aren’t consultants, who are hired on an ad hoc basis to improve performance, they are sometimes called upon to provide consultancy services in the early stages of a project. Diane Jeanes, an experienced interim manager and winner of a performance award from the Institute of Interim Managers (IIM), is often employed for an initial period of consultancy, then asked to stay and implement recommendations, sometimes for months at a time. But long term assignments are not always the best way to use interims. Peck says that “any longer than eighteen months and companies should really be looking at a permanent person.” New blood The life and pay of an interim certainly seems an attractive proposition for those seeking a career change or facing uncertainty in their current jobs. The Interim Management Trend Update, produced by Executives Online (EO), shows that although a quarter of interims have more than ten years’ experience, one in four have less than two years’ experience, reflecting the recent growth in the sector. But can anyone step into an interim management career? “The market’s flooded with people that have been made redundant,” says Jeanes. “They don’t really understand what a career interim is and think it’s something they can do as a temporary thing until they get a permanent role.” While the high wages and flexibility may be appealing, it takes a certain skill set to acclimatise to a business, analyse problems and implement change in a short period of time. “The people that actually make it in interim management are the ones that were there from the beginning,” says Peck. “Interim managers are a very specific breed.” Jeanes agrees. “As an interim you need to go in, get up to speed and make a difference straight away. You need analysis skills, the ability to disseminate information very quickly and you need to filter out what’s important and what isn’t.” Interim managers are often called in to oversee periods of change, so managers “with a short attention span and those who like a challenge tend to thrive,” says Peck. “They’ve got to be so adaptable, chameleonic essentially, to be able to go into any business and adapt to the culture.” Archetypal hunter The short-term nature of the work means many interims are effectively unemployed for large parts of the year. In a network-driven world, a strong contacts book is essential for any aspiring interim. Assignments often come through word of mouth, so new interims may find it hard to keep up a steady flow of jobs. Penny de Valk, chief executive of the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM), says that this uncertainty means interim managers need a fierce drive and real ambition to constantly be on the lookout for new opportunities. “Interims tend to be a very different beast. They only eat what they hunt.” For Jeanes, the appeal of the flexible working pattern prompted her to leave her job as IT director at Legal & General and take up the interim life. “I get the best of both worlds. When I’m working I’m normally in the City and I get everything that the City offers; when I’m not working I live in a small village community,” she says. De Valk doesn’t believe that interims need a particular skillset – rather a certain orientation. “Interims will always be lone wolves. Their experience set can be vast and, of course, they need the experience to be able to manage projects. They also need excellent communication skills and the ability to build teams fast.” The growing interest in the interim market means that the competition for jobs is increasing. “At a recent interim management seminar in Manchester, when asked how many people were interims, a few hands went up; those wanting to get into the market were 80% of the crowd,” says Susan Achmatowicz, who moved into interim management three years ago (see case study). Charles Russam, chairman of interim management consultancy Russam GMS, is even more pragmatic. “The market is more competitive and tighter now than ever before, so interims need to be on top of their game, brush up their skills and sell themselves to whoever needs their services and can pay for them.” Value for money? Bringing in an experienced manager to oversee a large project may make good business sense, but that experience comes at a price. Peck says that 60% of the managers he places are in the £500-£800 a day bracket, 20% at £800-£1,200, with the top 20% charging £1,200 plus a day. This is by no means a cheap option, but Peck tells businesses to consider the return on investment when factoring in the cost of hiring a seasoned interim. “It is an eye-watering amount of money, but if they save a business £30m, it pales into insignificance. Interims, with their years of experience, genuinely drive phenomenal change you wouldn’t be able to achieve otherwise,” he says. It’s this wealth of experience that makes companies keen to get interims on board. If companies are clear on their remit, says de Valk, bringing in an interim can be beneficial. “It’s important to remember that an interim is neither a manager nor a consultant, and to realise that they are in fact a very different beast. Their skills and experience can be applied to many different problems.” But it is important to carefully consider just when and where to place interim managers as some organisations are using interim managers inappropriately. “All they’re really doing is getting in a temporary pair of hands to turn something around,” says de Valk. “The key factor is whether the change then sticks. They need a very clear remit from the beginning that they need to train a team to take that change forward.” Hit the ground running In these constrained times, the public sector is increasingly turning to interims. The latest figures from the Interim Management Association (IMA) show that the NHS accounted for 31% of all public sector interim assignments in the third quarter of 2009, while local government hired 29%. The NHS has even opened its own interim management recruitment agency, NHS Flexible Resourcing, to deal with the increased demand for managers in the health and social care sector. “The public sector generally sees interims as a solution – they get pragmatic, experienced individuals who can hit the ground running [and] who have the experience, the scar tissue and credibility to take the team with them,” says IMA chairman Paul Botting. Another growth area is risk management, particularly in the finance sector, where managers with risk and credit compliance experience have seen a 50% increase in day rates since the start of the credit crunch, taking the average from £1,000 a day up to £1,500. “Before the credit crunch, compliance and risk were sometimes seen as a necessary evil,” says Andrew McIntee, head of financial services at Interim Partners. “Now the value of these previously unsung heroes is being recognised.” That’s not to say that the downturn has not hit interim management. Nearly half (48%) of interim managers are currently out of contract, a figure that’s up 15% since 2007, according to EO. But while interim activity was down 4% in the first six months of 2009, it was nothing like the 11% drop in activity in the second half of 2008. “As in previous recessions, more companies have been employing interims on a part time basis, showing that demand is clearly there but companies are being more cautious and cost conscious,” said Russam. This emphasis on part time or shorter contracts is changing the way the interim world works with managers often working on several projects at once. Companies are still working with interims, but in a more flexible way and with tighter budgets, reflecting the times. Original article here |
Civil Society, Friday 29th January, 2010 |
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Interims working in civil society organisations have seen a pay rise of 4 per cent during the last six months, new research by Russam GMS has revealed.
The study, of 11,000 interim managers representative of the entire employment market, claims that wages in the voluntary sector rose from £499 a day in June 2009 to £521 a day in December 2009. Stephen Brooker (pictured), chairman of Russam GMS said: “These results suggest the slowdown in the interim management market is over and that things won’t get any worse. “Finance professionals are back out in the field helping streamline and position organisations financially for the future and we think these specialists will continue to be in demand this year, providing cost-effective and timely resource to help companies emerge from the recession.” Similarly, interims working in education saw their pay rise by 18 per cent in the past 12 months from £544 a day to £642, while those working in the NHS also saw their pay increase by 5 per cent to £598. The interim management marketplace grew by 0.9 per cent overall in the past six months. Original article here |
Recruiter, Wednesday 27th January 2010 |
| The decline in the hiring of interims appears to be over, says UK interim provider, Russam GMS. According to Russam’s latest six month snapshot of 11,000 interim managers, the interim management market increased slightly by 0.9% from June to December last year, in stark contrast to the 15% drop in market activity recorded in the 12 months from June 2008 – June 2009. Charles Russam, chairman of Russam GMS, told Recruiter: “There are certainly signs of optimism for the interim market and things are not going to get any worse. “Despite the announcement that the recession is officially over, businesses will still be reluctant to hire staff on a full-time basis for the time being.” Interim rates have also remained fairly stable. The average daily pay rate for interims across all sectors was £592 in December 2009, just a small decrease (1.5%) from £601 recorded in June 2008, and from the all time high of £611 recorded in December 2008. Finance specialists were in demand and the number of finance interims on assignments rose from 16% in June 2009 to 22% in December. They also saw their pay jump by 8.8% from £532 in June to £597 in December. Other high earners included IT specialists who commanded an average of £649 a day, up from £641 in June. One major area of uncertainty is the public sector with planned government spending cuts, as well as projects potentially being frozen pre and post election. Russam told Recruiter: “There will be pay cuts, but they won’t be draconian. In the last recession, the public sector was the engine of recovery. “I expect more interims to be taken on for projects instead of management consultants, as interims are much more cost-effective.” Original article here |
Recruitment Today, Wednesday 27th January 2010 |
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By Mike Jones The decline in the Interim Management market appears to be over, according to the latest six month snapshot of 11,000 Interim Managers from UK provider, Russam GMS. Activity increased slightly by 0.9% over the past six months and this small increase is in big contrast to the 15% drop in market activity recorded in the 12 months from June 2008 to June 2009. Also, in spite of speculation about Interim rates being squeezed downwards, pay remained stable. The average daily pay rate for Interim Managers across all sectors was £592 in December 2009, just a small decrease (1.5%) from £601 recorded in June 2008, and from the all-time high of £611 recorded in December 2008. Part-time Interim managers saw their daily rate rise again in the last six months, from £602 in June 2009 to £616 in December, supporting the fact that many companies are working with Interims in a flexible, cost-effective way to suit their budgets or trying out Interims on a part-time basis before committing to longer-term contracts. Finance specialists were in demand and, in the past six months, the number of finance Interims on assignments rose from 16% in June 2009 to 22% out of the total number of Interims on assignment in December. They also saw their pay jump by 8.8% from £532 in June to £597 in December. Other high earners included IT specialists who commanded an average of £649 a day, up from £641 in June and general managers who earn £635 a day. In terms of sectors, Interim Mangers working in Telecoms saw their pay rise by 15% in the past year from £625 a day in December 2008 to £718 in December 2009. Other buoyant industries for Interims last year included FMCG, where Interims experienced a 16% pay rise and the food industry, where pay rose by 13%. Interims working in the retail sector saw a reversal of fortune, with pay rises of 5% in December 2009; this was in stark comparison to the 26% drop recorded in the six months to June 2009. These positive changes could indicate increased consumer spending and show that market recovery is on its way, albeit slowly. Pay rates stood up well in the public and third sectors too, with very little changes in pay for Interim Managers working in central and local government and the charity and not for profit sectors. In contrast, Interims working in education saw their pay rise by 18% in the past 12 months from £544 a day in December 2009 to £642. Interims working in the NHS also saw their pay increase by 5% in the last six months to £598. Charles Russam, Chairman of Russam GMS said: "These results suggest the slowdown in the Interim Management market is over and that things won’t get any worse.” "Finance professionals are back out in the field helping streamline and position organisations financially for the future and we think these specialists will continue to be in demand this year, providing cost-effective and timely resource to help companies emerge from the recession. "One area of major uncertainty is the public sector. Although pay rates are holding up for now and demand for Interims was strong over the past six months, we anticipate that planned Government spending cuts and the forthcoming election will impact the market, with projects potentially being frozen pre and post election." Original article here |
Grapevine Online, Tuesday 26th January 2010 |
| The interim management market showed signs of improvement in the second half of 2009, according to new research from Russam GMS. In the six month period from July 2009 to December 2009, activity in the interim market increased by 0.9%. This increase is in stark contrast to the 15% drop in market activity recorded between June 2008 and June 2009. The average daily pay rates for interim managers (across all sectors) stood at £592, which is comparable to the high figure of £611 recorded in December 2008. In the last six months part time interims saw their daily rate rise once again, from £602 in June 2009 to £616 in December. This suggests that many companies are looking to employ interims in a flexible way that supports their budgets. The number of finance specialists on assignments rose to 22% from 16% (comparing the second half of the year with the first year), and their pay increased from £532 to £597. Other interims who saw their pay increase were IT specialists, those working in the telecoms sectors (who saw their pay increase by 15% in the past year to £718 a day) and interims in the retail sector. Charles Russam, Chairman of Russam GMS, comments: “Finance professionals are back out in the field helping streamline and position organisations financially for the future and we think these specialists will continue to be in demand this year, providing cost effective and timely resource to help companies emerge from the recession. One area of major uncertainty is the public sector. Although pay rates are holding up for now and demand for interims was strong over the past six months, we anticipate that planned government spending cuts and the forthcoming election will impact the market, with projects potentially being frozen pre and post election.” Original artice here |
