Carmen's Thoughts
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How can we make the Midlands work for businesses?
Chair Carmen Watson joined a distinguished panel at the Midlands Economic Summit that included Stephen Phipson CBE, CEO of Make UK, Charlotte Keenan, Managing Director of Goldman Sachs, Mike Owens, Managing Director of Schumacher Packaging and Maxine Laceby, founder of Absolute Collagen.
Jun 13, 2024
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Will we ever go back to the working culture before the pandemic?
The pandemic has accelerated the move to hybrid working and a change in working cultures.
May 18, 2023
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How partnerships with Governments are essential
Incentives from local or national government and other partner organisations, can give businesses the help they need in tough economic times.
May 18, 2023
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How can collaboration plug the skills gap?
The UK economy has faced numerous challenges in recent years, from the impact of Brexit to the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, and, now the cost-of-living crisis.
May 11, 2023
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Movement to Work seeks to address youth unemployment
During Rishi Sunak’s speech on 17th April announcing a review to tackle a perceived ‘anti-maths mindset’, Movement to Work announced that they will seek to help young people step onto the career ladder by working with employers to provide jobs and training to address youth unemployment.
Apr 17, 2023
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Bid to help more disabled people back into work – a wake-up call for employers
About a third of people out of work due to long-term sickness or disability want to find a job – but for some it’s not as easy as you might think.
Mar 16, 2023
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Coaching, mentoring and sponsorship – supporting female talent
Coaching, mentoring or sponsorship can help women increase their self-confidence and career success, as well as empowering them to invest in their own self-development.
Mar 13, 2023
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Gender equity and the Rose Review – International Women’s Day
Gender equity is an ongoing issue in the UK and women continue to face barriers in the workplace and in society as a whole.
Mar 7, 2023
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Levelling Up and gender equality – a framework for change
In February 2022, the Conservative government launched the Levelling Up White Paper, framed as a ‘plan to transform the UK by spreading opportunity and prosperity to all parts of it’.
Feb 23, 2023
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How do employers support a multigenerational workforce?
With UK job vacancies currently sitting at 1.134 million, are we missing a trick with the over-50s?
Feb 22, 2023
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Attitude towards gender roles – have we regressed or improved?
When the World Economic Forum published the Global Gender Gap Report in 2006, it pushed the focus on gender disparity, meaning Government policy makers across the world were finally benchmarked on how they treated their male and female populations.
Feb 13, 2023
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Identity threat – dealing with Imposter Syndrome
A recent study by KPMG found that 75% of female executives across industries have experienced imposter syndrome in their careers.
Jan 23, 2023
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Why conversations will transform your working world
Imagine being a university student in recent years.
Sep 14, 2022
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The power of an inclusive workforce
Research shows that inclusive teams perform up to 30% better in high-diversity environments, according to Gartner.
Jun 20, 2022
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Women of the Year: celebrating 40 years of exceptional businesswomen
The prestigious Women of the Year Luncheon and Awards were back and celebrating their 40th anniversary year.
Apr 4, 2022
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Apprenticeships 2.0 – getting on track for success
Apprenticeships are coming into their own. Again.
Feb 7, 2022
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‘Build the future’: supporting the future of today
Since the Coronavirus pandemic, employment continues to fall, with the decline mainly driven by workers aged between 16 to 24 years old according to the CBI/Pertemps Employment Trends Survey 2020.
Feb 15, 2021
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Driving greater social mobility after Covid-19
Events in recent months have transformed the way organisations approach diversity and inclusion within their workplace, policies and company culture.
Jan 25, 2021
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Bridging the gap: diversifying your approach through data
With technologies advancing, and our population increasingly diversifying, the growth of people analytics is rising. Research continually shows that bringing in more diverse perspectives boosts businesses innovation and financial performance.
Jan 19, 2021
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The future of recruitment: an employment outlook
Though we have entered a lockdown and unemployment remains on the rise, businesses are staying positive as we navigate the Coronavirus pandemic.
