Let’s start with the fact that we’ve moved to a new, purpose built office in Congleton and the reasons behind this move.

Back in 2011, Chris Clowes was appointed as Managing Director of Originem. Following a long career in sales, recruitment and payroll solutions, Chris brought with him a wealth of skills and experience in management, sales, business strategy and operational efficiency to drive growth and service development.

Streamlining Originem’s operations to ensure compliance, efficiency and client acquisitions, Chris expanded the Originem team with additional customer service, payroll, HR, marketing and sales staff.

As the Originem brand continued to develop, so did the services and product offering. We were firmly positioning ourselves as Co-employment specialists within the employment market with a unique proposition that benefitted SMEs, Employees and Recruitment Agencies.

Our unique Co-employment model was met with much interest when we exhibited at the CIPD Annual Conference & Exhibition 2012. Along with a very striking stand, a great deal of thought went into how we could communicate the benefits to each of our audiences and ‘Originemville’ was born.

Built as an interactive interface and displayed on 4 iPads on a hub, Originemville attracted visitors to the stand to explore the many areas Originem can develop employment and payroll solutions.

Further exposure at the exhibition included our CIPD qualified HR Director, Emily Dean, voicing her opinion on where HR should be focussing its efforts in relation to Employee Engagement in the official show guide. Emily was once again in the limelight (it was standing room only!) when she delivered a thought-provoking presentation on ‘Valuing and engaging your workforce in uncertain times’.

Chris wanted to continue driving Originem in the right direction and, in order to do this, needed to make some big decisions to remove any potential barriers to achieving this. Said Chris, “We needed to create an environment in which Originem could flourish, somewhere that could accommodate our expansion plans and where our visions and values were the focus”.

Therefore, in March 2013, Chris successfully lead a management buy out of Originem, bringing with him the entire team and adding to it with the appointment of a Business Development Director and a compliance expert.

In April, we moved into our new, purpose built office in Congleton. It really was ‘all hands on deck’ and we managed the transition seamlessly, with no downtime or disruption to services. The Originem brand was continued through the office with some impressive decals that included a huge display image of Originemville in the entrance.

To celebrate the new Originem and our exciting future plans, we invited Tracy Pinkney – Owner of Principal Resourcing, one of our longest standing clients, to ceremoniously cut the ribbon before celebrating with a trip to Ladies’ Day at Aintree.

Said Tracy, “I was delighted to officially open the offices for Originem. Having developed a strong business relationship based on good customer service and their ethos to maintain high service levels, Principal are happy to continue working in partnership with Originem and support their exciting future plans.”

We are continuing to develop Originem’s products and services – like our RPO services for SMEs. These services will include seminars and workshops that help SMEs with a number of HR issues, mitigating risk, improving HR efficiency, saving on employment costs and reducing the amount of time taken up on HR issues. Said Chris, “There are a lot of companies out there who offer similar services to the multi-nationals, but nobody is doing it for smaller businesses. It is becoming the norm to outsource such things as IT and marketing, but companies don’t realise that the employment section of their business can be treated in just the same way.”

Take a regular trip to Originemville to see what’s new!

An increase in demand for their products and services results in the plan to create 550 new jobs.

Our Head of Sales, Steve McDermott managed to get himself ‘papped’ with James Caan and a great night was had by all. Our congratulations go out to all of the winners and, indeed, all who beat the competition to be nominated in the first place!

Here’s a list of the categories and winners – are you there?

A report conducted by Interim Partners found that just 5% of senior executives expect the UK green technology sector to create new jobs, compared to 18% of those who took part in the report last year.

The report also claims that confidence in the UK green technology sector has taken a nose dive recently after the Government made cuts to its green subsidies for solar power, windfarms and commitments to its renewable energy targets as part of the Government’s austerity programme.

27% of respondents to this years survey believe the construction sector will be the area where most new jobs will be created in 2013. This is an stark improvement on last year’s poll, only 10% of the construction sector were confident of the possibility of new jobs following the recession and the sector being so badly affected.

Interim Partners Managing Director, Doug Baird, commented on the company’s report findings:

“The Government’s change of tack in its energy policy has put a dampener on green technology businesses expansion plans.”

The public’s drop in confidence int he green technology sector underlines how vital consistent Government policy is to different sectors. What should be remembered is the risk not only to new jobs but to existing ones too.

Do you or someone you know work in the green technology or construction sector? Leave your comments in the box below or you can tweet us at @_Originem_

Are traineeships a way to bridge the Learning to Work gap? Originem finds out.