Wall Street Journal, Monday 25th January 2010 |
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LONDON — Hiring an interim manager used to be like hiring a seasoned assassin. The experienced executive would come into the business during a crisis - often during an economic slump – and would carry tough restructuring measures, most likely by cutting costs by shredding jobs. Although this is still the case, some interim managers are gradually being hired by companies across sectors in Europe as part of their long-term strategy for projects like integrating acquired businesses or filing in for leadership roles. Deborah Stevenson, who has been an interim manager for 12 years, says she has seen more variety in the use of her skills. "Interim managers used to be hired mainly for emergency turnaround situations. Now it is a more varied, general role," she says. "If as a company you are integrating a business, it is easier to give it to a [temporary worker] so your staff can continue doing their job." Ms. Stevenson says new assignments can knock on her door in two different ways: "Either you get a call from an agency or someone you have done work for in the past offers you work," she says. David Moore, who says became an interim manager "by accident" after leaving Anglo American PLC nine years ago, says that unlike your typical managerial job, you know you have done a good job when a company doesn't need your skills anymore. "Normally if I have done the job, they need a different animal than me," Mr. Moore says. "I should make the role so easy for somebody to come and in and do it as a routine job." Because the nature of the job only allows managers to get acquainted with individuals at organizations for a brief period of time, interim managers must be good with people skills, Mr. Moore adds. Nick Diprose, the executive director of British interim management provider Board-Level Interim Executive, says senior executives who are hired on a freelance basis are increasingly being asked to make long-lasting changes. It used to be that interim managers were hired to deal unplanned change, Mr. Diprose says, but they are now managing planned change, which includes taking charge of projects that last typically between six and nine months. "This is the great expanding market," Mr. Diprose says. He says more companies are now hiring interim executives to layout a strategic plan for growth, to prepare them for an acquisition, to implement or approve IT systems. Dutch researcher Jaap Schaveling , one of very few studying the subjects, agrees. "Interim management started in the Netherlands about 20 years ago because managers were not good enough. But more and more this role has turned into being efficient in just one aspect of the organization rather than trying to change it as a whole." In his research of 141 companies in the Netherlands, he found that only less than 10% of interim managers were actually being hired to turnaround businesses. On the other hand, 41% of companies in the country are now looking to employ an interim manager to improve the efficiency of the company, while 40% are hiring part-time executives to provide cover for a senior position until a well-suited candidate is found, his research shows. The demand for interim managers only started picking up in the U.K. about a decade ago and it has been such that professionals with vast expertise and knowledge have gradually opted to abandon big corporations and establish a career for themselves. The interim management market saw a slight increase of 0.9% over the last six months thanks to a rise in big contracts, following a 15% contraction in the sector recorded in the twelve months from June 2008 to June 2009, according to research from Interim Management provider, Russam GMS. The average daily pay rate for interim managers across all sectors was £592 in December 2009, a 1.5% decrease from £601 recorded in June 2008, the research also showed. And there's another reason why directors would be keen to hire a freelance manager, adds Ms. Stevenson. "Some directors lack confidence in making key decisions. They may not have done something like that before and the interim manager can come and do that work," she says. "It's more risk averse as well for a director to get somebody else to do it. If something goes wrong, they can blame the consultant," she says. Original article here |
The Times Online, Wednesday January 20, 2010 |
| By Carly Chynoweth 1 Get back into banking Savvas Savouri, the chief economist at Tosca, the hedge fund, recently predicted that 100,000 new financial services jobs would be created in London over the next decade. Specialist consultants are also needed, with growth in demand throughout the financial services sector, Alan Leaman, chief executive of the Management Consultancies Association, said. There will be an emphasis on restructuring, helping banks to remain competitive and, particularly, dealing with new financial regulations, he said. 2 Think temporary Companies took on 33 per cent more temporary and contract staff at the end of last year than 12 months before, according to KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation. As the economy picks up, a number of employers — keen to avoid more redundancies if the market worsens again — will choose to hire potential new staff on interim arrangements before deciding whether to make things permanent, Charles Russam, the chairman of Russam GMS, an interim placement agency, said. 3 Learn a language Euro London Appointments, a financial and banking specialist, reports an increase in demand from brokerage houses for people with fluent French, German, Dutch or Scandinavian to work in equity sales. Annette Cox, an associate director at the Institute for Employment Studies (IES), suggests Mandarin, particularly for anyone working in an export-related business: “The Chinese economy is set to boom ... and in the long term looks set to overtake the US,” she said. 4 Delve into digital Digital communication is expanding and will continue to do so for some years yet, creating opportunities in IT, communications and marketing, Charles Logan, the managing director at Hays, the recruitment company, said. “The capacity for growth and investment in this area is huge,” he said. “Digital marketers, online strategy managers and technical and strategic professionals, such as SEO [search engine optimisation] experts, will continue to be in demand.” 5 Go green The Government has promised to invest £100 billion in renewable energy, creating 70,000 jobs. Mr Logan expects to see jobs created in nuclear power and throughout the energy sector, not only in new technologies. “Decommissioning [old nuclear power stations] will continue to be in high demand, as will those candidates with retro-fit experience [upgrading existing facilities],” he said. Ian Jenkins, managing director of RUSTON wheb, a clean technology search firm, identified offshore wind and anaerobic digestion as areas looking for both engineering and project management skills. 6 Turn to science Our ageing population means that anything related to health and wellbeing looks a safe bet. Those with cross-disciplinary skills — for example, engineers who understand biochemistry — will be in a particularly strong position, Dr Cox said. And there will always be a need for medicine, so the pharmaceutical industry is another good place to look. 7 Move on to the front line Nursing, medical and care staff are the most sought-after employees in the UK, according to KPMG’s and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation’s latest Report on Jobs, while the Children’s Workforce Development Council has started a publicity campaign to attract more people to train as social workers. “And we’re always looking for teachers,” said a spokesman for the Training and Development Agency for Schools, which hopes to recruit 36,000 in 2010-11 — qualifications in science, engineering, maths and technology are particularly sought-after. 8 Start your own business Recessions are the classic time for entrepreneurs to get going. No inspiration? Consider a franchise; about 90 per cent of franchisees are still reporting a profit despite the recession, including 81 per cent of those in their first two years of operation, according to the British Franchise Association. 9 Give yourself a sporting chance With Britain scheduled to host the Olympic Games and at least two world cups — cricket and rugby — in the next ten years, jobs related to sport and tourism look strong, Dr Cox said. “Sports coaches at every level are likely to be in demand, as will people with skills in event management and all the service industries that visitors will need. We’re always short of chefs. And anyone who works in visitor economy sectors like hotels, restaurants, retail and cultural activities will be [in demand].” 10 Retreat to a garret Research by the Institute of Employment Studies has concluded that graduates of creative courses — art, design, fashion and the like — are well-placed to survive tough economic times because they value creativity above wealth. Many of them make their living by mixing a range of freelance projects and part-time jobs; this doesn’t make them wealthy, with half earning £20,000 or less, but it does make them happy — three quarters are satisfied with their jobs (the national average is 44 per cent). Original article here |
Human Resources, January 2010 |
| This month, Civil Society Fundraising releases the findings of the first survey of those people in the top fundraising positions in the top 100 charities by income. In what will be an annual, tracking study we discover who exactly is in charge of filling the purses at the UK’s largest charities. Vibeka Mair reports from behind the directors’ chair. The typical director of fundraising at the top British charities by income is 45-year old man, on about £72,000 a year, who has been working in the sector for 14 years and has been settled in to their charity’s top post for just under four years. Civil Society Fundraising has conducted its first-ever survey of the directors of fundraising top 100 charities by income. When narrowing this down to those organisations which actively fundraise this brings the table to 71 charities. The analysis that follows is based on the information provided by those that responded to the survey along with what we gleaned from data that is in the public domain. While a majority of those in directors of fundraising roles at the top 100 charities were men, their dominance of the position was only slight. The gender split was, in fact, refreshingly equal with 47 per cent of directors of fundraising roles taken by women. The gender parity goes all the way up to the largest of charities, with five of directors of fundraising at the ten top charities by income taken by women. Gill Raikes, director of fundraising at the National Trust, was the highest placed female with the National Trust ranked second only to Cancer Research UK in terms of annual income. Women dominate in arts and culture organisations, with just four out of the 14 organisations represented in the Civil Society Fundraising table employing men in their top fundraising positions. This near-equality in numbers is far ahead of other similar roles in the civil society sector. A survey on chief executives in our sister title Charity Finance last year found that only 25 per cent of chief executives in the top 100 UK charities by income were women. However equality ends at the pay packet, as a gap emerges when looking at the salary scales for men and women in the top fundraising position. Male directors of fundraising earned, on average, £77,000 per year, nearly £8,000 – or 11.5 per cent - more their female counterparts. Salary brackets varied widely across the top 71, from between £40,000 to £50,000, to more than double that at more than £100,000. All fundraising directors earning more than £100,000 were men. The financial downturn is unlikely to have a negative impact on the salaries of directors of fundraising at the largest charities. Commenting on the wages of fundraising directors on the whole, Ian Joseph, practice head for charities and not-for-profits at recruitment firm Russam GMS, says it reflects a desire for quality. “Particularly as the economic climate tightens, the market for high quality fundraisers will increase. If you want good people you have got to pay top dollar,” he suggests. Age and tenure Aside from salary, the men and women in fundraising director roles share a number of common work features. The average age of a fundraising director is a sprightly 45 years and three months, with very minor variations along gender lines or in relation to where the charity stands on the table according to their income. The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Caroline Jones and Julian Barrell, of the Prince’s Trust, have the honour of being the two youngest directors of fundraising (or equivalent) in the top 100 charities, both reporting to fall within the 30 to 35-year-old range. The average number of years in a post is three years and eight months. Male directors of fundraising have been in post a full year longer than their female counterparts. There appears to have been few fly-ins for the top fundraising positions in charities. Overall, directors of fundraising have been in the sector 14 years. Women have generally been in their posts for longer at 14 years and two months compared to 13 years and two months for men. In terms of work history, there was a near-even split between directors of fundraising who had backgrounds in the voluntary and private sectors. Only 8 per cent came from the public sector. Looking forward, most of those surveyed said they would like a chief executive role in the future, with consultancy or fundraising in a larger organisation the next most popular role. However, it would appear the road from director of fundraising to chief executive is one very much less travelled. The Charity Finance survey on chief executives found only one chief executive in the top 100 UK charities by income came from a fundraising background. Tim Johnson, executive director at Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, whose previous role was director of major gifts at the charity, was the only fundraiser who had managed to climb the ladder. But for some, such as Amanda Bringans, head of fundraising at Macmillan Cancer Support, contentment was found in being the top fundraiser within their own organisation. “I don’t know where to go after Macmillan,” she admitted. “Not many jobs will be better.” |
