News / Press

A day in the life of... Linda Fox

This article came from the Grapevine, November 2009.

Continue reading Comments (0) 10 December 2009

talent toolbox breakfast, November 2009

We like this article written by Martin Kornacki from Training Journal online...

Continue reading Comments (0) 16 November 2009

Fantasy employee benefits

This article came from the HR magazine

HR magazine asked a selection of HR professionals to name their fantasy benefit for staff. Some are achievable, and they don't all involve loads of money...

Continue reading Comments (0) 2 November 2009

Career tales - Karen Davies, HR Director, Novus Leisure

This article appeared in The Grapevine, September 2009

Karen Davies, HR Director at Novus Leisure talks about her career tales

Continue reading Comments (0) 5 October 2009

Developing people in rough times

Caterer and Hotelkeeper 2nd October 2009

This article appeared in The Caterer and Hotelkeeper

Now is a good time to invest in the learning and development of your staff, in order to gain a competitive edge for when the economic crisis eases - and it need not cost lots of money. Jane Sunley, managing director of Learnpurple, explains

Continue reading 5 October 2009

From barista to boss for a willing temp

This article appeared in The Mail on Sunday 16 August 2009

As the unemployment figure continues to climb, competition for jobs is fiercer than ever and many people have been forced to take temporary work to make ends meet. But for some, temping can lead to bigger and better things.

When Simon Wade took a temporary job as a barista, making coffee for contract catering firm Lexington Catering, he did not think that five years later he would still be there, now as the deputy group manager.

Continue reading Comments (0) 20 August 2009

Engage, retain and grow the people you have

Sean Wheeler, group director of people at Hotel du Vin and Malmaison (click here for a case study)

I joined Malmaison just after it acquired Hotel du Vin. I knew that the two brands would surely employe a wealth of talented people. The trouble was that nobody really knew what their skills, aspirations and needs were.

I am a great believer in making the most of what you have before looking elsewhere. We are known as a great place to work and I feel we owe it to our people to help them reach their potential or at least help them towards it.

Continue reading 14 July 2009

Insiders rise to the challenge

This article appeared in The Sunday Times 12 July 2009

Hiring new staff is expensive. Yes, the recession has increased the number of people looking for work but it has also made high performers wary of leaving their jobs without a significant financial incentive.

A survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development suggests that it costs companies an average of £20,000 to replace senior managers who leave. Across all levels of employees it costs an average of nearly £6,000.

However, other research suggests that when the productivity drop associated with recruitment is included, the true figure for replacing a key manager is more like five times their salary, or ten times for a Director, said Jane Sunley, chief executive of Talent Toolbox, the people management system.

Continue reading 14 July 2009

Let's talk money

This article appeared in the Evening Standard 7 July 2009

While many firms are freezing salaries, some City firms are back paying out record bonuses. So how should managers tackle the tricky subject of pay?

Now may not be the best time to discuss a pay rise. However, with executive pay rising at its slowest rate for five years, according to the National Management Salary Survey from the Chartered Management Institute, there will be pressure to increase remuneration packages as the economy recovers.

Continue reading 10 July 2009

Sunday Times Top 100 Best Places to Work 2009

Our long standing client Lexington Catering has just been won a place on the Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies to Work For 2009. Here are just some of the people initiatives that helped them to achieve that:

"London-based Lexington Catering is keen to serve up an appetising place to work for its 189 employees.

Everyone works a 40 hour week, and job sharing and sabbaticals are available. Employees rate the company 18th for Wellbeing overall (earning a 76% positive score) saying they are happy with the balance of work and home life (81%), aren't exhausted at the end of each day (62%), and, although kitchens may appear pressured places, the workforce doesn't suffer from work related stress (84%).

Continue reading 3 March 2009