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 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">Northern Ireland economy minister <a href="https://www.economy-ni.gov.uk/files/minister-diane-dodds">Diane Dodds</a> and health minister <a href="http://aims.niassembly.gov.uk/mlas/details.aspx?&amp;aff=13330&amp;per=302&amp;c=2">Robin Swann</a> recently visited <a href="https://denroy.com/">Denroy</a>, a firm based in Bangor, County Down, to welcome the creation of 130 new jobs and a PPE contract with <a href="https://jobs.hscni.net/">Health and Social Care Northern Ireland [HSCNI]</a> worth £19.5 million. This major new contract will see Denroy manufacture and supply FFP3 masks to the Health and Social Care sector in Northern Ireland from its new production facility in Bangor.To support Denroy in delivering the contract, <a href="https://www.investni.com/">Invest Northern Ireland</a> has offered the company £1.5 million of support towards 130 jobs.Making the joint announcement, NI economy minister Diane Dodds said: “Over the last fifty years, the Denroy Group has become synonymous with innovation through its cutting-edge product development and manufacturing of specialist aerospace components and award-winning hair products.“Due to Covid-19 there has been an unprecedented global demand for PPE. Very early on in the pandemic, Denroy took decisive action and repurposed to manufacture PPE. The positive impact of this decision is clearly demonstrated by today’s announcement of new jobs and a contract that will provide PPE to our healthcare workers.“The company has moved quickly and has already recruited all 130 jobs and hopes to grow further. These new roles will contribute £3.7 million in additional annual salaries to the local economy. Not only is this great news for the <a href="https://www.ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk/">Ards &amp; North Down Borough Council</a> area, but also for the wider Northern Ireland economy.”Health minister, Robin Swann, added: “At the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic caused us to think very differently about how to tackle many issues and we had to urgently consider how best to meet the challenge of protecting our health and social care staff while safely treating Covid-19 patients.“The demand for PPE in the first surge of the pandemic placed tremendous strain on the health service in Northern Ireland. My procurement officials put a call out to local manufacturing, with Invest NI, to support the supply of critical PPE items and I am delighted that Denroy answered this call, particularly with a proposal for a new high grade respirator mask for those staff on the frontline treating Covid patients.“To develop a brand-new product, create prototypes and have it tested, certified and considered fit for purpose within six months is quite remarkable. While I applaud Denroy for its innovation and vision, I must also recognise the work of key health staff who worked closely with Denroy innovators to refine the mask and robustly test new prototypes to get this mask in production.”Denroy’s FFP3 single use mask was designed by the company’s aerospace engineers and filters 99 per cent of particles from the air, including the small respiratory droplets where coronavirus can be found.The masks will be used by frontline workers across Northern Ireland, from intensive care staff to community care personnel.Denroy Group CEO, Kevin McNamee commented: “We are proud of our staff and of our ingenuity over the last year, and the contribution we made during a time of national crisis. As well as helping with the emergency need for PPE, we have invested over £3 million into a new manufacturing facility, created over 130 jobs and secured this £19.5 million contract with HSCNI.“Our plans are to grow our business further, create more jobs and build on this contract in our target markets of the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and the US in the coming year. We have drawn on the extensive expertise of the team at Invest NI and we’re very grateful for their support.”Invest NI has offered Denroy Group Ltd £1.5 million of support towards the creation of all 130 jobs, which includes a repayable loan of £900,000. The company has already created all of the roles.Kevin Holland, CEO of Invest NI said: “Denroy has shown ingenuity and resilience with its move into the manufacturing of PPE. We have been pleased to provide a range of support to the company throughout the pandemic, from advice on standards for masks to assistance towards the new jobs. We look forward to helping it secure new export markets and I know our in-market teams are already working hard to support the company to achieve this.”</div>

Northern Ireland economy minister Diane Dodds and health minister Robin Swann recently visited Denroy, a firm based in Bangor, County Down, to welcome the creation of 130 new jobs and a PPE contract with Health and Social Care Northern Ireland [HSCNI] worth £19.5 million.

