My blog

Category: Features

  • A view from Australia: tulips, seaweed farms and investment frenzy

    Ben Murphy

    In the 1630’s and during what is now considered the Dutch Golden Age, contract prices for newly introduced species of Tulips reached astonishing heights that were completely removed from concepts of fundamental or inherent value. The rapid escalation of interest in the fashionable bulbs, however, dramatically collapsed within a few years causing what is believed to be the fall of the first speculative bubble and the start of what is now coined the futures markets.

    Fast forward 400 years, and it appears we are entering into another type of flora-based mania – this time under water – as venture capitalists masquerade to save the planet from carbon dioxide (CO2) and other equivalent molecules.

    Enter into the discussion Algae, one of the most important substances on earth. A complex evolutionary masterpiece, there are approximately 12,000 known Algae species, and which are popularly (if incorrectly) merged into the term Seaweed.

    The Seaweed family contributes more than we could ever understand to life on earth, from sequestering CO2 from the earth’s atmosphere, to supporting the base food source of all marine life, through to cures in modern medicine and the foundation of the skin and beauty industries.

    And Asparagopsis Taxiformis, a red seaweed species, is no exception.  It is marketed as a leading solution to combat methane emissions, and has shown to reduce ruminant enteric methane (CH4) production up to 99%, decrease the carbon footprint of ruminant livestock and potentially increase production efficiency.

    Across Australia, New Zealand and many other parts of the world, the race is on to produce, refine and manufacture this wonder seaweed due to its incredible effects on reducing methane in the ruminants of Cattle, Sheep, Goats and Deer.

    In Australia the market controlled by a joint venture between CSIRO (Federal Government Research Agency), James Cook University and producer owned Meat & Livestock Australia held under the entity ‘Future Feed’. Future Feed licenses companies to grow, harvest and manufacture the seaweed for commercial use in feedlots.

    Large scale investment and government grants have produced seaweed farms across the southern shorelines of Australia and New Zealand with hundreds of millions of investments.  And with the intellectual property seemingly locked up, investors are in a frenzy to lay their claim. And like any bubble, it seems few are pausing to address either the potential harm to humans or impacts on the environment of the associated growing, harvesting, manufacturing and distribution channels.

    It is well understood that the active ingredient in Asparagopsis Taxiformis that reduces methane is the compound Bromoform (CHBr3). The first challenge for proponents and investors of this Seaweed is that in its raw form, Bromoform is a carcinogen. It could have immediate and long-term effects on the nervous system depending on the amount and frequency of exposure. While human data thus far is considered inadequate in providing evidence of cancer by exposure to Bromoform, animal data indicates that long-term oral exposure can cause liver and intestinal tumours.  On the question of whether Bromoform administered to livestock will find its way into the food chain, a recent study from a Dutch University (Wageningen University and Research) concluded that in dairy Cows tested, Bromoform was found in samples of both milk and urine. This concerning transfer and retention of Bromoform has of course been vigorously defended by Future Feed as it pushes the boundaries of production with the few licenses it has granted, creating scarcity, demand and an economic bubble.

    The second challenge is that to materially reduce methane emissions from cattle, the recommended daily dose for cattle is understood to be approximately 0.5% or less of highly bioactive Bromoform.  With 27 million head of cattle in circulation annually in Australia and only 4% in a feed lot environment at any one time, how this dose is efficiently administered is anyone’s guess. Sheep, Goats and Deer are even less controlled.

    The third challenge is the carbon footprint of growing, manufacturing, and distributing this form of seaweed.  By way of example, the Australian company Sea Forest is licensed to grow the seaweed product in a suitable environment off the far south-eastern corner of Tasmania.  The electricity and diesel used to grow and harvest the seaweed from the oceans, coupled with the high electricity output required to freeze dry it and the subsequent distribution to feedlots on mainland Australia (often over 3000km away), are staggering for a commercially unproven and potentially unsafe emissions reduction product.

    As a cautionary tale, in recent times the New Zealand dairy industry was hit with extreme export sanctions from China on the basis of a perceived threshold issue relating to the DCD nitrogen prohibitor in dairy cattle.  This locked NZ out of trading dairy items with China for 12 months, costing the industry and investors heavily.