Realdeals Europe, January 2010 |
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Interim finance director Mike Ralph has just completed an 18-month assignment at London’s Groucho Club. Graphite Capital bought the club – named after the Marx Brother who jested: “I don’t care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members” – from Joel Cadbury’s Longshot property group for £20m (€22.2m) in 2006, and Ralph worked two days a week to set up a finance department. “Previously, it was part of a group. I had to strip out the finance work and set it up as a stand-alone function,” he says. “I was also responsible for handling the refinancing issues.” Ralph is typical of the kind of interims private equity players find particularly useful in these troubled times. He’s 57 (experienced), worked for Whitbread (big company know-how) during the 1991 to 1992 recession (seen it all before), and has started and sold his own business (understands the private equity ethos of leveraged value creation). “One of the key benefits of employing interim managers is that they usually have a wealth of experience and sector knowledge,” says Mike Innes, a partner at Graphite. “They often have a dynamic approach to work and thrive on the challenge of delivering results in a given time period. They are also not afraid to question the status quo, and their fresh perspective and independence often delivers great results.” Jason Atkinson, executive director at interim management firm Russam GMS, adds that in this environment, interims are also often more cost-efficient than consultants. “The average interim day rate has been shaved back to around £600 during the recession,” he says – although that covers a large range from the low hundreds to the low thousands in exceptional cases. Yet as many portfolio companies head for the buffers, some private equity houses are struggling to find suitable interim managers for urgent assignments. “There is a shortage of managers with the experience of taking a business through a recession,” says Jon Andrew, chief operating officer at LDC. “Given that we had 64 successive quarters of economic growth, totalling 16 years, there are some experienced practitioners that will remember the pain of the last recession – but also a lot that won’t. In order to get through a recession, it’s important to have managers that remember previous ordeals and have the experience to get through the current one.” John Bloor, head of the business transformation practice at interim management firm Alium Partners, also says that appropriately skilled interims are few and far between. “We normally find someone with the right skills and experience to do a job,” he says, “but I have to say these people are not over-supplied.” But not everyone in the interim management community agrees there is a skills shortage. “Most interim managers have many years of experience which would encompass at least one recession – and many will have helped several companies through turnarounds,” says James Hunt, managing director of executive recruitment and interim at Penna, an HR consulting group. Masters of elusion The key to the shortage conundrum is that it all depends what a private equity firm is looking for. It could be seeking an elusive individual who lurks somewhere inside a complex three-sided matrix constructed around management specialism, industry sector and turnaround management experience. Most private equity houses and interim management specialists agree that the highest demand is for financial directors, especially those who’ve toiled in the salt mines of a previous recession. However, there is also a growing demand for interim HR executives, according to Atkinson. “In the private equity space, we’re seeing an upturn in roles for people who’ve battled unions before on issues such as headcount reduction,” he notes. The difficulty for employers is sorting out the executives with real recession experience at a sufficiently senior level from those who were only bit-part players the last time the economy nosedived. “I think the really skilled executives who thoroughly understand how to weather the storm are rare,” says Michael Gebauer, a partner at Pilotpartners, which provides board-level interim executives. “We see a lot of CVs coming through which people have rewritten to make it seem that they’ve more turnaround experience than they really do.” How to sort the sheep from the goats? “It’s a matter of spending a couple of minutes talking to them – because it isn’t hard to suss out whether someone really was one of the driving forces in a past successful turnaround,” Gebauer adds. Meanwhile, when it comes to industry sectors, several interim recruitment specialists report strong demand from the retail sector, where high street names have been dropping faster than their prices. Many private equity-owned portfolio companies in the hospitality industry, technology and leisure industries have also been on the qui vive, often for turnaround specialists as the recession bites deeper. Are you experienced? One key issue for buyout houses is that interim managers who may have had an excellent record in a public company, or even a larger family firm, don’t make the grade when it comes to private equity. They simply fail to grasp the ethos of the operation. “Previous experience of working in a private equity or venture capital-backed business is often seen as mandatory, as the mix of stakeholder relationships can be difficult to pick up quickly,” says Hunt. “There is the management team, the private equity house and the bank, all of whom have different drivers. Private equity firms are also looking for very quick turnaround of figures, often on a weekly or even daily basis rather than monthly. So the speed at which information is needed, and at which decisions are made, is quite different from most companies. Qualities needed are adaptability, strong stakeholder management and resilience.” At LDC, Jon Andrew is in no doubt about what the firm is looking for in an interim: “Experience – and bags of it,” he says. “Ideally, we want someone who has been through a recession before,” he says. The value of interims is that they are very qualified to do the job at hand – if not overqualified. In our business, it is essential that they have experience of working in the private equity sector, as well as managing banks and their requirements, particularly for those taking on an interim role in finance. “As our business is regional, interims also need to be mobile and flexible. On the whole, interims are very useful as they are happy to stay in hotels near the site and work long hours. This means that they get through a large amount of work very quickly. Interims also tend to be highly committed to the job and are self-sufficient.” One investment house that believes it has solved the interim shortage is RCapital, a firm that provides turnaround funding for UK and European businesses in the £20m to £100m bandwidth. It has recruited its own cadre of turnaround specialists who are always put to work in one of its portfolio companies. “The people we use are executives who have generally run their own business in the past and are very experienced,” explains Jamie Constable, RCapital’s chief executive. “They don’t come from the world of interim managers, but they’re turnaround guys. They are normally workaholics, love dealing with issues, sorting out problems and juggling 12 balls at once. But they don’t work well in what I would call a steady-state environment.” Other private equity houses are getting around the problem by placing their own executives in portfolio companies in an interim capacity. “I’m finding it harder to meet my client contacts because they’re out on location,” Atkinson notes. Nevertheless, demand for specialist interim managers doesn’t appear to be wavering. Indeed, Gebauer has noticed a marked increase over recent months. “We’ve seen a pick-up,” he says, “particularly in Europe. I also think the expectations from sponsors of interims are becoming more demanding. They want people who’ve worked in private equity and – where they’ve got multinational businesses – who are multilingual. And they’re looking for people with a turnaround tint to their CV, so if there’s another hiccup they’ve got somebody on board who knows what they’re doing.” Meanwhile, Ralph has shaken the Groucho Club’s dust from his feet and is looking for his next challenge. Leisure or hospitality businesses in need of an experienced FD for hire, apply now. The life of ryan David Ryan is an interim manager with a financial services background who has just finished a 14-month spell working for a part private equity-owned business services company. It was the kind of situation that is common in the private equity world. Two businesses had merged, but the combined cost base had ballooned out of control. As the recession struck, top-line revenue hadn’t responded to support the underlying costs. Ryan’s brief: restructure the business and cut the cost base by 30 per cent in two years. He is now looking back on a successful mission, but what’s the key to performing in a tough climate? “It’s having been in these situations before,” he says. “If you look at the studies that have been done on how to effect fundamental change, it’s to have change agents in those businesses who have been through the process before. The differentiator is to understand how that process works, to understand what levers you can pull and to do it very quickly.” Ryan has few doubts about what the private equity firms who employ him want – especially in the current febrile economic conditions. “People buy a safe pair of hands that can demonstrate a track record of having succeeded in what is a very difficult environment for all parties.” Largely it’s about identifying which people you want to have involved in that journey – and why – and ensuring that they are brought into the camp effectively in a relatively short order, to make them feel they own the situation and the problems. “It is about being reasonably open with them to the extent that you can explain they are being involved – because they’re seen as the group that will drive the change forward – and then giving them very well-defined roles and responsibilities, and getting them working as a team within the business,” he adds. “There is an art form in getting that combination of technical skills and value fit to make sure that the team operates well, and all the people in that team are effectively pulling in the same direction.” When he parachutes into a company for the first time, Ryan says the secret is to identify these key movers and shakers in the business and motivate them to change. But he’s wary about taking on a project – especially if it involves heavy change management or turnaround work – unless there is clear leadership from the top, normally meaning the chief executive. It’s also important that everyone in the top team has bought into the necessary change, and that their remuneration is linked to its success, Ryan says. “In the absence of that environment, I wouldn’t say you have failed before you’ve started, but you run the risk that the job is going to be more difficult than it might otherwise be. Certainly, it’s an impediment to achieving the change in a relatively short time.” Original Article Here |
Human Resources, Monday 4th January 2010 |
| The number of HR professionals leaving permanent jobs to take on interim roles is rising. Is this really the best time to do it? The start of a new year is often reason enough for professionals to consider where their careers are going. Add a recession into the equation, though, and the temptation to up-sticks and find something safer is even more compelling - and HR professionals are no less immune than anyone else. In fact a survey by online intelligence company XpertHR claims one third of HR professionals who left their posts in the past 12 months did so by choice. The report puts staff turnover in the HR sector at 15.1% with 5.2% resigning - up from 4.5% in 2008. With CIPD membership up by 2%, it is clear these people are not leaving the industry entirely. What does seem to be happening is that many of those who have left are deciding to make a lifestyle decision by shifting from a permanent role to setting themselves up as an HR interim. It is difficult to know exactly how many HR professionals are seeking to become interims, but with interim agencies (see below) saying more candidates want to be added to their books, is now really the best time to become an HR freelancer? According to the Institute of Interim Management (IIM), the HR interim market is worth between £80 million and £100 million a year. HR constitutes about 10% of the total interim sector, but this has actually declined by about 20% since the start of the recession. It points to life as your own boss being erratic at the very least. So what is the true picture? IIM director Ad van der Rest is an HR interim himself through his company, Visible Goal. He says work is still around for those seeking this lifestyle but what he is more concerned about is what he calls 'cowboy interims' - those who are entering the marketplace with extensive HR experience but who are unaccredited and uninsured. The IIM only accredits members if they have professional HR qualifications and experience, are covered by professional indemnity insurance, have examples of assignment achievements and references from clients and are continuing their own professional development so that their skills remain up-to-date. "Some HR professionals have simply been made redundant and are looking for temporary roles and are calling themselves interims," van der Rest says. "But it takes a lot of work and energy to set up your own business, sort out your branding and get an accountant. Employers can confuse interims with contractors, so employers must look at people offering solutions to their problems and not those simply presenting a list of previous HR jobs." That said, van der Rest insists HR directors should not be put off becoming an interim if they genuinely want to establish their own business. Specialist areas career HR interims can exploit as the upturn accelerates include change management, restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, employee engagement, performance and talent management, as well as learning and development. One problem for new entrants is that they can find it particularly tough to win their first assignment. The advice from the experts is to accept a lower than average day rate to get a foot in the interim door and to nurture relationships with potential clients and recruiters cultivated through