Candidates

At the end of last week, the government reported that 1.1million companies were using the furlough scheme – it’s currently helping to keep 9.4million jobs secure. But how are the people still working coping? Whether staff have been furloughed or they’re still at work they will be accruing holidays. Do you have a plan in place to ensure your staff take their holidays, how will you help to avoid your staff burning out? In this blog, we’ll share with you our top tips to avoid employee burnout. Matthew Dann: Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment Director This is the other side of furlough that is becoming more of a hot topic, the well-being of furloughed employees was spoken about at the beginning and during lockdown, but what about the people who were still working? The reality is that employees are still accruing holidays whether they have been furloughed or not. Redistributing staff to other areas of the business was an essential task during lockdown initially for one of our clients, but now they’re back in their original positions it’s left a gap in areas and them needing more staff. This is where working with a specialist, local recruiter can be a real lifeline. Below is a list of the real pro’s our working with our team: Furloughed worker pool: We’ve made the most of the scheme and ensured that we’ve retained the very best workers in your area – they’re ready to start when you are. Industry expertise: A long and established track record of reliably meeting client demands and deadlines, delivering our service at pace but without compromising quality or compliance. Connecting you to people, skills and talent: Our extensive database provides a selection of qualified, tested and multi-skilled candidates who are ready to support your business - quickly. Industry-leading technology: From video Inductions and interviews to the latest facial recognition time and attendance system, from client-specific practical test and assessments to online psychometric behavioural assessments, we’ve got something that will add value to your business. Local area knowledge: We've supported our clients across the Midlands and South Yorkshire for over 30 years. Our extensive knowledge of the local labour market ensures you can trust us to find the best people for your jobs. For 30+ years, we’ve been finding candidates for clients in contract packing, print and packaging, office support, waste and recycling, manufacturing, food production and warehouse and logistics. It’s what we do and what we know. We’re just past the halfway mark for the year and a lot of our clients have spoken with us about their concerns covering all of their staff holidays. By working with our specialist team you can relieve the pressure of recruiting staff to cover these holidays. Our team is available to help your business 24/7 - contact us today or click here to request a callback.

The current situation that Leicester is finding itself in could happen anywhere, especially with the bars and pubs about to re-open similar lockdowns could happen across the country in the next few weeks. Do you have a plan in place for your business? In this blog we’ll look at some of the provisions we’ve been helping our clients put in place and how working with a specialist, local recruiter can be the key to providing the additional support when you need it most. Matthew Dann: Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment Director Now more than ever we, as a business as well as our clients, must be able to adapt. COVID-19 has made us all aware of how not being prepared can have a drastic effect on your workforce and business – but how could anyone have been prepared for an event like this? Temporary staff have historically been a means of providing a solution for sudden drops or increases in business. In these unique circumstances we’ve found ourselves looking at our current recruitment process – where can we improve? What else can we be doing for our clients? How can we help our candidates more? Flexibility is a term used a lot these days but it truly is something that the teams have excelled in during the last three months. And the proof is in the pudding as they say, to their credit our teams have 26% more people working right now when we look at a year on year comparison. Given the circumstances, you might be surprised but the reasons why are clear… Bespoke Recruitment: When One Size Doesn’t Fit All Every business and every site are different. You have different products, systems, machinery even down to simple things like your canteen. As we navigate our way into a ‘new normal’ I’m proud to say that our teams have succeeded in supporting the bespoke recruitment needs of all of our clients How have we achieved this? COVID-19 Health Questionnaire completed for our sites Tailored pre-induction of candidates to include specific COVID-19 H&S On-site inductions Creation of one-way system at our on-site and office locations PPE and temperature checks Health screening of candidates Pre-booked appointments only Telephone interviews WhatsApp video interviews Extensive referencing We’ve even helped one client to arrange all workers arrive with their own crockery to further avoid contamination! We've helped well over a hundred clients recently and it’s certainly something we can help your site with too. By continuously recruiting and inducting candidates we can ensure that should a lockdown occur, like it just has, we are fully prepared. Just under a quarter of our staff at one of our onsite locations live in Leicester – this is not a problem for our team. Thanks to their recruitment process they have additional staff ready to start immediately, the result is that our client will have no disruption to their business. Richard Borland, Branch Manager Nottingham & Loughborough said; ‘It’s all about being there to support your client and their business needs. We’ve implemented a new induction process, a one-way system, made changes to the canteen and even added screens in our office. We like to do spot checks throughout the day so we know that all of our workers are safe and following all of the new site rules. It’s no problem for us – we’re here to help as much as we can.’ Temporary to Permanent: The Best of Both Worlds The REC reported last week that: Employers’ intentions to hire permanent staff in the short term (over the next three months) improved by 11 percentage points from May, and returned to positive territory at net: +6. Although it might not seem the right time to make any big hiring decisions this really could be the perfect time. Over the last year, 24 of our clients have taken temporary workers on permanently. In perspective that’s 68 people that have found their perfect job, people that made a great impression with our clients and helped improve their business output. Great news – how have we helped our clients and candidates get to this point? We offer clients the opportunity to recruit take workers on a temporary to permanent basis Supplying thorough Key Information Documents so there are no surprises when someone arrives on-site Candidate health screening Video interviews Interview prep Flexible start times to help candidates on public transport Up to date with how to use video software Helping candidates be fully prepared for starting and assignment or for an interview is just the norm for us – technology and inductions may have changed but our core values of being solution-focused, positive-minded and people-focused remains a solid foundation. Rose Joseph, Branch Manager Chesterfield commented; ‘Candidates need a lot of support right now – people don’t always think of it this way but they’re our clients too. I have a candidate that has an interview this week for a permanent job but they want to use Microsoft Teams and she didn’t know how to use it. So if I need to download it and figure it out so I can explain it to her and support her in her interview that’s what I’m going to do. It’s not an issue for me I just want her to do well in her interview.’ As a business we’ve been building our database for over 30 years and having access to that is priceless. Combining this with local market knowledge, bespoke recruitment and our Proven Process you can be sure that your business really will have the best people working for you. Of course, there’s no obligation to take your workers on permanently. The benefit of temporary workers is that we look after everything for you – giving you a ‘try before you buy’ opportunity. Do you need help in making sure your workers are fully screened? Are you struggling with your new recruitment process? Maybe you need support in create a more bespoke recruitment method – we can help your company in a number of ways. When you’re looking to fill or find a job in food production, manufacturing, warehouse and logistics, contract packing, print and packaging, office support and waste and recycling, we’re proud to be your go-to recruiter. Contact your local team today to discuss how we can support your temporary worker needs.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve spent a fair amount of time engaging with our clients, talking about how they’re returning to their working environments safely. As of this week, we’ve got 90% of our typical client base back open and using workers from our Industrial teams. In this blog, I’ll be sharing the top 10 best practice tips we’ve identified… Matthew Dann: Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment Director A couple of weeks ago we wrote our blog: Our Top 3 Tips to Help You Implement Social Distancing in the Workplace. In this, we looked at effective ways that all sites could get their message across to their workers regarding social distancing at work. Since then we’ve been having a lot of conversations with our clients about these tips; have they found them useful? Were they already in place? What else are they doing on their site? And as promised we’re going to share the results with you. The majority of our clients operate in the food production, manufacturing, warehouse and logistics, contract packing, print and packaging and waste and recycling sectors. Although there are different requirements on each site there is definitely a common theme Here the top ten changes our clients have been making on their sites: Providing their workers with individual hand sanitiser and/ or hand sanitiser stations Staggering their breaks with a maximum capacity allowed in the canteen and smoking shelters Providing their staff with additional PPE: masks, snoods, face visors and gloves Staff health check-ins including questions about the workers’ family health Adding signage throughout the site and marking out work areas Added more/ staggering shifts Temperature checks when entering the site Increased cleaning, this included: staff cleaning their personal work stations and crockery, contact points cleaned throughout the day and hourly cleaning of common areas Re-inducting workers with the updated Health & Safety policy No visitors to the site Additional answers we received included; Schedule for hand washing Reduced delivery service Screens in place for reception One-way system Ensuring all employees follow the WHO and GOV.UK guidelines and instructions No business travel outside of the UK Requesting workers to have the flexibility to cover shifts Does this sound familiar? Have you implemented anything different on your site that you think other businesses could use? Let us know! The Government announced this week that from the 4th of July the social distancing measurement from ‘where it is not possible to stay two metres apart, guidance will allow people to keep a social distance of ‘one metre plus’. How will this affect your current set-up on-site? Will this make your day-to-day running easier? Will you keep the same measurements you’ve put in place? We’d love to hear from you. We'd like to continue getting your feedback so that we can share ideas, best practices, and general feedback. If you’d like to have a chat with your Consultant feel free to call us or ask for a call back (at your convenience).

Working from home as an Industrial Recruiter didn't seem possible pre-COVID-19. It’s not something we thought we could achieve and even as we went into lockdown armed with the tech there was some fear of the unknown. In this blog, I’d like to share with you what we've found both positive and challenging working remotely as a busy Industrial team. Matthew Dann: Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment Director As lockdown approached we, as a business, invested in technology, took a leap of faith and started to work from home. As Covid-19 has swept the globe I think the glimpse of our future has become even clearer: what started as a few weeks of working from home has evolved into a facilitator for changing how we work and live – what seemed scary before no longer does. We recently conducted a survey of our own staff to find out how they’re doing during lockdown. How were they coping with working from home, did they prefer it? What had they found challenging, what did they like? Of course, these conversations can be had with someone’s Manager at any time but a survey does allow time to reflect before commenting. Our results were interesting and have definitely given us a lot to think about regarding what our ‘new normal’ will look like. Some highlights from the survey include; 91% of people said that they had minimal interruptions that didn’t materially affect their ability to work from home 90% of people said that whilst lockdown remains as it is they would like the option to continue working from home as much as possible 84% of people said that post lockdown they would still like the flexibility to work from home regularly Positives they had found working from home: No commute/travel time to and from work Better work/life balance More productive at home Less distractions/interruptions Flexibility to deal with childcare issues Challenges they had found working from home: Less personal interaction with colleagues More IT issues Lack of self-motivation Miss the office atmosphere Covid-19 has really only expedited what was already on the horizon. It’s important to look at how we work currently in terms of offices and remember that ‘cubicle style’ offices have only been around since the ’80s. And even before Covid-19, this style of work was already being questioned and its future wasn’t too bright. In September 2019 The HR Director wrote an article stating that ‘According to the 1999 Labour Force Survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the percentage of people working flexible hours in the UK was 9.5% at that time. Recent statistics from CIPD, however, show that this number has drastically increased, with 54% of workers currently having the option to operate outside of typical nine-to-five office hours.’ But how could this work for people in Industrial environments? Feeling a slight Nostradamus moment, we starting discussing this with our clients last year and we wrote a blog on the subject, Can Flexible Working Be Applied to the Modern Industrial Workplace?. Flexible working could be a great solution to social distancing within an Industrial workplace. What does flexible working mean? I’m sure we all have a thorough understanding of the term now. There are a lot of ways that you can implement these changes: Remote working: Working from home or another out-of-office location, such as a coffee shop Job sharing: Responsibilities of a role are split between two people Compressed hours: Allowing employees to work longer hours and fewer days Annualised hours: A certain number of hours are spread flexibly throughout the year Staggered hours: Staff members work the same number of hours but can have start and end times that better suit their lifestyle Flexitime: Employees must work ‘core hours’ but can take advantage of flexible start and finish times when necessary Engage for Success have reported that manual and service roles can still benefit from certain types of flexible working – such as compressed hours and job sharing – and 53% of employers have said that they believe all industries should make it an option for their workers. In our blog last week we shared: Our Top 3 Tips to Help You Implement Social Distancing in the Workplace. If you haven’t read it yet take a look – our data comes from our clients and your competitors. We'd like to get your feedback and to share ideas, best practices, and general feedback on how you're finding the 'new normal'. What did you as a business see as scary but you’re now embracing? Do you have positives that you can share? Our survey is open and there’s still time for you to put your view across and share ideas that have been put in place in your business. Click here to share your top tips If you’d rather have a chat with your Consultant that’s fine too – feel free to call us or ask for a call back (at your convenience).

