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How does Coronavirus (COVID-19) influence your career development?

We are being told that we are in “unprecedented” times and that we have to get used to a “new normal”……all these new words and expressions adopted by us over the last few weeks.

The whole world of work is different – some 9 million employees are on “furlough” and those that are still working are either working from home or if they are going into the workplace, there are far fewer people around and social distancing is being observed and various restrictions in place.

The worldwide spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus has had a dramatic impact on work and employment with the Job Retention Scheme having been introduced to facilitate Furlough leave, address cash flow concerns and prevent large scale mass redundancies as businesses have up to 80% financial support towards their salary costs.

Whilst Recruitment isn’t at a standstill, activity has slowed down considerably because of the difficulty of candidates travelling for interviews (but there has been an upturn in skype/zoom interviewing etc) and also because employers are unwilling to commit to further costs until they have greater clarity on the financial and economic outlook. For many Companies, survival is their greatest challenge but the brutal reality is that redundancies rather than recruitment will be on the agenda later in the year.

For many businesses, recruitment is on hold, start dates for new recruits have been deferred and interim, CAPEX and project based contracts have either been suspended or cancelled. It seems like an eternity that Recruiters were bothered about the impact of IR35 Regulations and how the proposed changes would affect business attitudes towards temporary and interim staff – at least now we don’t have to worry about IR35 changes till 2021.

Many employees are at home on Furlough and immersed themselves in enforced family time, DIY, gardening and doing all those jobs that they’ve been putting off because of lack of time. Whilst many are frustrated and can’t wait to get back to work, for some people, the period of Furlough has afforded a period of reflection which has started to put their working life in perspective  – they have probably enjoyed the time away from the office politics, the 24/7 e-mail culture, less toll from travel and more freedom. They don’t have a sinking feeling on a Sunday evening about the prospect of another week.

Needless to say, there will be some who will not be relishing the return to work but due to the uncertain economic outlook, options are limited because the employment market will take time to recover. Mental wellbeing is being widely reported, the suddenness of the Covid impact on finances and uncertainty is creating undoubted stress, so having options and strategies to overcome and deal with these pressures are more important than ever.

At Macallam, our focus is on Management and Executive resourcing, but we also offer our Personal Career Transition (PCT) service, which is a hybrid of career coaching and focussed help through these uncertain times, we engage on a 1-1 basis and provide a much needed “sounding board”. This is often invaluable and helps individuals to reflect on their career path and aspirations, consider their transferable skills and explores how they could move into different sectors or pursue a new path. 

Sometimes, our Career Transition support highlights that your career is in a rut but you don’t know how to break the cycle, you sense that your options are limited and you need to find a way out…...often it is difficult discussing these issues at home because those closest to you are emotionally attached and have a vested interest in the outcome. 

Macallam’s expertise lies in their ability to engage with candidates and clients and if you are reflecting on your career’s direction of travel, we are able to offer practical support and advice. Over the next few weeks, our PCT service can offer invaluable advice, guidance as we try to get back to a “new normal” and, by reviewing your CV and discussing career aspiration, we can ensure that there is focus to your career plans.

Although our offices are closed currently, we are easily accessible through our website at www.macallam.com email at  enquiries@macallam.com or contact Duncan Carter on +44 07967 398082

Stay well and don’t hesitate to call us if you need help.

 

 

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News posted: 01/05/2020 by Adrian Berwick

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Macallam Talent Resourcing
Medusa Suite, Windsor House
Cornwall Road
Harrogate
North Yorkshire
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