    Just as tulip traders met with overzealous buyers in smoky taverns in the Netherlands in the mid 1630’s, we are today confronted by frenzied investors and venture capitalist players chasing a potentially harmful and environmentally risky product that may well be better left in the oceans to absorb CO2 naturally and replenish the marine ecosystem.

    Read Ben Murphy’s take on the coal debate here

  • Watch out for these CV ‘red flags’

    Finito World

    If you’re on the hunt for a new job, you’ve probably thought a lot about your CV. According to the online platform CV Maker, the average hiring manager only spends six to eight seconds looking over that much agonised over piece of paper before deciding if it goes in the ‘yes’ or ‘no’ pile. Therefore, it is vital to make sure that there is nothing in your CV which could give a recruiter reason to disregard your application.

    The biggest mistake you can make on a CV is also, thankfully, the easiest to correct. Typos and spelling/grammar errors can show a potential employer that you do not pay attention to detail (and even if you do normally pay attention to detail, a spelling error sends a bad first impression). A minor error shouldn’t get your CV thrown out by any fair recruiter, but if there are many mistakes then you should probably consider re-sending your CV with a brief message explaining the mistake. The best way to prevent this uncomfortable scenario in the first place is to use a spellchecker and have a few trusted friends or family members read your CV before sending it out.

    Another easy correction which can save you all manner of embarrassment has to do with your email address. It is always best to make a new dedicated email address for your job search, rather than relying on an old address. If your email is a bit unprofessional, or at worst outright vulgar, then your chances of landing the job are very low. The standard formats of ‘firstname.lastname@…” or “firstinitial.lastname@…” tend to work well for this purpose.

    A large gap in your employment is more difficult to correct. After all, if you have an employment gap then there’s not much you can do about it now, and it is certainly never a good idea to lie! However, there is a solution; just be honest. Particularly now after the pandemic, employment gaps are not rare and no fair employer should disqualify an applicant solely based on their employment history. If you can effectively explain your employment gap in a cover letter, that will help massively, and you should be prepared to offer a good explanation in an interview setting.

    If you have a number of relatively short, sub-one-year-long roles on your CV, this may raise some red flags with a potential employer. As with employment gaps, if you have a number of short-lived jobs then you can’t change the past, but a good explanation can go a long way. Try to stick to concrete reasons for your departures from previous roles, such as a lack of career advancement or recruitment by another company, rather than vague statements such as ‘needing a change’ which could cause some employers to believe you are unreliable.

    Including too much personal information on a CV can stray into the unprofessional realm, so keep things brief. Showing a bit of personality through your hobbies and interests can be good, but make sure they pertain to the job role in a positive way. Your personality will come through automatically through your accomplishments and the more detailed accounts of your skills, so there’s no need to overdo it.

    There’s a lot to think about when constructing a CV, and it can be overwhelming. However, a bit of proofreading and careful consideration of content can make all the difference when going for that dream role.

  • UK start-up Team ML70 submits military contract bid

    Patrick Crowder

    The Ministry of Defence is on the market for a new helicopter – one which can fulfil the roles of several medium lift helicopters currently in service. The New Medium Helicopter (NMH) programme has garnered bids from Airbus, Bell Textron, Sikorsky, and Italian-based manufacturer Leonardo so far, but the programme’s focus on both aircraft capability and UK economic stimulation leaves the most recent contender Team ML70 in a unique position.

    Team ML70 was born from the British start-up AceHawk Aerospace. The company, which is now leading the project, proposes to refit and upgrade existing American UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters with larger engines, modern glass cockpits, and advanced avionics packages at their Teesside-based facility in the Northeast of England. We had the chance to speak with AceHawk CEO and experienced pilot Fionnán Collins.

    “Most of my experience as a pilot is in search and rescue flying what’s called an S-92, which itself is kind of a development of the Blackhawk. It’s used by the Coast Guard in the UK and in Ireland, and I’ve flown in both, and I’ve also flown it in Norway,” Collins says, “I’m a pure civilian, but at the same time, a lot of my colleagues, friends, and people I’ve flown with are ex-military. Part of my draw to the Blackhawk airframe itself is because a couple of good friends of mine fly them for the fire departments in LA County and San Diego, so I have an understanding from them of what the capabilities of the Black Hawk are in those kinds of roles.”

    NMH AceHawk ML70                                            

                                                              ML70 helicopter with armament package

    The existing helicopters are being phased out not only due to their age, but also because of the increased training and maintenance costs which stem from having a variety of different types of aircraft in service simultaneously. It will always be cheaper to train pilots and mechanics on one airframe than on many, so it was decided that one helicopter should fill all medium lifting roles.