Last week we looked at how we are supporting our clients and candidates during COVID-19. This week I'd like to know how have you overcome the challenges faced in implementing social distancing in your workplace? What are your top three tips? Matthew Dann: Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment Director Having worked closely with a number of our clients over recent weeks, here are some of our thoughts; Create new shift patterns: Meaning fewer people entering and exiting the building at the same time Be creative with how you plan breaks: If you have three, reduce it to two and make them longer Create a workplace one-way system: Maybe have different entry and exit points for your building One of the simplest and most effective tools we have found is delivering a consistent and regular message to your workers. Daily reminders of the basics, both in person and via posters and messages, such as; Social distancing rules Hand washing/ sanitising Wearing the correct PPE These are just some of our experiences, we’d love you to tell us what you’ve been up to. What have you found easy/ hard to implement? Have you made any big changes to your normal shift patterns? We're running a quick survey (it's only one question!) to get an idea of what your thoughts are. If you'd like to take part all you need to do is click the link below. All answers are anonymous. Click here to share your top tips We'd like to get everyone working together to share ideas, best practices, and general feedback on how you're finding the 'new normal'. We're all in the same boat and your feedback is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

It’s safe to say that in January none of us would’ve predicted 2020 this way. We’re seeing that new ways of working can be achieved and we know more than ever that the welfare of our workers is paramount. How do we keep them safe in the workplace? How can we ensure we retain the best people during COVID-19? In this blog, we’ll look at how we’re supporting both our clients and candidates during the pandemic. Matthew Dann: Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment Director Over the last 10 weeks, we’ve seen unprecedented levels of change – the way we run our offices, how we support our clients and candidates as well as how we see our friends and family. It’s shown that in times of pressure we can (and do) rise to the challenge, our core values as a business have been a strong foundation and there’s no doubt that as a team we are positive-minded, solution-focused and people-driven. But how does that translate into real life? Here are some key stats of what has been happening with us, the industry our clients, and candidates over the last 10 weeks. ​ By making the most of the furlough scheme we’ve been able to support both our clients and candidates. There are two sides to every coin and in these circumstances is obvious what the benefits are: Clients You’ve got the best workers for your business. They’ve been inducted, trained and they’re working fantastically – naturally, you don’t want to lose them. Being able to use the furlough scheme has allowed us to retain the very best staff for you. You don’t need to worry about having to start from scratch when business picks back up. The government guide to working safely during coronavirus (COVID-19) can be found right here. Logistics Consultant Davies & Robson has compiled an excellent and detailed guide to warehouse social distancing, with practical ideas to support essential warehouse operations to maintain or recommence some level of activity whilst following Government guidance and WHO recommendations. You can read it here. Candidates You’ve found a job that works for you, you’re comfortable and happy in your job. The scheme has allowed you to remain secure in your role. Money worries can be the worst kind, using furlough has allowed our candidates to feel secure, and happy to know that as soon as businesses start to increase their productivity levels that their job is there waiting for them. What more could we ask for right now? 'I would, first of all, like to say thank you for helping out with the furlough predicament, it helped keep me afloat during this time, and I was able to return to my job following lockdown being eased, I'm happy to be back and feel very safe at work with the measures they've put into place. Sarah was very good at communicating what was going on with the payments and was helpful in trying to find other suitable work. I appreciate the help I've received from Thorn Baker, and the skills I've gained whilst working for them.' Candidate testimonial 'I lost my job at the end of March due to the coronavirus pandemic that forced my workplace to temporarily close. While I was worried about my future during these hard times Thorn Baker contacted me saying that I would be put on furlough which I didn't consider an option at the time. I got clear communication from Thorn Baker through email that was followed up by a call to check that I consented. I really do appreciate Thorn Baker doing what they can for their workers to secure their jobs and support their clients the best way they can. Great job!' Candidate testimonial The overall message I'd like to give to our clients and candidates is that simply when you are ready and business levels are picking up we're here to support you. Whether you need staff on-site, advice, and support on supplying PPE or if you're a candidate who's not sure how furlough could work for you - contact us. The service we provide is built upon our core values: Solution-focused, Positive-minded, and People-driven. That's what we do and who we are. If you need support don't hesitate to contact us right here.

60% of employees say they'd feel more motivated and more likely to recommend their organisation as a good place to work if their employer took action to support mental wellbeing. In this blog, we'll look at how you could do just that in your business. Michael Martin, Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment Branch Manager Mental health is one of the greatest causes of sickness absence in the UK. Since 2009 the number of employees absent due to mental health reasons has risen by around 5%. In fact, 12.7% of all sickness absence days in the UK can be attributed to mental health conditions. If you have a small team this can be particularly difficult as it can increase the workload for other employees and have a negative impact on morale. So, How Could You Promote Wellbeing in Your Workplace? A great place to start is by promoting national days/ weeks that are happening throughout the year. Organisations such as Mind and Time to Change run events over the year and they provide businesses with ideas of how they can raise awareness, as well as provided toolkits to help. Here are three events that we will be looking at promoting ourselves to raise awareness: National Stress Awareness Month: April 2020 This event has been running each year since 1992 to raise awareness of stress and its the impact on individuals in both personal and workplace capacities. The Stress Management Society recommends the following to help relieve stress: Prioritise Your Health Get a Good Nights Sleep Practice Deep Breathing Stay Hydrated Eat for Wellbeing Get Moving to Combat Stress Adopt a Positive Mind-Set Master Your Time Don’t be a Slave to Tech Learn to Say No Other News and Events Click here to read more about how you can promote the event in your workplace, as well as information about the support that they can offer in delivering the message. Mental Health Week: 18th-24th May 2020 Hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, Mental Health Awareness Week this year will focus on the connections between our sleep - or lack of it - and mental health. The Mental Health Foundation has set the theme, organised and hosted the week for the last 20 years, during which the event has grown to engage millions of people across the UK and globally. The week is traditionally also an opportunity for people to talk about all aspects of mental health, with a focus on taking action and providing advice. Sleep was chosen as the theme of Mental Health Awareness Week 2020 because millions of people report problems with sleeping. You can read more about Mental Health Week and how you can get involved right here. World Mental Health Day: 10th October Mind has said about Worl Mental Health Day: 'Mental health problems can affect anyone, any day of the year, but 10 October is a great day to show your support for better mental health and start looking after your own wellbeing.' They have lots of tips available on practical steps you can take to improve and maintain your wellbeing including making time for yourself, building positive relationships and getting active. They offer advice on both personal and business perspectives - if you'd like to read up on how to start mental health conversations in your workplace you can read Mind's top tips here. Information and advice in this blog has been obtained from Mind. Whilst they do not provide legal advice they can provide practical guidance - employers may also need to obtain their own legal advice on the approach to take in any particular case.

Both the National Minimum Wage and the National Living Wage will be seeing its biggest rise in April this year. As a busy Hiring Manager, you’ll need a quick summary of the changes and how this could affect your business – this is the blog for you. Matthew Dann: Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment Director Overview The new rate starts on 1 April 2020 and nearly 3 million workers will benefit from the increases to the NLW and NMW rates for younger workers. The increased rates were recommended by the Low Pay Commission, an independent body that advises the government about the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage. NMW and NLW Increases in 2020 The Government has confirmed that: The National Living Wage (for over 25-year-olds) will increase by 6.2% from £8.21 to £8.72. The National Minimum Wage will rise across all age groups, including: Age Current From April 1st 2020 Increase % Over 25 year olds £8.21 £8.72 6.2% 21-24 year olds £7.70 £8.20 6.5% 18-20 year olds £6.15 £6.45 4.9% Under 18’s £4.35 £4.55 4.6% Apprentices £3.90 £4.15 6.4% April 1st Falls Mid-Week – How Will That Work? Thorn Baker Group's Payroll Manager Emma Craig has confirmed that It will be payable on the next ‘pay reference period’. So if you run a weekly payroll (this will be most likely if you hire temporary workers) the NWM and NLW will apply as follows: The pay reference period will start on the 4th of April if your week runs Saturday to Friday or the 6th April if your week runs Monday to Sunday First payment where the worker receives their increased wage will be the 17th of April You can read more about this from Acas here ​How Will This Effect Businesses? In a report from Personnel Today Matthew Fell, CBI Chief UK Policy Director said that although business shared the ambition for a higher wage economy, affordability was a key issue: “While it’s the right thing to do and many workers will feel the benefit, some firms will find this rise challenging in the face of tough economic conditions. “It’s vital that the Low Pay Commission has the full range of tools at its disposal to judge the evidence base, pace and affordability for any future rises to ensure the UK’s successful job creation story continues into the coming decade.” We're holding NMW & NLW consultations in your area free of charge! If you’d like to discuss further how these changes will apply to your current or future supply of temporary workers you can book an appointment with your local branch right here.

