Building Services has always been known as the profession that brings buildings to life, however it is often the technical expertise behind the scenes that hold a lot of the cards when it comes to innovation and future development. As a specialist technical recruitment partner for trades and blue collar workers, we are fully aware of the crucial part it has to play in the lifeblood of any new construction, from gas engineers and electricians through to joiners and bricklayers – each has a key part to play. It is therefore the lynchpin for ensuring that a building, whether domestic or commercial, is comfortable, functional, efficient, and safe. In other words, fit for purpose. Diverse career paths This means the career path for technical employees is highly diverse with new roles constantly appearing, especially in areas such as facilities management, social housing and fit-out / office interiors. This growth of opportunity is great news for the sector, especially with the recent news that the government is going to kick start the economy with a £5b investment in the construction industry, with its ‘shovel ready’ plan to build new homes and public sector projects, as such creating many new opportunities for key trades people. Specialist projects need specialist staff With an increasing demand for more sustainable and energy efficient buildings, we have recently seen a growth in both the traditional and the specialised trade engineers. With many helping lay the foundations (no pun intended) of the future with an increasing involvement at the design stage, professional trades such as Quantity Surveyors and Construction Managers are providing a move away from the previous ‘build and design’ model where projects are only partially designed before work starts. This has encouraged the sector to focus on innovation in a bid to reduce energy costs, increase productivity and improve the health and wellbeing of occupants. In fact, there is probably no other career that is having such an impact on conserving the environment at the moment. We are also seeing a high degree of diversification within the sector and are busy recruiting staff that mirror this distinction. This reflects the increasing use of multi-trades people, such as fuel engineers, joiners, plumbers, electricians and maintenance engineers in the sector. But it’s not just recruiting a body to fill a role that’s essential – it’s equally important to have someone with the technical knowledge, skills and qualifications for the job, especially from a health and safety perspective. Re-evaluate to grow There is no doubt that much of this growth will come from a re-evaluation of how we work and live post Covid-19 lockdown. For many, the temporary situation of working from home will become permanent. In fact, according to a recent survey 45% of respondents expect that this will be the case for them as lockdown eases, with a third of those interviewed by YouGov anticipating an increase in working from home by at least 3 days a week after lockdown. Both business premises and homes will therefore need to be designed with the ‘new normal’ in mind. This is where technical blue collar workers play a major role in the building of new properties. Technical recruitment services At Multitask Personnel, we have a team of professional recruiters who know the Technical sector inside out and can offer advice to both employers and employees who are looking to take advantage of the exponential growth in this sector. Our pool of candidates are highly skilled in their specialist area, holding relevant qualifications and safety measures, such as being Gas Safe registered, so you can rest assured any candidates we put forward for your position, be them contract or permanent, will be of the highest standard. To find out how we can help both employers and employees achieve this, please contact our Multitask Technical on 0845 478 5009 or email enquiries@multitaskpersonnel.co.uk

As we return to some sort of normal, many companies have used their recent down time to re-appraise their future employment needs. For many, there are undoubtedly seismic changes ahead in how people work and how business will look in the ‘new normal’. Clearly, the suddenness of the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted working practices on a scale never seen in modern times. We are seeing a shift in workplace culture and methodology that is unprecedented and for most, presenting unchartered waters. The rigidity of previous working is giving way to agile or flexible working, now considered the new paradigm for long term business success. Agile working is nothing new, but Covid-19 has encouraged employers to see if they can work smarter rather than harder, taking advantage of new technology and different processes. As a local recruitment partner, working throughout the UK, we have many years’ experience in supporting businesses with their employment needs. This means we are well equipped to help employers ensure they are fully prepared for the way ahead. How can you survive and prosper after lockdown? Having the right people in place who can adapt to these changes is going to be the number one priority for businesses who want to not only stay afloat but come out of this stronger and more resilient. After all, Covid-19 is going to have a