PR, marcomms, recruitment and all the bits in between

Civil servants with style

More gems of news about the government have come our way this week. Apparently, Whitehall mandarins are now being offered classes on how to improve their dress sense and personal grooming – all at the bargain price of £970 - and funded by taxpayers, which is always nice to hear. Amongst other things, the civil servants are advised on the importance of keeping hair and nails clean and on what clothes to buy for their shape and colouring. I’m still trying to figure out how this is related to their performance at work. Plus, with any luck, those working for our government already wash their hair and nails regularly and the money could be spent on slightly better things. I’m all for investing in employees but maybe some skills training would give a better return on investment. Besides, we don’t want the likes of Trinny and Susannah to be out of a job do we?

Is your job under threat from technology?

A few weeks ago we heard that experts were working on creating a robot that can learn, think and talk. The ‘iCub’ can crawl, see and hear and the next step is to teach it English. Now we’re reading about a new restaurant in Germany that has replaced its waiters with technology. Diners use touch-screen computers on their tables to place their orders, which are then transported to them via a rail system. With all this new technology being developed, it seems that it has already replaced the need for staff in the case of the German restaurant. Could we see many a job being phased out in years to come because of progressions in science? Maybe so, but I think we’re safe for a while yet. Until they make a robot that can give a friendly smile, smooth over problems with awkward clients and dream up clever new ideas, the PR and marketing world will just have to carry on employing people like us!

Nap in meetings to help concentration

Meeting too early in the morning? Not awake yet? Meeting too late in the afternoon when you’re ready to go home? If you want to make the biggest impact start your meeting at 10am, but deliver your main message at 11am.

According to Prof Lawrence Smith, of Leeds University’s institute of Psychological Science we are divided into  two broad groups of people - the ‘early risers’ and the ‘afternoon performers’. And as the names suggest there are some of us better suited to different times of the day then others.

Those of us who are early risers should use this to our advantage whether it be as someone holding a meeting or being in one; our ‘body clock’ will be at full throttle at roughly 10am – before the daydreaming starts to occur. And if morning time doesn’t suit you then aim for afternoon slots when your energy really kicks in.

“One of the most effective things organisers can do is to have a short nap, say 10 to 15 minutes” says Prof Smith. “That’s been shown to be hugely effective in people’s levels of alertness”. Whether you are an early bird or late starter Prof Smith advises against alcohol, caffeine, and late nights. Go for lunch time walks, ‘fresh air discussions, and small meals. With this advice in mind we will all be at the top of our game in no time.

Recession tips

While scanning the web, we recently came across 10 top tips to help if the market slows down. Here they are, complete with a few Hanson amendments:

1. Clients that made you rich in good times can make you poor in a recession.

2. You may need to switch from a "delivery" business model to a "value-added" model. If your business depends on delivering ‘mass’ products or you do little to add value, you'll find it harder to compete.

3. Some markets and specialties will be spared. Case in point: After 9/11, when cuts were rampant across the board, certain markets, such as defense contracting, construction and legal services, actually thrived. If you can identify the markets left standing, they can be your lifeline.

4. Buyers are more cost conscious. As a result, you can expect more pressure to reduce your fees and deliver more. Aim to do the second but not the first.

5. Marketing yourself will become more common. Most buyers will throw out the rule book if you bring to their attention that you can make an immediate, positive impact. If you have enough sizzle, buyers will find a way to hire you.

6. Your time management becomes more critical. With less work on, you'll need to be highly selective about which projects will give you the greatest return on your investment of time.

7. Weaknesses in your selling skills are more exposed. Recessions leave little margin for error. The better you are at qualifying, closing, handling objections and making presentations, the more efficient you'll be with respect to converting activities into income.

8. A recession is the best time to be in business. I know this sounds counterintuitive. But look at it this way: When times get touch, the weak will wash out with the tide. If you can weather the storm and find ways to gain market share and build your reputation, you’ll be positioned to grow as the market recovers.

9. Cash flow is everything. Learn to control your spending or make cuts in your budget. Otherwise, you might end up working with your back to the wall. (No yachts for now!)

10. No doubt about it: A recession is a buzz kill. But it can also be a great teacher, because it humbles you and makes you more aware of your weaknesses. If you can stick it out and learn from your mistakes, you'll make tons of hay when the sun shines again, and you'll be more immune to future downturns.

I miss school holidays

Here's a blog entry by Jenna from the Hanson team...

It was reassuring knowing that no matter where you were in the term, how well or badly things were going, vacation was just around the corner.  If you could just keep going until the next one, you’d be rewarded with days (weeks even) of lie-ins, no homework, watching TV, driving your siblings crazy . . . doing whatever you wanted to do.

And then you’re finished.  You take your final exam, buy a new suit, and get hired for a job.  You’re chuffed, you throw yourself into work with the same vigour and dedication, knowing that eventually you’ll get to take a break.

Somehow, though, it’s not the same.  Maybe it’s because the office keeps running without you, so you spend the week before stressing over how to cover your absence while trying to get ready at night, even more exhausted than usual.  Maybe it’s because you’re the only one in your office going away, so there isn’t the usual sense of collective joy building as the promised last day of work nears.  Or maybe it’s just because being in charge of your own holiday isn’t finally as fun and fancy-free as it was when your parents or the school board planned things for you.