    “You’ve got multiple different types there that are causing a drain on resources,” Collins says, “Having crews training on all different types costs money and takes time, so having one aircraft to do all of those functions saves so much grief. The RAF and the Army do exchanges with Brunei, Australia, and sometimes with other smaller users and send instructors to Fort Rucker in Alabama where they learn to fly the Blackhawk, so there is a base of knowledge in the UK already about this aircraft.”

    Originally, the plan was to put these fully refurbished and upgraded Black Hawks into European firefighting roles, but Collins realised that regulations currently don’t allow the Black Hawk to fly commercially. Then, AceHawk’s prospects shifted towards the military.

    “The initial trigger was the UK defence review in March 2021 which suggested that the Army and the Air Force had four different types of helicopter that needed to be replaced with one single type to do all of the different functions. The Black Hawk clearly is the aircraft that has been proven to do all the required functions, and that’s the big drive behind it as well – it’s a proven airframe. We sat down as a group of us, Damian, Darren, and I with a couple of our other guys, Mike and Simon. Both of them used to fly out of RAF Benson, and they said, ‘The RAF and the Army would have loved to have had the Black Hawk for years, is there a way to make this happen?’”

    Garmin avionics on board the ML70

                                                                       Garmin avionics on board the ML70

    If accepted, the AceHawk ML70 would replace the RAF’s Puma HC2 and Bell 412 helicopters, as well as the Army’s fleets of Bell 212 and Airbus AS365 Dauphin aircraft. Collins explains the variety of functions the NMH will be expected to perform, and how their roles could be filled by the ML70.

    “The main body of what it would replace is the Puma fleet, which does Troop Support, special operations, and a little bit of search and rescue as well. But what the government needs is an aircraft that can do even more. It needs to be able to do special ops, command and control, search and rescue in combat, medical evacuation, assault, and it needs to be able to do load lifting as well. The Puma could perform these functions to a point, but not at the level required. When the special ops guys have gone out on operations in places like Afghanistan and Iraq alongside the US Army, they always ended up flying in Blackhawks anyway. So they know what they want, and they know it is a proven and robust airframe which has filled all of these roles,” Collins says.

    The NMH programme is not meant to produce a permanent or even long-term replacement for the helicopters currently in service. It is a stopgap measure to allow for the development and production of next generation rotor-driven platforms which they hope will be ready by the 2030s. However, it is more than likely that whatever helicopter is chosen will serve for longer than the 10 years projected, and Team ML70 says that they’re ready to take on the challenge of ongoing repairs.

    NMH ML70 maintained at Teesside

        Stripped Black Hawks awaiting upgrades similar to those they will receive at Teesside

    “The whole idea behind AceHawk Aerospace was not just the initial production of aircraft, it was support across the life of the project. The NMH project is suggested to be a 10-year function as a stopgap, but we believe it will need to go on longer, and we will be happy to support it for longer because that’s part of our business,” Collins says, “We will set up a facility that doesn’t just produce the aircraft but maintain them. And the support as well that we will get from General Electric who make the engines, and Garmin who would make the avionics solution is crucial to that. They are very keen and they’re absolutely going out of their way to support us on anything we need.”

    Following the pandemic, the government is focussing their efforts toward spending more on British companies, so ministers have agreed that social value must be taken into consideration in regards to defence procurement. The non-UK based companies who have put in bids for the NMH programme are aware that at least a ten percent weighting must go towards that social value when considering any new defence contract, and each have made their own promises.

    Airbus has pledged to create a production line of their proposed H175 helicopters at an existing facility in Broughton, Wales which currently produces wings for commercial aircraft. Leonardo plans on expanding their helicopter production efforts in Yeovil, Somerset if they win the bid with their AW149 offering. Bell-Textron, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, has requested that the MoD delay the NMH programme, allowing them time to field their next generation 525 chopper in place of the current stopgap plans.

    NMH AceHawk

                                                                     An ML70 lands in rough, dusty conditions

    Sikorsky, who makes the Black Hawk, has put in an NMH bid offering brand new helicopters for the RAF and Army. In terms of both timeline and social value considerations, however, their offer is lacking. They propose that the new airframes be manufactured at their plant in Poland, then shipped over to Britain for modification. According to Collins, an already lengthy waiting list for new Black Hawks also poses problems.

