​You’ve probably seen it in the news by now – Job vacancies outpace unemployment for the first time...ever?! Maybe now is the time even more organisations reach our to recruiters to give them a helping hand in finding candidates.CEO Andy Fitzmaurice comments;More job vacancies than unemployed people in the UK for the first time since records began? We’ve seen similar rates of unemployment before and obviously, it’s a concern for many employers. The middle management in the food, agriculture and horticulture supply chains where we focus has always had a pronounced shortage of talent to be honest, which is why recruiters like MorePeople exist in the first place. We always have our work cut out when it comes to pipelining talent. We spend most of our time on candidate work – mapping the careers of the best people in the industry so that we are in the right place at the right time to be able to help them. Naturally, we do deal with some ‘active’ candidates who are busy online with their various applications, and these candidates have a lot of choices right now. There are lots of opportunities for active candidates and often an inevitable counteroffer proposal when the resignation comes. All these factors create a perfect storm in to win the race for top talent. Acting fast and having a great recruitment process (and a great recruiter on your side), is key to getting the best people into your business. If you’re unsure how you can improve your odds, then please feel free to give us a call and we can let you know where some of the quick wins may be hiding.Contact us on 01780 480 530 | info@morepeople.co.uk​https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61475720

9th – 15th May this year is Mental Health Awareness week, this year the Mental Health Foundation is focusing on Loneliness. ‘One in four adults feel lonely some or all of the time. There’s no single cause and there’s no one solution. After all, we’re all different! But, the longer we feel lonely, the more we are at risk of mental health problems. Some people are also at higher risk of feeling lonely than others.’ Lawrence is our Mental Health First Aider at MorePeople… When did you become a mental health first aider?I became a Mental Health First Aider back in October 2020. It was actually sourced through my Rugby Club as we wanted to really make a stand about Mental Health support through Sport and the club to ensure we were doing as much as we could for not only the Senior Teams but the Youth that were coming through the club. Of course, through the skills and learning can transfer to any environment. How long did the course take, and how did you find it?Because of lockdown, where the course is meant to be over a weekend and in person, we did 1 evening a week for 4 weeks to go through all of the content and learnings. It was amazing to chat with likeminded individuals who have all had their own journey to becoming a MH First Aider and passion for raising awareness. The content of the course was very eye opening and at times hard to hear and discuss, for many. First and foremost, the figures and statistics around Mental Health and Mental Illness were devastating and just highlights the need for more awareness and more open-discussion about the topic, whether that be in the workplace or with friends and loved ones. What made you want to take the course & become a mental health first aider?Being the only male on the course, within a group of circa 12 people, this stood out for me as to what I can hopefully take away and how I can hopefully influence others. Men do not discuss the topics of Mental Health and Illness, whether that is through stigma or lack of understanding or knowledge, I endeavour to discuss mental health with as many males as possible. The other side of things, is that it provides you with tools to identify early signs and symptoms for those that may be going through a tough time. Why do you think work places should have people trained in mental health and the benefits of it?After finishing the course and coming back to work through Lockdown, I discussed the topic with a lot of our clients and the range of resources, opinions and methods to try and battle the issue of mental health in the workplace was astonishing. It shows that there is still work to be done and if even by 1%, this might be able to make a difference. I think with people in the business that have the training provided, it brings the conversation to the forefront (or at least tries). The other side of things is that spotting the signs early, means that those that you may not even realise are going through some troubling times can be spoken to and supported in the ways they need. What does mental health awareness week mean to you?A week of highlighting the topic will mean so much for so many. If someone starts a conversation that may allow someone to open up about themselves and difficult conversations, it may just make the difference. If we can reduce the stigma, and make conversation and provide educated support, then it may just help those in need. To find out more, visit the Mental Health Foundation website: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/mental-health-awareness-weekOr Mind:https://www.mind.org.uk/get-involved/mental-health-awareness-week​

​This year, MorePeople are participating in the Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival in aid of Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice for a fun team day out at our local rowing lake. Some of the team from Sue Ryder recently visited us to show us why these fundraising events are so important to the running of their services, and how much Sue Ryder supports communities at the hardest times of their life. Sue Ryder run 7 hospices across the UK offering palliative care, and also run 4 neurological care centres. They support people through the most difficult times of their lives whether it be a terminal illness, the loss of a loved one or a neurological condition. There is a growing hospice at home service, where many opt for their love ones to be cared for at home in their final days. Click here to view a Hospice at Home team case study >>Money raised through initiatives such as the dragon boat race is so important as just £20 could pay for a patient’s meals for the day in one of the hospices and £500 could help fund 24 hours of expert care for a patient, helping them and their families in their final days. Watch this video to see what it's like inside a Sue Ryder hospice >>Sue Ryder also offers online bereavement support, for anyone that may need it – not just families of their patients, along with help and guidance for employers supporting staff during difficult times. They have some really good resources on their site to help, which you can view here.We’re looking forward to the day on 11th June and taking part in the races, watch this space for updates on how we do! Please visit our Just Giving page to donate and support the amazing services Sue Ryder offer, click here!​

