The Talent Exchange

GDPR compliance should be at the heart of every recruitment process. Despite the UK no longer being part of the EU, the core principles of GDPR have been incorporated into UK Data Protection Law, therefore organisations still need to abide by the rules and ensure compliance throughout your end-to-end recruitment process.

In this episode we are joined by Rob Baker from our team here at networx. As Training Manager and Data Protection Officer, Rob shares his insights surrounding data management and compliance. With lots of tools and resources out there, Rob shares his thoughts on how you can ensure accountability and utilise the software you already possess to deliver a robust data security process throughout your recruitment initiatives.

To find out more about Rob and how utilising an intuitive applicant tracking platform can aid your GDPR compliance, get in touch.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion has risen on the agenda for a lot of organisations in the last few years, as organisations not only seek to understand areas of unconscious bias in standard practices, but also start to see the great benefits of growing a diverse workforce with an inclusive culture. In this episode we are joined by Jodie Hill, Founder and Managing Partner of multi award-winning employment law firm, Thrive Law. Jodie has specialised in employment law throughout her career and is a champion for pioneering greater inclusivity within organisations. Sharing her wealth of expertise and some insightful case studies, Jodie explores how diversity transcends across organisations and how you can go beyond just demonstrating your commitment and actually start taking tangible action to change the conversation. For more information about Thrive Law and how they can support you with your equality, diversity and inclusion strategy, internal policies and managing change, visit thrivelaw.co.uk and connect with Jodie and her growing community over on Linkedin.

With the world now operating predominantly online, our systems, processes and procedures have all undergone digital transformation to improve time and cost efficiencies, and maximise the value of tools such as automation. One incredibly important tool for HR professionals is their HR software.

In this episode we speak to Denis Barnard, who is the lead consultant at HRmeansbusiness Ltd and is a recognised expert in the field of HR and payroll software, supporting organisations internationally with their HR software selection. He shares his insight into the HR software landscape, how to make the most of your software, managing selection and implementation and also his 3 basic laws of HR technology.

For more information about Denis and his organisation HRmeansbusiness, make sure to catch up with him over on LinkedIn.

Over the last 12 months there has been a real spotlight on employee mental health and wellbeing, as we all navigated the challenges of isolation, changes in our working environment and the new physical distance between us when collaborating at work. With this has come with significant changes in our working practices and a much greater reliance on technology within our day-to-day working lives.  In this episode we ask Omar Latif, Founder and CEO of tech start-up Fluxxt, to share his insight into the positive potential of technology for mental health and wellbeing. With greater transparency and data comes greater opportunity and Omar shares his insight into the power of data driven decisions, to really support an guide employees on scale.  For organisations looking to truly connect and support their teams, this is an insightful listen for you! For more information on Omar and the team pioneering Fluxxt, make sure to check them out on LinkedIn and visit fluxxt.com

Undertaking a change in software can be incredibly daunting, with lots of new features and functionality to explore, stakeholders to train and processes to remap, therefore the implementation process is absolutely critical. 

At networx we have an implementations team, supporting clients to move across from other providers or build a system from scratch to suit their needs and requirements. In this episode, Sarah, who manages a number of of implementations at networx, joins us to share her experience and top tips on managing a successful software implementation. From clear communication and strong project management principles, listen to find out how you can ensure you meet every milestone of your new project.

For more about Sarah and how we have supported over 450 to successfully implement ATS technology, get in touch.

We have all endured a strange year in recruitment and the landscape has changed quite significantly. However although individual organisational challenges do vary, a lot of the key drivers or motivations for change and improvement are similar; from reducing time-to-hire, to improving costs or delivering an exceptional candidate experience.

In episode #10 of The Talent Exchange, we are joined by Ian Turley, HR Business Partner at Cafcass. Along with the wider team, Ian has been refining processes and procedures to maximise efficiency. It is not always about radical changes, but about marginal gains which ultimately have a major impact on your ability to attract and onboard the very best talent for your business. Ian shares his reflections on the last 12 months and also discusses how collaborating with partners has supported the team at Cafcass to innovate at the right pace.

To find out more about Ian and Cafcass, make sure to check out their website and latest vacancies.

As the world evolves, not just after the last 18 months, but in general with technology adoption, greater transparency and access to information online and exposure to the success stories of others, candidate or jobseeker expectations have shifted too. This has meant that in order to attract, onboard and retain the very best talent, organisations also need to evolve.

In this episode we are joined by Richard Edge, the Founder and CEO of award-winning business, Careerships. With a wealth of knowledge and experience across talent acquisition, Richard is an executive coach working globally with talented individuals to mentor them in their career path and today shares his international experience of people dynamics, evolving candidate expectations and the wider job market.

For more information about Richard and Careerships make sure to connect with Richard on Linkedin and follow the Careerships LinkedIn page.

Over the past few years, mental health awareness has been on the rise with movements pioneered by organisations such as Leeds Mind, breaking down the stigma and encouraging healthy and positive conversations about mental health. As 1 in 4 are likely to experience a mental health problem in any given year, now more than ever it is important to be changing the way we think, act and feel about mental health in the workplace,  including how we approach recruitment.

In this episode we speak to Amy Charles, a Peer Support Facilitator about her experience of working for Leeds Mind and the initiatives that they are driving throughout the region, such as the Mindful Employer Network, to support individuals, teams and businesses to build on their strengths and overcome obstacles. From recruitment initiatives, through to peer support groups and cultivating an open and honest culture, Amy shares the Mind way.

For more information about Leeds Mind check out their website - leedsmind.org.uk

They say first impressions really count and arguably the same goes for when you are recruiting a new employee. How you manage the candidate experience and their onboarding into the business, from equipment to cultural values, really does leave a lasting impression.

On this episode we are joined by Debbie Bissell, Head of HR and Operations at ClickThrough Marketing. Debbie joins us to share her experience and recent journey in evolving the ClickThrough onboarding experience. The pandemic has thrown some curve balls with remote working and team engagement, however Debbie together with her team, ClickThrough they have developed a flexible experience to deliver a warm welcome to all new starters regardless of remote, hybrid or office working.

Make sure to connect with Debbie over on LinkedIn and check out the opportunities over at ClickThrough Marketing to join their fantastic team!

There are lots of different tools to support leaders and talent professionals in prioritising EDI, from intuitive software with anonymised sifting and panel scoring, through to employee experience initiatives. There's also been a lot more noise and positive movement to bring the conversation of change to the forefront. For a lot of organisations, the roll out of external-facing documentation such as the Gender Pay Gap reports was a step towards highlighting and tackling some of the challenges around equality and diversity. But how do we enable inclusive leaders to take action?

On this episode of The Talent Exchange, Catherine Smith, Co-Founder and Executive Coach of Equal Talent, and pioneer of the She Has No Limits membership organisation to support female leaders join us for her second podcast to explore the challenges and how organisations can support action to create change.

Equality, diversity and inclusion covers a broad range of challenges for the workplace and Catherine shares her own experiences, insight and stories from her network about gender bias in particular and how the last 18 months has pioneered greater discussion, but still had a catastrophic impact on female careers and development in the workplace.

For more information about the coaching and support Catherine discussed today, visit Equal Talent’s website over on equaltalent.com. To join the She Has No Limits community and find out more about peer-to-peer networking and leadership coaching, shehasnolimits.com.