Displaying items by tag: career
Mental Health in the Workplace
As we celebrated Mental Health Awareness Day earlier this month, I reflected on how lucky I am to work for a progressive company like Hoop, where there are many initiatives and policies in place to support any employees who are struggling with mental health issues.
This in turn, made me envisage what it would be like if I wasn’t so lucky, working in an environment where my employers did not care for the mental wellbeing of their staff. Unfortunately, this is the reality for 76% of employees, who believe their company should be doing more to support the mental health of their workforce (PeopleScout, 2021).
Whilst employee mental health has recently become a priority to many employers, there is no doubt that a stigma still exists around the discussion of mental health in the workplace. In fact, 44% of employees agree (Business Leader, 2021). But why?
According to a 2021 survey of 500 employers, 48% of employers simply do not have the budget to support their employees’ mental health and therefore neglect the topic altogether. Whilst 30% of employers do not know how to support their employees’ mental health (Business Leader, 2021).
Unbeknownst to many employers, many initiatives to combat mental health in the workplace don’t need a large budget. In fact, one of the initiatives currently being adopted by market giants including Shopify and Buffer is the 4-day work week. Although this initiative may seem like a bad investment monetary-wise at first, it’s actually been proven to increase productivity, eliminating the risk of a significant reduction in profits.
For some companies despite the lack of risk, initiatives like these just aren’t a viable option. For these organisations I would recommend the following free initiatives to prevent employee dissatisfaction and keep employee morale high.
- Remain Flexible – Be mindful that your employees are dealing with a variety of stressors both within and outside of work. If certain deadlines aren’t essential, keep them flexible. Enabling you employee that wiggle room could lift a huge stress of their shoulders.
- Practice Self-Care – Encourage your employees to take plenty of breaks, eat regularly, and ensure they get plenty of rest to avoid over working themselves and burning out.
- Communication is key – Ensure regular check ins with your team. Using kind tones can go a long way and encourage staff to feel comfortable enough to approach you if they were struggling or in need of support.
- Make the office a fun environment – A great way to keep morale high is to introduce fun activities and some healthy competition into the office.
Here at Hoop, our employee’s mental health and wellbeing is our top priority. We’ve implemented many initiatives to try and break the barrier and stigma around mental health in the workplace, including introducing a ‘Hoop Day’ in which employees can take a last-minute paid day off.
If you would like more tips on how to support your employees or how to support your own mental health in the workplace, please see the articles listed in the sources below.
Sources
https://www.peoplescout.com/insights/mental-health-in-the-workplace/
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/publications/how-support-mental-health-work
https://www.mind.org.uk/workplace/mental-health-at-work/taking-care-of-yourself/tips-for-employees/
My First 3 Months In Recruitment
I have been at Hoop now for 3 months and it has been a rollercoaster from the very beginning. Starting a new job is a scary experience for anyone at the best of times but it was very nerve wracking for me as this is my first professional career job and I knew nothing about recruitment.
Before my interview, I tried to find out as much as I could about recruitment and what I would be doing day to day but google can only do so much. Recruitment to me is finding people jobs which in essence it still is, but there is so much more that goes into it than google cannot prepare you for. The ups and downs of the role is the thing that initially surprised me, in a matter of hours you can go from having the best day to having the worst and the skills it takes to balance your own emotions throughout it all and remain level-headed is something I still need to master.
However, google also doesn’t prepare you for the best things about recruitment. Having the opportunity to speak with candidates, finding more about them not only professionally but also personally and building great relationships. This has been so rewarding and giving them the call telling them that they have been offered a role is an unbeatable feeling, especially since so many have had such hard times during the pandemic.
I strongly believe I wouldn’t have progressed to the level I have without the support that Hoop provides. Whether you have been there for 3 months like myself or 3+ years, all accomplishments are celebrated. For example, I was awarded employee of the month for august which was a lovely surprise but also even the little things are celebrated like my first placement or hitting personal and team goals.
In the professional services team, if you take or fill a job, it’s a good time to celebrate, if you finally find a great candidate, celebrations are a must and even if you just make it through a rough week with your head above water, celebrate. With the up and down nature of recruitment I think the little celebrations keep everyone going more than the big ones, just knowing that your efforts are acknowledged and appreciated when you’re not having the best week can be what you need to get to Friday.
Recruitment to me now is proactively searching for new roles and clients to work with and building a relationship with them to provide them the best service and being a friendly person to speak to for my candidates when they are looking for a new role and need that confidence boost before an interview, or being a person to turn to who is supportive for candidates who sadly faced redundancy especially because of the pandemic and making sure all candidates are placed in a role that makes them happy and allows them to grow. It may not seem too different than “finding people jobs” but the skills, knowledge and compassion that goes into being a good recruiter is far broader than I first imagined, and I have loved learning from the best in my role at Hoop recruitment.
We are delighted to announce that Olivia Chappell has been promoted and will now oversee the South-East Wales operation of Hoop Education.
