Maia Evolution

Thursday 16th February (1.30pm start) Gateshead

Do you need assistance with completing your CITB training plan and claiming grants? If so, CITB CSkills in conjunction with CTG (NE) have arranged a half day ‘free of charge’ workshop which will include creating and managing a training plan along with information on current grants available from CSkills and how to claim them.

The workshop will be ‘hands-on’ with delegates creating and managing a fictitious training plan (laptops will be kindly provided by member company -  Mansell who have offered their training room for this workshop).

No cost places will be limited so if you would like to attend please reply to Dawn (details below) by 3rd February to reserve your place.

Dawn Wilkinson – Training Co-ordinator

Contractors Training Group (NE)
Tel/Fax: 01207 233484
Mobile: 07860 549243
www.ctgne.org.uk

I was delighted to join one of my clients, Fred Hood, MD of Electrical Contractor McNally & Thompson as he collected an award at this year’s Sunderland Business Awards.

Fred’s company is going from strength to strength since taking the plunge and investing in support that would take him and his business to a new level.

The team were elated to be alongside other winners such as Nissan and Barclays at the event held at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland.

I am sure this award can be the first of many for Fred and his team as they continue to invest to continuously improve what they do, and how they do it. 

I created Maia Evolution to assist business owners and directors to be more successful through the people they employ.  For further help in understanding how to manage people for increased customer retention, profits and personal ease in your business, contact me on  irene@maiaevolution.com or telephone 07595 161 546.

Act now and up to £1000 grant may be available on projects which improve your business.  

Chancellor George Osborne has announced two important changes, intended to reduce the number of employment tribunal claims and boost the economy.

As from 6 April 2012:

• the qualifying period for unfair dismissal will be increased from one year to two years
• fees will be introduced for tribunal claims. Consultation will commence at the end of November, but unconfirmed reports suggest that the fees will commence in 2013 and will be phased, as follows:
  • upfront fee of £150 – £250 when lodging ET1
  • further fee of £1,000 payable by claimant when the hearing is listed
  • higher fees if the claim is for over £30,000
  • fee will be refunded if the claimant wins, forfeited if loses
  • fees to be waived for those with no money.  (can’t wait to hear how this one will work!)

The construction industry is facing a ‘retirement timebomb’ with around one in six workers due to retire within 10 years and the number of young people in the industry more than halving since the start of the recession.
New figures from CITB-ConstructionSkills show the number of 16-19 years olds in the industry has fallen by 52% since 2008 while 17% of the workforce is now within 10 years of retirement. The number of older workers aged 55 years and over in the industry has increased by 65% since 1990, while those aged 24 and under has fallen by more than 40% over the same period.

The trend has increased over the last twenty years and now affects professional trades, for example architects, surveyors and engineers as much as trade occupations. While the increasing age profile is most pronounced in the manual workforce, professional trades could also stand to lose 19% of their manpower to retirement in the next ten years.

Mark Farrar, chief executive of CITB-ConstructionSkills, said: “CITB-ConstructionSkills is working hard to attract new blood into the industry because if we don’t act now this retirement timebomb could compromise our ability to benefit from the up-turn in the economy when it comes.

“In 1990, 22% of workers in the construction industry was aged 24 and under but today, little more than one in ten of the sector’s workforce (12%) is within this age group. The industry lost a lot of 16-24 year olds during the last recession and while numbers had started to recover over the last 10 years the most recent recession has again had a fairly disastrous impact on young people in the sector, particularly 16-19 year olds.

“There are fewer job vacancies available at the moment, but it has also impacted badly on the perceived attractiveness of the sector in the eyes of many young people in terms of it not offering stable and progressive career opportunities. The risk is that the ageing workforce, coupled with a failure to train and attract sufficient people now, will result in a skills vacuum and manpower shortage in the future.

“CITB-Construction Skills is adding value to industry by working with businesses to offer apprenticeships and training and by promoting the opportunities for job progression that a career in construction can offer young people and job seekers. It can be difficult to forecast the implications of an ageing workforce as there are a variety of factors that may have an impact.

“The market may pick up any slack through migratory working while technical innovation may reduce the demand on human capital but these factors are hard to predict and the best way to ensure our future success is to encourage new talent into the industry.”

Redundancy announcements have been a regular occurrence and it is natural for employers to be primarily concerned with those losing their jobs, but overcoming survivor syndrome – “the low morale, reduced commitment, and lack of loyalty and trust suffered by those remaining employed at downsized companies” – is critical for a company wishing to remain competitive today and able to lead in the upturn.

Neglecting those who have made it through a reorganisation poses its own risks. Leaders and managers thinking workers “should be grateful they still have a job” could be asking for trouble.  Although they do still have their jobs, the “survivors” of redundancy may experience greater pressures owing to changed work patterns and increased workloads.