Jan 18, 2021
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Employee engagement will remain a top priority in the years ahead
The coronavirus has redefined employee engagement as we know it. In the face of uncertainty, we’ve had to adapt by changing our digital approach with a large-scale adoption of remote working and new business models.
Jan 12, 2021
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Lockdown 3.0: why our D&I approach shouldn't change
As we enter a third national lockdown, the pandemic continues to pose a significant threat to our cultural economy, but businesses cannot be complacent when it comes to Diversity and Inclusion.
Jan 7, 2021
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International Women's Day
The theme International Women’s Day 2020 on Sunday, March 8th is #EachForEqual, with gender equality as a global issue at its forefront.
Mar 5, 2020
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Being Female in Science
The International Day of Women and Girls in Science, celebrated each year on 11 February, was adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to promote full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls.
Feb 3, 2020
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Supporting LGBT+ Colleagues in the Workplace
It’s important that businesses are creating working environments where diversity and equality are respected, and employees feel comfortable to express themselves without the fear of discrimination.
Jan 23, 2020
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Importance of “cultural fit” in the hiring process
Cultural fit is crucial to the hiring process. It can change businesses work culture, achieving greater job satisfaction, more harmonious culture and productivity. More employees feel that a cultural fit is more important than salary.
Jan 20, 2020
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Religion in the workplace – are you promoting religious discrimination
It’s against the law to discriminate against anyone because of their religion. Religion is a well-established fundamental right internationally and within Europe. Within the UK we have a diverse culture, full of different practicing religions and beliefs.
Jan 16, 2020
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Women of the Year 2019
I’m proud to announce that Pertemps is sponsoring the Women of the Year Luncheon and Awards once again. The awards are back for their 37th year next Friday on the 25th October, celebrating exceptional women in the business.
Oct 11, 2019
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Wellbeing in the workplace
60% of employees say they’d feel more motivated and more likely to recommend their organisation as a good place to work if their employer took action to support mental wellbeing. (i)
Oct 10, 2019
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Why not make the best investment – yourself?
See my latest reflection...Are we in denial in the fact that we don't know how to or don't realise the value of investing in ourselves?
Sep 27, 2019
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Why investing in females matters?
Carmen reflects on creating a diverse workforce and the importance of investing in females.
Sep 25, 2019
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Job descriptions – Are you avoiding discrimination?
Carmen gives her thoughts on job descriptions - are we truly avoiding discrimination?
Sep 13, 2019
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Authenticity: What does it all really mean?
Carmen reflects on Authenticity… what does it really mean and how do we make a true reflection of it within our jobs?
Sep 11, 2019
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Is the Apprenticeship Levy working?
Introduced in April 2017, the Apprenticeship Levy intends to tackle skills shortages and increase the number of people taking part in apprenticeships.
Apr 8, 2019
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Businesses need to invest in inclusion and diversity for skills gaps to narrow
Carmen gives her thoughts on the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership Conference 2018, where she was part of the panel discussion.
Sep 27, 2018
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The Princess Royal Training Awards
The current climate of candidate and skills shortages, along with the highest employment rate for decades, presents a real opportunity for employers.
Sep 4, 2018
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Women of the Year launch event was a huge success
The 2018 Women of the Year Awards are back! Here’s what happened when I recently attended the exciting launch of this year’s 36th event…
Apr 11, 2018
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Robots as recruiters: the future?
Technology has progressed at a rapid rate in the past 20 years. Machines seem to be getting cleverer by the day and many fear they could soon outperform humans. So, will they ever replace us completely? And what does this mean for recruiters?
Apr 3, 2018
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Women of the Year
I'm proud to announce that Pertemps is sponsoring the Women of the Year Luncheon and Awards once again. The awards are back for their 36th year in October and are set to be the biggest and best yet.
Mar 14, 2018
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International Women's Day: Celebrating 100 years
Carmen reflects on International Women’s Day and some of the achievements women have made over the past 100 years.