    It is worth noting that, of the existing offerings, Sikorsky and Team ML70 are the only companies not pitching converted civilian aircraft. Collins says that these options will be subject to a longer review period delaying delivery.

    “We’ve put together a shopping list of mission systems with our supply chain and various partners, so it’s up to them to decide which ones they want and don’t want depending on what missions they want to do. But because of the history of the airframe and the missions that it has covered, there are lots of off the shelf systems that they can buy from proven suppliers. The majority of stuff out there has already been fitted to a Black Hawk airframe, so the UK doesn’t have to spend 12 months doing a trial if they’re willing to accept the data from other users. All of those different things can come quicker, because they don’t have to go off proving them themselves,” Collins says.

    Aside from aircraft capability, there is also a strong political consideration at play. The Conservative government is likely more eager to place the economic stimulus which will be fostered by the NMH programme in the Northeast in hopes of breaking down the “red wall”. AceHawk’s Teesside-based production facility would require more employees to fill the order, thereby creating more jobs for County Durham and North Yorkshire residents and providing more opportunities for training.

    “When we started this project, we knew that the politics were part of it, because they always have been. Helicopter procurement in the UK has always had that involvement all the way back to probably the 70s or 80s, but it’s something that we were aware of so we’re happy to engage. One of the big winners on that is basing ourselves at Teesside airport, which is owned by Tees Valley Combined Authority, which is a local council. That authority is run by Ben Houchin, who is a member of the Tory party. He is the local mayor, and he was the one who got Tees Valley Combined Authority to buy the airport from the holdings company who were not making a good business out of it. And he’s turned it around,” Collins says, “So that’s a member of the party who’s the local mayor who’s had the vision to say, ‘Hang on, we need this up here. We need jobs.’ And it’s that mindset that drew us to decide on Teesside when we were looking at places where we could do this.”

    ML70

                                                The cockpit of an ML70 before high-tech avionics are fitted

    The next phase, which involves inviting the top five companies to negotiate, is set for the end of October at the earliest. The NMH contract will likely be awarded in mid-2023, with the chosen helicopter reaching the field at the beginning of 2025.

  • Dr. Paul Hokemeyer on Imposter Syndrome

    Dr. Paul Hokemeyer on Imposter Syndrome

    Dr. Paul Hokemeyer’s thoughts on Imposter Syndrome, originally published August 2021

    Last week, I received the following text message from a former client, a female millennial, who received a substantial promotion and was transferred from her home in Istanbul to her company’s headquarters in Geneva:

    “I’m thrilled with the promotion and with the opportunity to lead a team, but I’m having panic attacks…I did some research online and I came across something called the, ‘imposter syndrome’. I’m definitely suffering from it. I’ve become so insecure and even a little challenge is scaring me. I have no idea the root cause for this. Can you help me?

    The sort answer to her question was yes. The longer answer would require her to internalize a new message of self-competency that would expel the external one she’d adopted along her developmental path.

    The imposter syndrome is a psychological concept that was identified by clinical psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes to describe a pernicious and persistent belief among successful women that in spite of their successes, they feel at deep in their core that they’re “not intelligent, capable or creative.” These researchers and clinicians went on to observe that while the women they studied were ‘highly motivated to achieve,’ they also ‘live in fear of being ‘found put or exposed as frauds.”  

    As I note in my book Fragile Power, although not officially recognized as a clinical diagnosis, psychologists find it’s a phenomenon that isn’t just limited to women. It’s a highly prevalent phenomenon that affects approximately 70% of the general population regardless of gender, race, and socio-economic class.

    Over the years, I’ve found it exists at both sides of the success bell curve. Most of the “failure to launch” patients I treat, people with great potential but who can’t quite get it together to pursue their dreams, suffer from it in equal measure to the people who present as ‘having it all’, crowing on about their talents and successes.

    As I alluded to in the beginning of this article, the imposter syndrome manifests in people’s psyche on both the conscious and unconscious levels through messages they internalize along their developmental path and from the dominate culture that surrounds them. These messages turn into beliefs which in turn manifest in limiting and destructive behaviors.  The net result is that the Imposter Syndrome constrains a person’s ability to enjoy peace of mind, to claim their rightful place in the world and to be seen as a human being of value and substance. It also prevents them from producing their best work by causing them to operate from a place of deficiency rather than abundance, weakness rather than strength.

