Germany’s temporary workforce doubles in size

RSG Director Nick Walrond takes a look at what benefits a successfully growing flexible labour pool can do for both German business and employees alike
In recent months, news from Germany has shown that temporary staffing levels have risen, skills shortages are decreasing and external investment is on the up – all of which are signs of a growing and robust economy.
Of particular interest to RSG, which opened its first office in Munich in March, was a report by the Federal Employment Agency that temporary workers now account for 2.5% of Germany’s total workforce and the figure has doubled in the last 10 years to hit the circa 882,000 mark.
Temporary workers are important for a growing economy in many ways but perhaps the key benefit for a country as a whole is that they are integrated into the labour market, acting as a cushion during periods of growth and/or uncertainty.
For example, according to Sigmar Gabriel, Germany’s Minister for Economics, key areas of the German economy, especially the industrial sector, have been challenged by international competition as well as large variations in order volumes, which means use of temporary workers provides structure for the ebb and flow of workstreams.
Often, because temporary employment reacts quickly to changes in economic conditions, it becomes a reliable early indicator of the performance of the labour market as a whole.
In countries where labour markets are flexible, workers find jobs more easily and, if need be, employers can change staffing quotas. The opposite is often true as those without these freedoms in worker movement can cause divides amongst permanent employees and those on fixed-term contracts.
In the UK recruitment industry we like to think our workforce has one of the best flexible working environments in the world – with circa 5% of our workforce operating in this way at any one time. Last year, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation produced a report that working on a temporary basis is part of many people’s career paths.
They found that more than one in three people (36%) in Great Britain have worked as a contractor, freelancer or agency worker at some point in their career, and 41% are considering working that way in the future.
So in terms of the future picture for German temporary workers this can be viewed as good news.
At the less skilled end of the picture, temporary work gives people experience and insight. In particular it provides the unemployed, young professionals or professionals returning to the labour market an opportunity to get a foot in the door.
At the other, higher skilled, end of the market, it means that contractors are in a stronger position in terms of what jobs they take on and how much they can charge.
Altogether, this is an exciting time for Germany and it will be interesting to see how both Government and employers will work together to maximise the opportunities that a growing temporary workforce provides.
- See more at: http://rsg-plc.com/blog/Germanys-temporary-workforce#sthash.NMuPFuJL.dpuf

 

RSG Director Nick Walrond takes a look at what benefits a successfully growing flexible labour pool can do for both German business and employees alike

In recent months, news from Germany has shown that temporary staffing levels have risen, skills shortages are decreasing and external investment is on the up – all of which are signs of a growing and robust economy.

Of particular interest to RSG, IC's parent company, which opened its first office in Munich in March, was a report by the Federal Employment Agency that temporary workers now account for 2.5% of Germany’s total workforce and the figure has doubled in the last 10 years to hit the circa 882,000 mark.

Temporary workers are important for a growing economy in many ways but perhaps the key benefit for a country as a whole is that they are integrated into the labour market, acting as a cushion during periods of growth and/or uncertainty.

For example, according to Sigmar Gabriel, Germany’s Minister for Economics, key areas of the German economy, especially the industrial sector, have been challenged by international competition as well as large variations in order volumes, which means use of temporary workers provides structure for the ebb and flow of workstreams.

Often, because temporary employment reacts quickly to changes in economic conditions, it becomes a reliable early indicator of the performance of the labour market as a whole.

In countries where labour markets are flexible, workers find jobs more easily and, if need be, employers can change staffing quotas. The opposite is often true as those without these freedoms in worker movement can cause divides amongst permanent employees and those on fixed-term contracts.

In the UK recruitment industry we like to think our workforce has one of the best flexible working environments in the world – with circa 5% of our workforce operating in this way at any one time. Last year, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation produced a report that working on a temporary basis is part of many people’s career paths.

They found that more than one in three people (36%) in Great Britain have worked as a contractor, freelancer or agency worker at some point in their career, and 41% are considering working that way in the future. 

So in terms of the future picture for German temporary workers this can be viewed as good news.

At the less skilled end of the picture, temporary work gives people experience and insight. In particular it provides the unemployed, young professionals or professionals returning to the labour market an opportunity to get a foot in the door.

At the other, higher skilled, end of the market, it means that contractors are in a stronger position in terms of what jobs they take on and how much they can charge.