Arriving back to work in January can be a daunting prospect for many employees. After the decorations have been hastily packed away, early morning yawns stifled and we've dived back into work - the festive period is a distant memory... Rose Joseph: Branch Manager, Chesterfield ​The Job Exodus Survey from Investors in People has reported that more than half of the UK's workforce will be looking for a new job in 2020 and 56% are unhappy at work compared to 44% last year. It’s no wonder January is often considered the worst month for feeling unmotivated and dissatisfied at work. Another side to this is that a growing number of UK residents suffer from S.A.D: Seasonal Affective disorder (according to mental health charity MIND now one-third of the population) which can contribute to ‘Blue Monday’. But it’s not all gloom, Isabella Goldie (Director of the Mental Health Foundation) highlighted that ‘Blue Monday’ can be an opportunity of tackle stigma surrounding mental health and raise awareness in the workplace. So how do you ensure the wellbeing of your employees and stop productivity from taking a nosedive? Plan for the Year Ahead Start planning for a successful year by getting your team involved in the planning process, share (where you can) any highpoints and features in the year ahead. Not only will this put a spotlight on key company goals, but it will encourage your team to think about how they can get involved in achieving them. Why not set up a team meeting to kick-start the return to work? Offer to make the first coffee round and catch-up on the holidays and plans for the coming year. Focus on Well-being We hear it year after year... 'New Year, New Me' and as we return to work after the holiday period, most of our New Years’ resolutions are (hopefully) still intact. Encouraging a healthy lifestyle in the office doesn’t start and end with installing a team fruit bowl – why not raise some money for a good cause whilst boosting team morale? A number of my clients have created a calendar of events across the year to keep their staff motivated - ranging from go-karting championships to coffee mornings (with cake!) and family BBQs. I also work with managers who prefer to lead by example to promote healthy working habits e.g. avoiding working long hours, taking lunch breaks and remembering to exercise during the working day. We're already planning a calendar of events at Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment, including a 10-hour tag team cycle relay to support our local charity – Ashgate Hospice. Check it out here Allow Your Employees to Grow Set aside some of your 2020 budget for team training and development - from short courses to formal qualifications. Not only will you be upskilling your employees but your team will appreciate the investment in their future and a new challenge! There are plenty of positives about getting back to work after a well-earned break, even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time. Not only is it a fantastic time to catch-up with colleagues and getting back to a structured rhythm – but also a chance to make an impact on the rest of the year. We’d love to hear what you are doing in your company to motivate your team and ensure success for the rest of the year. Also, if you'd like to discuss your New Year recruitment needs you can contact Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment here.

The happier your employees are, the more successful your company will be. This isn’t a new or revolutionary statement – but it's true. Employee engagement is a long-term hot topic; however, it’s usually spoken about in office-based roles. In this blog, we'll be looking at how employee engagement can be improved in an industrial workplace. Michael Martin, Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment Branch Manager Studies show that happy employees are more dedicated and productive than their unhappy colleagues – and they’re more likely to stay in their current role. Sounds too good to be true? There have been lots of studies and reports on workplaces that have shown that an employee’s happiness has a direct correlation with a business’s bottom line. A study by the Harvard Business Review explains that disengaged workers had: 37% higher absenteeism 49% more accidents 60% more errors and defects. Any of these can affect your businesses budget… On the surface, the word ‘happy’ might seem a little idealistic to associate with the booming world of business and profits. But beneath it, the word ‘happy’ offers all kinds of positive corporate meanings: better production, better safety, and better attendance. Happy Workers: Work harder because they appreciate their workplace and want to contribute. Have fewer accidents because they’re more focused. So, a happy work environment attracts good people and helps the people who work for you to do their best for the company. Great! But what changes could you apply in your company to make this possible? Armitage Pet Care is a fantastic example of a business that we work with who have firmly put the happiness of their staff centre stage. A few examples of what they have implemented include: Updating the toilets, lockers and canteen facilities. Removing unnecessary PPE. Making Improvements to the heating. Soup days. Kevin King, Manufacturing and Technical Manager commented: 'I joined Armitages in 2018 tasked with taking the business forward in a difficult and uncertain economy whilst working with tight margins. It was clear a number of changes were needed. It was immediately clear that staff welfare was an area that needed improving when we asked the workforce how we could make things better. Essentially the employees talked & we listened! We wasted no time in modernising the toilets, canteens, addressing the heating in the winter, removing unnecessary PPE so the staff could be more comfortable when they work etc. But we wanted to go further - so this year, on several occasions, we’ve let the staff finish work slightly early (paid), bought everyone lunch when a big order was completed and ice creams during the summer heatwave. Little things make all the difference, and that hopefully will help us attract better staff and retain the best of them.' In many Industrial workplaces, especially during peak seasons, it’s essential to understand the importance of employee engagement - it aligns with retention and productivity for your business. It’s not realistic to expect your employees to be engaged if they’re not happy in their work. Here at Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment, it's something we take seriously - every year we take part in the best companies survey and we're proud to say that we've been rated at the highest level (3 stars!). best companies describe workplace engagement as: 'When people are engaged they feel connected to each other and to the aims of the organisation they work for. They believe in a shared purpose and feel they play an important part in fulfilling it. An engaged workforce is more motivated and productive because people take pride in what they are doing and have faith in those around them. This leads to better working relationships, greater collaboration and ultimately a more successful organisation.' If you’d like to discuss ways to help improve your current employee engagement, or how we could help to take some of the pressure from your recruitment drives - contact your local branch today.

Flexible working is becoming an increasingly popular option for both Employees and Hiring Managers across employment sectors. There's been a rise recently of 61% in the number of employers that have the option available. This increase is mainly based on office work, which is far different from the types of work undertaken retail and warehouse staff. In this blog, we will be looking at whether flexible working is a viable option across industrial employment sectors. As well as how you as a Hiring Manager could use these options to boost your current and future workforce. Matthew Dann, Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment Director What does flexible working mean? ‘Flexible working’ is an umbrella term that defines a variety of ways that employees can enjoy a better work-life balance, including: Remote working: Working from home or another out-of-office location, such as a coffee shop Job sharing: Responsibilities of a role are split between two people Compressed hours: Allowing employees to work longer hours and fewer days Annualised hours: A certain number of hours are spread flexibly throughout the year Staggered hours: Staff members work the same number of hours but can have start and end times that better suit their lifestyle Flexitime: Employees must work ‘core hours’ but can take advantage of flexible start and finish times when necessary Engage for Success have reported that manual and service roles can still benefit from certain types of flexible working – such as compressed hours and job sharing – and 53% of employers have said that they believe all industries should make it an option for their workers. ​What are the benefits of flexible working? A better work-life balance Increased productivity (82% of employees say they get more work done when working flexibly) A less stressful commute More flexibility for personal needs Greater job satisfaction Many employers agree flexible working improves the workplace by: Boosting morale (70% of employers agreed that staff were happier in their role) Increased productivity (58% noted that flexibility resulted in better performance) A more relaxed and pleasant office atmosphere Lowered costs and overall emissions Better overall organisation and communication There’s even ‘national day’s’ celebrating the benefits of flexible working: Flexible Working Day, Work Wise Week and National Work from Home Day Flexible working is great! But is it achievable in an Industrial workplace? In our recent blog, the top 6 issues hiring managers will face this summer, and how to overcome them, we looked at the challenges that all Hiring and Production Managers face during seasonal peak times: Hiring Time Planned Vs. Unplanned Absences Candidate Quality Flexibility Needed Unexpected Orders High Temperatures in the Workplace Many of you already know that a temporary job can satisfy both businesses and workers. Temporary work offers more flexibility than a permanent position and is increasingly becoming popular to meet individual’s needs. Businesses are now seeing this as a great way to recruit, test candidates abilities and how they fit into their working environment. Can you as a business apply flexible working even further within your business? The employment world is changing and in order to retain the very best workers, businesses need to adapt with it. Ways that you could apply flexible working are: Extended operating hours: this would allow shift flexibility if you don’t already have this in place and expands your operations to cope with the 24/7 expectations of modern customers. Job share: this can help to attract a skilled workforce that requires part-time hours and needs a better work/life balance. Health and Wellbeing: flexibility may help to improve health and wellbeing and, as a result, reduce absenteeism and increase productivity. What are the potential barriers? The Undercover Recruiter has stated that some potential barriers include: Potential operational difficulties, additional costs and resistance from managers Possible pressure on workers who aren’t requesting flexible working Potential negative impact on customer service and quality of work Problems in scheduling work and shifts with varied work arrangements to consider Difficulties in communicating with employees not working on organisational premises ‘Flexible working’ & ‘work/life balance’ are very real issues for today’s workforce. The Industrial Recruitment sector is now well into peak season, and candidates have greater choice of assignments than ever before – it’s vital that we all look at ways to both attract and retain job-seeking candidates. If you'd like to discuss any of these points further you can contact your local branch here.

HOW DID WE SOLVE THEIR PROBLEM OF NEEDING SPECIALIST LOCAL CANDIDATE KNOWLEDGE?​ Established in 1979, Wilcom International is a global organisation who are market leaders in personalised embroidery and apparel decoration. Originally founded in Sydney, today Wilcom is present in over 100 countries with products in over 12 languages and has a global community of more than 250,000 licensed customers. Wilcom’s Chesterfield office is a pillar of their UK and European sales function. With their HR team based in Sydney, it was a challenge to find an agency that could support their needs on a local level. Initially working with a National, London based recruiter, the local knowledge they received was limited and it was difficult for their agency to supply that all-important personal touch. As a result, the previous agency lacked a deeper understanding of the client’s cultural requirements and the candidates put forward were not the most fitting to the role and the company’s ethos as a whole. The impact of the slow recruitment process meant that current employees had to work longer hours to ensure that the high demand of orders from their customers were processed on-time. Once Wilcom engaged with Thorn Baker, I took the time to establish the exact needs of the client and some of the difficulties they had been experiencing with their recruitment process so far. They needed a shortlist of suitable candidates, who would be available to start in 1-2 weeks. I enjoyed working alongside Rob and his team to find their new team member; it was a great opportunity to find a local candidate who was equally as passionate about providing an outstanding client experience as they were. The team was a pleasure to work with and they always provided prompt and detailed feedback. I built a strong working relationship with Rob and his team, which enabled me to enhance my search and find the perfect candidate. HOW DID ROB FEEL? 'We wanted to recruit seamlessly; making sure the new team member could hit the ground running and fit straight in with our busy department. We had initially approached an alternative supplier, but they did not have the local knowledge and expertise of Thorn Baker. It was so helpful having a recruitment company just down the road and available to see us at a drop of a hat! Liz was fantastic to work with. As a recruiter, she maintained a highly professional demeanour and was always very friendly. I would 100% recommend working with Thorn Baker, Liz was quick to understand the kind of person we were looking for and regularly went above and beyond for our team. I felt like she was an extension of my own team, always ready to help and offer guidance. We have gained a fantastic member of staff, a true asset to the company and an employee who embodies our core values. We wouldn’t have achieved this without Liz’s help. If I had to describe working with Thorn Baker in three words it would be: focused, professional and friendly.'