    In my work, I’ve found the most common signs of the imposter syndrome are as follows.

    1. Having nightmares of being unprepared and shamed: Chances are that if you’ve ever had a dream where you can’t get to where you need to go, find it’s time for an exam for which you’re totally unprepared or shamed in some other way for being deficient or not fitting in you suffer from IS.
    2. An inability to accept and hold a compliment: People who suffer from IS find it difficult to accept complements with grace. Rather than saying ‘thank you’ for praise directed their way they feel uncomfortable by it and discount or deflect it. 
    3. Feeling their success is based on luck rather than talent: Generally, people who attain success express gratitude for the events outside of their control that added to it. But people who suffer from IS discount and discard their hard work, talent, grit and resilience in attaining their goal.
    4. Deflecting their success on to someone or something else: Humility and graciousness are important, but so is owning one’s accomplishments. Success doesn’t occur in isolation. Other people, places and things, play significant roles in success, but people who suffer from IS disregard their hard work, innate talent and drive in its attainment.
    5. Rejecting professional labels: Holding the label of executive, lawyer, doctor, photographer, author or designer is weighty. For people who suffer from IS, the weight is more than they can bear.
    6. Being hyper critical of external markers of success that showcase their talents: People who suffer from IS are quick to cover up their insecurities through arrogance and condescension. They criticize commercial validation of their work as ‘selling out’, preferring instead to maintain their ‘integrity’ and distain the thing they cannot have.
    7. Self-Sabotaging their success: At the last minute, the are compulsively pulled into self-destruction.  They fail to show up at a critically important event or pick a fight with a person on their team.

    What I hope you realize by learning about these traits is how IS is profoundly influenced by unconscious motives. For this reason, recovery requires a deep and holistic dive into the three levels of our human existence. These include:

    • the socio-cultural,
    • the interpersonal and
    • the intrapersonal aspects of our being.

    First, we must understand the messages we’ve internalized by the govern cultures in which we exist and that we’ve internalized from our family of origin. At every step along our developmental path, we’ve internalized distinct messages of what our society and culture believe to be true about how we look, who we love, what God we worship and what zip code we reside in. By articulating the messages we’ve received, we can reject those that perpetuate destructive stereotypes, crawl out from under their weight to embrace the liberation of self-actualization.

    The second area we need to explore is the geography of our interpersonal relationships. We need to spend time mapping out what we learned from our families of origin about success, what it means, the costs it entails and who is entitled to it. In addition to taking a historical look at these messages, we need to evaluate our current relationships. Many people who suffer from IS have relationships with people who feel threatened by their success and actively and passively work to sabotage it. Finally, we need to dig deep into our own psyche to find what motivates and makes us feel deep in our core like a person of value, worthy of being seen and heard.

    The best way to do this work is in partnership with a safe and compassionate other, a person who you trust with your truths and with whom you can be strategically vulnerable. It’s also important to create a record of your work. To do this I advise my patients to create a simple, but powerful document that records their beliefs and sets out your goals for the future. An outline of this document is as follows:

    1. Success means the following three things to me:
      1. ___
      1. ___
      1. ___
    2. I’m limited in attaining these three things because:
      1. ___
      1. ___
      1. ___
    3. To be successful I need the following three things to occur:
      1. ___
      1. ___
      1. ___
    4. The personal traits that I will bring to bear on my successful are:
      1. ___
      1. ___
      1. ___

    In approaching this project, pay attention to your resistance. If you discount it as ‘stupid’, ‘worthless’ or ‘a waste of time’ recognize that what’s speaking to you is your IS, not your authentic truth. Then push through. The work, while admittedly time consuming and basic will be worth it. Through it your will be able to identify and banish the most pernicious and self-defeating messages that tell us we’re unworthy of being happy, joyous and free while building a foundation upon which your success can flourish.

     

    Paul L. Hokemeyer, JD & PhD, is a therapist and author. Dr. Paul, as he’s better known, works with families and individuals across the United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, and European Union; he is also a founding principal of Drayson Mews International.

     

  • Who is leading the SEO and digital marketing conversation?

