The Business Magazine and the sponsors of the TVBMA – NatWest, Pitmans, James Cowper Kreston, Hays, Grundon Waste Management, Deloitte. Redwood Technologies – invited several 2014 winners and finalists to gather at the Madejski Stadium, Reading to share …
Some wise words from successful businesses
’Gain, Maintain, Retain’ will be the mantra of many Thames Valley companies as the battle for talent – to build teams fit for corporate growth – heats up in 2015
tvbma roundtable 47 THAMES VALLEY
MAGAZINE
BUSINESS AWARDS 2015
Participants
Bryn Aldridge: Chief technical officer, Drivenlower vehicle telematics
Christopher Avery: Managing partner, Pitmans LLP
Robin Barnes: Regional director, Corporate & Commercial Banking Thames Valley, Nat West
David Brookes: Partner BDO LLP
Anthony Foxlee-Brown: Marketing communications manager, Grundon Waste Management
David Griffiths: CEO, FISCAL Technologies
Simon Miles: Senior business development manager, Deloitte
Ian Morrin: Director, Clarify, Strategic B2B Business Development
Simon Pasco: London region sales director, Thomas International Alan Poole: Partner, James Cowper Kreston LLP
Lined up to debate: our Roundtable team Journalist John Burbedge reports the Roundtable highlights
What will help winners sleep soundly in 2015?
David Murray asked the Roundtable members what the big themes of 2015 might be, and what might keep them awake at night. He suggested 2014 had been a year focused on business capital, and this year it might be human capital.
Chris Sykes of Volume (2014 Best Use of Technology finalist) was first to highlight the difficulties of gaining, maintaining and retaining a suitably skilled workforce. With 70% of clients being outside the UK, predominantly in west coastal USA, Volume’s target was “. . . quality people who really shine through when dealing with large corporate clients in different time-zones.
“Everybody here probably has the same challenge of finding and retaining good people. We are competing with the big tech companies locally that obviously have good benefit packages, and also with the London talent pool with its attractive bright lights for young millennials.”
Sean Taylor of Redwood Technologies (2014 TVBMA category sponsor) concurred, speaking of the business investors’ dilemma. “The scarce resource isn’t capital at the moment – it’s cheap to borrow money. The
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – JUNE 2015
scare resource is human capital. We are really struggling to get good STEM people on board, and it’s not the money. When I was 21, I wasn’t earning the equivalent salary that is on offer today.
“People today want the challenge, they want to travel perhaps and London does have a strong pull. Getting good quality people and a build-up of workforce skills is really important for us, and indeed the local and national economy.”
Mehran Yadegari of the recruitment specialist Hays provided his well-informed view: “It is all about employee engagement. One part is attracting the right people, but the even bigger part is holding on to great people. If you have great people as part of the fabric of your business you can cope with people coming aboard and then moving on, but you need that core, that spine of quality within your business.”
The fresh challenge of Generation Y
Yadegari also highlighted the change in mindset of potential Generation Y recruits, the millennial age-group who have only ever known a digital world, and as adults tend to be detached from traditional business structures, while closely networked
Christopher Avery
with friends. “This newer generation sees things differently. When we all started working, money was a factor and we viewed employment over a longer-term phase.” For them a long employment phase is 2-3 years within an organisation, before they make a transition to their next life-phase, their next development as a multi-skilled person.
Employee engagement will help retain such people, but “companies will have to put a lot of work into that.”
Continued overleaf ...
www.businessmag.co.uk
Chris Sykes: CEO Volume, digital content provider Sean Taylor: MD, Redwood Technologies Andrew Thomson: Partner – HMT LLP Mehran Yadegari: Regional director, Hays
David Murray: Managing editor and publisher of The Business Magazine, chaired the discussion
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