Wagstaff Wisdom

Welcome to Wagstaff Wisdom with me, Ruth Forster.

This episode is a little different.

Recently, I joined Charlotte Sykes as a guest on her Kitchen Table Conversations series, where we explored a topic that sits quietly underneath so many workplace behaviours and leadership challenges, trauma and the impact personal experiences can have on the way we lead, communicate and relate to others.

This was Charlotte's conversation and her space to open up an honest discussion around leadership, mental health and emotional awareness in the workplace. It was raw, reflective and very human.

Together, we discussed questions many organisations are quietly facing: Why do some people shut down under pressure? Why do some leaders struggle to trust or delegate? Why do teams sometimes avoid honest conversations?

Not to excuse behaviour, but to better understand what may sit beneath it.

For Mental Health Awareness Week, it felt like an important conversation to share here on Wagstaff Wisdom too, because leadership is not only about performance and results. It is also about self awareness, relationships and understanding people more deeply.

So, here is my conversation with Charlotte Sykes on Kitchen Table Conversations.

Ruth was a guest on this episode discussing Menopause in the Workplace—she didn't want to do it!

Why? Because it makes her uncomfortable. She finds the topic difficult to navigate, both personally and professionally, and she's worried about saying the wrong thing.

However, alongside expert guest speaker Jo Jinks from Synergise HR, they not only discussed the legal aspects but also broke down misconceptions and provided actionable insights for line managers, along with practical advice for employees.

If you feel the same as Ruth, this is well worth a listen.

Biannually we explore the latest trends in the UK jobs market. But this year, we're not just tackling any labour review—we're diving headfirst into Labour's Market Review.

With the Labour Party now in power, we're anticipating significant changes to employment law and workers' rights following their proposals in the King's Speech, including their 'Plan to Make Work Pay' and other key reforms. This LinkedIn Live event is a double dose of Labour—the market and the government—and we've assembled the perfect panel to help us navigate these changes.

Joining Ruth on this episode was Paul Chamberlain, Partner and Head of Employment at JMW Solicitors, along with fellow recruitment and people strategy associates, Phillippa Hart and Charlotte Sykes. Together, they took an honest and insightful look at what's happening in the labour market, the challenges, and opportunities ahead, and what these political shifts mean for employers across the UK, including but not limited to:

• Zero hours contracts

• Day one rights

• Ending fire and re-hire

• Extending SSP and maternity rights

• Flexible working

This wasn't your typical Labour Market Review. It's Labour's Employment Market Review, an engaging and informative exploration of what the future holds. We hope you enjoy

Advertisements continue to be effective; our data provides clear evidence of this. Even passive candidates are inclined to apply for the right job.

Occasionally, a compelling advert is all it takes, and with the right internal resources, you can manage your own recruitment initiative.

During this session, Ruth welcomes Michelle Davies from Candidate Source who will unveil effective strategies and provide you with straightforward actionable steps to craft a winning advertisement

The talent of our future is Generation Z & Generation Alpha.

How can we engage, inspire, & recruit these generations into engineering & manufacturing?

This topic remains a continuous focus among our engineering and manufacturing clients, the contrast between the aspirations of current and future generations and the career opportunities our businesses can provide.

In this LinkedIn Live Ruth welcomes Fiona McGarry from MAKE UK to explore the motivations of the next generation, discusses the engagement required from business leaders, plus they will have an honest conversation around diversity, and true equality in the workplace.

Searching for a job can be a challenging journey with many aspects to consider. Among these, one of the core areas is the application process. Job seekers typically apply for positions through recruiters or directly to companies via their Talent Acquisition teams. But how exactly should you approach these talent teams?

• Is it different from applying through a recruitment consultancy?

• What are Talent Acquisition teams looking for in applicants?

• And what if you're truly passionate about working for a specific company, but there aren't any immediate job openings?

We want to help, and we have invited a seasoned Talent Acquisition Manager, Martin Johnson, to join us on a LinkedIn Live event. He will share his valuable insights and tips on engaging with Talent Acquisition teams we will cover:

• The Job Application Landscape: Understand the differences between applying via a recruiter and directly to a company.

• Engaging with Talent Acquisition Teams: Learn the best strategies for approaching talent teams effectively.

• What Talent Teams Look For: Gain insights into what sets apart a promising candidate in their eyes.

• When No Openings Are Available: Discover how to express your enthusiasm for a company, even when there are no immediate job opportunities.

Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights into the job search process and discover the secrets to engaging with Talent Acquisition teams effectively. Whether you're actively job-hunting or planning for your future career, this event promises to deliver informative and practical guidance.

Are you tired of recruitment becoming a financial black hole?

• Cost of advertising

• Cost of Agencies

• Cost of getting it wrong

Are you tired of recruitment taking up too much time?

• Sifting CV's

• Ineffective interviews – if they turn up!

• Managing rejection at offer stage

In this epiosde we talk about how to transform your approach to hiring by putting the spotlight on cost and return on investment (ROI), where we will discuss:

• Tips on evaluating the real cost of recruitment and how to realign your budget

• Explore strategies to ensure your recruitment investments pay off

• How to save time and maximise efficiency in the recruitment process

As the A levels results came in on Thurs 18th August, there was also the mention of Btec and T Level results. For many people T Levels are totally unknown, which is not surprising, this is the first year students achieved T Levels results, and only 1,000 students participated.

At Wagstaff we think T Levels could be brilliant, they are a great way for engineering and manufacturing businesses to engage with students, offering substantial work experience which enables relationships to be developed with the students who could be their talent of the future. We also think the UTC's who offer the T Levels are great education providers, and again many people do not know about UTC's! Considering all of this we thought it would be good to try and fill in some of the knowledge gaps.

We have invited Colleen Bower of The Baker Dearing Education Trust to be our guest on a LinkedIn live, Colleen will be speaking with Ruth and sharing key information on what T Levels are, what the benefits are for students, why they choose them, and how T Levels can benefits businesses. We also learn more about UTC's.

First Impressions matter, and if your application process is unpleasant for candidates they will abandon it.

• 93% of engineers have abandoned applications
• Anecdotally, many have shared how put off they can be by the first interaction.

This webinar is a tactical, tips laden guide to simple improvements you can make to your application process to ensure you capture ideal engineering candidates.

In this Webinar Ruth is joined by Martin Johnson. Martin has been leading in-house TA teams of engineering, advanced manufacture, and life science businesses for over 15 years.

Currently supporting the executive leaders of Avania to hire world class talent. His experience of engaging the highest calibre candidates, often not actively looking with a seamless application and engagement process is the bedrock for this talk.

Despite changes for the better in education, The next 10 years will see the shortage of engineers get worse, not better.

In that time you need to make sure that the few engineers that remain will choose your business over competition, and stick with you once they join.

It takes more than just money, and this webinar will explain how you can implement a powerful tool called and Employee Value Proposition to attract your ideal engineering candidates.

Ruth is joined by Adam Payne. Adam has decades of leadership in automotive and aerospace manufacturing.

He will be bringing the theory to life for you with andecdotes and advice.