    Patrick Crowder

    Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) can be a tricky topic. You may often hear the argument that while search engines like Google once displayed a directory of the internet, they now indirectly determine the content of the internet. While this may be an uncomfortable thought, if a business or publication wants to get the word out about their operation, they now have no choice but to consider where they stand on a search engine’s homepage.

    If someone in the UK were to search “basketball”, for instance, then currently what they would find is a Wikipedia entry about the sport, followed by the NBA’s official website, then thirdly the homepage of Basketball England. The first company link to appear is Nike, which takes you to their basketball-focused shop. Nike does not hold the top spot by accident. The higher a webpage is in the results of a related search, the more likely people are to click on that webpage, and therefore the more likely people are to buy or consume media from that webpage. As opposed to the early days of the internet, when there weren’t too many articles, blogs, or services offering the same things, now digital marketing has become a contest of relevance.
    A study conducted by the B2B software and SEO company Rock the Rankings has found the most influential people in SEO and digital marketing by analysing their social media profiles. The list has been decided by taking into account engagement, number of posts, mentions, and number of followers on Twitter and LinkedIn.

    The role of the digital marketer is becoming more important by the day, though their critical role is often performed in the background. According to Rock the Rankings, the SEO industry is currently worth $80 billion (£70.17 billion) and is projected to grow quickly, so the prominent people identified by this study no doubt carry significant influence.

    The most influential figure overall was found to be Dharmesh Shah from the software company HubSpot. The Hubspot co-founder and Chief Technology Officer has high numbers across the board – with 296,500 Twitter followers and 1,036,649 LinkedIn followers, he has cultivated a large audience which engages at the respectable rate of .16%.

    By examining specific elements of these figures’ social media presence, we can see not only what level of influence, but also what kind of influence they hold. Google’s Senior Webmaster Trends Analyst John Mueller, for example, has far fewer Twitter followers than others on the list at 139,233, but he has the most Twitter mentions. This points to the idea that his followers are keen to receive his advice and opinions, and also to be the first to hear what’s coming next from Google.

    Entrepreneur, investor, and online marketing expert John Rampton with 1,257,792 Twitter followers has the most by far. However, the founder of the online payment and productivity companies Due and Calendar has a 0% engagement rate, according to the study. While that does not mean that his influence is weak, it does speak to the way his multitudinous followers interact with his content.

    There are many ways to create influence through social media, and one is the way of prolific Tweet author Pam Moore. The in-demand keynote speaker and MarketingNutz founder has about a fifth of the followers of John Rampton, but she has managed an incredible 134,776 Tweets!

    In general, influence, and especially engagement, are not easy things to foster quickly. It takes a lot of quiet, consistent dedication over time to see the numbers of these professionals, and that is a skill which takes incredible patience and faith. As SEO becomes more important to find and maintain an online audience, these professionals serve as examples of what is possible – so if you’re looking to grow your online business or social media presence, it may be worth taking a few tricks from their books.

     

    Read about how AI is affecting the world of recruitment here

  • Supermarkets lead in Google job searches

    Patrick Crowder

    Online job searches for ‘Tesco jobs’ and ‘Tesco careers’ occur more than searches for any other companies, showing Tesco to be one of the most desired jobs in the UK. There has also been a general trend towards supermarkets and retail stores, with Amazon and ASDA seeing frequent searches.

    The marketing hub School of Marketing has analysed Google search trends to find the most searched-for jobs in the UK.

    Tesco sees about 362,000 searches a month for job-related terms, which is far higher than the second most searched for job, Amazon. Job searchers Google ‘Amazon jobs’ or ‘Amazon careers’ about 196,000 times a month – a little less than half as many as Tesco.

    Behind Amazon are two more supermarket companies; Asda, which sees around 138,000 job-related searches per month, and Sainsbury’s, which sees around 128,000 searches.

    Of the top ten most searched for jobs, seven of them are supermarkets. The others, besides Amazon, include Royal Mail with 127,000 monthly searches and Primark which sits at the bottom of the list with 54,000.

    After seeing the major losses which the retail industry took during and immediately following the pandemic, it is unsurprising that Primark is at the bottom of the list – but it is interesting that Primark made the top ten at all.

    The benefits offered by Royal Mail can likely be tied to its large numbers of searches. Pensions, childcare vouchers, and limited but present private medical insurance options all make Royal Mail an attractive prospect in the post-pandemic job market, in which benefits are of much higher priority to potential employees.