networking. Andrew Pope, a director at interim provider Kingsley Search, says HRDs need to time their arrival into the interim world carefully. He says: "I did advise someone not to leave a permanent role because, as an interim in a recession, you are a commodity and the supply and demand ratio is not in your favour. There are lots of long-established HR interim managers waiting for their next assignment and many clients still automatically look at these first." However, a study by talent management consultancy Ochre House reveals there are still opportunities for interim newbies. It has discovered the highest level of demand for interims is at HR business partner level, paying an equivalent permanent salary of between £40,000 and £60,000. Those particularly in demand are interims with change management experience. Intriguingly the study suggests full-time interim managers are actually in danger of being ousted by the growing number of redundant professionals. Ochre House finds 70% of organisations recruiting interims to fill short-term senior vacancies would actually prefer someone who has just come out of a permanent role rather than a longstanding career interim, because they have not had time to get blase about what they provide. The Interim Management Association (IMA) also believes now is a good time to consider an interim career. Its view is that employers and agencies are looking for new talent. In contrast to the IIM, the IMA says up to 30% of new interim placements are HR-based because of the skills needed. It says this has been the case irrespective of the recent economic climate. But the IMA does make one point absolutely clear: "There is not much demand for people who are just 'dabbling' at being an interim," says IMA chair Paul Botting. "Over-qualification is what good interim placement is all about and clients want people with scar tissue from a long career in HR." For HRDs who do decide to take the plunge, finding a reputable interim agency can be difficult. The recession has enabled providers to become much more choosy about who they take on. Raj Tulsiani, CEO of Green Park Interim & Executive Resourcing, says his company only accepts about 15% of the people who walk through its doors, and it uses strict psychometric testing to assess candidates. He says interims have had to accept lower day rates. For top-level generalist HR interim roles these have dropped from about £1,500 a day to £1,000 in some cases and at the lower end of the market from £750 to £550. "Some people made redundant or who have resigned have got bad career advice about how attractive it will be as an interim," says Tulsiani. Similarly, Kate Mansfield, a managing consultant at independent senior interim provider Alium Partners, says only people with broad experience and a depth of marketable skills will succeed as interims. Alium takes on about 10% of the people who ask to register. "Ideally we are looking for people with at least one interim assignment under their belt, their own company and who are looking at a long-term interim career," says Mansfield. BIE Interim has about 400 HR professionals on its books. Executive director Nick Diprose says he has now become "very careful" about who he registers. "As an interim you need credibility and to be able to make an impact personally and professionally," he says. "The HR function has taken a hit this year and there are fewer interim posts. The demand is for ex-HRDs who can really add value." Actual demand for HR interims has flattened off significantly over the past 12 months, by as much as 50%, according to Gareth Jones, managing director at Courteney HR. He says some day rates have even fallen to as low as £300. "Even interims who we know have had continuous work for years are coming out of the woodwork saying jobs have dried up. Others have had to take roles that are not really challenging them," he says. Such negative stories can easily put off HRDs considering making the leap into the interim world. Catriona Drysdale, head of interim at FreshMinds Talent, hopes the current climate will not deter people who would make very good interims. She says her company saw a 350% increase in demand for interims during October and early November compared with the previous year, even if day rates were lower. "Anyone who is a great networker and who has the skills to impress even the fussiest employers will make a success of an interim career," says Drysdale. "Even if you are new to the market and do not have a history of interim assignments you can still package the individual projects you have managed during your permanent career." Over the next few months, as the economy creaks along, HRDs considering life as an interim will need to weigh up the obvious lifestyle benefits of being their own boss against whether there is a real demand for their skills at this time. THE BROADER MARKET Research by interim specialist Russam GMS indicates the market is improving, although there is unlikely to be another boom in demand any time soon. Its snapshot survey of 9,000 interim managers reveals although interim activity fell by 4% in the six months to June 2009, this was better than the 11% decline experienced by the industry in the previous half year. The recession has meant fewer jobs, more competition and a squeeze on daily rates, but the research paints a less negative picture for 2010. "Our latest research at the end of December is expected to show the rate of decline has continued to slow," says chairman Charles Russam. "The recession mood is still there but we seem to be getting closer to a recovery." Because of the recession he says interims have realised the importance of networking. "Between 40% and 50% of work comes through agencies in a downturn and the rest from an interim's own personal endeavour. HR directors considering entering the market will need a very strong network." The survey reveals average daily pay rates for permanent HR interims was £563 in June, down from £592 last Christmas, a drop of 4.8%. However, part-time HR interims saw their pay increase from £594 a day in December 2008 to £615 a day last summer. NIGEL BALDWIN Former group HR director of technology company Telent Nigel Baldwin had been considering entering the world of interim management for three years before he took the plunge last year. Telent was the name given to the former Marconi businesses not bought by Swedish telecoms company Ericsson in 2006. Baldwin had a chance to move to Ericsson but stayed to oversee a massive change programme at Telent that included closing and relocating a number of sites. "When this job was done I felt I needed to do something different so I came to an amicable agreement with the company to move on and I began my interim career last summer," says Baldwin. "I read documents on how to be a good interim and I ticked all the boxes. I was good at building relationships, had a breadth of skills and I wanted to feel independent." He adds: "I made calls every day to set up meetings with interim agencies and recruitment companies." Baldwin has formed his own limited company called People Advantage and registered with interim provider BIE Interim. His first interim role was with distributor RS Components. "I realised I had to play to my strengths to win work in the recession around restructuring and cost reduction and helping businesses with trade union relationships. I cannot see myself going back into a permanent role." REITZE BROUWER More than £100 million in efficiencies and cost reductions for his employers is a proud boast and one that Reitze Brouwer is confident will mean he enjoys a long and successful interim career. He has 10 years' international HR leadership experience behind him and speaks five languages - something that should help him win international work. He formed Reitze Brouwer HR Interim Management and Consultancy in July 2009 after leaving his post as HR vice-president total reward EMEA at SAP Software. He is also a former global resourcing manager for BT. "Six months before starting as an interim I realised there were opportunities in efficiencies and cost controls. However, like most people I misjudged just how serious the recession would be," he says. "Most of my work has been as a consultant because interim management is a real struggle if you have only just started. You still have to prove yourself and build relationships with agencies." But his expectations for 2010 are positive. "There is a lull in the interim market as much of the work around restructuring has been done. We are now all waiting for companies to have more confidence to invest in HR again." KEVIN FISHER Kevin Fisher has just started his interim career but is still in two minds about whether he should leave the permanent world behind forever. After being made redundant from his 12-year role as group HR director of marketing services business at CPP Group, he has spent the past few months enjoying more time with his family. He is now keen to win his first interim role and has registered with provider Russam GMS. "I have researched the interim market in depth and have talked to those who have made the leap and to agencies. But I must admit I am looking at permanent roles too," he says. From talking to agencies Fisher has noticed a change in what clients want from HR interims. "Before the recession, if you came to employers with a strong set of generalist HR and management skills, they would be less worried about sector experience. Now they want industry experience too." HOW TO FIND NEW INTERIM WORK Two years ago Ruth Manning decided to return to the world of work as an interim in the financial sector. As a chartered accountant and with a successful senior management career behind her with employers including HBOS, she expected the offers to flood in. When they didn't she went searching online for help. "It was hard to get well-balanced advice because many interim agencies paint a very rosy picture of the market and tell you how easy it is to make a successful career as an interim," says Manning. She decided there must be others in her position who needed help both to find interim work and to market themselves to potential clients. Her response was to set up a website called Plato's People (www.platospeople.co.uk) which is a database that matches candidates with employers looking for interims. "This is an additional networking tool for interims who want to get more work directly rather than involve agencies," she says. "The site is particularly useful for new HR interims who do not have a history of success and are finding it hard to break into this market despite their experience and skills." She adds: "My site is not trying to sell a dream. It is giving practical help to people considering becoming an interim and those finding it tough." HR interims can add their CV to the Plato's People website free of charge while employers pay to search by postcode, key words or sector. Employers can also post assignments. |
The Recruiter, Wednesday 9th December 2009 |
| There are certainly signs of economic green shoots, but what will the next year hold in store for our industry? Recruitment insiders give their new year predictions: Rosaleen Blair, founder and CEO, Alexander Mann Solutions “In 2010, there will greater focus on managing attrition and retaining talent. We anticipate that as the job market improves, employees will regain confidence and start to proactively look for new opportunities. Outsourcing is still very much on the agenda, with HR department looking to get most value from their recruitment budgets. And investment in employer branding will increase, especially in those sectors which have had their reputations knocked during the recent difficult times.” Kevin Blair, senior recruitment manager EMEA, Oracle “I am not sure that 2010 will be the recruitment Utopia some recruiters believe it will be. I think as we move through the year things will start to improve. Many candidates have ‘sat it out’ during the uncertain times and will now start to look for a career move with a little more confidence. One of the positive things to come out of a recession is that it forces organisations to become smarter about their spend. Next year companies will be more innovative in how they use social media and web 2.0 products to get access to the candidate pool. This channel has now proved itself across many sectors as being consistent, reliable and cheap.” Susan Bor, director, group resourcing, RBS “Ensuring we have candidate confidence in our employer brand remains key at RBS. This is about ensuring people realise that while we have had and continue to have challenges we are very much in the market for talented individuals. Our employer brand must be engaging and compelling, and we have a task to reassure potential candidates that we still offer fantastic opportunities with unparalleled development and comparative benefits packages.” Michael Brewer, consultant, Cordoba Group “What will 2010 offer? The bad news is probably more of the same as in 2009. The name of the game will be change, however. The days of piling CVs high and selling them not so cheaply are coming to an end. Employers will look for more added value from all their suppliers, including recruiters. They’ll want more help defining profiles and testing candidates. The challenge will be make sure that consultants have the skills and expertise to deliver the value employers and candidates are looking for.” Jerry Collier, international RPOdevelopment director, Kenexa “I see two main themes for 2010. The first is recruiting firms scaling-up their operations in a phased approach — demand often leading capacity. Secondly, there will be greater focus on the ‘quality candidate’, identifying where they are and what message to carry to them, to balance the noise about alternative sourcing channels such as Twitter. It’s going to be exciting for RPO as we take more accountability for the quality of hire! Recruiting in 2010 will be about clarity, execution and outcomes.” Tim Cook, managing director, Hays UK & Ireland “Hays already had strong structures in place with an experienced management team and an agile business, but this year we had to redirect resources into areas of opportunity, whilst retaining our footprint in the more established areas. We undertook a complete transformation programme to allow us to offer our customers even more insight, expertise and consultancy. Whatever happens next year we are well positioned to take advantage of opportunity where it arises.” Tony Dandridge, CEO and cofounder, Saber Analytics “It is my view that moving throughout the forthcoming months and years, recruitment company owners will focus on delivering increased sales activity through improved monitoring of areas such as KPI analysis, together with improved internal competition and increased motivation of consultants’ performance.” Albert Ellis, CEO, Harvey Nash “The outlook is that a recovery is underway, with recruiters seeing fairly flat financial results on a like-for-like 2009 basis (ie excluding