NI ministers welcome 130 jobs and £19 million PPE contract for Bangor firm, Denroy

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 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">A new <a href="https://www.totaljobs.com/recruiters/recruiters/attract-and-retain-a-thriving-social-care-workforce/?WT.mc_id=E_A_BA_RA">report</a> issued by <a href="https://www.totaljobs.com/">Totaljobs Group</a> and the <a href="https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundation/">Work Foundation</a> has uncovered that a third of UK jobseekers would consider working in social care, and outlines recommendations to improve working conditions in the sector to help drive recruitment and staff retention and enhance career progression. <a href="https://www.totaljobs.com/recruiter-advice/a-third-of-uk-jobseekers-would-consider-working-in-social-care-a-guide-for-taking-action-to-improve-recruitment-retention-and-progression">Analysing the findings of the report</a>, Totaljobs content manager, <a href="https://www.totaljobs.com/recruiter-advice/contributor/ellie-green">Ellie Green</a>, writes that the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit have both had an impact on the industry. While the former [Covid] has put social care firmly in the national spotlight, the latter [Brexit] has given rise to new challenges around recruitment, exacerbating existing issues around labour shortages and high staff churn.The issues around recruitment and retention are critical, with the number of jobs in the adult social care sector <a href="https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/adult-social-care-workforce-data/Workforce-intelligence/publications/national-information/The-size-and-structure-of-the-adult-social-care-sector-and-workforce-in-England.aspx">set to rise by 32 per cent by the year 2035</a> to meet the needs of a growing UK population.Addressing recruitment more specifically, the report uncovered that 31 per cent of UK jobseekers would consider a career in care, with 53 per cent now saying they have a more positive view of the sector because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the critical role carers have played on the frontline.However, Green says: “While it is positive that public perceptions of working in social care have improved, misunderstandings around the realities of this career path could result in a high churn of potential new hires.”Retention, therefore, is a major problem area in the industry. Indeed, the report supports this hypothesis in showing that more than a third [37 per cent] of social care staff feel motivated to look for new employment opportunities, with better salaries, better opportunities for progression, less stressful work, and a need to feel more valued and appreciated earmarked as key factors.Furthermore, 14 per cent of staff surveyed are looking to move out of the sector entirely, indicating that the industry is losing talent while trying to recover from the impact Covid has had on its workforce and clients.Commenting on issues around progression, Green continues: “A lack of career progression is one key factor driving social care workers to look for a new role. In fact, the report found that almost half [49 per cent] of care workers say that more opportunities for progression would encourage them to stay in the sector.”Of course, these lingering issues beg the question: what can the industry do about them to better recruit and retain staff and open better pathways for progression?Green adds: “To improve turnover rates, social care providers should refine their employer brand messaging to position care as a long-term career for potential candidates, with opportunities to train and progress. With this, creating a people-first culture where social carers feel valued in their day-to-day work is essential for retention.”On the back of the report’s findings, Totaljobs has recommended several steps that care providers can take to attract and retain a thriving, motivated workforce, which include:- Adopting a values-based approach to recruiting at entry level, such as using scenario-based interviews, or group assessment days that bring out the ‘people facing’ aspects of working in care.- Highlighting the training opportunities and range of qualifications on offer to enable candidates to see care as a long-term career path.- Ensure staff feel valued in their day-to-day work, through building stronger relationships between managers and carers, providing robust mental wellbeing and stress support, and creating clearer routes to progression.Totaljobs has also called for action at policy level to help provide support for social care providers in their endeavours to recruit and retain talent.Green explains: “The government must deliver on its commitment to produce a long-term strategy for funding and delivering adult social care into the future that takes into account pay and progression in the sector.“Furthermore, social care sector bodies and regulators should coordinate with central government and national governments to create a sector-wide, long-term strategy for workforce development including creating a Continuing Professional Development Framework well supported by funding.”On June 8, 2021, Totaljobs and the Work Foundation conducted an interactive <a href="https://www.totaljobs.com/recruiter-advice/attracting-and-retaining-a-thriving-social-care-workforce-webinar">webinar</a> revealing insights from their joint report, which covered a number of issues including how perceptions of social care have changed because of the pandemic, how the sector can attract a new generation of motivated workers, the benefits around opening progression pathways that care workers want, and how care providers can reduce staff churn.The webinar was presented by Totaljobs CEO, Jon Wilson, and the Work Foundation’s Research lead, Melanie Wilkes, before a panel of industry, recruitment, and policy experts alongside <a href="https://www.careuk.com/">Care UK</a>, the <a href="https://www.tuc.org.uk/">Trade Union Congress</a> and <a href="https://www.careengland.org.uk/">Care England</a>.The online webinar can be accessed <a href="https://www.totaljobs.com/recruiter-advice/attracting-and-retaining-a-thriving-social-care-workforce-webinar">here.</a></div>

A new report issued by Totaljobs Group and the Work Foundation has uncovered that a third of UK jobseekers would consider working in social care, and outlines recommendations to improve working conditions in the sector to help drive recruitment and staff retention and enhance career progression.