    Small businesses will never see the same job search numbers as the big companies, both because they are smaller and because they may not be the first to come to mind. However, this dominance of large supermarkets could be seen as evidence that people are reluctant to look for work at their local shop, instead opting for large chains which offer a known quantity in terms of hours, pay, and benefits.

    School of Marketing CEO Ritchie Mehta addresses the new data and calls for small businesses to work harder to attract new employees.

    “It’s clear where the interest in the private sector job market lies now, and it’s in supermarkets. Additionally, some supermarkets are much more popular for job prospects than others,” Mehta says, “With major brands at the top of many people’s minds when they begin a job search, smaller businesses need to work harder to find and attract skilled employees. One extremely effectively way to do that is to take advantage of initiatives such as the Apprenticeship Levy scheme to bring in new staff or train current ones in digital and data-led programmes, with the vast majority of the training cost covered by the levy.”

  • Job adverts soar, especially in Westminster

    Patrick Crowder

     

    A study by A-Plan Insurance has shown that job availabilities were at a 6-year high in June of 2022 for 71% of the UK. By analysing ONS data based on job adverts, researchers discovered the areas with the most vacancies.

    234 out of 331 local authorities have more vacancies in 2022 than in the past five years. On average, we are seeing 88% more job adverts since 2021, which can most likely be explained by the transitory period many businesses and employees went through following the worst of the pandemic.

    Westminster has seen the largest increase in job adverts since 2021 – an increase of 1,036%. When the study was conducted, researchers found 163,381 available positions in Westminster alone.

    While not as dramatic an increase as Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea has seen the second largest increase in vacancies. There has been a 321% increase since 2021, and at the time of the research there were 166,806 live job listings for the area on Indeed.

    The researchers at A-Plan Insurance propose a number of causes for these vacancies but mainly point to the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

    “After the height of the pandemic, areas started to rebuild and this may explain why we are seeing a large spike in some areas of the UK in job adverts this year,” according to A- Plan, “Over the past year, there has been a large shift to remote working, which may be something people are seeking out more and more. As concerns rise about the cost-of-living crisis and inflation, it is at least encouraging to see that there is plenty of work available for those who are searching for a job.”

    Redbridge has also seen a dramatic increase in job adverts, with a 265% increase. The London Borough ranks third on the list of high-vacancy areas, with 154,771 jobs available in June 2022.

    There are some areas which have decreased or fairly stable levels of job vacancies. Hartlepool, for example, saw an 18% drop in job adverts since 2021, and Mid Suffolk has seen a 1% decrease.

    We know that, since the pandemic, the world of work has gone through many changes, so it is likely that these high numbers are a result of post-pandemic turbulence. However, vacancies are still high, and we have not yet seen if the job market will stabilise by the end of 2022.

     

    Read about how to make your job application stand out, even at the start of a new year here

  • Attitudes towards remote working are changing

    Patrick Crowder

    A study by Small Business Prices shows that people who once viewed remote working as a negative thing are changing their minds.

    The survey of 1,000 UK employees over 30 shows that, across the UK, 23% of the population have changed their opinion of remote work. 27% say that they were always on board with working from home and are happy with the shift. 10% have held onto their negative views of remote work, and 25% say that they had no opinion on remote working prior to the pandemic.

    In London, opinions are changing fast. 44% of people who once disparaged working from home now see it in a positive light.

    While it is seen as fact that the younger generations prefer remote working, the study has shown that 72% of UK employees over 30 would like the option to work abroad again. When asked why, 66% say that they would like to experience another culture, while 63% believe they would have a better life overseas.

    Another popular reason to work abroad include moving overseas to be with a partner, which 53% of people mentioned. The cost-of-living crisis is also playing on people’s minds, and 53% of people also asserted that the cost of living is cheaper in the countries where they would like to work.

    Working abroad is a path which many have already chosen. Over half of 36-44-year-
    olds have already worked abroad at least once, and 23% of employees between the ages of 30 and 35 have worked abroad four times or more.

    Not everyone is on board with working abroad, and the research shows that this mainly comes down to a fairly simple reason; 42% of employees surveyed believe that is too complicated to work abroad right now. 26% say that they have worked abroad before and would not like to live overseas again, and 24% believe that it could affect their career in a negative way.

    Just under a quarter of respondents say that their financial situations and family commitments make working abroad impossible.