cost of restructuring) and with considerable downside risks. The baseline comparatives at least will appear flattering, which will help confidence but UK unemployment will rise, albeit at slower rates than 2009. Europe will lag behind the rest of the world due to the inflexibility of their labour markets but expect increased productivity of the European contract labour force in line with demand increases.” Peter Felix, president, the Association of Executive Search Consultants “I am encouraged by reports from search consultants around the world that the market is slowly but surely improving and that the demand for executive talent is once again asserting itself. It is inevitable that top management will be assessing their market opportunities in the post-recession world and that gaps or weakness in senior management ranks will need addressing. I am optimistic that 2010 will prove to be a better year for executive search.” Mandy Ferries, head of personnel and training, JD Wetherspoon “We have seen an increase in applicants for positions this year and I would expect that to continue in 2010. We are also experiencing our lowest labour turnover figures ever and as a result have a stable workforce. Based on our experiences, I think the recruiters who will have the edge in 2010 will need to be able to deliver the best candidates in their class and listen to employers’ needs. Employers are in an enviable position of having a large pool of experienced candidates to chose from and we will be setting high standards and requirements for hires in 2010.” Paul Jacobs, managing director, LoveWorkLife “Recruiters should view the new year with a mixture of optimism and a degree of introspection. Movement in the job market bodes well for the industry, but the same intense feeling of seeking pastures new for the UK workforce will also influence the thinking of valued consultants and managers - not to mention outstanding temporary workers and contractors. Now is the time to display tangible displays of appreciation through a wide variety of meaningful methods, including benefits, development and a focus on creating an enviable company culture. The future looks brighter, but it will be prudent to adopt a ‘back to basics’ attitude as the market grows.” Richard MacMillan, chief executive, PULSE “Workforce optimisation and flexible working practices will remain central to the services that we offer in 2010 as further changes in healthcare regulation and government targets put increased pressure on the NHS to deliver more with less budget. Global shortages of specialist health and social care staff are also set to increase further, so the NHS needs staffing providers to be agile and responsive in this marketplace to increase and reduce resources according to demand. As the NHS faces up to the reality of finding up to £20bn of savings by 2014, people have never been more important so we don’t expect demand for staff to waver.” John Maxted, managing director, Digby Morgan “Although we keep reading that the recession is over, our experience is that there is still a degree of uncertainty and we would expect this to continue at least for some months yet. We are seeing signs of improvement and, in some areas, an upward trend. We’re all expecting 2010 to bring a much rougher ride in the UK public sector as the cuts we’ve heard so much about take effect. HR should be proud of how it continues to manage the challenges of the recession. There is a growing acknowledgement in boardrooms that effective best practice in HR will continue to ensure that businesses emerge from the recession stronger than ever.” Matthew Parker, group managing director, StepStone Solutions ”There’s no question that there will be more movement of staff. I think the ‘talent tsunami’ is coming; the key message is that the war for talent didn’t ever go away. Another thing that is really clear to me is that it is almost impossible to predict, with any degree of accuracy, what is going to happen to the economy without looking back over a 7-10-year period. But what we do know from that history is that good people are always in demand, and especially so in a recovering economy as companies plan for the future.” Christine Raynaud, ex-CEO, Hudson UK “There has been a sense of stabilisation across Europe after the summer with pick up, even, in sectors and markets where the fall had been most violent. However, this could be a mechanical correction; GDP predictions for 2010 are too low to enable job creation. The recent turmoil in Dubai shows the underlying fragility in the financial markets and decline could be feared in public sector spending. There are, as always, opportunities in niche segments and for the best consultants but overall, the market outlook for 2010, while probably an improvement over 2009, is still very fragile and uncertain.” Charles Russam, chairman, Russam GMS “This year has been a curate’s egg of a year for the interim management sector. Most providers can’t remember a time of greater supply over demand. Public sector spending and interim assignments are widely expected to reduce in 2010 but I don’t think this will be as severe as many anticipate. With only modest recovery in the private sector, any strong reduction in public sector would simply damage recovery prospects at a time when serious help is needed. As always, there will be work to be had but 2010 will be only marginally busier than 2009 with the better performing providers being those who try harder, seriously innovate and deliver more of a quality service than their competitors.” Jonathan Young, staffing lead, Lockheed Martin UK “As the world’s largest global security company we see 2010 as a year of opportunity. Through robust organisational development and focused talent acquisition Lockheed Martin continues to deliver great innovation and add value to our customers. Outsourced staffing solutions, development of our employer brand, improving assessment capability as well as our graduate and industrial trainee programmes provide the foci for our resourcing team. Finding the balance between cost and quality of hiring will be essential if we are to support the business to continue to deliver exceptional performance.” Original Article here |
The Guardian, Wednesday 25 November 2009 |
| Pay freezes or cuts are common in today's climate. Stephanie Sparrow
The Guardian. Recessionary pressures and over-supply have seen interims' pay drop slightly in the past year, but there is a sense that rates are now bottoming out. "There has been a squeeze on rates, but we think the average has got close to a floor," says Jason Atkinson, deputy chair of the Interim Managers Association and director of Russam GMS. Atkinson's estimate covers a whole gamut of public sector roles, from managers on £400 a day, through to a chief executive restructuring officer on £1,200. Atkinson's firm runs the Russam Snap Shot Survey, which has found an average drop of £50 a day in public sector rates nationwide between December 2008 and June 2009. But certain roles are holding up well. "In some areas rates have increased," adds Danny Hodgson, head of interims leadership at Gatenby Sanderson, "particularly where there is a finite number of individuals, such as children's safeguarding services, which has seen demand increase since the high-profile cases of 2008." Hodgson says that the recession has unleashed new interims into the market place, not just redundant managers who wish to try an interim career, but also from private sector interims who see the public sector as more stable. " Areas such as property services and asset management were hard to recruit, but given what has happened in the private sector, an increasing number of people are moving into it," he says. Performance bonuses are holding up, says Ian Gooden, director of resourcing solutions at Chiumento. He has heard, elsewhere, of procurement interims collecting bonuses linked to the level of savings they have achieved for the organisation. Gooden thinks senior interims are hit hardest by lower rates, with some now prepared to settle for £650 to £750 a day, whereas two years ago they could demand £1,000. "Interestingly, those on £500 a day are now looking at £450, and have been hit less hard by the drop in rates." Clients benefit from this pay squeeze, Gooden says, because they can "trade up" to get a more experienced interim at a lower price, or find someone who is so well qualified that they will be able to deliver results in a shorter length of time, maybe six months instead of nine. And in any case, interims will be seen as better value than management consultants. "Senior interims probably cost 50% less than the equivalent consultant," says Anna Bishell, head of Rockpools' interim practice. As she points out, interims implement as well as suggest changes, whereas consultants will probably only do the latter. The current squeeze on rates means that interims will retain their reputation for good value. Original article here |
The Guardian, Wednesday 25th November 2009 |
| Alan Hughes, 58, is currently an interim customer relationship management manager with World Vision. "My particular specialism is what is known as customer relationship management (CRM), which is essentially using information to acquire 'customers', develop relationships with them and retain them. It's also about learning what they require and using that information to see when a customer relationship is beginning to weaken. My background is quite varied. I was in retail and financial services for many years and have been a professional interim manager since 1998. I've worked on a whole range of projects, primarily in financial services and the not-for-profit sector. I was, and still am, a retained CRM consultant for Comic Relief. I do a few days each month developing an approach to CRM and I have also worked on a full-time interim contract with NCH (now Action for Children) as interim assistant fundraising director. Clearly there is a great deal of space being given to exploring how to improve the way charities develop their fundraising capabilities to fulfil a particular brief. I'm not saying charities are becoming just the same as companies in the commercial sector, but they are becoming more aware that they can gain advantage to work more effectively and efficiently by using the methods used in a commercial environment. To a degree the recession could be seen as being a 'good thing' in making some charities, and the sector as a whole, more aware of the fact that it's not an anathema to be more commercial in their approach, particularly if they are going to produce the best results for the cause they are working towards." Original article here |
The Guardian, Wednesday 25 November 2009 |
| With the job market shrinking, there is a wealth of talent around. But not everyone is suited to interim work. Anita Pati reports Carole Easton took her first interim role this year, overseeing a merger at disability advocacy charity Speaking UP. Anita Pati If you have reached a stage in your career where you feel your skills and experience deserve wider recognition, could becoming an interim be your next step? You could be in senior public sector management, considering self-employment. Or you may rank among the highest positions of the private sector and be looking for a change. But with public sector finances in an iron grip, is now a sensible time to become an interim? Paul Botting, chairman of the Interim Management Association, which represents organisations that supply interims, thinks it is. "Interim is in growth mode and within that, public sector is the fastest growing part of the interim market," he says. Before taking the leap into the interim sector, there are some practicalities that most interim providers will expect, he says. "Most interims will have to set up a limited company and be VAT-registered and they'll need to have professional indemnity insurance," says Botting. "And they need to recognise that they will be parachuted in at short notice to solve a problem – to seize an opportunity or minimise a risk." There are also pitfalls that interims should be aware of. "It can be a lonely life," Botting says. "You have to take the team with you quickly and build relationships … then six months later you might move on and have to start again." And not everyone will succeed. Interim management, "isn't for the vast majority of people", says Jason Atkinson, executive director at specialist agency Russam GMS. "Recently we have been receiving between 200 and 250 CVs a week, the market is becoming flooded with talent, but many of the candidates should be considering permanent jobs rather than interim," he says. "The uncertainty and the demanding nature of interim work doesn't suit everyone." It does suit Steve Benger, who has worked as an interim in the NHS as well as in the private sector. He first became an interim in 2000 when he switched careers after working in company restructuring in the corporate telecommunications industry. "I had a successful career but … I was fed up with making lots of money for other people and didn't want to be in the same business for a long time," Benger says. Benger usually works 10-12 hours a day for 10-12 months on each interim assignment and often travels. "If you want more opportunities, you have to be flexible on location," he advises. But there are benefits, which make him prefer the interim life. He says the stress of being judged by others is less because he can now adhere to his own high standards. "I don't do office politics – it drives me bananas," he says. Carole Easton took up her first interim role earlier this year – a three-month assignment at disability advocacy charity SpeakingUp, where she is overseeing a merger. Easton became an interim after spending the past 12 years in voluntary sector chief executive roles, heading up Cruse Bereavement, ChildLine and most recently, CLIC Sargent. She says being an interim gives her the chance to gain wider experience while she considers her next career move. She says: "Although I'm still interested in another permanent role, I want to make sure it's the right one." Being an interim, she says, "allows me to be more selective, while broadening my experience." For those with long-term interim experience, continuing professional development (CPD) can be an issue. Gill Kelly is an associate director at Cipfa Placements, interim provider at the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, the professional organisation for people working in public finance. She says: "I think any reputable interim provider should take CPD seriously. If I was an incoming interim I'd ask how my provider is going to assist me with my CPD." Cipfa Placements offers interims free briefings and opportunities to attend courses and conferences. However, Andrew Spencer, head of training at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the professional organisation for those working in HR, says that often employers expect new interims to already be trained enough not to need further CPD. The CIPD's own member interims have online access to information such as changes in employment law, peer networks and discussion forums, something Spencer says most industry associations should provide for their members. Distance learning can be ideal for interims who, he says, "can't afford to spend too much time away from the job". "Given the current climate, interims may find they have a responsibility to look after themselves." Top five tips: How to be a successful interim manager 1. Set up a limited company Interim agencies will expect you to behave like a professional from the outset. The first thing they will ask is if you have set up a limited company. This can be done through Companies House. Make sure your company name has impact, reflects what you do and is not too similar to another. 