Altogether, this is an exciting time for Germany and it will be interesting to see how both Government and employers will work together to maximise the opportunities that a growing temporary workforce provides.

RSG Director Nick Walrond takes a look at what benefits a successfully growing flexible labour pool can do for both German business and employees alike
In recent months, news from Germany has shown that temporary staffing levels have risen, skills shortages are decreasing and external investment is on the up – all of which are signs of a growing and robust economy.
Of particular interest to RSG, which opened its first office in Munich in March, was a report by the Federal Employment Agency that temporary workers now account for 2.5% of Germany’s total workforce and the figure has doubled in the last 10 years to hit the circa 882,000 mark.
Temporary workers are important for a growing economy in many ways but perhaps the key benefit for a country as a whole is that they are integrated into the labour market, acting as a cushion during periods of growth and/or uncertainty.
For example, according to Sigmar Gabriel, Germany’s Minister for Economics, key areas of the German economy, especially the industrial sector, have been challenged by international competition as well as large variations in order volumes, which means use of temporary workers provides structure for the ebb and flow of workstreams.
Often, because temporary employment reacts quickly to changes in economic conditions, it becomes a reliable early indicator of the performance of the labour market as a whole.
In countries where labour markets are flexible, workers find jobs more easily and, if need be, employers can change staffing quotas. The opposite is often true as those without these freedoms in worker movement can cause divides amongst permanent employees and those on fixed-term contracts.
In the UK recruitment industry we like to think our workforce has one of the best flexible working environments in the world – with circa 5% of our workforce operating in this way at any one time. Last year, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation produced a report that working on a temporary basis is part of many people’s career paths.
They found that more than one in three people (36%) in Great Britain have worked as a contractor, freelancer or agency worker at some point in their career, and 41% are considering working that way in the future.
So in terms of the future picture for German temporary workers this can be viewed as good news.
At the less skilled end of the picture, temporary work gives people experience and insight. In particular it provides the unemployed, young professionals or professionals returning to the labour market an opportunity to get a foot in the door.
At the other, higher skilled, end of the market, it means that contractors are in a stronger position in terms of what jobs they take on and how much they can charge.
Altogether, this is an exciting time for Germany and it will be interesting to see how both Government and employers will work together to maximise the opportunities that a growing temporary workforce provides.
- See more at: http://rsg-plc.com/blog/Germanys-temporary-workforce#sthash.NMuPFuJL.dpuf

RSG Director Nick Walrond takes a look at what benefits a successfully growing flexible labour pool can do for both German business and employees alike
In recent months, news from Germany has shown that temporary staffing levels have risen, skills shortages are decreasing and external investment is on the up – all of which are signs of a growing and robust economy.
Of particular interest to RSG, which opened its first office in Munich in March, was a report by the Federal Employment Agency that temporary workers now account for 2.5% of Germany’s total workforce and the figure has doubled in the last 10 years to hit the circa 882,000 mark.
Temporary workers are important for a growing economy in many ways but perhaps the key benefit for a country as a whole is that they are integrated into the labour market, acting as a cushion during periods of growth and/or uncertainty.
For example, according to Sigmar Gabriel, Germany’s Minister for Economics, key areas of the German economy, especially the industrial sector, have been challenged by international competition as well as large variations in order volumes, which means use of temporary workers provides structure for the ebb and flow of workstreams.
Often, because temporary employment reacts quickly to changes in economic conditions, it becomes a reliable early indicator of the performance of the labour market as a whole.
In countries where labour markets are flexible, workers find jobs more easily and, if need be, employers can change staffing quotas. The opposite is often true as those without these freedoms in worker movement can cause divides amongst permanent employees and those on fixed-term contracts.
In the UK recruitment industry we like to think our workforce has one of the best flexible working environments in the world – with circa 5% of our workforce operating in this way at any one time. Last year, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation produced a report that working on a temporary basis is part of many people’s career paths.
They found that more than one in three people (36%) in Great Britain have worked as a contractor, freelancer or agency worker at some point in their career, and 41% are considering working that way in the future.
So in terms of the future picture for German temporary workers this can be viewed as good news.
At the less skilled end of the picture, temporary work gives people experience and insight. In particular it provides the unemployed, young professionals or professionals returning to the labour market an opportunity to get a foot in the door.
At the other, higher skilled, end of the market, it means that contractors are in a stronger position in terms of what jobs they take on and how much they can charge.
Altogether, this is an exciting time for Germany and it will be interesting to see how both Government and employers will work together to maximise the opportunities that a growing temporary workforce provides.
- See more at: http://rsg-plc.com/blog/Germanys-temporary-workforce#sthash.NMuPFuJL.dpuf