lasting impact on our future working practices. There is no doubt, the uncertainty of the pandemic has created an employment environment that is causing anxiety and concern for many employees. Prior to Covid-19, most roles were appraised largely on critical skills. Today that’s all changing with employers focussing on multiple opportunities for career development. Progressive employers are therefore looking for their employees to adopt a more varied, flexible, and adaptive role within the organisation. In the future, it’s all going to be about employee experience We believe as the pandemic eases, businesses will start to focus on strengthening their position in the marketplace. This could include diversification, investment in new products and services or geographic expansion. This will create challenges for most employers in respect of employing staff that can adapt to new or different working practices, or can bring added value to the organisation. We also consider that retaining, and possibly retraining staff, is going a major priority for most businesses. That’s why, since launching almost 10 years ago, we have worked hard to ensure we present candidates and employers with the right fit. To enable this, we created three specialist divisions – Technical, Professional and Support Services, and staffed these with people who know the sector inside out, something that’s even more relevant in the current climate. Volume Recruitment So, why should you put your trust in a recruitment agency that will help you come out of lockdown and face the future with confidence, especially one that can help you fill multiple roles in one fell swoop? To start with, a recruitment agency can streamline and speed up the employment process. For example, we currently work with a pool of active candidates, from office support to highly skilled technical roles available on a temporary, permanent or contract basis. This, therefore, enables you to get on with running the business without the hassle of having to implement a process for sourcing and selecting suitable candidates. As we said before, the jobs market is experiencing major upheaval. As staff come off furlough businesses are having to make decisions they are not necessarily familiar with. This includes identifying transferable skills, considering different ways of working, such as remote working, and negotiating new salary rates (see later). There is no doubt, the employment market is now a whole new ball game. Some businesses will be looking to infill their workforce with temporary or flexible hours staff while others will be wanting to recruit specialist staff that can give them a competitive edge and even, a possible boost to their market share. Your recruitment partner It therefore makes sense to have one recruitment partner on board that can take care of the complex and time consuming role of recruiting multiple positions. Having a readymade selection of candidates is a time saver but so is the experience of specialist recruitment staff who can help employers adapt to the new normal. For some, working from home may become permanent, and this, for many employers (and employees) will be an unfaced challenge. There is no one size fits all approach - everyone’s needs will be different and will be based on areas such as the job description, social and family circumstances, and continuous personal development (CPD). This is where we can help. We can advise on matching suitable candidates that suit the new way of working. Not only do we have a wealth of knowledge and experience, especially in our specialist sectors, but also a portfolio of passive talent - those who are not necessarily looking to move employers but are known to our staff. We also know what incentives it may take to change their mind. What else can we do to help employers speed up their return to some sort of normality? Reducing the time taken to recruit suitable staff is one area. We create persuasive job advertisements to maximise response, quickly screen candidates, and only select the most appropriate for the intended role. We also advise on putting systems in place that accommodate the new way of working. Working from home is one. In a recent newspaper article, it was claimed that almost one in five white collar workers in the UK want to work permanently from home, while more than half (54%) only want to go in to the office one or two days a week. If this is the case, then it’s imperative that the business has a robust networking system in place – both technological, and in person to ensure a seamless and secure shift in emphasis.  We can advise on implementing this. What will be the impact on salaries? According to the latest reports, it looks likely that remote working could become the new normal for many and with that comes other issues, for example, salaries. We are accustomed to London weighting, based on the fact that it is costs around 20% more to live and work in London than it does elsewhere in the country, but does that mean disparity in relation to where you live when it comes to remote working? Facebook seem to think so. Even before lockdown, the company announced that as from January 2021, staff working from home will be paid on where they live. Not something that’s gone down well with their current workforce and could potentially backfire in their quest for recruiting talented staff to their organisation. So, as we’ve said, we’re facing an uncertain road ahead. However, in our opinion, it’s the businesses that offer employee flexibility, secure and robust working conditions (both physical and online) and a move to agile working, that will not only survive, but prosper as we come out of lockdown. For more information on how to recruit yourself out of Covid-19, please call our team of specialist recruiter on 0845 478 5009 or email enquiries@multitaskpersonnel.co.uk

