Is the repeal of the 2017 and 2021 reforms to the off-payroll working rules as part of last month’s ’Mini Budget’ statement the good news our contractors, employers and agencies wanted? What do you think? Are you ready for a change and do we actually know what the new legislation will mean?

Dave Hedges is a tax partner at Azets and says there is “an absence of fine detail” around how HMRC will manage the transition over the coming months. “While the changes are welcome and have been lobbied for, we are advising clients throughout the engagement chain to tread carefully pending clarification,” he said.

Some questions remain following the chancellor’s announcement that the Off-Payroll Working (OPW) rules are to be repealed from April 6th 2023. There are three main reasons for this:

1. Is it really going to happen? Nothing has changed yet and we have a Budget coming up in November, preceded by a government already doing a U-turn on its 45p tax rate plan. The possibility of further U-turns therefore seems significant. Fingers crossed that this promised repeal of the OPW rules goes ahead. But it’s not certain.

2. End-clients (both public and private sectors), agencies, umbrella companies, accountants and IR35/OPW advisers are all taking stock and wondering how this could affect their business. And yes, that goes for me too!

3. Contractors are realising that unless they have always been outside IR35 and working for ‘small’ companies (not affected by the OPW rules), that their own circumstances are complicated.  Notably where the contractor is:

   1. currently with an umbrella, or

   2. holding an SDS where the client has stated ‘inside IR35’, or;

   3. regularly jumping between their PSC and an umbrella company depending on the IR35/OPW assessment.

At this stage (Q4 2022), nobody knows how the repeal of the OPW rules will work. That’s the unpopular, hard truth.  Many commentators are reaching for their crystal balls, with some suggesting that there will be new rules for contractors added onto the IR35 rules of old (2000), such as requiring contractors to complete Status Determination Statements. There’s even the odd whisper that end-clients will continue to determine IR35 status; that blanket bans on using PSCs will continue indefinitely, and that HMRC will declare some sort of ‘amnesty’ on prior SDSs with ‘inside’ results. As interesting as they are, these really are only opinions at this stage and should be taken as nothing more.

So what can we do now? Every part of the contracting chain needs to use this time to analyse the effects on their own businesses and it is vital that all get up to speed with IR35 version one (2000). 

• Keep watching the contractor press for developments (the contractor ‘press’ that doesn’t just stick a press release up!).

• Decide what you want to do -- if you could.

• Collect and keep all evidence including SDS outcomes, online IR35 status tool outputs, end-client correspondence, contract review results, and working practices changes/opinions.

• Find out about your personal situation now, to see what the options and (above all else) the risks are, and if a change in your status is feasible.

• Speak to your client and find out what their position may be come April 6th 2023, especially if you are contracting with an organisation that has banned PSCs.

• Take advice from only those that, as impartial as possible, understand all the rules (from 2000 onwards), and ideally those with hands-on experience of successfully defending IR35 HMRC investigations.

This could be great news for professional interim and self employed workers, it could be great news for large private companies and the public sector to attract and retain key skills to help them deliver growth and it could be great news for those involved in the supply of these people. For now, keep up to date, get planning and be ready, April will soon be here…

As we approach the start of the academic year, FE Colleges recruit staff at pace, to cover permanent gaps, sickness and respond to student enrolment. To help the community we’re releasing a two part series on temporary work in FE and how to find the right jobs and talent, the second in our series explores finding talent.

Understandably the start of the academic year is a busy period when it comes to hiring staff within Colleges, who need to recruit quickly. Similar roles and candidates are often needed simultaneously and now with job seekers being in higher demand they have more choices than in previous years, so you need to act fast if you want to hire the right talent for your College.

In this article, we’ll be looking at some of the ways you can help improve your chances of recruiting the right talent for your College. Whether that’s by getting the most out of your recruitment consultant or by implementing some tips for you and your staff.
 

Hiring Manager Hints
 

Hire at pace
For those managers who are hiring temporary staff in FE, both new and old, the best advice we could give to you for hiring staff from recruitment agencies is to move at pace.