2. Set up bank accounts Check out which internet banks offer free banking to small businesses. Self-employed people are usually not taxed at source so you may want to set up a separate savings account to collect corporation tax, VAT, NI and income tax. This will help to regulate cashflow and will avoid a hefty lump bill later on. You also need to consider if your lifestyle can sustain an irregular income. You should also be aware that you have to look after your own sickness, holiday and maternity pay and pension. 3. Register for VAT You must register your company for VAT if your anticipated turnover is more than the 2009 threshold of £68,000. Check if this is best for your company, however, because if your clients cannot reclaim any VAT that you charge, this may put them at a disadvantage. But charging can also save your clients money if they can recover any VAT. And it can demonstrate that your business is big enough to be taken seriously. 4. Take out insurance The Institute of Interim Management (IIM), the organisation that represents professional interims, "strongly recommends" that interims have professional indemnity insurance. Many clients, it says, will expect a minimum of £250,000 and more if you are working at director level. You may also want to consider public liability and employers liability cover. The key documents that providers will expect include VAT registration, company incorporation, indemnity insurance, relevant academic qualifications and a driving licence. 5. Market yourself as a product Consider what you have to offer the market and then develop a marketing strategy. The strategy should include who you want to reach in terms of a customer base and what it is about you that a client might want to buy. Setting up a website to showcase your work and testimonials is one of the first steps you should consider. The institute says only one third of all the assignments available are supplied by agencies, so it is important that interims have honed their own marketing strategy and network of business contacts. Information from the Institute of Interim Management Original article here |
The Guardian, Wednesday 25 November 2009 |
The NHS has set up its own recruitment agency for interims as demand for these senior executives rises. Linda Jackson reports Jobs that would have traditionally gone to management consultants are now being taken by interims. For decades the word interim was considered a dirty word in the NHS – all too often shorthand for overqualified, costly and a quick fix. But in the past year, the use of freelance senior executives has grown. Now, in recognition of the huge value of short-term contracts, NHS providers have launched their own recruitment service for high-level interim managers. Set up in April, NHS Flexible Resourcing is a joint enterprise between NHS Employers and public sector interim management specialists Solace Enterprises aimed at placing senior managers in the top tiers of NHS management. And although it has only been going for just over six months, it already has more than 200 associates on its books – including many former chief executives and directors. Aware of an increasing dependence on interims, NHS Employers set up the service in an attempt to advise trusts how to access expertise and regulate the market. "We felt trusts were not procuring services in a very sophisticated manner," admits Sian Thomas, director of NHS Employers. "Sometimes they were exchanging paper work with interims that did not meet strict audit requirements. Furthermore there is a huge variance in rates. Trusts using us can now have some idea of who we think is value for money and know that all our associates have insurance and are registered as limited companies." A rigorous registration and vetting procedure gives a guarantee of the quality of people being used, adds Rita Sammons, director of Solace Enterprises, which has 15 years' experience of placing senior managers into the public sector. Any profits go back into research projects. The launch of the service reflects the move away from a traditional reliance on costly management consultants. Often costing three times as much as interims, they tend to give advice rather than fulfil a hands-on role. Not surprisingly, growing numbers of trusts under financial pressure are turning to specialist interims to pilot difficult projects or deliver innovative solutions. Sammons and Thomas believe the future for interims with career portfolios is rosy, and predict hundreds of job opportunities over the next couple of years as the NHS moves to bring care closer to patients. Interims, they say, offer good value for money, as trusts do not have to spend on recruitment costs, induction courses or pensions. Increasingly interims will be seen as freelance executive troubleshooters used to drive through change programmes or carry out a service review for trusts needing a "fresh pair of eyes," they predict. Meanwhile, people with commissioning skills at a senior level will continue to be in demand to respond to the government's world-class commissioning programme – assessing and meeting the health needs of local communities. Jason Atkinson, deputy chairman of the Interim Management Association, the organisation that represents 32 specialist recruitment agencies, agrees with their predictions. Demand for interims in the NHS is at an all-time high, he says. Evidence could be seen in the newspapers every week, where there were more adverts for health care roles than any other sector. Indeed, the increasingly important role interims play in the NHS was borne out by an Ipsos Mori poll in June, which shows that the number of interims employed in the NHS had risen by almost 50% in the first six months of this year, he adds. However, Atkinson is cautious about interims being seen as the cure-all for NHS ills. "I think the work is there to stay for a couple of years as health care bodies become more streamlined and get more efficient," he says. "But who knows what will happen after that, when a new government comes in and funding isn't there?" For interims, the best way of guaranteeing future work was to keep their skill-set sharp, Atkinson believes. People who stayed in jobs for more than a year risked becoming part of the furniture. "Successful interims are people who understand go-live dates. Providers are paying for individuals who are two levels overqualified and have done the job already and have the thinking power. That will continue for the foreseeable future." Case study: Month away Patrick Geraghty, 52, from Kingston, Surrey became an interim manager because he is passionate about change. Six months ago he was charged with setting up world-class quality assurance systems for Croydon primary care trust (PCT). Today, he is busy writing a business case for Ealing hospital on setting up an integrated care system with NHS Ealing and Harrow PCT. "I love the freedom I have in the type of work I choose to do. It is great to be involved in change programmes that I would not do if I was in a [permanent] post," he says. A former psychiatric nurse, he first embraced change in the 1980s when he switched to general nursing before studying for a business degree and going into NHS management. He left his last job as head of commissioning at Surrey Heath and Woking PCT, when it merged with four other PCTs to become the biggest PCT in the country. Finding himself at a career crossroads, the father of three decided to take redundancy and set up his own company. Since then he has worked as an interim in a number of roles, each typically lasting between four to six months. However, his latest job came through NHS Flexible Resourcing, which he joined in September. Geraghty says interim flexibility has allowed him to spend a month holidaying in Ireland last summer with his family – something he would not have been able to do previously. However, he has this advice for anyone considering being an NHS interim. "You have to market yourself and make sure you take work that suits your particular interest and skill set. You have to be able to hit the ground running and have an insight into how the NHS is run." Case study: Benefits both ways Working as an interim manager has given Yvonne Le Brun (pictured right) longed-for control over her own work. Her last full-time job was as area director of care services for Hampshire primary care trust (PCT) in 2007. Having spent nearly 30 years working across health and social care, including a spell as a deputy chief executive of a PCT, she decided it was time to make the jump into freelance work. "There had been a number of organisational changes and I wanted to feel more in control of my career and build on my strengths in health and social care." In her 50s, Le Brun says being an interim manager has given her an opportunity to build a multi-faceted skill set and given her experience of working across different organisations. In two years, she has had four contracts, including one with Hampshire county council, where she was given responsibility for setting up a commission into the future of social care. She has just finished a 10-month contract with Devon PCT, which involved a review of continuing care. "Being an interim means you are often jettisoned in at a senior level, which allows you to get to the heart of an organisation and how it works. You don't get involved in office politics. Usually people are really pleased to see you." Le Brun admits that one of the drawbacks of working outside organisations is the travel: her contract in Devon meant she was away from her Hampshire home for much of the working week. However, she says the freedom and sense of job satisfaction make it worthwhile. She says the benefits are two-way. "For the NHS, using an interim allows for a focused approach. We are brought in to help an organisation out of a hole. That means delivering results." Case study: Flexible working Switching careers has liberated former chief executive Margaret Stockham, who used to feel as if she was "juggling balls with one hand, and spinning plates with the other". For the first time in her career, she feels she has been able to achieve a flexible life-work balance. Working as a business consultant and interim manager, she can choose when and what work to take on. This has given her longed-for freedom to see family and friends. A former chief executive of Bedford primary care trust (PCT), she decided, like others, to change careers following organisational change. "I had already been chief executive for 10 years and found it pretty unrelenting. There was not much family time. I had a mother in her 80s and two grandchildren who were growing up fast," recalls Stockham who lives in Bedfordshire. "I realised if I was going to be a chief executive again, the job would be for another five or seven years. I went for a career change and it is working out fabulously." Stockham, who runs her own business, is also on the books of NHS Flexible Resourcing. She is currently working part-time as an interim, writing commissioning strategies for West Midlands PCT and helping Walsall PCT with its business plan, as well as carrying out a strategic review for NHS South West Essex PCT. "I am very close to agreeing another piece of work. Some parts of the year I work like a Trojan; other times I don't," she says. "I still put in the hours. But I can now, if I need to, take an odd day off to see my mother, or have lunch with friends in the afternoon and then work in the evening from 8pm to 11pm. I feel much more in control." Original article here |
The Guardian, Wednesday 25 November 2009 |
| Suzanne and Charlotte (daughter) Dean at home in Gloucestershire, UK. Suzanne juggles a career and is a single mother. Although more women are seeking work as interim executives, they still make up only about a third of the managers who work in this way. Some will have made a positive career choice, attracted by the flexibility and sense of control that the role can offer, while others may have been pushed into it through redundancy or job dissatisfaction. Rachel Youngman, chair of website Interimwomen.com, which aims to encourage and support female interim managers, says it offers a simulating career but warns that it is not an easy option. "It's a tough way of working, particularly during a recession, because you're running your own business and you have to work to get the work," she says. A year ago women made up a quarter of interim managers. That figure has increased to a third (32%), according to an Ipsos MORI poll for the Interim Management Association, the organisation for specialist agencies that supply interim managers. Youngman says that although some women may have been squeezed out of a permanent job and been motivated to move by the economic downturn, there are a healthy number of vacancies, particularly in the public sector, because of a shortage of permanent staff with relevant experience. Interims, she says, are typically in their late 30s to 50s with a solid track record of success in senior management. Running your own business Youngman began working as an interim six years ago after 20 years in the not-for-profit sector, including a role as deputy executive director of the International Bar Association. Her interim assignments have included work with the Cabinet Office, Home Office and the National Union of Students. She says : "Working as an interim will appeal if you want to work on your own initiative and run your own business, while continuing to operate at a very senior level in a diverse range of organisations. It's a demanding profession. You're expected to get results very quickly but that's the thrill of it; you're constantly testing your skills. You need drive and commitment but in return you get flexibility, diversity and challenge." Her personal analysis is reflected in an Interimwomen.com survey, which revealed that 60% of women interims found the work more challenging and interesting than their previous roles, and about half (47%) said they had learned new skills and enjoyed working in different sectors. However, although half of the 700 respondents said interim management enabled them to balance work and home lives more successfully, 63% said the