The year may be past the halfway point, but there’s still time to catch some of the best Industrial awards and events in 2019. These events bring together professionals and experts (like you) from across the industry and they’re an excellent opportunity for sharing experiences, seeing the latest in trends and innovations as well as various chances to network. Check out below our list of events that you still can attend and you certainly will not want to miss. Matthew Dann, Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment Director National Payroll Week: 4-6th September National Payroll Week was established to raise the profile and awareness of payroll in the UK. It helps demonstrate the impact payroll has on the UK economy through contributing towards the £4.46bn* collected through income tax and National Insurance. Celebrating payroll professionals, this week highlights that they do more than just push a button and how integral they are to organisations. We will certainly be celebrating the week with our own payroll team (look out for our posts online) will you be celebrating with yours? TCT Show: 24-26th September The TCT Show is a world-leading design-to-manufacturing event displays the latest technology in manufacturing, 3D printing, design and engineering. The TCT Show has been around for the last 20 years and brings together speakers, exhibitors and over 10,000 visitors from 60 countries. Additionally, they also host an award show on the 26th, are you one of the finalists? You can see the list of finalists here. IMHX 2019: 24-27th September IMHX is the largest event in the UK for professionals within the logistics, supply chain and materials handling industries. If you’re looking to see the newest products and services to enter the market, connect with new and existing suppliers, and stay one step ahead of the trends that are transforming the logistics industry – this is the event for you. Held at the NEC in Birmingham the event boasts 400+ exhibitors and over 16,000 visitors each year, with a host of seminars and workshops there’s definitely something for everyone. The Logistics Awards: 26th September The Logistics Awards are the Rolls Royce of awards events for logistics and supply chain operations. In association with SHD Logistics magazine, the awards have been running since 2014 and they recognise the most impressive achievements throughout the industry over the last 12 months. The finalists have already been named and there are lots of familiar names on there (good luck to all of you!) ​ PPMA Total Show: 1-3rd October PPMA Total Show 2019 is the UK’s largest event dedicated to state-of-the-art processing and packaging machinery. It comes around every three years, so there's every reason to visit this October. You'll be face-to-face with over 450 exhibitors, a host of new product launches and the latest technological innovations. Every aspect of the production line will be represented, from labelling, filling and packaging to processing, robotics, automation and industrial vision systems. Rounding off this fantastic event will be an awards event – you can have a look at the awards categories here. PrintWeek Awards: 21st October The PrintWeek Awards celebrate the power of print - the judging panel is made up of more than 20 leading print buyers and who are experts in their fields. You can look forward to being wowed by some of the awe-inspiring projects that have completed over the past 12 months. And with more than 20 PrintWeek Prisms up for grabs this year, including several new and reconfigured categories, so if you have entered the odds are stacked in your favour of promoting your prowess to clients and prospects alike. You can see last year’s winners here. CIPD Annual Conference: 6-7th November The Annual Conference and Exhibition (ACE) which is the largest and most successful HR event in the UK. Every year, it brings together thousands of HR professionals from across the world to find out and discuss the latest strategies and developments in the world of work. The exhibition, visited by more than 4000 attendees every year, features hundreds of HR and L&D providers and dozens of free learning sessions are also available over the two days. You can download the show brochure here. The events are always great opportunities to meet like-minded people from your industry. Please let us know if you (or any of your colleagues) are attending any of these events as we will be attending a selection of these ourselves. Contact your local branch today

Seasonal peaks are approaching and companies like yours will need extra support from your recruitment partner. This blog will be helpful for Hiring and Production Managers like you, who will be facing these challenges, and how you can overcome them. Michael Martin, Nottingham Branch Manager Summer is here (even if the weather doesn’t always agree) and I know from speaking with my clients that the same topics come up year after year – unplanned absences, how long it takes to hire, candidate quality needed. The great news is that with careful planning and the help of your local branch you can overcome all of your seasonal hiring challenges. Hiring Time The nature of the temporary work beast is to hire the best workers and train them to be ready in time for your busy peak – all within an already condensed timeline. At a time like this, it’s crucial to make the right hire the first time around. Start your hiring process early, make sure that your recruitment partner is working with accurate job descriptions; are there any perks to working at your business? Do you have the best cob van in the area? We all know the power of a great breakfast cob… ‘The team has daily contact with me ensuring all staff supplied have turned in and to address any issues. I am very impressed with the standard of service and professionalism – nothing has been too much trouble. I would highly recommend the team.’ Broxtowe Borough Council Planned Vs. Unplanned Absences This happens in all businesses, we can plan our teams holidays but emergencies and last minute requests come up – Illness, holidays, childcare, sudden departure. Working with a recruitment partner is a quick way to fix all (and any other) of these sudden needs as they arise. We’ve worked in the Industry for over 30 years and understand how critical these hires are and we’re ready to support you with both planned and unplanned absences. Candidate Quality A big challenge that our clients face is finding people at short notice with the skills they need, competition for skilled staff during peak times can be high. A quick and easy way to overcome this hurdle is to team up with a recruitment partner. No more scrambling to post your advert on as many jobs boards as you can – we can take care of this for you and will have been speaking to the very best candidates face to face well ahead of time. Our database has been growing for over 30 years, so you can be sure that we already know the best people. ‘Since the team have been onsite at temporary staff morale has improved which I put down to the team treating their staff as people instead of numbers. I have no hesitation in recommending the services of Thorn Baker.’ Plastique Flexibility Needed The beauty of a temporary job is that it can satisfy both businesses and workers. Temporary work offers more flexibility than a permanent position and is increasingly becoming popular to meet individual’s needs. Businesses are now seeing this as a great way to recruit, test candidates abilities and how they fit into their working environment. As temporary specialists, your Consultant can quickly provide your business with qualified staff for both long and short time jobs. Unexpected Orders Things happen. We all know that orders from clients can come through at the last minute. By working with your Consultant you can rest assured that we will always be working on your candidate pool. With regular site inductions and in-house testing, we’re there when you need us, helping to support you in fulfilling your clients’ orders. 'I have used Thorn Baker for well over a decade, I know the office well and the service is as strong and consistent now as it ever was. It outshines the competition on every aspect of labour supply. I trust my contact and if a problem does come up it is dealt with immediately.’ XPO Logistics High Temperatures in the Work Place The summer weather can mean uncomfortable temperatures for some in a manufacturing and logistics environment, which can lead to dehydration. Symptoms of dehydration include headaches and poor concentration & attention span. To keep our clients performing at their best the sales team will be delivering our branded water bottles, to not only keep you hydrated but also reduce single-use plastic cups (following on from our blog; Treasury Mulls over Packaging Taxes to Reduce Waste in On-the-Go Packaging). Please keep a look out for them! We work with businesses like yours who struggle to hire throughout the year as well as seasonal peaks every day. By understanding what a business needs and successfully delivering it time and time again we make our client's hiring life easy - simple. If you'd like to discuss your current and upcoming recruitment needs you can contact your local branch here. Don't miss out on all the latest industrial news, tips and jobs Subscribe here

When You Wish Upon a Star has a simple mission, to grant the wishes of children living with a life-threatening illness. This year we took part in this fantastic charities Easter egg collection for Nottingham's Queens Medical Centre Hospital children's wards. Michael Martin, Nottingham Branch Manager Having been personally involved in this fundraising I have to say how proud I am of my team and colleagues, it's meant a lot to me (especially being a parent myself) and it's something I'm keen to build upon. As a Group we all have two days a year that we can use to help a charity of our choice. Charity, isn't always first thing that comes to mind with recruiters but we love to make a positive contribution to our local communities! Those who work at Thorn Baker Group already know that we raise money on our Dress Down Day and this is donated to a charity selected by a different member of staff each month. However, this Easter we went one step further. Working with When you wish upon a Star, myself and Katie Stock were able to give our Easter egg collection to a number of children’s wards at Nottingham Queens Medical Centre Hospital. With the help of our fantastic candidates, clients, internal staff and local businesses we collected an impressive 168 Easter eggs. In addition to the egg collection, we raised a wonderful £418 by holding a raffle across our branches. I have to give a massive shout out to Sarah Jones who spearheaded this and managed to bring on some great prizes from local businesses - well done Sarah! Raffle prizes included: Morrisons, Loughborough: Easter chocolate goodies Calcutta Club: £50.00 voucher Slaters Menswear: £50.00 voucher Gincident: £10.00 voucher Trent Bridge Cricket Ground: Complementary tickets to a match of choice MOD Pizza: Four pizzas, drinks and desserts Peter's Pizzeria: Two pizzas Waterstones, Loughborough: A selection of children's books The Entertainer: £15.00 voucher Toby Carvery, Colwick: Four carvery meals Showcase Cinema, Nottingham: A poster pack MSR Newsgroup, Nottingham: Easter egg Pieminster: Easter egg Vision Express: Easter eggs Vibez Danceworks: Easter eggs Avon: Giftpack Younique: Cosmetics pack PayPacket: Easter eggs Lemonpath: Easter eggs Biffa: Easter eggs Warburtons: Easter eggs Again, I'd like to personally thank our clients, local businesses and everyone at Thorn Baker Group who contributed to such a great cause. Next year sees When You Wish Upon a Star's 30th anniversary, to find about more about their upcoming events and how you can get involved click here. Don't miss out on all the latest industrial news, tips and jobs Subscribe here

Whether you hire directly or through an agency, this blog will be helpful for Managing Directors and Hiring Managers who need more information about how Modern Slavery can be a risk to their business. Matthew Dann, Director of Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment Compliance… A dull subject? Recent statistics from The Global Slavery Index suggest that there are over 136,000 people living in modern slavery in the UK – and in 2018 there were 2352 cases of labour exploitation. You can read the rest of the report from The Global Slavery Index here. Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking can be a potential risk to your business, whether via your direct recruitment methods or from a recruitment partner. Are you confident that your workforce isn't affected by Modern Slavery? We take compliance with legislation and industry standards extremely seriously. The people we recruit are supplied to the standards required by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA). We have a dedicated central compliance team, checking worker eligibility and who monitor each aspect of the regulations. How can you spot the signs of Modern Slavery? The GLAA have identified six key areas where labour exploitation can be identified; Restricted Freedom Behaviour Working Conditions Accomodation Finances Appearance You can read the full report from the GLAA here. My team and I work closely with the GLAA, The Association of Labour Providers, and we're a supporter of the Stronger Together initiative. From the very beginning of our recruitment process, through to a worker being placed on assignment - we have their welfare central to our process. Face to face interviews, on-site audits, worker surveys, background checks – these are just some of the tools we use to keep our workers safe and happy. If you have any concerns for the safety of your workforce, feel free to call us for advice – if we can’t help we’ll certainly be able to put you in touch with an expert who can. If you’re interested in attending one of our forthcoming Modern Slavery seminars please register your interest by emailing me today: matthew.dann@thornbaker.co.uk Want to hear the latest Industrial news, jobs and updates? Subscribe here