Not managing to hire or hiring poor quality staff can have an incredibly negative impact on the outcomes of learners and morale amongst existing staff; and it's no secret that the FE and education sectors in general are facing huge challenges in recruiting and retaining staff, particularly at Lecturing, Support Assistant and Management level. So your College's recruitment process and strategy needs to be as efficient as possible if it is to be successful.

Sell the opportunity
It’s important to assess the candidate’s suitability for your vacancy, however it's also crucial that as a hiring manager you ‘sell’ the vacancy to the candidate and highlight the amazing opportunity to work in your team and at your College. Promoting the College's vision and values and providing first hand feedback on what it's like to work there will enable candidates to picture what life is like at your College.

The interview experience is an incredibly important factor for job seekers when considering offers; those who have had a positive experience and can see the passion and enthusiasm their potential new manager has, are more likely to be excited about the prospect of working there.

Act fast
We all know that a strong candidate will always have multiple job offers on the table and that they will be evaluating each opportunity on its own merits, so if you like the candidate and want to make them an offer, then act fast. Being responsive and proactive can often be the difference in successfully appointing a member of staff and not.

Making the most out your recruitment consultant
 

The more detail is better
Make time to talk to your recruitment consultant, they are there to act as an extension of your HR recruitment team; it's crucial that they are able to fully articulate the opportunity within your team and in order to do that, a brief phone or video call (usually 10-15 minutes) can be the difference to successfully fulfilling your requirements and not.

Given the demand for good candidates in the education sector currently, job seekers are looking to establish as much information about the job and employer they are applying to in order to aid their decision making process. If you haven’t come away from a briefing call with your recruiter feeling slightly interrogated, then they probably haven’t done their job properly.

Set aside time for admin
To make sure your consultant can support you to the best of their ability, it’s best if you set aside some time to discuss appropriate timescales on how soon they can provide candidates for you to review, a time to discuss feedback and pre-booked diary slots for interviews. This will make the recruiting process go smoother, faster and your consultant will be able to advise how quickly they can confidently supply options.

Find your future staff

By applying the tips in this article, you’re sure to find the right staff for your College in no time. If you are looking to recruit new staff why not reach out to our Education Recruitment Team, they have over 100 years combined experience and are proud to be a key supplier of staff to FE. You can email our team at education@morganhunt.co.uk.

In light of The Great Resignation, motivated employees are key to retaining talent. In fact, employee experience is everything these days.

Eisenhower knew that finding the right motivators in the workplace was essential to success and improving employee experience. As the former U.S President, once said, “Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.”

It’s important for companies, line managers and HR teams to recognise employee motivators to get the best work out of them and decrease costly staff turnover. Capitalising on key motivators will enable staff to be motivated, passionate and loyal to the organisation. But where to start?
 

Understanding motivation

When Abraham Maslow created his Hierarchy of Needs in 1943, he argued that people are motivated by five essential needs that enable an individual to be fulfilled. In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs these needs are:

1. Physiological - Food, water, warmth and rest
2. Safety – including financial security
3. Belonging - Relationships, community family and friends
4. Self-esteem - Prestige and a feeling of accomplishment
5. Self-actualisation - Achieving full potential and extra-curricular activities

Maslow in the workplace

The Hierarchy of needs is often applied to the workplace as a means to determine how to motivate employees and ensure their needs are met. To achieve this, line managers must make time to consider an employee as an individual for their input into the organisation and encourage and support them.

According to Maslow’s theory, an employee begins by focusing on the lower order needs. Those embarking on their career might be more concerned with physiological needs such as income and security. Once these basic needs are met, the employee will focus on social needs. Once the needs are met, an employee may want to meet higher-level needs (growth needs) such as self-esteem.

Although workplace motivation has moved on from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the theory forms the basis of motivation.

Motivational triggers do vary between employees. And the challenge can be for line managers to understand what the motivators are for their team members. However, there are common workplace motivators.
 