Life at MorePeople...On Instagram!​Weekly prizes, monthly lunch clubs, quarterly incentives, client dinners, site visits and more… want to see what we get up to in the world of recruitment at MorePeople and what it’s all about? Then get onto our Instagram page now and give us a follow! We’ve been building our Instagram to really showcase what life is like at MorePeople, whether it’s what we’re up to in the office or out and about around Stamford you’ll see what we’re celebrating, where we’re eating, who we’re visiting and generally what we’re up to on a weekly basis. In the coming weeks we’ll begin the move into our newly renovated office, which is going to look amazing and we can’t wait to get posting about it – definitely watch this space! Go check us out and give us a follow >>

​MorePeople joined Fruit Logistica at the beginning of April in Berlin, catching up with clients and keeping on top of all the latest innovations, products and services the show has to offer. The show provides us a great opportunity for us to meet a number of clients in one location. Fruit Logistica takes place in Berlin and covers every sector of the fresh produce business at every link in the international supply chain. On average 3,300 exhibitors and 72,000 trade visitors attend Fruit Logistica each year. Fruit Logistica analysis sees healthy eating and technology (replacing labour) as the two biggest changes coming in the fresh produce market and analysts believe online will remain strong and the catering sector's use of fresh produce will return to pre-pandemic levels, though it will take longer for business travel to get back to where it was pre-2020. Sales of products such as fresh cut fruit may stay lower too as people continue to work from home and buy less lunch/snack convenience food. Will joined Richard and Morten this year and it was his first visit to the show. Three observations from my first visit …It wasn’t as big as normal but at least it was still on! It was, albeit my first time in Berlin and attending Fruit Logistica so I had a mixture of anticipating the unknown whilst preparing myself for the sheer scale of the event that colleagues / clients had attempted to illustrate to me. To say it is vast is possibly an understatement. That being said it was certainly noticeable how few people were milling around on Tuesday and the empty halls were difficult to ignore. Moving it from earlier in the year to April had no doubt meant exhibitors and visitors couldn’t attend However, … not only did the organisers do a good job of its continuity, we were thankful that it was indeed live at all. It doesn’t need me to point out just how resilient the food / fresh produce sector is but it certainly struck me that the event going ahead and in full swing by the Wednesday, was the apotheosis of the sector. It was fun! Although to synonym the Fruit Logistica ‘exhibition’ with carnival might be a stretch, it is really a celebration of fresh produce and the atmosphere we enjoyed whilst meeting clients was not only welcoming but positive and cheerful! The team have definitely tired of me, Morten and Rich saying “when we were in Berlin…” but we certainly haven’t! A lot of our meetings were undoubtably serious and there were by definition ‘catch ups’ so one can only imagine the true measure of importance between customers and suppliers for those three days. Don’t mention the War… for talent. One major thing occurred to us as a common theme amongst clients was just how much of a candidate led market it is at the moment. I have heard the term ‘war for talent’ quite a few times recently and it was very evident through meetings we had. Most if not all clients seem to be facing the same challenge (amongst everything else going on in the sector!) – not only are there more jobs out there than there are ‘good’ candidates but they are guarding all the locks and holding all the keys ... so to speak. It is so seldom at the moment that a candidate doesn’t have more than one opportunity to chose from, they’re counter offered by their current employer and they can inflate package demands. What are we to do? Well, Greg Savage recently posted on LinkedIn with some typically pertinent insight. We now have to consider the importance of selling to candidates, reacting to talent faster but slower to understand candidates. Whilst condensing the interview process, we need to work harder to understand motivations. To quote him directly; “it’s no longer about you choosing them, it’s more them choosing you”!https://www.hortweek.com/fruit-logistica-signals-return-normal-fresh-produce-market/fresh-produce/article/1751123 ​

​The MorePeople team is continuing to grow, welcome Natalie and George… ​After graduating with a degree in Dance from De Montfort University in 2016, Natalie Dunne made the move alone from her hometown of Boston to Peterborough and eventually Stamford. Natalie has since worked in a variety of customer service roles across an array of industries such as finance and food service & hospitality. Now joining the MorePeople team and learning the world of recruitment, Natalie will be supporting a variety of roles whilst a part of the MorePeople academy. ​​George Mallender is a graduate of Harper Adams, with a love and passion for the countryside which took him through a variety of agricultural and countryside-based jobs, from farming sweetcorn to diversifying wildlife habitats to encourage local biodiversity. George will be putting his fantastic industry experience and knowledge to good use at MorePeople! ​​Luckily, our ever-growing team will soon be moving to our new premises in Stamford, we’ve outgrown our current office and there’s no sign of stopping us yet!