We’re delighted to have been awarded a three-star accreditation by Best Companies recognising our extraordinary levels of staff engagement. This is the highest level of accreditation that can be achieved and is the outcome of staff surveys that saw over 85% of our staff complete. Paul Jackman, Thorn Baker Group Chief Executive Officer I’m delighted to be able to share the news that we’ve been awarded the highest possible accreditation with Best Companies which demonstrates that our people have ‘Extraordinary’ levels of engagement within our business. What makes the award especially pleasing is that when our staff filled the survey it was towards the end of the largest programme of change that we’ve ever undertaken. The result is 100% derived from these staff surveys and builds on our 2-star rating from the previous year. So what does this mean? To give you some context with the Best Companies methodology and structure, the scoring covers 8 key areas which are Leadership, My Company, My Manager, Personal Growth, My Team, Wellbeing, Fair Deal and Giving Something Back. We improved our scores in 7 out of 8 areas. So what have we actually done that allows me to boldly say ‘the largest programme of change ever undertaken’ – here’s just a sample of what we’ve achieved in the last 12 months. Evolved to become one Group with three distinct Brands, Thorn Baker Construction, Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment and Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance. It’s been a big structural and mental shift from what was previously Thorn Baker Recruitment with separate Divisions. Re-branded using the fantastic team at Yellowstep to support the evolution Launched four new websites thanks to Volcanic and their marvellous tech We also squeezed in our 30th anniversary in July with a week-long celebration that involved lots of cake, and more cake, and beer and more beer. Launched new core values – Positive-minded, Solution-Focused and People-Driven Changed how we run our company – our Operating System, by adopting Traction. This really is the closest you can get to a secret sauce for a complex UK wide recruitment firm and until now I didn’t want any competitors to know how this can transform your business, it’s the best takeaway anyone business owner will get from this blog. Making a plan for the future The planning for 2018 goes further back, to roughly May 2017, and we can pinpoint our Annual Managers meeting when Kevin Green made a guest speaker appearance with impact – it really got us thinking about moving to this new structure and realigning what we do. Not everything went to plan – It was particularly painful to have to close a branch in Manchester. Our High Flyers trip to Milan in June 2018 didn’t take off thanks to the Italian air traffic control strike, so we rearranged for September and all was good. As for GDPR, what joy; thanks to our Chairman John Robinson for the diligent project management and training that keeps us (and our clients and candidates) incredibly compliant. So back to engagement, If you’re still reading you’re possibly wondering if a more engaged workforce has actually increased sales? Increased the bottom line? It’s a big tick in the box for both. With the same headcount as the previous year, our sales are up around 10%, GP up around 8% and this is starting to wash through on the bottom line. Our Brands are at your service… Fundamentally I believe if our people are happy in their work then our clients and candidates directly feel the benefit. Engagement without capability isn’t much use, and our capability led to the adoption of the ‘know-how you need’ to help better communicate our offering in an incredibly competitive sector. At Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment we’re absolutely committed to helping our staff reach their potential and achieve their career goals. Our recent new starter had this to say; Irrespective of prior recruitment experience Thorn Baker provides fantastic training and guidance for driven individuals to forge careers in recruitment. Everyone wants this level of support in their career, don't they? and we’re ready for you to join our growing team. Simply email your CV to me matthew.dann@thornbaker.co.uk or call me on 07817 983655 for a confidential discussion.

You’re a manager responsible for operations in your business, I bet you’re reflecting on 2018 and how 2019 can be better... Matthew Dann: Director, Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment. Let’s Look at Some UK Employment Headlines That May Have Affected You: Employment Rate Is Nearly the Highest Number on Record The Office for National Statistics reported that the UK employment rate is 75.5%, almost the highest number on record, the unemployed remains at 4.1% - a 30 year low. Net annual migration of EU nationals to Britain has fallen by 75,000 in the past year, with official figures showing this as the lowest level for five years. This has clearly affected the quality of and access to labour you have. Average Wage Growth Has Risen at the Fastest Pace for Almost 10 Years The BBC reported that pay rose by 3.1% in the three months to August 2018 compared with a year ago. Philip Hammond (UK Chancellor) has recently announced a 4.9% increase to the statutory National Living Wage from April 2019. This has increased your cost base and your ability to retain staff. What challenges and opportunities will you face in the Warehousing & Logistics, Contract Packing, Manufacturing, Waste & Recycling and Print industries in 2019? Candidate attraction and retention is likely to continue to be your greatest challenge in 2019. This doesn’t need to be a negative though and should be seen as an opportunity to develop better and more effective candidate recruitment campaign - with a greater emphasis on finding the right jobs, companies and environments for candidates. Obviously, candidate remuneration will play a part in this, although in a recent survey almost half of the candidates questioned cited ‘job satisfaction’ as more important than pay. With offices located around the East Midlands and South Yorkshire, myself and my team would love to hear what you feel your greatest industry challenge will be in 2019, contact your local branch here. Don't miss out on all the latest industrial news, tips and jobs Subscribe here​

A snapshot poll by the Local Government Association has claimed that the cost for councils of recycling has increased by, on average, £500,000. It added that 20% of councils have felt a direct impact on China’s restrictions on imports of mixed paper and certain types of plastic over the last year. According to the LGA, the fee charged to councils to process materials from kerbside collections at a materials recovery facility has increased from £15 per tonne to £22 per tonne. The fee has increased to £35 a tonne compared with £29 a tonne for contracts signed in the last year. Martin Tett, the LGA’s environment spokesman, said: “It’s clear that the ban by China on imported waste, which could soon be implemented from other countries, could have a marked impact on councils’ ability to recycle. It’s essential that the government provide support to help councils offset the loss of income they face as a result of the ban and encourage manufacturers to use more recyclable materials. ​ “Councils are doing all they can to improve recycling rates, which is why 100% of councils collect paper for recycling, and 99% collect plastic bottles. The rising costs caused by this ban risk combining with ongoing and severe council funding pressures to affect other essential local services. “It is essential that the government take the opportunities of the upcoming autumn budget and publication of its resources and waste strategy to assess the financial impact of these bans on councils thoroughly, and encourage manufacturers to take up more of the responsibility for dealing with these unrecyclable materials.” Michael Martin, Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment Branch Manager commented; ''Manufacturers need to do far more and take more responsibility about how their products and packaging can be recycled. The media is now highlighting how much plastic is in the oceans and the adverse effect this is having on wildlife. ''As a recruitment agency that supplies a number of local authorities we see first-hand how funding cuts are reducing personnel levels, which in turn impacts what services can be done. And the reality is that issues such as the environment & recycling suffer as they are not everyone's priority. ''Central government need to think outside of the box and look at initiatives like the plastic bag charge to incentivise manufacturers and consumers alike to recycle as much as possible.'' Don't miss out on the latest Industrial news, tips and jobs Subscribe here

The BBC has reported today that wages excluding bonuses have risen at their fastest pace in nearly 10 years, official figures show. Pay rose by 3.1% in the three months to August, compared with a year ago, while inflation for the same period was 2.5%. Last week, Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane said he saw signs of a "new dawn" for wage growth. The latest official data also showed unemployment fell by 47,000 to 1.36 million in the three months to August. The jobless rate remained at 4%. David Freeman, the Office for National Statistic's (ONS) head of labour market, said: "People's regular monthly wage packets grew at their strongest rate in almost a decade, but, allowing for inflation, the growth was much more subdued. "The number of people in work remained at a near-record high, while the unemployment rate was at its lowest since the mid-1970s." The ONS figures showed the number of people in work was little changed at 32.39 million, down by just 5,000. The average pace of wage growth was 4% before the global financial crisis. Economists have been puzzled why wages have grown so slowly even as unemployment has fallen sharply. Wages including bonuses rose at a pace of 2.7% in the three months to August. In August, the Bank of England said that it expected total pay to be growing at a rate of 2.5% a year by the end of 2018, climbing to 3.5% by the end of 2020. Public sector boost However, Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, said the latest wage growth rates were unlikely to be maintained. "The recent pick-up in wage growth has been driven partly by the loosening of the public-sector pay cap for some workers," he said. "For instance, most NHS workers received a pay rise of at least 3% in July. "But the government still is keeping a tight lid on pay rises in other departments, while this year's increase in NHS pay is the best in a three-year deal. Public sector pay growth, therefore, likely has reached a ceiling. "The recent upturn in wage growth also has been flattered by the recent rebound in average hours." Analysis: Andy Verity, economics correspondent Here's a reason to be cheerful. In the three months from June to August we had, on average, the biggest pay rise in nine years! But slow down. The fact that 3.1% is the biggest pay rise since February 2009 says more about how weak pay growth has been in the last decade than how strong it has been in the past year. Strip out the effect of inflation (as measured by the Consumer Prices Index) and you get pay growth of just 0.6%. Then look back at the last decade, the worst decade for living standards in 200 years. If you're a half-full person, well we're up by about £25 per week on average since the squeeze on living standards was at its tightest back in 2014. But if you're half-empty, we're still earning about £20 a week less than we did 10 years ago when the global financial crisis struck. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) also said it did not expect this trend to continue. Suren Thiru, head of economics at the BCC, said: "While wage growth increased again, the pace at which pay growth is exceeding price growth remains well below the historic average, meaning the current squeeze on spending power is unlikely to ease. "Achieving a meaningful improvement in wage growth will be an uphill struggle unless the underlying issues that continue to limit pay settlements are tackled - notably sluggish productivity, considerable underemployment and high upfront costs for businesses." Don't all of the latest Industrial news, tips and jobs Subscribe here

Looking for work? We've listed out below our top 5 tips that you can make your job search easier on our new website: 1. Register on the website: This will give you access to your own personal dashboard, it only takes a few minutes and it gives you access to all of the great features... You can do that here 2. Upload your CV to your profile: Make your job application super easy and make sure that we know all of your latest experience. 3. Sign up for job alerts: Let us do the work for you! You can set the alert to go to you as much or as little as you'd like. 4. Suggested jobs: This feature will suggest live jobs that are suited to you, another great feature that will make your job search quicker and easier. 5. View your applications: Sometimes it's easy to lose track of which jobs you've applied for... we can solve that problem for you! In your personal dashboard you'll be able to see all of the jobs that you've applied for saving you time. Creating your own personal dashboard is super quick and easier - create yours here today You can contact your local Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment office here Don't miss out on the latest Industrial news, tips and jobs Subscribe here

The Independent reported this month about how the rise in wages will likely reassure the Bank of England its judgement about UK economy – that slack is almost gone and this will result in inflationary wage pressure – is correct. You can read the article below, are the stats reflective within your business? UK wage growth picked up by more than expected in July, official statistics showed on. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that average total pay in the three months to July rose by 2.6 per cent on the same period a year earlier. That was up from the previous reading of 2.4 per cent and higher than the 2.4 per cent City of London analysts had expected. Excluding volatile bonuses, pay was up 2.9 per cent. In the single month of July regular pay was up 3.1 per cent, the most rapid in three years. The rise in wages will likely reassure the Bank of England that its key judgement about the UK economy – that slack is almost gone and that this will result in inflationary wage pressure – is correct. The Bank raised interest rates to 0.75 per cent in August, forecasting that wage growth this year would be 2.5 per cent, rising to 3.25 per cent in 2019. “The labour market figures suggest that competition for workers is finally starting to provide greater support to wages,” said Andrew Wishart of Capital Economics. “Surveys of wage growth suggest that it will sustain a pace of about 3 per cent over the remainder of the year.” The ONS also reported on Tuesday that the UK’s strong employment growth this year is levelling off, with a quarterly rise in the numbers in work of just 3,000. However, the employment rate remained at 75.5 per cent, close to a record high. And the jobless rate was steady at 4.1 per cent. “With the number of people in work little changed, employment growth has weakened. However, the labour market remains robust, with the number of people working still at historically high levels, unemployment down on the year and a record number of vacancies,” said David Freeman of the ONS. Don't miss out on the latest Industrial news, tips and jobs Subscribe here