main drawback was working away from home. "You can be called at short notice, and that can involve working away from home," says Youngman. "Those with caring commitments may need to be able to make alternative arrangements very quickly. The flexibility tends to come at the end of a contract when you can choose when to take another assignment." She advises women seeking interim work to network and to make contacts as well as signing up to agencies specialising in interim work. "The risk of just sitting on an agency database is that so much of the work is down to networking and keeping up with contacts." Anna Bishell, now head of interims for public sector recruitment agency Rockpools, helped to set up Interimwomen.com two years ago when she worked for rival recruitment company Russam GMS. "The proportion of women was very small then and we wanted to attract more women. There are a lot of women out there with incredible skills to offer who would like the flexible lifestyle," says Bishell. She says that the proportion of men and women on her books currently is about 50:50, with a particularly strong representation of women in the charity sector. It was also increasingly common, she says, for recruits from the private sector to find they were particularly sought after by public sector employers. Bishell says that, after a lull, the demand for interims has increased in recent months. "It's really turned a corner lately which I hope will mean we have a buoyant market over the next 12 months," she says. Stephanie Bird, the director of HR capability at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the organisation for HR professionals, says the fact that the majority of interims were male probably reflects the disproportionate number of men in senior management, but says the work offered good opportunities for women. "In interim work there are fewer glass ceilings. Organisations are often more prepared to take a risk with a short-term contract, which may allow women to get more interesting roles," she says. Interim managers need a high degree of resilience as well as good management and interpersonal skills, according to Bird. And, she says, organisations would find people with those attributes by looking at the whole population rather than relying on the old-fashioned stereotype of the middle-aged, male manager. Women on top Former teacher Barbara Hughes became an interim manager five years ago after spending some 20 years working in local autority education departments. A former teacher, Barbara Hughes became an interim manager five years ago after spending almost 20 years working in local authority education departments. "It's the best thing I ever did. I love the challenge of going into places that want to change and develop rather than just carry on as before." Hughes's latest assignment is a 12-months contract working as interim executive director of children's services for North East Lincolnshire council. She spends four days a week at the council's headquarters in Grimsby, which means spending three nights away from her home in Cheshire. Her career as an interim manager for local authorities has also taken her to Powys, Croydon and Reading. She is used to the travel and constant change; in her former role as a full-time member of staff she moved house 14 times to work for local authority children's services around the UK including Dundee and South Tyneside. Hughes, 56, said: "The big downside of interim work is living away from home; you're in a strange place on your own, often living in a hotel or lodgings. It can get you down. But the massive plus is the excitement and pace of the job. I tend to get assignments where they need someone to restructure the service and give it a kick-start to get it going again. To do that you have to be able to come in and be up and running within a week and at the end you have to be happy to walk away and start afresh somewhere else." She adds: "I didn't make the move to interim until I was 50 but I wish I had done it earlier in my career. Interim has been one long professional development. I'm a miles better director than I was when I was permanent because I've worked in so many different contexts. I'm so much more confident and knowledgeable and I'm not fazed by difficult situations." Suzanne Dean worked in medical sales and marketing before becoming a public sector interim manager after the birth of her daughter. In spite of the insecurity and long hours, single mother Suzanne Dean loves her career as an interim manager. "I thrive on deadlines, I'm often at my most creative close to the deadline. It's hard but it works for me," says Dean. After permanent jobs in sales and marketing for large medical companies, Dean, 38, decided to become a freelance manager following the birth of her daughter Charlotte, now aged seven. "Like a lot of women interims I realised that after I'd had a baby I needed to be able to work much more flexibly." She has made it a rule never to take assignments that involve overnight stays away from her home in Upthorpe, Gloucestershire, and has concentrated on work for NHS and other public sector bodies within commuting distance, such as Gloucestershire primary care trust, North Bristol NHS trust and the West Midlands NHS specialist commissioning group. Determined that Charlotte would not become a 'latch-key kid', she spends time with her daughter when she comes home from school and works late into the night after she has gone to bed. Dean completed an Open University MBA in 2002 and two years ago she set up her own consultancy business, based at her home which now employs three staff. Her company hires other interims, many of whom are working mothers. She says there was a demand for well-qualified interims and advises permanent staff considering the move: "Just go for it. I don't know anyone who's tried interim who's ever gone back to a permanent job. I certainly wouldn't, I love it." She adds: "I've never worked so hard in my life but I like the flexibility, the variety, and the adrenalin rush of getting results in a short time frame." Her only word of caution for new entrants to the market was to make sure they budgeted for a set-up period of 8-10 weeks and took into account the lack of paid holidays. Jacquie Findlay began working for herself after she was made redundant as director of human resouces in the recession of the early 1990s. Jacquie Findlay began working for herself after she was made redundant from a high-powered job as a director of human resources in the last major recession in the early 1990s. Initially she worked as a consultant, offering advice on a short-term basis, but in the last five years she has moved to interim work which typically involves being a member of a management team on contracts of 6 to 18 months. "As a consultant I always wanted to have an on-going relationship with clients and that's what turned me into an interim, because I want to see the consequences of the work I do." Although Findlay, 55, began her career in human resources in the commercial world with firms such as the Royal and Sun Alliance insurance group and British Airports Authority her more recent roles have included stints at public and voluntary sector bodies including Amnesty International, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Department of Transport, for whom she has worked on and off for almost a decade. "I love that diversity of experience and being able to use that experience in future assignments has been an enriching experience," says Findlay. "I love the adrenalin rush and excitement of going into a new sector and analysing what's needed and challenging your own skills and competencies. It's fabulous to see people change and develop and know that when I leave people have gained a satisfaction in their job that was not there before." Findlay, who lives in Brighton, East Sussex, relishes her role so much that she struggles to think of downsides but she concedes that her husband, two step-children and one-year-old step granddaughter would say that while she is on assignment she can work very long hours. Findlay also has an elderly mother and father in law to consider. "It requires 100% commitment when you're working on an assignment and that can involve quite a lot of juggling; I couldn't do it without a husband who's virtually retired." Original article here |
The Guardian, Wednesday 25 November 2009 |
| In periods of cost-cutting, freelance managers offer diverse skills and deliver efficiency. That's why the public and voluntary sectors are turning to them for support. Debbie Andalo reports. Interim managers are helping the NHS run more efficiently. For the first time the demand for freelance senior experienced executives to work in the public sector is higher than the private sector. And all the indications are that the trend is likely to continue – despite the squeeze on public spending and the possibility of a change of government next year. But while there may be more assignments on offer for these interim managers in public services, competition for contracts is greater. Interims who have traditionally worked in the private sector but have seen their freelance opportunities disappear because of the recession, are now turning to the public and voluntary sectors instead. And the time it takes to finalise a deal – from the contract brief to starting the job – is taking longer, as responsibility for signing off contracts moves up the decision-making chain. Tom Brass, chairman of the Institute of Interim Managers, which represents those working in the profession, says: "While the market has been very tough, that's been confined to the private sector. The general feeling is that public sector has held up pretty well and, if anything, has grown." Delivering more for less Specialist agencies that recruit interims in the public and voluntary sectors believe the future is bright for these highly skilled managers, because one of their key roles is to go into organisations and help them run more efficiently. Charles Wilson, head of public sector at Penna Executive Interim says: "Across government, everybody is being asked to reduce budgets year on year, but still produce – it's about producing the same for less. That's exactly what interims do – give more for less." At the same time, Buying Solutions – the government agency that provides a procurement service to the public sector – has predicted that about £2.5bn will be spent on non-permanent staff in the next four years from January 2010. Gary Lawson, director (public sector) at recruiters Russam GMS says: "Interims will be a significant factor in that. I have had conversations with senior members of central government and leaders and deputies of large councils and all have indicated that there is huge change ahead and that interims are the logical cost-effective way of helping them through that transformation." The past year has also seen a change in the types of interims that public and voluntary organisations have been seeking. There has been a demand for project and programme managers, which is expected to continue in the next year as organisations try to become more efficient and push through government proposals for local councils and government departments to share common services such as HR and IT. One recruitment agency reports that about 65% of its assignments fall into this category. Local councils are still on the lookout for assistant and director-level interims in adult and children's services both for project work as well as stepping into gaps created by vacant posts. Interim assignments in procurement and contract management are also described as "strong" across local and central government and the health service as the public sector makes sure it can get the best deal from taxpayers' money and deliver more for less. This is according to latest figures from the Interim Management Association (IMA) the organisation that represents specialist recruitment agencies. The NHS accounted for 25% of interim assignments between April and June this year. In April it also launched its own interim recruitment agency, NHS Flexible Resourcing – set up by NHS Employers and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives Enterprises, the consultancy arm of Solace – and already has about 200 "associates" on its books. Director of NHS Employers Sian Thomas says the intention is to make sure the NHS gets best value for money out of its interims. She says: "In the past four years the interim market has grown enormously. It's a high-value service, but where spending is very limited you have to be mindful of taxpayers' money. A lot of our interims are involved in service reviews and sensitive investigations where the added value is having a fresh pair of eyes." Local government While the NHS has increased its share of the market, the majority of assignments in the public and voluntary sectors have been in local government, which now accounts for about 30% of all work, according to the IMA. The number of assignments in not-for-profit organisations has remained steady across the year so far. The biggest drop in work has occurred in the civil service, which accounted for just 9% of contracts by the end of June, a fall from 20% at the beginning of the year. IMA chairman Paul Botting says: "The most important thing is that for the first time the public sector has seen a dramatic growth over the private sector. I think the public sector generally sees interims as a solution – that they get pragmatic, experienced individuals who can hit the ground running who have the experience, the scar tissue and credibility to take the team with them. "What we have seen in the past five years is recognition by private companies, and now the public sector, that interims are part of the solution that you should have in your tool box." If interims can continue to persuade those holding the public and voluntary sector purse strings that they are expert in offering more for less, it could be that the time of the interim has finally arrived. Original article here |
The Guardian, Wednesday 25th November 2009 |
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The Guardian, Wednesday 25th November 2009 |
