Crunch Time – New Audit Commission Report
Quite a name for the latest Audit Commission Report, ‘Crunch Time’ released December 2008 gives us insight into some of the trends and issues facing local authorites now, and potentially over the next 2 years.
Download: Audit Commission Report – Crunch Time
The report also places emphasis on local authorities to not only ‘balance the books’, but to take a proactive role in their ability to provide stability to their areas as a whole. Identified as a longer-term challenge, the local authorities role to promote economic development through their role in strategic partnership, planning and development control powers.
More recently, central government laid out its expectations for local authorities within the CLG Framework for Regeneration. The government expects that local authorities will:
‘Lead the delivery of economic development, and physical and social regeneration in their areas, marshalling the input of all partners within the priorities set out in this framework, and shaping and playing a role in delivering regional strategies.’
Alongside the original report of the Tackling Worklessness Review, central government envisage a bigger role for local authorities in addressing worklessness.
Fishing in the recruitment pool?
Interesting article posted in the LGCPlus entitled ‘Fishing in the Recruitment Pool‘, however some articles need to have the ability to respond, and as I cannot do this via LGCPlus website, I am going to post my thoughts here on the blog.
I recommend having a read of the original article via the LGCPlus website so you understand what I’m talking about.
Whilst I agree with Stephen’s comments about local government needing to articulate the LG employer brand more effectively, this is only part of the challenge.
Aside from the rhetoric…. how do organisations actually create an employer brand (whether ‘of choice’, or not!)?
As any branding pro worth their salt will tell you, brand is about what people ‘feel’ about an organisation; and increasingly, what they tell others. It’s the embodiment of their hands-on experience, or perception of an organisation. People (and their interactions with others) create a brand – not the employer.
So, back this idea of ‘Employer of choice’: The question is, how does an organisation ensure that the reality lives up to the promise? (As a side note for another post… Doesn’t *everyone* claim to want to be an employer of choice? Does anyone not want to be an EOC?)
Question:
Have most HR Directors actually experienced their own recruitment process (arguably their main shop window for the outside world)?
I doubt it. If they had, they’d be doing something to improve their approach (just ask the jobseekers). Most first time applicants to local government walk away from their exposure to the process at best disillusioned; at worst, completely disenfranchised with the notion of a local government career. A lot of organisations don’t acknowledge receipt of applications. Hey, most applicants often don’t hear from the employer again, unless they make it past the initial sift… Is that the characteristics of an employer of choice? They haven’t even joined yet and this is how they’re treated… And lets not even talk about the recruitment process we subject them to. Trial by committee anyone? (again, a topic for another day I think..)
It’s a good job that job seeking isn’t an *extremely* personal transaction (“what do you mean I’m not good enough”?), or they maybe inclined to share their negative experience with others (see first point about what a brand really is.)
Until employers start treating job seekers (whether successful or not) with the respect they deserve, their plans to build a great employer brand will be built on shaky foundations..
Stephen, whilst I agree with the sentiment, there’s still a lot of work to be done if you are going to make hay while the anti-private sector sun shine.
Social Innovation highlighted through JGP’s Talent Management Solutions
EQUAL is a European Social Fund Community Initiative that has been successfully providing funds to projects which test and promote new means of combating discrimination and inequalities in the labour market, since 2001. The results of the work that EQUAL have been undertaking will go towards further developing European Social Fund programmes for 2007-2013.
To highlight the successes of EQUAL and facilitate the handover of this initiative, the European Commission and the EQUAL managing Authority in Portugal have organised an event titled, “Powering a New Future”. The event on the 10-12th of December focuses on the future of social innovation and the legacy of EQUAL’s principles to the European Social Fund: Innovation, Partnership, Empowerment, Gender Equality and Transnational Cooperation.
Richard Tyrie, Co-founder of JGP and Jobsgopublic has been invited to attend and share his knowledge and experience in mainstreaming social innovation. Namely in providing web-based services to the public sector organisations (talent management solutions), that redefine recruitment processes focusing on the talents of people in disadvantaged situations and matching them with talents required by employers.
Speaking at the discussion platform on “Mainstreaming and scaling up social innovation, Tyrie is enthusiastic about the JGP’s involvement in this event; “The talent challenge is increasingly important for todays leaders, so we are pleased to have the opportunity to share some of the innovation occurring in the UK public sector with EU colleagues.”
“The UK public sector is widely acknowledged as having been first to fully embrace technology-driven talent management practices in the pursuit of providing excellent, efficient public services. We look forward to sharing our learning to date, and our view on innovations we can expect in the future.”
Website of the Year nomination – Careers Section
Jobsgopublic have been nominated for a ‘2008 Website of the Year’ Award in the Career category. The ‘people’s choice’ awards are organised by Metrixlab, an independent online market research agency and have been organised since 2004. Click on the logo below to get your vote in, but be quick voting ends Monday the 8th December.
Want to vote? Jobsgopublic “Website of the Year” Career Award