Mar 7, 2018
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Businesses urged to fill senior positions with more women
I’m happy to hear that the number of women on company boards has doubled since 2011; a positive start to increasing diversity at leadership levels in business. The level now stands at 28%, up from 12.5% in 2011.
Nov 10, 2017
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Pertemps named as a Best Employer for Race
Pertemps has been identified as one of the UK’s best employers for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people by Business in the Community, a business-led charity committed to empowering employees.
Nov 1, 2017
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Mental health in the workplace
Around 300,000 people with long-term mental health issues lose their jobs each year – a staggering number and something which needs to change.
Oct 26, 2017
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35th Women of the Year Awards was a success
The prestigious Women of the Year Luncheon and Awards were back for the 35th year recently, celebrating exceptional women in business.
Oct 19, 2017
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Employers raise concerns surrounding the UK economy
Carmen's comments this week focuses on the recent report from the BBC revealing employer's growing concerns about the UK economy.
Aug 31, 2017
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The unemployment rate has fallen to a 42-year low
Once again, the CBI/Pertemps Labour Market Update is out and employment growth is on the up. The unemployment rate has fallen to a 42-year low and job opportunities remain at high levels.
Aug 22, 2017
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Bridging the gender pay gap
With recent figures revealing the highest earners working at the BBC, questions are being asked surrounding why women are paid significantly less at the organisation.
Jul 19, 2017
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Searching for the next Businesswoman of the Year
Pertemps are sponsors of the prestigious Women of the Year Awards, which celebrates inspirational businesswomen across the UK. Could you be the next winner?
Jul 7, 2017
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May's CBI/Pertemps Labour Market Update
Carmen comments on this month’s CBI/Pertemps Labour Market Update and the trend from last month – employment is at a record high; unemployment is falling, however pay growth continues to struggle.
May 31, 2017
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Upskill your workforce with Pertemps
Carmen examines one of the most important aspects of leading a team and the benefits of ensuring everyone feels truly valued. "An unsatisfied workforce equals low retention rates and high recruitment costs. Discover how Pertemps can help."
May 15, 2017
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Spring Budget and supporting women: What is being done?
Carmen revisits the Spring Budget and how it might further impact females in the UK: "Chancellor Philip Hammond announced the Spring Budget on International Women’s Day this year, a day for celebrating the achievements of women across the globe. With inequality still rife between men and women, I wanted to find out the real impact on women, if any, that this Budget will have."
Apr 10, 2017
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CBI Labour Market Update: Thoughts on the latest figures
Our Chairperson Carmen reviews the latest employment statistics; "It’s coming up to that time of the month again - the CBI/Pertemps Labour Market Update. I’m always intrigued when I read the latest figures unearthed by the survey and discover the highs and lows occurring in the market nationwide."
Apr 6, 2017
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Tackling youth unemployment : Carmen's Thoughts
"573,000 16-24 year olds are currently out of work and actively searching for a job according to the CBI report, a fall of 52,000 on the previous quarter." Carmen discusses the latest statistics regarding unemployment and young people.
Mar 27, 2017
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Women in business - International Women's Day : Carmen's Thoughts
Our own Chairperson Carmen Watson speaks about International Women's Day (March 8th) and the issues women in business face in a modern age.
Mar 6, 2017
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Equality, Diversity and Racism in the workplace : Carmen's Thoughts
Carmen comments on the recent YouGov report titled 'Equality, Diversity and Racism in the workplace: A qualitative analysis of the 2015 Race at Work Survey'. The report found that ethnic minority workers are still being subjected to racism by colleagues and managers, ranging from ‘everyday banter’ to violence and intimidation..
Feb 20, 2017
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'It's the small things that count' : Carmen's Thoughts
'We all remember great customer service.' Our Chairperson Carmen Watson discusses great customer service and how it's affected our success at Pertemps Network Group.
Feb 9, 2017
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Skills shortages need to be addressed : Carmen's Thoughts
Unemployment has fallen to an 11-year low and businesses plan to increase their workforce as the year progresses. However, there is one challenge we face year after year. The national skills shortage.
Jan 23, 2017