Totaljobs report outlines how to improve working conditions in social care

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 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">Writing for The Leaders Council, <a href="https://www.leaderscouncil.co.uk/members/jonny-combe">Jonny Combe</a>&nbsp;[pictured], UK CEO of <a href="https://paybyphone.co.uk/">PayByPhone</a>, gives his seven Top Tips on leading a remote team in 2021.1. Build a foundation of trustLeadership is about empowering your people and one of the main ways to do this is to trust your team to make responsible decisions - just as they did in an office-based set-up. In a remote office model, it is important to trust them to make good judgements about time and personal commitments. And whatever your leadership style, trust engenders an adult-to-adult model of interaction. This has always been the case but is even more crucial now with so any of us working from home. Leaders can also build trust by demonstrating authenticity. We are all human and acknowledging the challenges we encounter in these strange times helps to build trust and encourages people to speak up about any struggles they are facing.2. Work out what really mattersBeing suddenly plunged into remote working patterns in 2020 was a shock for leaders and employees alike - it is easy to talk about being more productive but suddenly you had to deliver it. The situation forced leadership to work out what the truly key tasks were and to ensure their team delivered them. This focus continues to be a benefit of remote working and helps leaders direct their people towards a more outcome-based model of working.3. Intentional communication with staffFrequent communication and contact with staff have always been important and being remote should not have changed that. What has changed is that as a leader, you now must be more intuitive and tap into your EQ. Whereas in the office you might pick up on someone’s mood changes and check in, now you must check in on people intentionally. After nearly a year of working remotely, this has become almost second nature for many leaders and managers. However, there is a danger that as lockdown conditions drag on, some of these good habits can fall by the wayside. Leaders must not underestimate the importance of connecting - both on a personal and a professional level. These regular connection points help people feel valued and significant - which encourages them to feel good about themselves, what they do and the value they bring. As well as being the right thing to do on a human level, on a business level, it also means people will want to do their best work.4. Empower your leaders to leadBusinesses must adapt to changing circumstances – as a leader you must work out the most effective way to recalibrate and to communicate with your leadership team and your staff. You have got to keep your leaders and all your people in the loop. Leaders should also look to capitalise on opportunities and the pandemic is certainly an ideal time to embrace great internal comms.At PayByPhone we walk the talk – we have introduced a senior management team call three times a week, which are good connection points for us. We also have a more formal leadership meeting once a month, and we have an all-staff virtual meeting every Monday morning.5. Follow up on your promises to your staffMany leaders tell their people how important they are, but you must follow this through with action. There are some great examples of intentional actions and at PayByPhone we have opted to pay for Disney+ subscriptions for those employees with children to support them during lockdown. For employees who do not have children or who already have a Disney+ subscription, we pay for them to have the new Joe Wicks app to help them get active and to maintain a positive mental attitude. These are small gestures in themselves, but they are important because they help people feel valued and remind them that out-of-sight is not out-of-mind.6. Adjust your expectationsPaying tribute to flexible working and actually demonstrating flexibility are vastly different things. At PayByPhone, we were already advocates of flexible working when we were office-based so it hasn’t felt like a huge leap. For us, it has never been about ‘face time’ at your desk, or ‘presentee-ism’, it is about getting your job done.Right now, however, the game changer is having multiple employees with children who need home schooling, so it is crucial that as a leader, I adjust my expectations. A single parent trying to juggle home working and home schooling will inevitably have their work impacted, despite their best efforts. Frankly, any working parent right now probably deserves a superhero cape! Accepting that some employees may be unable to give 100 per cent focus and being aware of the pressures is vitally important as a leader. And it is also essential to set clear boundaries and goals about the achievements and outcomes you expect. Just make sure they are realistic.7. Recruit from a wider talent pool and consider a hybrid-remote officePart of good leadership is seizing opportunities and since the pandemic has accelerated the working-from-home revolution, it is now possible to source employees from a wider area. Leaders should cast their recruitment net wide and carefully consider the kind of skills, experiences and diverse ways of thinking that would help take their organisation to a new level. By securing the very best employees, leaders can add more value to their organisation. We used to restrict our hiring pool to people within a relatively small radius of the office. Now, we are looking within a 100-mile radius of the office, which will enable us to operate a hybrid-remote office with people in the office once a week even when we are clear of the pandemic crisis. The flexible nature of remote working has the added benefit that it attracts Millennials and Gen Z who like a portfolio approach to work. Having these digital natives on board and harnessing the mindset of different generations is all part of creating a vibrant and diverse workforce - and for PayByPhone this helps us consolidate our position as a leader within our industry.PayByPhone, a wholly owned subsidiary of Volkswagen Financial Services AG, is one of the fastest growing mobile payments companies in the world, processing more than £430 million in payments annually. Through the company's mobile web, smartphone and smartwatch applications, PayByPhone helps millions of consumers easily, securely and safely pay for parking without the hassles of waiting in line, having to carry change or risking costly fines. Registration is quick and easy, and the app reminds the user when their parking is about to expire, allowing them to top up from anywhere, at any time.In a commitment to the environment, PayByPhone became Carbon Neutral in the UK in 2019, then achieved Carbon Neutral Plus status in 2020, and was certified Carbon Reduced in 2021.</div>