Multitask Personnel, a permanent and temporary recruitment specialist based in Rotherham, has gained a new strategic direction that should put it back on track, thanks to Sheffield City Region’s “Re-Start to Growth” programme. The initiative was introduced to help businesses affected by the Coronavirus lockdown, by giving them access to experienced and skilled advisors to help assess, plan and restart through an agreed programme of intensive support. Managing Director of Multitask Personnel Claire Lee had been working with the Sheffield City Region Growth Hub on a long-term strategic growth plan – involving skills support and training – and was just about to implement this when the lockdown was announced. The company’s core business was to provide managerial and qualified tradespeople for the Building Services, Facilities Management, and Mechanical & Electrical industries.  Overnight this business reduced by two thirds and Claire was left wondering what to do next. Claire Lee, MD of Multitask Personnel Claire Lee, Managing Director at Multitask Personnel, explains: “It was a really scary time for us as a business and I wasn’t sure which way to turn.  I’d been impressed with John Hassall, the Growth Hub Business Growth Specialist, so I contacted him again to see if there was anything he could do to help. John let me know straightaway about Re-Start to Growth initiative and it sounded just what the business needed.” John Hassall carried out four 90 minute online consultations with Claire as part of the programme and this started with a full SWOT analysis.  He then tailored the Re-Start to Growth programme to suit the company structure, focusing on four core areas: People, Processes, Technology and Financials.  John then created a strategic plan which included a vision of what the next 18 months in business could look like for Multitask Personnel, with target markets identified, staff roles, financial projections, all of which was broken down into six monthly goals. Reallocation of resources was a key criteria and John and Claire worked on restructuring employee roles and creating newly formed teams. In Multitask’s case, this involved creating a team dedicated to recruitment and another to business development, with each team given a simple set of KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) to work towards. Claire Lee said: “It was a really simple plan, but not an approach we’d used before.  It means that the business development team can focus purely on generating sales and the recruitment team on filling the roles we bring in.  So far this is working really well.” John Hassall, Business Growth Specialist at Sheffield City Region Growth Hub, explains: “Multitask Personnel were perfect candidates for the Re-Start to Growth initiative.  As a business they had been performing well, but the lockdown had an immediate and severe impact.  By focusing on their strengths and areas of expertise we looked at ways they could maximise their existing client base, whilst refocusing their resources much more specifically on generating sales and filling roles.  Our role at the Growth Hub is to guide businesses through and this approach certainly seems to be working for Multitask Personnel.” “There is great potential in this business and by having a new strategic direction it should help them to maximise on new and existing markets and recover more quickly from the lockdown.” John and Claire identified that parcel delivery services and the retail sector could offer potential growth, especially for supply of staff working in distribution and warehousing, which the company had not specifically targeted before. Claire enthuses: “I can’t thank the Growth Hub enough for what they have done.  The Re-Start to Growth programme has really motivated us as a business.  We now have a clear plan to work to which is focused, precise and directly relevant to getting us through the challenging period ahead of us.” Although Multitask Personnel is focusing on potentially lower margin work, Claire recognised the need to start getting the volume back.  “There’s nothing worse than staff not having enough to do, but now we are starting to pick up again and we’re using our existing experience to extend our services to current and new clients. We know it won’t be easy, but already we have our number of temporary contractors up to pre-lockdown levels, albeit working on lower margins and in different sectors.” Multitask Personnel can help businesses throughout the UK with their recruitment across a wide range of market sectors and job roles, with specialist divisions in Technical, Professional and Support Services. If you are on the look-out for a reliable recruitment partner, contact Multitask today on 0845 478 5009 or enquiries@multitaskpersonnel.co.uk.