The Skills Minister, Matthew Hancock, announced last week that there are plans for a brand new government programme aimed at young people aged 16 – 24, to help them develop new work related skills and attitudes.

Hancock claims the ‘Trainee Programme’ will provide young people with training in preparation for work, (CV writing and interview skills) as well as valuable work experience including maths and English training for those who need it.

Hancock agrees that young people should be given more of a chance to compete in the labour market with more experienced adults. The Government seems to be addressing the issue as the programme highlights the challenges young people are currently facing in today’s jobs market.

Originem has found the following statistics relating to young people and the labour market:

The central focus of the programme is work preparation which the CIPD have previously delivered through a mentoring initiative called ‘Steps Ahead’ which proved particularly helpful to young people. CIPD claim that there is no better alternative to real employer contact and work placement experience and that government agencies may not necessarily be best equipped to provide this level of support.

What are your thoughts on the new government programme? Do you think this is the best way to provide work experience training to young people?

Leave your comments in the comments box below or tweet us at @_Originem_

In a recent poll, CIPD asked ‘Does having a mixture of age groups contribute to team performance.

The poll, designed to gauge the public’s perception of age and what it takes for team work to make the dream work, has so far received strong feedback.

Originem took part and voted in favour of a diverse mix of age groups in the workplace as we believe a diverse team of various experiences and backgrounds who are all working toward a common goal can make for very effective team work and increase productivity.

Diversity and performance is always top of the agenda in any organisation and frequent polls among the public allows for HR Managers, CEO’s and Managing Directors to stay in touch with all levels of their organisation, avoiding the cliche that many are out of touch with modern day attitudes toward age diversity.

The poll asked two questions:

1. Does having a mixture of age groups contribute to team performance?

8.36%: Strongly disagree

1.22%: Disagree

11.5%: Neither agree or disagree

48.08%: Agree

31.18%: Strongly agree

The poll also asked members of CIPD outside of the UK what their thoughts were on Britain’s membership of the European Union.

If there was a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union, which way would you vote?

61.02%: Remain in the EU

30.19%: Leave EU

1.94%: Would not vote

6.85%: Don’t know

Voters can still take part by visiting the CIPD Mini Poll

Have you cast your vote in the poll? Leave your comments below or tweet us at @_Originem_

A new parental leave plan will allow new mums and dads to work alternate months for up to a year.

The latest proposals are set to shake up the traditional workplace model and offer a less rigid approach to the system and the way in which both mums and dads balance their lives both at work and at home.

The Children and Families Bill will modernise the workplace rules, allowing dads to take more time off from work in order to raise children and allow mums to return to work sooner.

The risks that come with the new workplace model have been discussed in the media to great lengths, with some suggesting the plans risk creating an organisational nightmare for employers if parents decide to take time away from work in different chunks. Employers will be unable to refuse requests from parents to take time off but can play a part in the decision of the patterns of leave.

Business Minister, Jo Swinson, was positive about the new changes to the bill:

“Current workplace arrangements are old-fashioned and rigid. The Children and Families Bill will bring the way mums and dads balance their lives at work and at home into the 21st century. Employers will soon get used to more men taking time off after their child is born and mothers returning to work earlier.

The new bill is set to ensure that the new measures will make the best use of women’s talents throughout an organisation.

The Government claims the changes are ‘family-friendly’ and sharing parental leave will support the UK’s economic growth while increasing productivity.

The new changes include:

Some question whether the changes will mean employers will struggle to find adequate cover over an ‘extended but non-continuous period’.

What are your thoughts on the new bill and do you think it will benefit new parents? Leave your feedback int he comment box below or tweet us @_Originem_

The Home Office has prepared an appeal that would relax laws around the disclosure of a person’s criminal records.

The Home Office are proposing a more open attitude regarding criminal history in a bid to boost employment and the recruitment sector.

Judge Lord Dyson announced yesterday that a 21-year old man, who committed a crime aged 11 resulting in two police warnings over the theft of bicycles, had his human rights infringed upon after being forced to disclose his criminal history in an application to a university job position.

A statement from the department at the Home Office said there are no immediate changes to the Disclosure and Barring Service take effect. The Home Office created the merger of the CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) and the Independent Safeguarding Authority in December 2012.

Public opinion has been divided with some claiming the courts decision to alter the criminal disclosure laws as a “disappointing judgement” and that “the protection of children and vulnerable people must not be compramised.”

Andrew Thorne, Managing Director of Backstop – a social care recruiter, made his thoughts clear on the court judgement.