RSG Director Nick Walrond takes a look at what benefits a successfully growing flexible labour pool can do for both German business and employees alike
In recent months, news from Germany has shown that temporary staffing levels have risen, skills shortages are decreasing and external investment is on the up – all of which are signs of a growing and robust economy.
Of particular interest to RSG, which opened its first office in Munich in March, was a report by the Federal Employment Agency that temporary workers now account for 2.5% of Germany’s total workforce and the figure has doubled in the last 10 years to hit the circa 882,000 mark.
Temporary workers are important for a growing economy in many ways but perhaps the key benefit for a country as a whole is that they are integrated into the labour market, acting as a cushion during periods of growth and/or uncertainty.
For example, according to Sigmar Gabriel, Germany’s Minister for Economics, key areas of the German economy, especially the industrial sector, have been challenged by international competition as well as large variations in order volumes, which means use of temporary workers provides structure for the ebb and flow of workstreams.
Often, because temporary employment reacts quickly to changes in economic conditions, it becomes a reliable early indicator of the performance of the labour market as a whole.
In countries where labour markets are flexible, workers find jobs more easily and, if need be, employers can change staffing quotas. The opposite is often true as those without these freedoms in worker movement can cause divides amongst permanent employees and those on fixed-term contracts.
In the UK recruitment industry we like to think our workforce has one of the best flexible working environments in the world – with circa 5% of our workforce operating in this way at any one time. Last year, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation produced a report that working on a temporary basis is part of many people’s career paths.
They found that more than one in three people (36%) in Great Britain have worked as a contractor, freelancer or agency worker at some point in their career, and 41% are considering working that way in the future.
So in terms of the future picture for German temporary workers this can be viewed as good news.
At the less skilled end of the picture, temporary work gives people experience and insight. In particular it provides the unemployed, young professionals or professionals returning to the labour market an opportunity to get a foot in the door.
At the other, higher skilled, end of the market, it means that contractors are in a stronger position in terms of what jobs they take on and how much they can charge.
Altogether, this is an exciting time for Germany and it will be interesting to see how both Government and employers will work together to maximise the opportunities that a growing temporary workforce provides.
- See more at: http://rsg-plc.com/blog/Germanys-temporary-workforce#sthash.NMuPFuJL.dpuf

Beware of Counteroffers

reprinted from the:NATIONAL BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT WEEKLY
from the publishers of the Wall Street Journal: Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
APRIL 24 - APRIL 30, 1994
Beware of Counteroffers
They may beg you to stay now, then give you the boot later
By R. Gaines Baty


You've been approached by another company and offered a position with growth potential and a moderate increase in compensation. You've analyzed and agonized over the decision to leave a good (or bad) job for what could be a better one, and have accepted (or decided to accept) the offer. However, upon resigning, your current boss asks you to stay. This appeal is known as a counteroffer of buyback.


In recent years, counteroffers have practically become the norm. "It's almost like a part of the accepted divorce proceedings, and allows the boss to save face with his boss," explains one departing Texas-based executive of a major airline. "And it sometimes has to take its course.


"But while buyback offers can be tempting, take care not to fall into the trap or be blindsided to your own detriment. Career changes are tough enough as it is, and anxieties about leaving a comfortable job, friends and location and having to reprove yourself again in an unknown opportunity can cloud the best of logic. But just because the new position is a little scary doesn't mean it's not a positive move.


Since buyback gestures can create confusion and buyer’s remorse, you should understand what’s being cast upon you. Counteroffers are typically made in conjunction with some form of flattery, for example: 

• You're too valuable, and we need you.
• You can't desert the team/your friends and leave them hanging.
• We were just about to give you a promotion/raise, and it was confidential until now.
• What did they offer, why are you leaving, and what do you need to stay?
• Why would you want to work for that company?
• The President/CEO wants to meet with you before you make your final decision. 

Accepting a counteroffer can have numerous negative consequences. Consider:

• More money
• A promotion/more responsibility
• A modified reporting structure
• Promises or future considerations,
• Disparaging remarks about the new company or job, and/or guilt trips.

Of course, since we all prefer to think we're MVP's, it's natural to want to believe these manipulative appeals, but beware! Accepting a counteroffer often is the wrong choice to make.