It is widely accepted that work-related stress can be triggered by change and the HSE lists it as a key factor. A redundancy process is one of the most obvious examples of large-scale workplace change, and failure to manage employees’ workloads or work patterns post-redundancy could cause them to suffer high levels of stress.

Leaving the employees to “get on with it” may not be the best plan.

Although successful claims are rare, Personal Injury claims are a possibility.  Employers have a common law duty to take reasonable care for employees’ health and safety in the workplace. They have a statutory duty to assess the risk to their employees of stress-related ill-health arising from work and to take measures to control that risk.  They should also consider the HSE’s “management standards” – these are statements of good practice designed to assist employers in tackling stress.

Top tips to manage the situation

• Proper communication with all staff during the redundancy consultation process is an important starter to easing anxiety.
• Train managers to look for signs of stress and ensure they have the skills to manage the remaining employees in a supportive manner throughout the reorganisation period.
• Carry out regular assessments focusing on the risk of staff developing stress-related illnesses as a result of their work. The HSE website provides detailed guidance on this.
• Monitor absences closely and use occupational health input where required.
• Consider any retraining needs employees will have after a reorganisation. Remember some will be doing a new job and may require a transition period before they become fully effective.
• Have a “survivors’ strategy” in place.
• Line management should have regular discussions with staff to ensure they feel supported in their new roles or new reporting structures.

Specialising in construction, Irene Liddle helps contractors to improve business through the people employed.  From RECRUITMENT to REDUNDANCY or RETIREMENT and most things in between.   www.maiaevolution.com

The use of agency workers is common in construction.  New rules safeguarding the rights of temporary workers come into effect in the autumn.  After attending a seminar yesterday hosted by North East based Corepeople Recruitment, here are the main points I picked up from the seminar.

The new Agency Workers Regulations 2010 will have a significant impact on companies that use agency workers, and they need to be aware of what the requirements are with regard to equal treatment of agency workers.

Legislation designed to protect temporary workers from being used as cheap labour will come into force on 1 October. The Agency Workers Regulations 2010 follow long debates between employers and unions over whether such workers should be given the same rights as permanent staff.

A compromise was agreed by the TUC, the CBI and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

After 12 weeks in the same role with one employer, agency workers will be entitled to basic pay parity with directly employed colleagues, including the hourly rate and some extra entitlements, as well as corresponding working conditions.

They will also have “day one rights” from the start of their assignment, including access to childcare, transport and a staff canteen, as well as the right to be informed of permanent roles in the company.

The new rules offer a timely reminder for organisations to take stock of staffing practices.

Employers and Agencies who fall foul of the rules could face legal action with fines of up to £5000 per worker.

Advice to employers is to engage with agencies and look now at their use of agency workers as well as the longevity of contracts.  Corepeople Recruitment are being proactive in understanding these key change and providing solutions to employers.

North East based Environmental Academy are offering FREE introductory workshops for a range of new courses:

1. Environmental Communication
“Winning Hearts and Minds”

2. Marketing Briefing
“Green Growth in Challenging Times”

3. Innovation Workshop
“Turning Ideas into Profit”

http://www.environmental-academy.co.uk/Current-Projects/FREE-Workshops-for-July-2011.aspx

I am recruiting for an Electrical Contracts Manager for a Client.

Please visit www.mcnallyandthompson.co.uk for the recruitment pack.

Closing date 4th May 2011.

Venue

Allergate House, Belmont Business Park, Durham, DH1 1TW

Date
Wednesday 30th March 2011

Itinerary

Cost
Free

Details

Constructing Excellence in the North East in conjunction with Maia Evolution is hosting a joint event for supply chain SMEs in the industry.

The focus of the event will be around ‘what do your clients want?’ Within end user clients and main contracting organisations within the region, we have interviewed a selection of people at varying levels of authority and from different functional areas  – asking them questions relating to “with your market projections, what do you want and need to see more or less of from your contracting supply chain?”

Irene Liddle, Managing Director of Maia Evolution is dedicated to the success of Construction related businesses and has over 20 years of working closely with small contractors and sub contractors in the North East.

We have talked to a number of regional clients and main contractors who have over £500m to spend this year on contracts with their supply chain.

The following will be presented on and discussed during the evening:

• What Clients / Main Contractors want from their supply chain
• What they could do without
• Challenges they are facing in making the right procurement decisions
• What contractors in construction could be doing differently

The event is open to all construction supply chain companies in the region.  We are especially keen for SME contracting businesses who may not normally attend seminars to make this the first.

If you would like to attend this event please contact Leanne at Constructing Excellence on 0191 374 0233 or leanne@cene.org.uk