“If someone receives a police caution, I don’t think it’s relevant, and it is pointless even knowing about it. This ruling is an unnecessary barrier stopping potentially good workers entering the sector.”

Some industry professionals agree that the new legislation surrounding criminal convictions will fall positively for some and negatively for others.”

What are your thoughts on the proposed legislation? Leave your comments in the comment box below, tweet us at @_Originem_ or join the discussion on Linkedin

Employee engagement works by building one team at a time, one person at a time. It’s a lengthy process but if done correctly, can make an organisation run more smoothly and increase employee retention. Here’s Originem’s three ways you can integrate employee engagement into your management process.

Often companies seek out the benefits that come with an engaged workforce but do not have the strategy to make their efforts stick for the long-term to boost productivity from their workforce. Companies and HR departments are left asking themselves ‘What are we doing wrong?’.

If your organisation would like to see an engaged workforce and a boost in productivity you should be regularly interacting with your workforce and team members to re-enforce their sense of worth not only to themselves but to the organisation.

1. What are your engagement goals in real-world terms?

In order to build a common understanding of the organisations goal you must relay them to your team during one-to-one feedback sessions, Recognition from team members, clients and managers is an excellent form of motivation among employees. Receiving feedback allows the team to put into action information given during the meeting.

2. Talk to your team members one to one

Not all team members find the idea of sharing their strengths and weaknesses with a group inviting at all, so try one-to-one sessions. During the one-to-one, ask the team member their feelings on your engagement strategy and make note of their response.

Ask questions such as “What is the best recognition you have ever received and why?” also consider asking a more direct question, such as “When you achieve your goals, how would you like your achievements to be recognised?

3. Empower your team

Employees are closest to the issues which affect them the most, empower your team members to lead future engagement sessions. By asking for volunteers during engagement activities you will notice employees who are looking for a challenge or an opportunity to develop their leadership and responsibilities within your organisation.

Strong team members or those you see with potential to lead the workforce to increased employee engagement with a positive attitude are more likely to want to share their ideas if they are given the responsibility to do so.

Employee engagement should not be a one-time event, but a commitment. Each interaction with an employee has the potential to encourage, influence and inspire engagement!

The big day has arrived, it’s your job interview, so what can you do to help your chances?

You have waited for a response to your application and you have been invited to dazzle the organisation with your skills and experience, but what are the do’s and dont’s of a successful interview?

If you’re stressing about your interview then don’t! Take a deep breath and calm your nerves so you can get interview-ready by using the age-old philosophy ‘failing to prepare is preparing to fail’. It’s going to involve a bit of extra effort but it really can make the difference between getting the job and not and you’ve come this far so why not aim for the top?

Here are Originem’s top tips on making sure you get the small details right to make a big impact.

1. Print off your job application

This may sound like an obvious step to point out but you would be surprised how many people do not read the job application thoroughly or don’t even make a copy for reference.

Before your interview make sure you are aware of what is expected of you should you be offered the job. You should take a copy of your job application form, CV and cover letter as well as the job specification so you can read over everything when travelling to the interview.

Read the job spec and re-read it to make sure you’re confident. If possible, put them in a neat folder as this makes you look organised and always impresses the interviewer!

2. Research then research some more

Before your interview make sure you have looked at the company’s website and any social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or Linkedin. It’s likely you will be asked what you about the organisation and it helps to have an answer prepared. It’s impressive if you can show that you have taken the time to learn more.

Click here for a handy guide on how to research for your job interview

3. Location, location, location

Rule number one, do not be late to your interview! Almost half of recruiters would not offer a candidate a job if they were late to the interview so it is vital that you plan how you are going to get to your job interview. You should aim to arrive ten minutes early to your interview so Google the location, bus routes, local taxi numbers or any traffic delays on the day.

4. Practice makes perfect

You can do this alone or with a friend but make sure you prepare for any unexpected questions and any questions relating to your previous experience or job roles. Don’t be afraid to pause for a moment to consider your response to a question but do try and prepare a few answers in advance.

5. Dress to impress

Looking the part in your interview is very important. Make sure your shirt is ironed, trousers are pressed, shoes are shiny and hair has had a comb run through it then you’re all set to dazzle your interviewer.

6. Switch off to switch on

A lot of people forget to do this, just like when you visit the cinema, but remember to put your phone on silent or better yet turn it off. It goes without saying you would be left red faced if your mum calls to ask you what you want for dinner, so switch it off to switch yourself on.