The Packaging Innovations & Luxury Packaging 2018 show was held this month and it’s no surprise that plastics in packaging – a hotly debated topic in the UK, took centre stage. The show returned to Olympia London (12 & 13 September) and hosted the UK’s first ever plastic-free aisle, which visitors were able to explore throughout the exclusive two-day event. Did you attend the show this year? As Britain’s first plastic-free aisle, the display showcase some of the very latest and most cutting-edge plastic-free packaging solutions. Plus, A Plastic Planet were also introducing the ‘Plastic Free Consumer Trust Mark’; the new front of pack symbol that indicates to consumers that packaging is plastic free. James Drake-Brockman, divisional director of Easyfairs’ Packaging Portfolio, said: “We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of all the issues and challenges currently facing the packaging industry, and we are extremely excited to debut the UK’s first plastic-free aisle. The topic of sustainability is more prolific than ever, with the packaging industry increasingly under pressure to address the issue of plastics in packaging. Our role as an event is to provide packaging buyers with the information they need to make a well-informed decision that is right for their business. Part of that is showcasing what innovative alternatives to plastic are out there, which we are able to do through our partnership with A Plastic Planet.” Also addressing the sustainability agenda, was the launch of The Big Plastics Debate 2.0, which brings experts from the entire packaging supply chain together to tackle the issue of plastic waste in packaging. Run in association with The Foodservice Packaging Association and On Pack Recycling Label (OPRL), the debate unites some of the biggest players in the industry. Lord Deben MP, Chairman of the UK’s Independent Committee on Climate Change, was officially announced as The Big Plastics Debate keynote speaker on 12 September. Lord Deben, who was the UK’s longest serving Secretary of State for the Environment, has consistently championed an identity between environmental concerns and business sense and will explore this topic with his talk. There was a discussion around how the Government is addressing the plastic waste issue and the likely implications that this will have for the packaging industry, featuring Phillip Chadwick, editor at Packaging News and Martin Kersh, executive director at the Foodservice Packaging Association. Coca-Cola, Sainsburys, and Church & Dwight will then take to the stage to examine the way that brands and retailers can be more responsible when it comes to the use of plastic. On 13 September there was a Dragons’ Den style session that will see a diverse selection of plastic alternatives battling it out – including seaweed, pulp, paper, metal, bio-degradable and compostable solutions. The judges will include Sian Sutherland, co-founder of A Plastic Planet; Peter Maddox, director at WRAP; Richard McKinlay, head of Circular Economy at Axion; David Newman, managing director of BBIA; Ian Bates, co-founder of Reelbrands and Dick Searle, chief executive of The Packaging Federation. The Big Plastics Debate 2.0 will conclude with an interactive panel discussion, addressing the challenges around waste management. Experts from OPRL, Prismm Environmental, WRAP and Veolia will offer advice on ‘closing the loop’, as they consider solutions to ensure consumers recycle more. Read Packaging News' full round-up here Don't miss out on the latest Industrial news, tips and jobs Subscribe here

Last week Logistics Manager reported that the Freight Transport Association has called on the government to press for a Brexit deal – after seeing the latest documents on what a no-deal Brexit would mean for freight transport. Have you seen the latest information for the logistics sector? How could this affect your future runs? It picked up on the fact that the UK driving licence would only be accepted in partnership with an international driving permit, saying it would create delays and confusion for many operators – many of which might not even be aware that they would require additional paperwork. And it is concerned that no detail has been provided on the issue of whether permits will be required by vehicles travelling to and from the continent. “No detail has yet been provided on the issue of whether permits will be required by vehicles travelling to and from Europe – and time is marching on. “At this point, we expect only 1,224 permits to be made available to UK hauliers every year if they wish to travel to the European Union – that number pales into insignificance when you consider that the Port of Dover can handle up to 10,000 vehicle movements each day,” said Pauline Bastidon, head of European policy. “Without a significant improvement in the planned number of accepted permits for HGVs travelling across the border, there is a very real threat to the integrity of the UK’s supply chain, and delays and product shortages could be a reality while alternative suppliers are sourced and arranged. “Unavoidable queues would quickly build up as hauliers wait for permits to be returned to the UK, and delays would be inevitable. Hauliers will not be able to travel without the requisite documentation, so this must be front and centre for negotiations when they resume, while hauliers should prepare for additional levels of red tape and administrative tasks, and a learning period as they adapt to the new regimes.” The FTA also warned that there is still no clarification on how air freight will be able to move into and out of the UK without a new access agreement. Don't miss out on the latest Industrial news, tips and jobs Subscribe here

Single-use plastic was a hot topic for our Industry throughout 2018 (especially for you print and packing specialists). This blog will be helpful for Production Managers and Financial Controllers who have this topic at the top of their agenda for this year - what preparations/ changes will companies like you be looking to make through 2019 and beyond? Matthew Dann, Director of Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment An article by Packaging News has discussed how Industry bodies have warned the government not to use the tax system to reduce waste from on-the-go packaging. The response follows a report indicating that the Treasury could introduce a levy on manufacturers and certain disposable plastic products. The government has also targeted a levy on disposable coffee cups, despite earlier indications that the government would shy away from such a move. Taxes Could Tackle Waste Reduction in Single-Use Plastics A consultation on how taxes could tackle waste reduction in single-use plastics and promote recycling attracted 162,000 individuals. However, heavyweight industry and retail names also responded including Ball, DS Smith, Tesco, Co-op, McDonald’s and Coca-Cola. Martin Kersh, executive director at the Foodservice Packaging Association (FPA), said that consumers “deserve to be made aware that any tax the Treasury imposes will not be used for recycling”. He added: “The report refers to paper cups but these cups have a very small plastic percentage – just 7%, so it’s misleading to single them out, especially when the UK now has the capacity to recycle every paper cup and industry is working hard to deliver sustainable, workable solutions. Rather than taxation, what’s needed is the infrastructure to collect them which will be delivered through PRN reform which would see the industry, not the consumer, pay more.” Will the Single-use Plastics Levy Put Jobs in Jeopardy? The Paper Cup Alliance added: “It is right that there is such strong interest in increasing recycling levels. However, it is important that we ensure that any plans to increase the number of paper cups being recycled are proportionate and do not harm successful UK businesses such as paper cup manufacturers. We have calculated that up to 11,000 jobs could be placed in jeopardy by a potential levy on paper cups. On a plastic levy, a spokesperson for Veolia said: “We all want to increase the amount the UK recycles and a simple tax incentive could be used to encourage recyclable materials and designs for products and discourage the use of harder to recycle options such as black plastic and polystyrene yoghurt pots. “As a collector, sorter, re-processor and seller of recycled plastics Veolia appreciates the dynamics at play and other important measures will also help. These include clearer labelling – a simple green dot for example – so consumers know what can be easily recycled, a revision of the existing Packaging Recovery Note (PRN) system to remove the advantage given to export, and a simple deposit return system for plastic and aluminium cans. “The setting of ambitions targets, such as a minimum percentage of recycled content in packaging, will ensure plastic recycling increases dramatically over the next five years to ensure a more circular and sustainable future.” We've been working with the UK's best Print and Packaging companies for 30 years. We understand the challenges you face – and it’s our job to turn them into solutions. Contact our specialist print and packaging team today Don't miss out on all of the latest Industrial news, tips and jobs Subscribe here

This month The Telegraph posted an article about how business's source, produce and ship their company’s wares can have a significant impact on its profitability. Would you be able to implement these solutions within your business? Identifying the parts of it that are ripe for profit is critical; a supply chain saving of just half a penny per unit can have an “enormous” impact on a business over the course of a year, explains Chris Trump, head of supply chain operations and development at London-based drinks manufacturer, Wow. He adds that a profitable supply chain is a flexible one. Small businesses rarely have the volume to unlock significant value in a chain, but flexibility, partnerships and “truly understanding every cost in your operation” is key, he says. “Breaking down every cost of transforming fresh fruits, vegetables and chia seeds to bottled juices was the first step that we took.” This involved reviewing everything from raw ingredients, packaging, labour, warehousing, transport, insurance to even the support services of IT, adds Mr Trump. “This enables you to quickly identify which costs are fixed and varied; which ones you can make savings on; and what percentage of your overall costs that represents.” “Our biggest cost was transport, so we changed warehouse location quickly to hold our products near the Austrian border and close to our customer,” says Mr Trump. “This increased our costs to other German customers, but halved our delivery costs to our big customer, making a net saving for that market.” Make a forecast for what will sell Understanding your costs is vital for supply chain profitability, agrees Lee White, founder and director of Cubbies, which designs and manufacturers personalised plush toys. “Many small companies are given a full-service unit price and don’t necessarily understand how that has been made up, which is a barrier to profitability,” he says. “This is particularly difficult as your business grows, because you’re unable to disentangle how much of that price is materials and how much is the suppliers’ own margin, which makes it hard to negotiate better pricing as volumes grow.” To combat this, he advises developing a system to forecast what will sell and when. “Ideally, this should be done using past sales, but if it’s a new line with no history, look at the sell through rate of similar lines,” he explains. “A simple, regularly updated spreadsheet is sufficient to start with, although there are software packages to help you control inventory as you grow.” He adds: “If your infrastructure can support the extra workload, it can result in a significant uplift in profitability.” Split logistics costs When it comes to logistics and warehousing costs, much of the profit within your supply chain can be unlocked through piggybacking on the scale of larger businesses. “Transport is a great example, because if you’re shipping empty space, your cost per unit goes up,” explains Mr Trump. “Our first task when we launched into the UK with Waitrose in 2016 was to find out who was delivering into it on the same type of service, and for our volume to fill that empty capacity. This saved us about 20pc of delivery cost.” He adds: “Market challengers, being new, often have capacity that they’re eager to fill and are more willing to negotiate and more flexible in how they work, so find out who these businesses are and look to work together for mutual growth.” Procurement and sourcing are also key factors in developing a profitable supply chain, according to Mark Brownrigg and Deborah Newbury of artisan chocolate business, Urban Village Chocolates, which exports its signature single-origin tasting collections to Ireland and Switzerland. The present lack of clarity regarding future trading with the company’s closest potential export markets is also of concern. The duo advise preparing “as best one can” for the inevitable complications of Brexit and trying to be positive given the current challenges. Michael Martin, Thorn Baker Industrial Branch Manager commented; ''An interesting insight into the importance of understanding your costs and how the storage and logistics of your product/service can lead to a healthier bottom line. How much emphasis you place on getting your product to your clients can indeed have a profound impact on your companies costs, the nemesis of your profits. But as with a lot of best practice in business and life, a simple approach is the best approach. Conventional methods in terms of knowing how much stock you’ve got, when your clients are likely to buy it and in what volumes "should" allow you to hold as much as you can possibly sell at that time. Any more or less is wasted costs to store or missed sales if you run out. The ideas in the article such as relocating locations closer to your biggest client to produce a net saving are obvious, but not realistic for most SMEs. A less costly solution may simply be redesigning the layout of the warehouse, which is unlikely to yield the same return but be far more practical for most business. Similarly, contemporary software used to predict sales and infantry levels again are likely to be too costly for the majority of start-ups and small companies.'' Make sure that you don't miss out on any of the latest industrial news, tips and jobs Subscribe here

