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career environment and promoting PiP as a great place to work.” (Performance In People was named by The Sunday Times as one of the ‘Top 100 best small companies to work for’.)


A potential recruit’s idea of a great workplace had to be matched in reality, noted Atkins.


Neil Garwood


Fawcett admitted weather-reliant working environments could be unattractive, but Amey gained employee engagement in other ways such as CSR activities.


Traditionally, catering work is seen as unskilled, low-paid and long hours said Salanson, but it also enables career and workstyle change, use of previously learned customer-facing skills, and flexible or part- time working at fun and dynamic venues. “You need to look at what you can offer people as opposed to the restrictions of your industry.” Her staff turnover is low.


Joe Jeffers


It is easier to be flexible as an SME business, said Wrankmore. Large corporates have to become more organised and structured to ensure objectives are met.


“Our planes have to fly on time,” remarked Garwood. “But, we do try to give our people the opportunity for flexible working. It gives the individual empowerment and control over their work-life balance. Our objective is resilience, without over-staffing.”


Lesley Wrankmore


Wrankmore’s company challenge was operational readiness. New technical support recruits could take six months to become fully operational. Support capability for customers has to be planned months in advance. “Forecasting can be incredibly difficult.”


Apprenticeships to the rescue? Rick Munro


Apprentices could provide a successful long- term recruitment strategy, Munro highlighted. “You get them in at 18, accept they won’t be work-fit right away, but can mould them to your firm’s ethos and requirements. With university fees so high, they can be doing work, getting paid and learning skills – it’s a win/win result for everyone.”


David Murray queried if schools were still focusing students on universities rather than apprenticeships.


Donohue and Fawcett both confirmed that objectives had changed in recent years with schools getting much more attuned to business needs.


Smith agreed, while noting that academia- business relationships could be ‘patchy’. “We don’t always talk the same language.”


Atkins mentioned that Aish was working on the curriculum for the new engineering academy of a Wimborne school. “They are asking what we need for our industry.”


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Smith praised the working quality of apprentices straight out of school . “Apprentices will have already made a mature career decision and so are motivated to make it work.”


Cutting through the Government red- tape before taking on apprentices is a challenge, Wrankmore remarked. So was the apprenticeship levy, added Atkins.


Fawcett and Atkins highlighted excellent help from their local technical colleges, and Atkins that 70% of directors in engineering companies start out as apprentices.


Jeffers said apprenticeships worked well if there was a “pathway to growing with the company” to motivate both partners.


While Dalloz’s company was now known for an award-winning ‘best place to work’ environment, he highlighted it had also gained a good track record with local schools and apprenticeships by engaging and developing its workforce, and generally aiming to promote from within.


Atkins mentioned the rising quality of apprentice intakes. “10 years ago you took what you could get. Now, you have really intelligent, high functioning young people to choose from. The only problem is we don’t always get their skills where we want them –they’re so ambitious they want to run the business.”


Speed-recruiting, generation gaps and diversity


To accommodate millennial mindsets, KPMG has reduced its recruitment process from two-months to two-days of ‘speed- recruiting’, revealed Smith. “If we don’t move quickly, we can lose them. We hire a stadium, conduct rigorous interviews and a range of group exercises then and there, and inform them of whether or not they’ve been successful within 48hrs. Feedback so far is, they love it.”


Salanson: “We recruit only on attitude; how candidates might interact with customers. The good people can be hard to find, and keep.”


Dalloz noted that young staff taking leave to travel the world could be disruptive. “Too many ambitious people in a business and the work doesn’t always get done. You need a diverse range of people fulfilling the full spectrum of work.”


Donohue admitted that an older working generation, nearing retirement was banking’s challenge. “As an industry, we’ve not had quick enough recruitment. We’ve had good graduate and apprenticeship programmes in recent years, but have ended up with a generation gap in the middle.”


Smith mentioned KPMG’s intake of new trainees every year represent approx. 10% of the workforce, which brings the average age


THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH COAST – MAY/JUNE 2017


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