Think about it: If you were worth "X" yesterday, why are they suddenly willing to pay you "X + Y" today, when you weren't expecting a raise for some time? Also consider how you've felt when someone resigned from your staff. The reality is that employers don't like to be "fired." Your boss is likely concerned that he'll look bad, and that his career may suffer. Bosses are judged by their ability to retain staff. When a contributor quits, morale suffers. Further, your leaving might jeopardise an important project, increase staffers' workload or even foul up a vacation schedule. It's never a good time for someone to quit, and it may prove time-consuming and costly to replace you, especially considering recruitment and relocation expenses. It's much cheaper to keep you, even at a slightly higher salary. And it would be better to fire you later, on the company's time frame.


"We've made counteroffers on occasion, if a good person approaches the issue professionally," says a former senior partner of a Big Six accounting and consulting firm. "But usually it was a stopgap measure because we couldn't afford a defection at that point in time. We didn't count on these people long term, and usually they'd burned bridges tow or three levels up, if not with their immediate manager. It definitely put them in a career holding pattern."


The senior partner cites a long conference he once attended with his boss and two subordinate managers, in which they approved a counteroffer and raise to an employee two levels down. "Immediately after the meeting, my boss called me and said, "We can't afford to lose him now, but out No.1 priority is to find a replacement, ASAP!" he says. "And we replaced him within a few months."


Another senior executive from a major Dallas-based bank says, "If it's a real 'hitter,' I'll try to get him to stay. But to be honest, any additional compensation is 'stealing' from his future earnings, and I'll always question his convictions, knowing he can be bought. Further, I'll wonder if I can really count on him [which equates to limited future opportunities]. In other words, the damage is done."


While your employer may truly consider you an asset and genuinely care about you personally, you can be sure that your interests are secondary to your boss's career and your company's profit or survival. Thus, flattering offers and comments are attempts to manipulate you to act in your employer's best interests - which aren't necessarily your own. In other words, they're not about you.


Accepting a counteroffer can have numerous negative consequences. Consider: 

• Where did the additional money or responsibility you'd get come from? Was it your next raise or promotion - just given early? Will you be limited in the future? Will you have to threaten to quit to get your next raise? Might a (cheaper) replacement be sought out?
• You've demonstrated your unhappiness (or lack of blind loyalty), and will be perceived as having committed blackmail to gain a raise. You won't ever be considered a team player again. Many employers will hold a grudge at the next review period, and you may be placed at the top of the next reduction-in-force "hit list." As one executive who requested anonymity says, "Like an adulterous affair that's been discovered, the broken trust is never fully recovered."
• Apart from a short-term, band-aid treatment, nothing will change within the company. After the dust settles from this upheaval, you'll be in the same old rut. 

"They butter you up, give you more money, but nothing really changes. In fact, they can get worse," says one insurance executive in Utah who accepted a counteroffer. "My immediate boss was really agitated, since his boss interceded. At raise time, he told me that none had been budgeted (since I'd already gotten a raise), and that if I wanted, I could negotiate with the president as before." This executive, by the way, left the company within months.


Attempted buybacks can demonstrate disrespect for your well-thought-out decision and commitment to the new company. Should your current employer decide to eliminate your position or pass you over for promotion, successfully countering their decision is unlikely. Besides, you've analysed, accepted and committed to the new company, which has surely made plans and accommodations around you and is counting on you.


Finally, when making your decision, look at your current job and the new position as if you were unemployed. Which opportunity holds the most real potential? Probably the new one or you wouldn't have accepted it in the first place.

A legal update for permanent staff - April 2015

We have been keeping our fingers on the pulse of the legal world surrounding the recruitment industry, so here are the key areas in which legislative changes are taking place…

Zero hours contracts

On 11 March 2015 the government issued the response to its consultation on anti-avoidance measures relating to the exclusivity ban in zero hours contracts. The government plans to prohibit employers from restricting zero hours workers from working for other businesses.

Acas Code and the right to accompaniment to disciplinary and grievance hearings

A new code took effect from 11 March 2015; employers must agree to a worker's request to be accompanied to a disciplinary or grievance meeting by any chosen companion from one of the following statutory categories; a fellow worker, trade union representative or official. It also states that a worker can change their chosen companion without waiving their right to change again. The statutory requirement is based on how reasonable the worker is in making the request, not on their choice of companion.