Writing for The Leaders Council, Jonny Combe, UK CEO of PayByPhone, gives his seven Top Tips on leading a remote team in 2021.

PayByPhone UK CEO: Why trust and transparency are the key ingredients for strong leadership in 2021

<div class="editor-cover-image" data-dimensions="780:300" data-pmr-editor-image="" style="background-image: url(&quot;https://leaders-council-web.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/store/0eb1a5f3ece1f47674b7dee70196cfd5.jpg&quot;);"></div>

 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">Transport industry news outlet <a href="http://transportoperator.co.uk/2021/06/09/driver-recruitment-action-required-now-warns-report/">Transport Operator</a> has echoed <a href="https://driverrequire.co.uk/">Driver Require</a> CEO <a href="https://www.leaderscouncil.co.uk/members/kieran-smith">Kieran Smith’s</a> warning that the combined effects of Covid-19, Brexit and lingering issues around poor pay and working conditions could lead to a major shortfall in available truck driver personnel over summer 2021 and beyond.When initially released in May 2021, driver recruitment agency Driver Require’s <a href="https://driverrequire.co.uk/upload/docs/Driver%20Require_Investigating%20HGV%20Driver%20Demand%20and%20Supply%202021.pdf">report, entitled A Perfect Storm of Elevated Demand and Reduced Supply in the UK Haulage Sector in 2021</a>, laid bare a number of findings compiled by a Think Tank set-up by Smith, which consisted of representatives of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, Logistics UK, Trailblazer Group for Transport and Logistics, a logistics statistics expert, a national fleet hire supplier, a large LGV training school, and three hauliers: a FTSE 100 grocery supplier, a FTSE Small Cap e-commerce and retail logistics operator, and an SME general haulage operator and pallet network member.<a href="https://www.leaderscouncil.co.uk/news/a-perfect-storm-driver-require-forecasts-covid-fuelled-driver-shortage-crisis-and-recommends-steps-to-alleviate-the-problem">Just as The Leaders Council reported earlier in the year</a>, Transport Operator explains that one of the major conclusions to emerge from the report was that although UK haulage activity had returned to pre-Covid levels, issues with prospective drivers accessing Covid tests and a drop off in the quantity of foreign nationals holding LGV licences in the UK had led to an estimated fall of seven per cent [22,000] in the supply of drivers in a ‘most likely’ scenario. The ‘worst case’ scenario drop off was estimated to be 10 per cent, equating to 30,000 drivers.Quoting the report, Transport Operator warns that a post-Covid increase in consumer demand over summer may coincide with full-time drivers wanting to take holidays, therefore intensifying the shortage.Going further, the outlet adds that the fleet hire company which formed part of Smith’s Think Tank warned of lead times for new equipment having extended to more than nine months, with its fleet operating at 95 per cent utilisation, around 10 per cent higher than anticipated levels.Exploring feedback from the Think Tank’s general haulier, Transport Operator echoes the report’s findings that pallet network depots were seeing volumes increase within the region of 30-60 per cent. Other companies also say they have had to ‘stand’ trucks because of a driver shortage, explaining that they will not put extra vehicles on the road thanks to their pool of loyal drivers being fully engaged.Furthermore, the Think Tank’s e-commerce and retail logistics provider advised that High Street fashion was now running above levels customarily seen on busy dates such as ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Cyber Monday’, with further growth in demand likely to follow with the reopening of the hospitality and entertainment sectors.Imports were also said to have been affected by the closure of the Suez Canal, with goods being delivered having been warehoused in the UK since the spring and summer of 2020.Quoting the report once more, Transport Operator explains that stocks beginning to arrive in the UK following the Suez reopening could apply further pressure