A recent article by The Telegraph has discussed how businesses are being urged to take more notice of older staff as a growing number of EU jobseekers steer clear of UK-based roles in the wake of Brexit. Millions of over-50s feel unsupported by their employer despite rising living costs and insufficient pension savings meaning they plan to retire later than once hoped, research shows. Have you been thinking ahead for your future recruitment plans, how could this affect your business? The study, conducted by Aviva, found over 6m over-50s currently in work planned to retire later than they thought they would a decade ago, but more than two-fifths felt that their career ambitions were not being taken ­seriously. In comparison, just 25pc of those aged between 25 and 35 said they felt the same way. “Employers risk creating a disheartened and discouraged over-50s workforce,” the insurer said. “With a third of the UK workforce set to be aged 50-plus by 2020, businesses are being urged to increase their commitment to older employees.” The findings coincide with a report from the CIPD, which found that employers faced a “supply shock” of staff as significantly fewer EU nationals came to Britain looking for work. According to its latest quarterly report, just 7,000 EU-born workers came to the UK between the first quarter of 2017 and 2018 compared to 148,000 the year before, representing a fall of 95pc. “There has been a significant slowdown in the number of EU nationals coming to work in the UK over the past year. This is feeding into increasing recruitment and retention challenges, particularly for employers in sectors that have historically relied on non-UK labour to fill roles,” said Gerwyn Davies, a CIPD analyst. The research, based on responses from over 2,000 employers, said 40pc of those surveyed were finding it more difficult to fill vacancies compared to a year ago due to a combination of fewer and less suitable candidates. The Government is already fighting to close the country’s widening skills gap by urging firms to fill jobs with more older workers and tackle ageism. Co-op, Boots, Barclays and Aviva are among the businesses which last year promised to increase the number of over-50s they employed by 12pc before 2022. However, Aviva’s research suggests progress has been slow in terms of the support UK companies are offering the older generation. The ability to work flexitime has only increased by 2pc since 2012, for example. “Our findings suggest that older employees have a lot to offer at work, despite the challenges they face around workplace support. To make the most of this, employers need to provide rounded support for this generation where their well-being and work-related needs are considered alongside the financial challenge of saving for retirement,” said Lindsey Rix, Aviva’s savings and retirement director. Richard Borland, Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment Branch Manager commented; ''Having been in recruitment for the last 25 years I’ve seen many trends come and go, yes the influx of EU migrates over the last 15 years has helped us fill the needs of our clients with both temporary and permanent staff. When it comes to candidates I have always been a firm believer that the mature person is more likely to turn up with the correct attitude to work and do a good job for you on a daily basis, mainly down to the fact that they have responsibilities like mortgages and pensions. When you find these candidates most are happy to re-train and if you can offer what they are looking for in terms of hours and pay you’ll be on to a winner. I’ve placed many over 50’s on temporary contracts over the years with many going on to become long-term and permanent.'' Don't miss out on any of the latest industrial news, tips and jobs Subscribe here

The latest REC/Markit Report on Jobs showed that permanent placement growth had softened to a nine-month low, while temp billings increased at a faster pace. In addition, it highlights that staff vacancies expanded at the quickest rate since last November, there was a decline in candidate availability but there was a rise in permanent staff appointments. Have your recruitment needs been affected by the candidate shortage? Permanent placements continued to rise sharply in July, though the rate of expansion was the softest recorded since last October. Temp billings also increased strongly, with the rate of growth picking up from June’s recent low. ...as supply of candidates continues to drop markedly Recruitment agencies indicated that candidate shortages weighed on permanent staff appointments. Notably, the supply of both permanent and temporary candidates fell sharply in July, despite rates of decline easing to the weakest in three months in both cases. Staff vacancies rise at quicker pace... Demand for staff strengthened further in July, with overall job vacancies expanding at the quickest rate for eight months. Growth was led by the private sector, with demand for both permanent and temporary workers continuing to rise at rates that comfortably outstripped those seen in the public sector. ...maintaining upward pressure on pay Low candidate availability and robust demand for staff led to a further steep increase in salaries awarded to permanent starters. At the same time, temp pay rates rose at a marked and accelerated rate that was close to April’s two-year record. Regional variation Permanent placements rose at faster rates in the Midlands and the South of England, but growth softened in the North of England. In contrast, permanent staff appointments fell slightly in London. Growth of temp billings was broad-based across the four monitored English regions during July, with the sharpest rate of increase seen in the North of England. Sector variation July data indicated that demand for staff continued to increase at a considerably stronger pace in the private sector than in the public sector. The strongest increase in staff vacancies was seen for permanent private sector workers, while the weakest rise was signalled for public sector permanent roles. IT & Computing was the most in-demand category for permanent staff in July. Nonetheless, steep increases in vacancies were also registered in the remaining nine job categories. The slowest rise in demand was reported for Retail workers. Temporary staff vacancies rose across all of the ten monitored job categories in July, with the sharpest increases seen across Blue Collar and Nursing/Medical/Care. The slowest, but still marked, rise in short-term roles was signalled for Executive/Professional. Sophie Wingfield, REC Head of Policy says: “The rise in interest rates for only the second time in a decade may leave some people feeling the pinch. But a new job is one way people can ease the burden on their finances. With our data showing starting salaries continuing to rise, the latest official government figures suggest that we are finally seeing the effects of a tighter labour market feed through to pay. “Following a period of turbulence and big name closures, the World Cup and heatwave had retailers enjoying a ‘summer bounce’ and basking in the sun with demand for temporary staff on the up with many businesses positively revising their hiring plans. Right now students on their summer break can make the most of these opportunities and cash-in while gaining valuable experience and new skills.” Paul Jackman, Thorn Baker Group CEO comments: “There’s nothing in this report that would come as a surprise to any forward-thinking business who are recruiting, it’s a basic supply and demand issue that’s exacerbated by the rate of change in some of the more advanced industries. If clients want to grow in the near future they’ve got a battle on two fronts. Firstly, retain your good people – and that’s not just about remuneration, they’ll need to be engaged, developed and treated well, with sufficient opportunities for progression; if you can’t retain them you’ll do well to maintain headcount. Secondly, when looking to expand your workforce you need to be able to communicate a compelling reason why someone should join you and be able to back it up with a substance that goes beyond even the most powerful brand. Our client’s benefit from what we call recruitment ‘Know-how’ – our ability to effectively give employers access to the type of individuals that will give them a competitive advantage if you’d like to discuss further contact your local team today.” Don't miss out on all the latest Industrial news, updates and jobs Subscribe here

The Dragon Boat Challenge took place on Sunday 5th August 2018 and the Thorn Boaters were among the 50 crews battling it out over the 200m race course on the River Trent at the Victoria Embankment watched by thousands of spectators. Dragon boat racing is an ancient Chinese tradition and the fastest growing water activity in Britain today – as well as the most fun! We had 10 people paddling our 30’ boat with a drummer (Samie) at the front beating time and our helm at the tail steering a straight course. The day is always a popular event for our staff and this year was no exception, with lots of food (Aqsa our IT Systems manager has the best chicken recipe!) lots of sunshine and team building we might not have won but we definitely all had a fantastic day! Managing the day Gable Events joined with Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People for the 10th dragon boat challenge to be staged as part of the Nottingham Riverside Festival, this year we helped to raise over £11,000 which is amazing. Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People Rainbows is the only hospice in the East Midlands that provides vital care and support to children with life-limiting illnesses from across the region. They also look after the wider families – mums and dads, brothers, sisters and grandparents – because life-shortening illnesses affect everyone. The money raised will help allow these families to make the most of the time they have together, making precious happy memories they can treasure forever. Tom Stanyard, Corporate Partnership Fundraiser at Rainbows said; “The Dragon Boat Challenge is an amazing event. With up to 50 companies competing for a number of prizes the day has a great atmosphere. More amazing than the event however is what Rainbows is able to do with the fundraising support we receive from the crews taking part. With only a small amount of guaranteed funding, your support at events like this makes it possible for us to help and care for those families who need it most.”​ Don't miss out on the latest Industrial news, updates and jobs Subscribe here

The IHS Markit/CIPS UK Manufacturing PMI® is out today, the key findings from the report are: UK Manufacturing PMI at a three-month low of 54.0 in July Weaker increases in the output and new orders Intermediate good production falls for the first time in two years Have you seen a change in your up-coming production orders? The softer growth patch of the UK manufacturing sector continued at the start of the third quarter. July saw slower rates of expansion in both output and new orders, as weaker growth of new work from domestic sources offset a stronger increase in new export orders. Price pressures also remained elevated as a strong increase in average input costs led to the steepest rise in selling prices since February. The seasonally adjusted IHS Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index® (PMI®) fell to a three-month low of 54.0 in July, down from 54.3 in June and well below the highs achieved around the turn of the year. That said, the PMI remains comfortably above its long-run average of 51.8. July saw the weakest rate of expansion in UK manufacturing output in 16 months, as production growth was stymied by a concurrent easing in the pace of increase in new orders. The domestic market was the main focus of the slowdown in new business growth, as new export work increased at the fastest pace for six months. Companies reported improved demand from mainland Europe, the USA, China and the Middle- East. Some firms noted that promotional activity and new product launches had supported sales efforts in overseas markets. The strongest growth of both production and new orders was seen at investment goods producers during July. The consumer goods industry also fared relatively well, as growth of output and new work remained solid (albeit weaker than in June). In contrast, intermediate goods production contracted for the first time in two years, as the rate of expansion in new business slowed sharply to near-stagnation. Employment rose for the twenty-fourth month in a row during July, with job creation sustained across the consumer, intermediate and investment goods industries. Manufacturers linked increased staffing levels to planned company expansions, higher output and efforts to reduce backlogs of work. Has this been the same for your business? With a lack of candidates generally, could dropping your workforce during troughs have an impact on your staffing needs during peak times? July saw the degree of positive sentiment dip to a 21-month low, amid reports of uncertainty regarding both Brexit and the exchange rate. That said, almost 48% of companies still expect output to be higher in one year’s time, compared to just 8% forecasting a contraction. Some linked their optimism to capital investment, planned company expansions, new product launches, and research and development activity. Input cost inflation remained elevated in July, as rising commodity prices and shortages of certain raw materials drove up costs. Part of the increase was passed on to clients, leading to the steepest rise in selling prices since February. Don't miss out on any of the latest industrial news, updates and jobs Subscribe here