| John Bakker, of Foremost Consultants, speaks to Debbie Andalo about his life as a career interim John Bakker: 'What has driven me is the chance to make a difference.' John Bakker, 56, who started his public services career as a social worker, has been a career interim for nearly 20 years. With a portfolio spanning the public and voluntary sectors, he explains why he has never regretted making the move. "I had my first opportunity to work as an interim in 1991 when I was taken on as interim chief executive of two organisations. I felt then that working as an interim was a risk but it was also an opportunity. It took me out of my comfort zone a bit, but that was the challenge I rose to because that is when your learning takes place. As an interim you find yourself working with a whole range of new things, which helps your own development. I think my personal and professional development is much greater than if I had stayed in regular jobs for longer periods of time when your development is determined by the job and the organisation rather than being driven by your own development and aspirations. As an interim I have done things I would never have done if I had taken the traditional public sector career route. It's allowed me to work in a range of different sectors: third sector, local authority, central government as well as within the NHS. I was in my late 30s when I had my first interim assignment, which is quite young. That is why I consider myself to be a career interim rather than being somebody who has gone into interim work because they see it as an exit towards the end of their public sector career or somebody else who has become an interim because they have been offered [an exit] package they couldn't refuse. Being an interim gives me the opportunity to be a bit of a public sector entrepreneur. The role allows you to think more creatively. You can take different risks, you use your authority in an appropriate way but do things differently because you bring a different kind of thinking. You are unblinkered and bring new ideas and a new perspective to issues; it's about problem solving in a different way. There is anxiety, you can always get another job, but the question is, at what level? I have worked at director and head of service, very senior levels now for quite some years. There is also the anxiety about whether there will be the right opportunities around. Will I have to compromise? But I have never had any regrets about my career choice, although sometimes I think it would be nice to have more job security so that you can go on holiday and get paid or, for example, get a public sector pension. If you want a real challenge but with significant risk, it's an exciting and energising way of working and making a living. But it's worth saying that the risks are there if you don't get the job you want, the job that really suits you. You have to view it as a career choice. Being a career interim is not for the faint-hearted – there are real ups and downs and you have to be able to ride the peaks and troughs with optimism. I am here in order to do a job as an employee of the organisation and to deliver very specific outcomes in order to help the organisation and the employees. You have to be very focused; it's not an easy option. You have to deliver and you have to give more time than your average employee. What has driven me is the chance to make a difference – the same reason, in fact, that I first became a social worker. Working as an interim I can make a difference to an organisation and make an impact on individuals and I think make a bigger impact than if I was in regular job at a senior level." Original article here |
This Is Money, Monday 19th October 2009 |
| Finding and appointing a permanent non-executive director is time-consuming and costly, but there is an alternative for growing firms. Recruitment company Russam GMS in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, is giving firms access to freelance non-executive directors (NEDs) who can be hired for the day. Though not technically non-executive directors, Russam GMS's 'Nedworker' initiative acts in a similar way by pairing experienced senior managers with small businesses. Much like interim managers, who fill gaps in many big companies, Nedworkers pass on their experience and know-how, provide strategic advice, act as mentors or take on executive-level projects. Their advice is not cheap, with a typical day rate of about £500. But the first two days are free and buying in expertise in this way is less expensive and more flexible than hiring a permanent non-executive. Mike Morrison, 72, has spent his working life with automotive and aerospace firms, such as Rover and BAE Systems. Since last year he has been a Nedworker for commercial painting and decorating firm Direct Retail Spraying, going into the Coventry-based firm about one day a month. In that time he has helped it attain top management standards, which has in turn increased its business. 'I've helped them to focus on what they should be doing to expand their business and the importance of not depending on one main contractor for all their work,' says Mike. DRS's turnover has risen from £83,000 to about £180,000 and the firm now employs six painters. Managing director Eddie Crothers, 39, says the success has been in large part down to Morrison's input. Original article here |
GPSJ Online, Monday 19th October, 2009 |
| Gary Lawton, director, public sector, Russam GMS The public sector is under intense pressure to cut spending, increase services and improve efficiencies. In his budget the chancellor Alastair Darling demanded £600m of savings next year and £5.5bn worth of savings over the current spending review period. Many government bodies are recruiting experienced Interim Managers to help lead change management programmes and improve efficiency. According to a MORI poll from the Institute Management Association published in August, 51% of all Interim Management assignments in the last quarter were in the public sector. What's more, Buying Solutions, the National Procurement Partner for UK Public Services anticipates the use of Interims will increase with £2.5bn being spent on non permanent staff, including interim managers over the next four years. Historically, the public sector has favoured management consultants for the delivery of their strategies and solutions. But with tight budgets, using a well known professional services companies is no longer an affordable luxury. Also many organisations have realised that interim managers are typically more experienced, more hands-on and charge half the price of management consultants. Interim Managers bring to the table the commercial know and often many years' experience of working in both the private and public sectors delivering strategic change management programmes. They are independent and objective, have no interest in getting involved in internal politics and their focus is firmly on delivering results and then moving on to their next assignment. Increasingly, they are being used for specialist project management and to lead coordinated programmes of work, such as Flu Pandemic programmes and adult social care programmes. They are also being called upon to deliver expert procurement and commercial guidance in crucial areas such as shared services and category management. HR and TUPE expert Leonard Sheen In many areas, change management programmes led by interim managers are already underway. Essex county council, for example, recently hired Samson Jebutu, an experienced HR interim to help the Directorate meet the requirements of a forth coming Joint Area Review (JAR) inspection and to implement a new recruitment and retention strategy for its Schools, Children and Family Directorate. Like many UK social services departments it faced a shortage of skilled social workers as well as other hard-to-fill roles, such as educational psychologists and youth workers. Part of his work process involved working with managers across the Directorate to uncover their key recruitment and retention challenges, scrutinising employment data to understand exactly why problems were occurring in these areas and to make informed recommendations about how the Directorate should solve its recruitment and retention issues. This shortfall in Essex is now being addressed through this international recruitment campaign and he has put in place a new retention strategy that is improving employee engagement and retention at all levels. Another example of an interim manager leading change is at South West Fire Control, a local authority controlled company involved in the government's FiReControl project. The project will see the current 46 fire control services in England amalgamated into nine new regional control centres (RCC). South West Fire Control will be one of the first three RCCs to go live and interim HR expert Leonard Sheen has been helping it meet its deadline for the transfer of operations and people to a new centre in Taunton in Somerset. When it goes live, the South West RCC at Taunton will mobilise to incidents requiring fire and rescue service in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset, Gloucestershire, Dorset, Avon and Wiltshire. This regionalised service will replace the seven existing control rooms in these areas. The main challenge for the company undertaking this process was the successful transfer of services, people and functions from the local control rooms to the centre Taunton. It needed to ensure the transfer of existing staff complied with The Transfer of Undertakings Regulations (TUPE) designed to protect employees' rights when a business or undertaking is transferred to a new employer. It recruited HR and TUPE expert Leonard Sheen to lead the transfer and implement change management processes in a legally compliant, efficient and successful way. Leonard worked with the team at the RCC to establish a pre-selection process for existing control room staff, ensured the right processes were in place to deal sensitively with those employees who would not be transferring to the RCC. He also developed new employment policies, terms and conditions, remuneration and benefits packages. Key to implementing these processes successfully was getting buy-in and agreement from the trade unions. Leonard worked with the RCC team in the consultation process for of the transfer of operations involving employee and achieve the representative bodies' agreement to introduce new demand-led working rotas for employees when the new centre opens. Resources will be more streamlined, with people working demand-led shift patterns to ensure the service is run in the most cost efficient way possible, while still delivering a high quality service to the region's fire and rescue services. These are just some examples Interim Managers leading and managing change in the public sector. However, with the government's transformation agenda in full swing, we will see many more interim managers working in public sector organisations across the UK, driving efficiencies and ringing in the changes. |
Recruitment Today, Wednesday 30th September 2009 |
| The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has announced the finalists for the inaugural Institute of Recruitment Professionals’ (IRP) Awards. The entries go forward to the glittering awards ceremony at the HAC, Central London on 26 November. REC Chief Executive and awards judge Kevin Green said: "Selecting those to go on the shortlist gave rise to numerous debates and discussions. It was a tough job, but we now have a list of fantastic finalists all of whom we all wish every success at the awards ceremony. "I would encourage anyone who knows any of the finalists to take time to congratulate them now. They are already winners and they deserve the recognition for their hard work which has led to this achievement." Full article here |
Recruiter, Wednesday 30th September 2009 |
For the first time since tracking began in 2006, the number of public sector interim management placements has outstripped the demand in the private sector. According to the Interim Management Association’s (IMA) Ipsos MORI report, 51% of all completed interim assignments in the second quarter of this year were in the public sector, up from 43% in Q1. |
People Management, Thursday 10th September 2009 |
| You choose your hours and your workload, so surely interim arrangements are perfect for the working parent? Nic Paton finds that the freelance lifestyle has advantages, but it’s not quite as simple as that The interim management profession has traditionally been male-dominated, with the popular perception of interims often as somewhat macho senior executives who parachute into organisations to crack heads together. But there has been a sharp increase in women turning to interim management. The Interim Management Association (IMA) last month said it had seen a 16 per cent rise in the number of female interims going into the profession last year and a further 10 per cent increase so far this year, with women now accounting for a third of all interim executives, up from a quarter a year ago. From an HR perspective, however, the figures need to be viewed with a degree of caution. HR has long been a profession where women are well represented, and therefore so is its interims’ market, as Raj Tulsiani, chief executive of interims firm Green Park, makes clear. For more click here. |
QCA - Newsround, Thursday 10 September 2009 |
| Interim Management specialists, Russam GMS, has launched The “NEDworker” Initiative, a new scheme that offers businesses the chance to recruit NEDworkers NOT as non-executive directors or directors, but as ‘critical friends’ or business mentors, providing strategic advice and/or handling CEO level projects. The NEWworkers will have operated at director level in a range of businesses and have mamny years’ business experience. They will work with companies for ywo days free of charge before both parties have to decide if the want to establish a longer term business relationship. Businesses interested in hiring a NEWworker simply need to provide a brief and Russam GMS will shortlist suitable candidates from its exrensice database of senioe executives. They can bview some case study examples at www.russam-gms.co.uk/nedworker_thenedworkerinitiative.html. Charles Russam, the author of this article, is Chairman of Russam GMS. |
People Management, Thursday 10th September 2009 |
| The interim management landscape is dramatically different from 18 months ago. But this is a sector that thrives on change, so opportunities are still out there. Joy Persaud takes the long view. The Chinese curse that heaps “interesting times” upon the recipient seems rather apt for UK business at the moment. As budgets are slashed and jobs culled, the market has, naturally, changed. Russam GMS’s survey of 10,000 interim professionals has revealed that 66 per cent of interim managers are struggling as a result of the recession. The report, Recession and the Interim Manager, also showed that 11 per cent complained that the market was flooded with people made redundant from their permanent jobs and that half of all interims said there were fewer assignments available. But it’s not all bad news, as 61 per cent of the respondents felt that interim management was a good career to be in right now and that opportunities exist in the public sector – in local and central government – and also in the third sector, which is being looked on increasingly by the government to provide public services. Charles Russam, chairman of Russam GMS, says: “For many businesses, this is the first recession they have experienced and many CEOs and senior managers are acknowledging they need high-level support for a given period of time from someone who can lead them through these testing times.” For more click here. |