to the upstream logistics chain clearing goods from ports, with some stock even at risk of missing the summer season this year and having to be held back until 2022.Brexit has also contributed to exacerbating this problem by making the UK internal market less lucrative for foreign hauliers. Pre-Covid, gaps in driver recruitment had been filled by arrivals from Eastern Europe, but Brexit has effectively ruled out this option.Quoting another major finding in Driver Require's report, Transport Operator highlights that the Covid-19 pandemic has taken its toll on the amount of new drivers entering the industry. Pre-pandemic there were said to be around 40,000 LGV test passes per annum. During lockdown, roughly 14,000 LGV passes were achieved, and the report goes on to advise that many of these were C1 passes for ambulance drivers being upgraded to handle vehicles of 3.5 to 7.5 tonnes.Picking up on the report’s comments on the current status of the industry, Transport Operator reaffirms that employee dissatisfaction and ‘churn’ within the sector are now customary. Indeed, in the five years pre-Covid, the report uncovered that over 30,000 new drivers had passed their test each year, and a mere 10,000 at the most had reached retirement. Yet despite this, the number of active drivers had remained constant at 300,000. Taking this into consideration, it was calculated that seven per cent of all drivers were therefore choosing to leave the industry each year, before even reaching retirement age. Further to this, 600,000 individuals were found to hold LGV licences but not drive as a career choice.Transport Operator than reiterated the Think Tank's warning that demand was likely to soon return to a level requiring around 300,000 drivers, whereas the actual pool of active drivers in the UK will have fallen to 282,000.The report concludes that employers and agencies will be left to compete for a dwindling supply of drivers in the short term, an issue which may be offset by higher wages which could entice more people into the sector. This applies even if the Think Tank’s proposed mitigating acts are implemented, which involve training new drivers, enticing qualified licence-holders back into the sector, and changing immigration laws to permit EU drivers to work in the UK.With regards to the recommended step of lobbying government to amend immigration laws in favour of EU drivers, it was acknowledged by Transport Operator and within the original report that with such a high level of qualified licence-holders currently inactive, it may be difficult to persuade the government that there is a sufficient shortage of personnel to warrant giving foreign workers special dispensation.Transport Operator adds that although Driver Require could not provide hard data as to why such a large proportion of LGV licence holders had left the sector, some could opt to return if improvements to wages and working conditions were to be introduced. Interestingly, current wage levels were found to be attractive enough for individuals in the 18-25 age group, with the long working hours also less of a deterrent for this demographic.&nbsp;</div>

Transport industry news outlet Transport Operator has echoed Driver Require CEO Kieran Smith’s warning that the combined effects of Covid-19, Brexit and lingering issues around poor pay and working conditions could lead to a major shortfall in available truck driver personnel over summer 2021 and beyond.

Driver Require report featured in industry outlet Transport Operator

Brenda Wright is the Chief Executive Officer of East Cheshire Housing Consortium, an independent registered charity and has been providing high quality long-term residential accommodation for over twenty five years

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NI ministers welcome 130 jobs and £19 million PPE contract for Bangor firm, Denroy

Totaljobs report outlines how to improve working conditions in social care

PayByPhone UK CEO: Why trust and transparency are the key ingredients for strong leadership in 2021

Driver Require report featured in industry outlet Transport Operator

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