Olivia started her journey with Hoop in November 2018, shortly after graduating from Brighton University as a Qualified Teacher in February 2018. After being unable to find the right fit for herself as an agency Supply Teacher in numerous schools across South Wales, she took a temporary role in Account Management. It was during this time, where she was approached by Paul Lewis, Director at Hoop about a Trainee Recruitment Consultant role. Although she had no prior recruitment experience, she knew from that initial call that Hoop was an organisation she’d love to be part of, that was not only able to offer her the progression she wanted but also enabled her to utilise her vast knowledge and experience with the Education sector.
With continuous support and mentorship, Olivia was promoted to Senior Consultant less than two years later in October 2020. In line with her bespoke progression plan, to achieve this promotion, she had to demonstrate resilience, leadership, and conscientious behaviours, as well as competencies including negotiating, mentoring and forward planning. The plan is designed to offer consultants a structured path to achieve their career goals & development.
This was swiftly followed by another promotion to Education Team Manager just five months later, after proving her keen interest in management and demonstrating excellent leadership skills. Her new duties as a Team Manager included forecasting, business planning and producing marketing ideas, all detailed in her progression plan which she was able to refer back to at any time.
After continuous hard-work and dedication to her team, she proved to be more than competent to take on the role of South-East Divisional Manager, reporting directly to the Operations Manager.
Olivia had the following to say regarding her most recent promotion:
“As an employee of Hoop Recruitment, I know I am valued, supported, and respected each and every day I walk through the door. Although I had no recruitment experience whatsoever before being offered a role as a trainee consultant, Hoop recognised my devotion to the education sector and exceptional customer service, to which they went on to harness and develop, granting me the greatest opportunities of my career and life so far.
The leadership team are absolutely exceptional at what they do, defying the stigmas of recruitment on a daily basis, offering qualitative, engaging, sector-leading expertise and support to drive their teams to be successful and proud of what they do.
I am incredibly proud to have been an active participant in Hoop's Progression Plan, acquiring invaluable skills and experience to now be able to manage a very successful Education Division, composed of a team of five education consultants of varying levels of recruitment experience.
With hard work, positivity and honesty, success is all for the taking, and these are definitely a set of values that Hoop promotes, company-wide. I thoroughly urge any individuals that may align themselves with these values, seeking an employer that will offer progression, respect and support, to reach out to Hoop today. I whole-heartedly love coming into work each and every day, and feel so proud to be able represent such a fantastic company.”
On her promotion, Paul Lewis, Director said
“I am so proud of Olivia, she embodies everything we’re about at Hoop, she is committed, willing to learn and genuinely cares about the people we support. Liv is a natural leader, has emotional intelligence and there is no limit to what she can achieve”
Hoop Education are continuing to grow across Wales and supply to Primary & Secondary Schools, Further Education Colleges and also specialises in supporting individuals with Additional Learning needs. They are a National Procurement Service (NPS) approved framework supplier and pay M1 rates to candidates.
For more information on Hoop Education, call 02922 400519 or 0
Kickstart Scheme: My Experience
Unfortunately, like so many others I was made redundant during the pandemic. As a young person with limited experience, this was an extremely difficult time for me as I was competing against the hundreds of thousands of candidates who’d also been made redundant, that had years of experience on me. This in turn, decreased my employability and made the job search that much harder.
At a time where I felt all hope was lost, I attended my scheduled meeting with my work coach at Universal Credit. She mentioned that the government had introduced a new scheme designed to help young people like myself, aged 18-24 to find employment. Keen to know more, I asked if she would be able to send me any Kickstart opportunities that became available in my area.
The following day, I received a list of Kickstart vacancies in my area, however my attention was instantly piqued by one advertisement in particular: a Marketing Assistant role at Hoop Recruitment. Having had previously been placed by Hoop, a company I had always admired for its ethos and progressive culture, I jumped at the chance.
The application process was extremely easy, I simply sent my CV to my work coach who then forwarded on my application to the directors here at Hoop. The very next day, I received a call from Paul Lewis, Director of Hoop, for an informal chat about the role and to arrange an interview for the following week.
Following a successful interview, I was offered the role and started in April 2021. In my 5 months here at Hoop I cannot stress how many invaluable skills I’ve learnt that I can not only implement in my future career, but also in daily life. Despite not having an existing Marketing team in place, my manager was able to offer guidance and support me throughout my placement, whilst also enabling me to make the role my own. I also have monthly reviews with my manager, where I’m able to discuss any queries I may have, reflect on what’s worked well that month as well as what didn’t and how I can improve on this in the future.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my placement here at Hoop and cannot recommend the scheme enough! I’m lucky enough to have been offered a full-time permanent contract with Hoop upon the end of my placement, where I’ll be managing my own department and even mentoring my own Kickstarter which will be incredible career development for myself.
If you’re a young person struggling to find employment, please see the sources below of contacts who will be able to assist you in your job search. Alternatively, call Hoop Recruitment on 02922 400 519 where a member of our specialist team will be able to advise you on any suitable roles we may have, as well as a FREE cv consultation!
Sources
Universal Credit
https://www.gov.uk/apply-universal-credit
DWP
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions
Careers Wales
0800 028 4844
https://careerswales.gov.wales/
Youth Employment UK
01536 513388
https://www.youthemployment.org.uk/employment-help-young-people/