Data protection

‘Enforced subject access’ will typically occur where a person wishes to see another individual’s criminal record, but chooses not to use the established legal system. The section of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) which made this practice unlawful had become inactive, but came into force on 10 March 2015.

The practice of requesting enforced subject access involves one person (e.g. an employer) requiring another (e.g. an employee) to submit a ‘subject access request’ to specific bodies in order to obtain their personal data and share it with the first person. Employers have previously used this method to get around the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, which prevents them from requiring the disclosure of ‘spent’ convictions from potential recruits (although they can ask job candidates if they have criminal convictions). Enforced subject access requests are now a criminal offence under the DPA, but employers’ responsibilities under the Vetting and Barring scheme are unaltered by this.

Holiday pay

Following the widely-reported Bear Scotland v Fulton case, non-guaranteed overtime payments must be taken into account when calculating holiday pay. Given the potentially unlimited nature of such claims, the Government has stepped in by introducing a two-year cap on claims for historic holiday pay lodged on or after 1 July 2015.

Maternity leave

On 6 April 2015 the Maternity and Parental Leave etc. (Amendment) Regulations 2014 came into force, extending the existing unpaid parental leave regime to parents of children aged between five and 18. A number of new legislations have come into place, aiming to include couples who are adopting a child from outside the UK in the right to shared parental leave and pay.

Age discrimination

Harrod and others v Chief Constable of West Midlands Police and others – the Employment Tribunal ruled that seven police forces had acted unlawfully in requiring the compulsory retirement of a cohort of officers to meet budget cuts imposed by central government.

Judicial review of fees regime for Employment Tribunal

Unison, the Trade Union, has challenged the introduction of fees for one wishing to bring a claim in the Employment Tribunal, believing that charges would remove access to justice. The initial applications for Judicial review brought by Unison were rejected on the basis that there was insufficient evidence to support their claim. However, recent figures show that the introduction of fees has indeed led to a very significant drop in the number of claims brought in the Employment Tribunal. Unison therefore issued a second judicial review which was again rejected. On 1 April 2015, they received leave to appeal this decision.

Agency workers

Moran and others v Ideal Cleaning Services Ltd - the Employment Appeal Tribunal held that the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (SI 2010/93) did not apply to a group of agency workers who were assigned to one hirer for periods ranging between 6 and 25 years.

The above is a summary of recent legal issues that may be relevant to UK employers and hirers of workers. It is provided for general information purposes only and specialist advice (such as legal, financial and/or tax advice) should be sought before it is relied on in any way. Neither Resource Solutions Group PLC or its associated group of companies accept liability for any inaccuracies in the above information. 

Can science stop you fidgeting in your next job interview?

Got a job interview coming up? You need to choose your body language as carefully as you choose your words…

As research into how the body communicates grows in sophistication and depth, we are beginning to unearth and challenge many body language myths. For instance, certain movements such as avoiding eye contact or fidgeting have come to be understood as indicative of deception, as they distract from a fib. But fidgeting can also act as a pacifier or comforting technique to help relieve stress. This presents a problem; when a criminal is lying, they will fidget. When an innocent is nervous because they are being accused of lying, they will fidget*. So how can the hopeful jobseeker avoid this?

We’ve looked to academic research to find out how to make sure your body is saying the right thing:

Power Posing
The 10,000+ expressions which human beings can recognise in each other are difficult to control, so the expression of the confidence which leads to interview success has to come from within. A job interview is one of the few social situations in which there is a huge power asymmetry, as the interviewer has complete control over your future. So successful job interviews are all about preparatory power.

This is where power posing can help.

In a recent TED Talk, social psychologist Amy Cuddy explored the value of standing in a powerful position for two minutes before entering a job interview. Her goal was to see if ‘power posing’ could free people from the psychological constraints that stop them from performing to their full potential. Her research showed that this releases more testosterone (the dominance hormone), and reduces your levels of cortisol (the stress hormone).

Find somewhere you can be alone before your interview, such as the loo or a waiting room, and try holding one of these positions for just two minutes before going in:

You will find that the sense of power this will send through your body will come across to your interviewer, making you seem 86% more confident and more hireable!

Not specific enough for you? You can read our Comprehensive Interview Body Language Guide here, which includes head-to-toe instruction on how to come across in the best possible way.

*Navarro, Joe/Karlins, Martin. What Every Body Is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed Reading People. William Morrow Paperbacks, 2008.