A new report has revealed the scale and importance of the manufacturing sector to the UK's economic wellbeing. The Manufacturer highlights some of its most significant facts and statistics for you. From economic prosperity and high-value employment to research and design, it is an absolutely vital sector, and high time it was appreciated for its unrivalled contributions to UK plc. The following is adapted from the foreword to a report – The True Impact of UK Manufacturing – conducted on behalf of the MTA (Manufacturing Technologies Association) by research group Oxford Economics. The fundamental questions MTA chief executive, James Selka, wanted answered are these: if the old chestnut ‘we don’t make anything anymore!’ is true, then how does this sector account for almost half of our exports? How is it that 70% of the UK’s Business R&D is in manufacturing? Because manufacturing is less obviously present in our communities – fewer people work in the sector than in previous generations, and factories are seldom located in town centres any more – there is a tendency to believe it is a sector that has declined to the point of irrelevance. But nothing could be further from the truth: in fact, UK manufacturing extends to about a quarter of the economy. That means that the sector is essential to delivering an Industrial Strategy that can work for the benefit of the country’s prosperity. The oft-repeated ‘fact’ that manufacturing accounts for only a small proportion of UK GDP tells you more about how GDP is calculated than it does about the true impact of manufacturing within the UK economy. Our report is an attempt to tell that richer story. There are three aspects to assessing the impact of manufacturing: The direct impact: the output of businesses that are traditionally considered as manufacturers for the purposes of the GDP calculation The indirect impact: the economic effect supported in the supply chains of those businesses The induced impact: the effect of the spending by people employed directly and indirectly in manufacturing. This report estimates all three of these impacts. The first gives us the relatively familiar numbers; 9% of GDP and 2.6 million jobs (still bigger than the UK’s financial services). However, the second and third elements give us real food for thought. Including the indirect impact, manufacturing accounts for 15% of the UK economy and more than five million jobs. When we incorporate the induced impact, the figures rise still further to 23% and seven million jobs. Those last two sets of numbers give a truer picture of the importance of manufacturing to the UK economy than the first. The reasons are clear: over the past 40 years, manufacturing has increasingly outsourced activities, which used to be done in-house, in areas as diverse as logistics and catering. There are also companies, from design houses to accountancy practices, whose activity, or at least a large part of it, is predicated on serving manufacturing businesses. That output and those jobs are not normally considered as manufacturing, but they would not exist if there was no manufacturing. Any assessment of manufacturing’s importance to the UK economy must take those indirect impacts into account. Not to do so is to miss half the picture. The induced impacts are also vital to understanding the full picture of the sector. If manufacturing disappeared overnight, it would leave a huge hole in the economy as the wages of manufacturers disappeared. Over time, other industries might substitute for manufacturing, but simply buying everything from abroad would not replace the lost wealth that manufacturing creates. The country would be much poorer as a result. Today, there is an opportunity, through the Industrial Strategy, to help the UK economy grow and boost our exports by fostering manufacturing investment to take advantage of industrial digitalisation and new technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing. With the government focused on delivering that Strategy and making the changes wrought by Brexit work for, not against, the UK economy, it is vitally important to understand the economic impacts of our industries in the real world. By demonstrating the importance of manufacturing, this report does just that. Don't miss out on any of the latest industrial news, updates and jobs Subscribe here

FM World reported last week a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) said that the UK’s approach to calculating packaging recycling rates is not sufficiently robust, and the government appears not to have faced up to underlying recycling issues. Reducing waste and using resources more efficiently are long-standing objectives for the government, and tackling packaging waste is essential to achieving these ambitions. The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) estimates that the UK has exceeded its overall packaging recycling target every year since 1997 and recycled 64 per cent of packaging in 2017. But the NAO has found that these figures do not account for the risk of undetected fraud and error. A key government initiative to ensure that packaging is recycled – the packaging recycling obligation system – has subsidised waste exports to other parts of the world without adequate checks to make sure that it is recycled. Defra also has no evidence that the system has encouraged companies to minimise the use of packaging or make it easy to recycle. The packaging regulations create a complex market-based system to meet packaging recycling targets. They require companies that handle over 50 tonnes of packaging a year and have a turnover higher than £2 million to demonstrate that they have recycled a certain amount of packaging by obtaining recovery evidence notes from accredited UK reprocessors and companies exporting waste for recycling abroad. In 2017, 7002 companies registered and paid a total of £73 million towards the cost of recycling packaging. The report identifies that the Environment Agency, which is responsible for enforcing the system’s regulations in England, has fallen well short of its targets for inspections. In 2016-17 the agency only carried out 40 per cent of planned compliance visits to reprocessors and exporters to check they accurately report the amount of packaging recycled. The risk that companies over-claim is potentially more acute for exporters than for UK-based recycling companies, with risks that some exported material is not recycled under equivalent standards to the UK and is instead sent to landfill or contributes to pollution. Yet exporters rated as high-risk were less likely to receive a compliance visit than those rated low-risk. The agency has also identified a large number of companies that may have an obligation to pay into the system but have not registered. It does not have a good understanding of how significant the financial risk could be. Defra has committed to reform the system as part of a new strategy for waste and resources. The NAO recommends that Defra should improve its approach to calculating packaging recycling rates. It should also do more to tackle the risks associated with waste being exported for recycling overseas. Amyas Morse, head of the NAO, said: “If the UK wants to play its part in fully tackling the impacts of waste and pollution, a tighter grip on packaging recycling is needed. Twenty years ago, the government set up a complex system to subsidise packaging recycling, which appears to have evolved into a comfortable way of meeting targets without addressing the fundamental issues. The government should have a much better understanding of the difference this system makes and a better handle on the risks associated with so much packaging waste being recycled overseas.” Don't want to miss out on any of the latest industrial news, updates and jobs Subscribe here

This week we have been celebrating our 30th Birthday, and it’s been a great one… From Monday's office decorations to Tuesday's breakfast and day-long raffle, 'Cake' Wednesday, Thursdays lunch and TB Quiz through to today's afternoon drinks and extra day’s holidays - it's been a great week. We’re rounding up the week with a big thank you to all of our staff for all of their hard work in helping us to reach this important milestone. Celebrating success has always been important in our business and this week has shown just that. Our Group Chairman, John Robinson shares his thoughts with us about reaching this important milestone; ‘I just wanted to say a massive thank you to everyone for their efforts this week in helping to celebrate our 30th birthday and of course for playing a hugely important part in our journey as a business. All businesses are only as good as their people and I'd like to say thanks again to everyone for your contribution to our success. We have always tried to 'do the right thing' by our people and to create an enjoyable environment and culture and I am immensely proud that a good many of you have been here a long time - indeed many shared our 20th anniversary too! I've seen many changes in recruitment over 30 years of course but despite of the transformation in how we do business and the 'speed to market' we all now enjoy, the fundamentals of what we do continue to be the same - understand the needs of candidate and client, treat them all with honesty and respect and deliver a great service to meet the need. Whatever comes our way in the future, I'm sure that these will still be the foundations of our business for the next 30 years too. Thanks once again and I hope you’ve had a great week.’​​ Don't miss out on all of the latest Industrial news, updates and jobs Subscribe here

Your latest Industrial newsletter is out now It's been a busy month for the Industrial sector; with minimum wage updates, Brexit, plastic law changes and GDPR - how have these changes affected your business? Matt Dann, Director, rounds up the last month for you... "May sees the start of the Industrial busy season with Easter well and truly behind us. The two Industry hot topics: GDPR and how will the impact of Brexit on labour during the traditional sector seasonal peaks. In fact, we have already started supplying workers into local companies who are packing product ready for Christmas! Another area that I think will be a hot topic over the next few months is the single-use plastic debate. Is this already a big discussion for your business or are you ahead of the curve?'' Read your news in full by clicking here What else has been happening in the Industrial sector? Net migration of EU nationals to Britain falls. Data suggests Brexit uncertainty is outweighing UK’s reputation as ‘jobs factory of Europe’, could this affect your supply chain? Nicola White, the ONS head of migration statistics, said: “The figures also show that non-EU net migration is now larger than EU net migration, mainly due to the large decrease in EU net migration over the last year. However, migration of both non-EU and EU citizens are still adding to the UK population.'' Recycling Must Remain a Priority in Single-Use Plastic Debate. How will the plastic law changes affect your production? Motivation for recycling must be bolstered as consumers turn their back on single-use plastics, according to a supplier of recycled plastic pallets. Recent high profile news articles on plastics polluting the oceans and conflicting reports about the success rates of recycling could result in a confusing message, warned Jim Hardisty, Managing Director of Goplasticpallets.com. Making the Apprenticeship Levy work for you. Employers have seen the Apprenticeship Levy as a cost for a year now, and many have yet to realise any benefit from it, have you thought about how it could benefit your business? At the Talent in Logistics Conference 2018, Managing Director of Bis Henderson Academy, David Lynch, will outline the value the Levy can bring to businesses and discuss how it can be used to boost skills. Read your news in full by clicking here Don't want to miss out on any of the latest industrial news, updates and jobs? Subscribe here

The Net Migration statistics in February could easily cause huge cause for concern for Recruiters up and down the UK. Net annual migration of EU nationals to Britain has fallen by 75,000 in the past year, with official figures showing this as the lowest level for 5 years. Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment, like many similar UK firms, will utilise a number of EU nationals as part of its temporary labour workforce, supplying many household names with workers to satisfy seasonal demand in the Contract Packing, Warehouse & Logistics and Manufacturing sectors. Do you use an agency to support your business during peak times? The obvious knock-on effect of the current trend is a reduced labour pool, meaning agencies are often left battling to secure the services of the same candidates - how could this affect you getting the skilled and reliable staff to help with your workload? Rather than shy away from this challenge, I think we can highlight how this could have a positive impact on your industry. The reduction in available labour certainly offers some challenges, what it does make us do is identify what we can do better not just to attract workers in the first place - how we can work with you to help your business needs. By improving how we manage and retain the services of workers once they have joined us will benefit our clients (you) in the long run. Over recent months we have invested in a worker ‘perk scheme’, offer regular ‘worker of the month’ incentives, and ensure that our worker communication process is effective. We pride ourselves on how quickly we find potential workers positions that suit what they are looking for when they are looking, that uses their skills and expertise - this is additional service that we can bring to help support your peak times, resulting in you fulfilling your clients' requirements. Don't want to miss out on any of the latest industrial news, updates and jobs? Subscribe here