  • As climate changes, dress codes remain

    Patrick Crowder

    The world is heating up. We’ve known it for a long time, and the recent heatwaves across Europe and the world serve as a reminder that things are very wrong. While Summers get hotter, many businesses still enforce dress codes which leave employees sweltering. Luckily, the fashion experts at Karen Millen have come together with wardrobe solutions for the workplace.

    The first item to consider is the shirt dress – a long version of the dress shirts synonymous with traditional business. Collared shirt dresses look smart and professional, especially when paired with a light blazer, but Karen Millen also recommends t-shirt dresses as a better way to stay cool, providing that your employer allows them. They say that incorporating a belt can help dress up this light outfit into something that even more traditional employers will have trouble taking issue with.

    Free-flowing maxi dresses are also a popular option as they often come in lightweight, breathable materials. They also come in a variety of colours and patterns to fit every level of workplace dress expectation.

    A lightweight trench coat can be an interesting addition to Summer wardrobe which allows you to transition from a cool morning to a warm afternoon. Forget the heavy Winter wool – these trench coats often incorporate cotton to keep the wearer cool.

    In terms of footwear, it all comes down to what you can get away with at work, but ultimately less is more. If sandals are allowed, go for it, but if not look for smart trainers with good ventilation to keep both your employer and your feet happy.

    While cotton is the standard, it is good to remember that you can find just about any item of clothing in linen these days. This lightweight, breathable, and smart-looking fabric is not to be underestimated.

    Climate change is an undeniable threat which requires immediate, decisive action. Even with such action, it would take time for the changes in our food production, transport, and manufacturing practices to take effect. Until then, we might as well be comfortable.

     

    Looking for a change in workplace culture? Check out Finito World’s guide to the top 50 cities to work in around the world here

  • Entrepreneurs abandon years-long careers, start businesses

    Patrick Crowder

     

    New entrepreneurs are choosing to start their own businesses after careers lasting over ten years, and the businesses they start are often in an entirely different sector. The research from GoDaddy suggests that people are making the switch for increased flexibility and follow their dreams.

    The survey of 1,000 business owners found that 70% of them started businesses in an entirely different industry than their previous career.

    Julie Daly spent 20 years at an oil company before deciding to start her own interior design business, Verano Interiors. She says the pandemic gave her the opportunity to reflect and choose a new path.

    “After working in an oil company for 20 years, lockdown allowed me to re-evaluate my life and I realised I couldn’t see myself doing it for another 20 years, so I decided to change direction entirely. I enrolled myself onto The Professional Interior Design course at the College of Interior Design and I’ve recently graduated with a diploma,” Daly says.

    Daly is not alone in her pandemic-driven change. 17% of people surveyed say that the pandemic caused them to reflect and make the shift, while 10% say that they started their own businesses because they had been made redundant during Covid. Starting a new business without prior experience can be a major challenge, but Daly is rising to the occasion.

    “I’m completely new to the business world so I’ve been spending hours learning, going to webinars, reading books, and studying,” Daly says, “As a business owner you’ve got to understand everything from marketing to finances, so it’s been a massive learning curve for me but I’m enjoying the challenge.”

    The most common reason for starting a new business is the desire for flexibility, according to the survey. 41% say they want more flexibility, while 36% say that they are tired of working for someone else. 35% say that they are following a lifelong dream, and 30% say that their decision was driven by a desire to make more money than at their previous job.

    Maxine Jones has also joined the long list of people who have left their previous jobs for a new independent venture. As founder of Maxicise, she describes how she started her now-thriving online dance workout business.

    “At the age of 40, I quit my job and launched my own Zumba classes in the local community centre. I moved away from Zumba musically and morphed into MaxiciseTV, and in 2018 I started to livestream my classes online direct to my clients so that they could workout with me from the comfort of their own home,” Jones says, “My website was therefore crucial to my success. Clients use it to workout live with me once a week and on demand. I change over the workouts every week so that they don’t get bored, and I’ve introduced 20-, 30- and 40-minute bitesize sessions. The website is ‘all singing, all dancing’ literally.”

    This growing trend of entrepreneurship following the pandemic can be seen everywhere. Students are increasingly skipping university and jumping right into the working world. The rising cost of living has made many re-evaluate their life paths, and the pandemic gave them time to ponder the many opportunities which await them. If you are considering a new venture, don’t panic – you’re certainly not alone.