Key motivators in the workplace

Communication

Companies with poor employee communications suffer low levels of employee motivation and engagement. Employees who are not informed are difficult to motivate. One of the most important workplace motivators for employees is communication. The more a team interacts with each other, the better their performance will be. Good and regular communication reduces confusion and mistakes as well as improves performance.
 

Meaningful & challenging work

The Harvard Business Review reported that more than nine in ten of employees would be willing to earn less money for the opportunity to do more meaningful work – showing how important a person’s purpose is to them. If you want your employees to be self-motivated, it’s a good idea to offer them more responsibility with meaningful work. 

Challenging and new tasks are important to keep staff engagement, productivity and motivation high. New projects and tasks alleviate the boredom and repetitiveness of job roles, while a challenging task can give the employee a sense of importance and feeling of ownership that will make them feel valued.
 

Company Culture

A healthy company culture fuels motivation and creates a sense of belonging and joint goals. It is fundamental to making employees feel like they are part of a family. It is important to evaluate your company culture to ensure it promotes collaboration, teamwork and transparency. Excessive bureaucracy, micromanaging by managers and withholding of information can be demotivators for staff as well as have a detrimental impact on company culture. A high-performing company culture will have a competitive edge.
 

Teamwork makes the dream work

Teamwork can empower the employees to have confidence in voicing their thoughts and opinions and come up with innovative ideas. Teams that work (and play) well together can also improve employee retention too as they enjoy the sense of belonging to the business they work for.

A well selected team that complements different personalities and skill sets enables workers to work together and become a group with a mission. A 2009 study by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) found that “employees rated opportunities to use their skills and abilities in their work as the fourth most important aspect of their job satisfaction.”

Workplace friendships are created through a shared experience. Maintaining healthy friendships at work can motivate people to remain employed with a company. In 2018, Gallup reported that 63% of women who had a work friend were over twice as likely to be engaged during work.
 

Recognition

Rewards and recognition are vital to every organisation. Similar to self-esteem needs, a company should promote or give recognition to employees based on their performance. Make sure to reward your employees with something that they value. This will motivate the employee to progress or work towards a promotion. Reward and recognition is important for candidate attraction not only staff retention.
 

Appreciation & praise

Often forgotten when deadlines are looming and the pressure is on, appreciation is fundamental to keeping employees motivated. A BCG survey asked employees from around the world their top ten factors for on-the-job happiness. Results show that people place appreciation for their work as the most important factor for on-the-job happiness.

It might seem obvious but praising your staff on their achievements can be one of the best motivators out there. There are many ways organisations can appreciate their employees.
 

Salary & benefits

Many people feel that their salary is a validation of their status and qualifications together with any effort and work they have put into their previous roles. Personal motivations form a part of it too –it is human nature to want to be able to not only pay bills but afford luxuries in life. Glassdoor research shows that 79% of employees would prefer  additional benefits as opposed to a pay increase.
 

Modern challenges

With hybrid and remote work now the norm due to the Covid-19 pandemic, some employees can feel isolated with reduced levels of motivation. Nowadays, there is an additional consideration for organisations: How to keep employees who are working away from the office motivated.
 

In Summary

Motivation is a powerful energy that drives how employees work and the vigour with which they approach their roles. Motivation is, in short, the incentive we all need to wake up in the morning, get dressed and ready for work. Revisiting Maslow’s theory of motivation is important, as we continue to adapt and adjust workplaces in a post-pandemic world.

It’s normal for employees to face dips in motivation, but it becomes a problem when employees are consistently disengaged. Therefore, HR and SMTs need to take time to review areas such as:

• Communication methods and frequency
• company culture
• reward and recognition schemes
• salary and benefits

While line managers need to get to understand their employees as individuals and consider how each staff member may have different ways to be motivated. People managers also need to:

• ensure that employees have meaningful and challenging work
• look at team dynamics and how the team is working together
• consider how they show their appreciation and give praise
• ensure they communicate opening and regularly
   

We’re here to help

At Morgan Hunt our team are here to help. If you’re looking to recruit and need guidance or advice on areas such as salary, benefits, reward and recognition just get in touch.