If you will indulge me, I thought I would share with you some of what I said on the night;

“Eleven years ago I realised I had out-grown my previous firm, or maybe they had grown sick of me!  As I moved into my 40th year, and following the death of a close friend, I decided that it was time to show some courage and back myself.  In the summer of 2005, we started off above East End Cosmetics in Middlesex Street, three desks, a smoking room and one temperamental lavatory!  The office was shabby, we didn’t have any PSLs, we didn’t have a database and we didn’t have any money for hotels so we bought some Oakleaf sleeping bags and slept on the office floor (with the mice!) after nights out with our customers.  What we did have, however, was lots of friends who believed in us and wanted to help us.  And I loved it, despite the hardships. 

I started Oakleaf for a number of reasons: first, it’s all about the customer, not our own brand; second, you have a moral obligation and responsibility to treat both your customers and your employees fairly and honestly; and finally, you’ve got to enjoy coming to work and you’ve got to have fun – life really is too short not too! 

We’ve been through good times and bad but we now find ourselves part of something very special indeed – I firmly believe we have some of the very best recruiters in the HR market and an amazing support team. And we deliver, but are never arrogant or complacent:  “You’re only as good as your next assignment” is my mantra.  We are very protective of our culture and our brand and we will never compromise either – it the foundation upon which our success is built. 

As at today, we are a £10m turnover company with 57 employees.  I am very optimistic about the future of the HR profession and our inextricable relationship with it.”

Starting and running your own business is all about resilience, personal and organisational resilience, regardless of the economic climate.  The recession was tough for us all but as we enter slightly calmer waters, we do so as a much more resilient business and with a lot more “friends”!  One of our guests wrote to me the following morning and said: “I just wanted to let you know how impressed I was by the intensity of sentiment and goodwill in the room.”

The Guild of Human Resources Professionals

In June, I was kindly invited to attend the HR Guild’s Installation at the Tallow Chandlers Hall.  It was a splendid evening and a real honour to be there.  Hosted by the urbane (and very tall!) Master Elect, Robert Potter, the new HR Guild was formally installed in a traditional ceremony followed by a first rate celebration. 

In summary, The Guild of Human Resource Professionals is a newly formed Guild with the purpose of bringing together individuals from the profession to support and promote activities within Human Capital Management and to contribute to the City and the wider community.

1. The HR Guild's four objectives are to:
2. Advocate and promote the HR Profession
3. Help others into the profession and through the profession
4. Provide learning and personal growth through a common community and shared occupational beliefs
5. Promoting ethical business practices to support the individual, the organisation, the relevant business sector and the City of London, and in doing so to support The Lord Mayor.

Above all, the HR Guild sets out to offer fellowship in a convivial environment and within a modern context whilst respecting long held traditions of Livery Companies.

A great evening and a great idea.

The Oakleaf Academy

Limited career guidance and networking opportunities at the junior end of the talent pool leaves nascent HR talent with little support, outside of their own work networks.  So we created the Oakleaf HR Academy to try and help. 

The concept is to provide support and help “fast-track” rising HR talent as they set out on their career journey.  We bring together our top junior talent with senior HR leaders in a social setting, allowing them to impart their wisdom and career advice.   This is a unique and invaluable opportunity for them to meet, network with, and learn from some of the most talented, senior HR professionals in the UK.

In July, our second Oakleaf HR Academy event was kindly hosted by Metro Bank.  The main theme was ‘If I could tell you one thing’ and the discussion largely focussed on how to fast track yourself to success.  Key notes speakers were Danielle Harmer - HRD of Metro Bank, Lorraine Morris - Interim HRD at Barclays and Simon Bridges Head of Performance and Reward at HSBC.

The discussion was wide ranging and the definition of success was proven to be malleable dependant on the individual’s skills and values!  Ultimately it came down to giving the best level of service to the company you work for.  As Danielle Harmer said, using Metro Banks’s founders’ mantra;

‘Create fans not customers!’

Following on from the success of our first two events we are currently putting together the curriculum for the next year.  Details of these will be released soon.  If you would like to discuss the OP Academy, please do email Grace McGillick (gracemcgillick@oakleafpartnership.com), Georgina Knowles (georginaknowles@oakleafpartnership.com) or Naomi Yorston (naomiyorston@oakleafpartnership.com).

The Interim/Temporary HR Market 

As we move into the final weeks of the year, we continue to hear conflicting messages about the general state of the interim/temporary HR market. With that in mind, we thought it would be beneficial to get some clarity around what’s happening and would therefore hugely appreciate you completing the attached, short survey.  As soon as we have assessed the findings and captured the general trends/themes, we will share these with you.  Your input is totally confidential and very much appreciated.

Here

Market Overview

May’s General Election resulted in a marked slow-down in new mandates and the “jobs rich” recovery only came back to life in September, when unemployment fell to a seven year low.  Jobs data had been disappointing since just before the general election, as unemployment rose to 5.6%. Data just released from the ONS appear to confirm that employers were merely putting recruitment pans on hold until the political uncertainty passed.  Our own experience, particularly at the more senior level, would totally support that theory.  Since September, new mandate volumes have increased by nearly 25% and, interestingly, Executive hiring is moving into positive territory also.  We have secured six retained executive searches since the start of October across all sectors.  I’m hopeful this trend will continue during the run into Christmas and into Q1 next year, post-bonus payment.

And Finally……

Another excellent and profound quote from Yogi Berra: 

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it!”