But there are some things that are the same for me.  Vacation time is a chance to catch up on sleep and attempt to reset my body clock so mornings are easier.  I kept hoping I’d be a morning person once I grew up, but so far no luck on either front.  Like my university vacations, it’s a time to go home and see my family and visit with friends I never get to see.  It’s an opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of London, and (fingers crossed) enjoy some real warmth and sunshine. 

It’s also a chance to get organized at work.  I’ve gotten through most of my list of things do before the item prompting me to write this entry, and I have a bit of time to keep going before the hand strikes twelve and freedom is mine.  I’m getting to the sorting that’s been building up since my last good organization drive, items that aren’t usually a priority but still need to get done.  I’m considering a new in-box system so that those things can’t hide away in the bottom of folders anymore and have already started writing my list of things to do when I get back.

I really like being good at my job, and get irritated with myself when I’m not being as efficient as possible.  Probably the most annoying part of not having big school holidays is that I get worn down like I did at school but don’t have the same reward looming before me.  It’s easier to get lazy in the office because there are no exams marking the end of a learning unit or term, no enthusiasm to get everything finished so it’s all done and dusted and then you can go hang out with your friends.  The tasks, responsibilities and deadlines all keep going, even when you’re not there, so it can be harder to set your own ‘end of term’ and feel like you can make a fresh start.

So this is that I’m going to do.  I’m going to make myself another cup of tea, dig into the rest of my to-do list and when I leave the office today, I’m going to do my school’s-out-for-the-summer dance.  I’m going to have a great holiday and forget that London exists for the next two weeks.

When I get back, it’ll be the first day of a new term and I can be excited about my job all over again.

Harassment

Good news for women (and men) – as of 6^th April, workers are protected against sexual harassment from customers, suppliers and others they encounter in the workplace. New rules mean that you can seek damages if your employer fails to take reasonable steps to protect you from harassment by a third party. Good to see that the government is taking more steps towards gender equality. Maybe Spain should take a leaf out of our book though – a health clinic in Cadiz is docking nurses’ monthly wages by 30 euros if they go to work in trousers instead of a skirt!

Corporate Rockin’

Yes you heard correctly, rock n roll is the latest trend in team building to rock the corporate world (excuse the pun). You and your fellow employees are given around half an hour to turn yourselves into a rock band, learn how to play the instruments and generally work together in order to perform a rendition of a song that vaguely resembles the original. Apparently it’s proving popular, teaching professionals how to think outside the box and bringing them together as a team in a fun way. I wonder how many people would opt for performing the Proclaimers over a team trip to the pub?

Employer dependency?

The Times recently printed a piece on the “monstrous truth about sickness at work”. This truth was that we are apparently too dependent on our employers, we have shifted the responsibility of providing for our families from ourselves to a third party and that employment in large organisations has “sapped our drive and turned us into a bunch of dependent stuffed suits”. It also said that the bigger the organisation, the more days sick an employee will take. The Times’ solution was that Britain needs a shift in favour of entrepreneurship and self employment.

Being recruiters, we can’t help feel it’s actually quite a good thing that the UK has what the author calls a “corporate beehive” as if everyone was self-employed, we’d be out of a job. But that aside, is the situation really this bad? Obviously if you are solely responsible for your business and livelihood you will avoid taking days off. But this isn’t necessarily a good thing. I think most of us would agree that if someone in our office was suffering at their desk, we would rather they went home so they could recuperate and avoid passing it onto everyone else! If you work for a big organisation, enjoy your job and get paid for a few days off sick, is there really so much wrong with that?

Futurework

Anyone who was busy with other stuff this week (like doing PR or marcomms work, for example) may have missed a new report on the future of work from the Chartered Management Institute. According to the report, which included the views of over 1000 senior executives, by 2018 we can expect virtual teams, multi-employment (job-hopping under another name) and the complete automation of routine tasks to be the norm. We can also expect to say goodbye to the concept of work/life balance and see work/life integration, where many people work from home juggling the demands of career with those of children and ageing relatives. All well and good so far, but then the Institute asks us to consider the altogether more wacky stuff. Among its sixteen ‘surprise scenarios’, which may or may not come true but are still worth preparing for, are the use of chips implanted into the brain to make workers more efficient, the rise of guild-based companies run by and for their employees (like John Lewis?) and young people rejecting ‘meaningless’ jobs (and the money that goes with them). Most worrying of all however is the idea of systems being run by intelligent software or robots in another guise. Which will of course make any fans of the ‘Terminator’ series very nervous about the future indeed.

007 Bloggers

Domestic security agency Shin Bet in Israel has been jumping on the internet blog band wagon by allowing its staff to create their own diarised versions of their day to day working life. Four employees have already begun their own blog in an attempt to win over hi-tech recruits.

In this particular circumstance the ‘bloggers’ remain anonymous and are referred to by letter only due to the fact agents are routinely involved in surveillance, interrogation and armed operations against Palestinian militants inside Israel. “At a family event someone asked where I worked and had trouble taking a hint” says A.

Despite these high powered, risky positions, staff continue to contribute to the World Wide Web of information about themselves and their duties even though, as one admits, “there are things I can’t even tell my husband”. Yet, this dramatic and potentially exciting career may not be as glamorous as we may be led to believe. One blogger who took the post as it allowed him to spend more time with his family and referred to only as H said “I didn’t get a siren put on my car and I have to sit in traffic jams”.

“This post will self-destruct in 10 seconds!”