​Celebrating 12 Years at MorePeople. Have I mastered it?I’ve had a few messages on LinkedIn to say congrats and to remind me that I am celebrating 12 years at MorePeople. Thank you. Obviously, I am in denial that I’m still one of the younger ones here, but clearly, given the clear evidence of the team I’ve built around me, it isn’t really the case (though I still maintain that age is as much a state of mind!). The messages I‘ve received have led me to reflect and take stock. My journey at MorePeople is far from over, but perhaps it would be useful to think about what I have learned over the course of a dozen years? In short, I’ve learned a lot! That said, it feels like sometimes, the more I learn the less I feel like I know. The bar I set for personal development is forever raising. Much like the torture of trying to get better at golf, I set a goal, work hard to improve and then if I’m fortunate enough to get there, I just want to be better. Maybe you find the same? Sometimes at golf, as at work, the frustrations can feel familiar, even if you’re now demonstrably better than you were. Maybe a small consolation; I can guarantee that even the pros teeing it up at Augusta this week will feel angsty when they don’t meet their high expectations – I guess that’s why people keep at golf and work for a lifetime! Anyway, what have I learned? Change takes time. Not always a long time but time, nonetheless. And people go through change curves at different paces. Remember that when rolling out new things and allow for those reactions. It’s vital to have a plan – a vision! Though to have a vision is one thing. What’s also important is that others can see it too. Getting everyone else to see your vision in technicolour is where real gains can be made. You can never communicate enough. No employee has ever complained about getting too much communication from the boss or the business, but people complain (or sometimes leave companies) if they don’t get enough information. Obviously, some things are confidential and for the boardroom only, but share all you can. Frequently. Learn to look after yourself. You can’t work for 12 years and be good every day if you’re broken. Look after your mind, your body, your house, your garden and your relationships with your friends and your family – the last two years have made us all realise this. Hopefully. So, am I great at these things after 12 years? Nope. Am I better than I used to be? Hell yeah. Am I too hard on myself? Nah. I just want to get to the work equivalent of playing off scratch. And when I get there, I’ll just want to be a plus handicapper. Striving for constant improvement is what it’s all about and it’s what’ll keep me going for another 12 years no doubt! Watch this space!

The Institute of Agricultural Management published their 2022 report on Farm Managers in 2022 Their Jobs and Their Pay, which consists of some interesting insights into the area. The survey was introduced in 1969 and the 2022 edition is the 35th of its kind and has seen the highest respondent rate ever with 129 in the sample. Here are some interesting findings summarised;The average annual salary for UK farm managers in 2022 according to the survey is £53,306, 7.6% increase over a two-year period. Other non-cash benefits such as accommodation, house bills, use of farm vehicle etc averaged at an additional £10,766 per manager. 46% of farm managers are younger than 40 – almost double the level from 10 years ago! It suggests those managing the larger and more diversified operations are getting younger. Young farm managers are more likely to be degree educated with 86% of those under 30 having academic qualifications to degree level. It seems the role demands educated individuals more and more, however it’s been noted that those with diplomas tend to earn more than those with degrees. Experience is worth more than qualifications, the survey suggests. Over 10 years’ experience earnt an average income of just over £60k, compared to less than 5 years’ experience earning an average of £37,680. Only 5% of farm managers are female, however this has increased from 2% from the last survey and the highest level recorded. It’s noted that male managers earn more than female, ‘but this might be a reflection on the greater number of young females with less management experience.’. Since the first survey, over 50 years ago, the role of farm manager has changed dramatically. Health and safety is now much higher on the agenda, there is more powerful and sophisticated machinery and bigger farms and estates. There is now also more non-farming, diversified income initiatives that over half of farm managers deal with under their management. The MorePeople team regularly speak with and recruit for Farm Managers and a variety of other roles in that area. As well as Rural Professionals such as Rural Surveyors, Utilities Surveyors, Estate Management and so on. If you fancy a chat or some further advice, give us a call on 01780 480 530 or email info@morepeople.co.uk. Sarah, Lycia and Tim are our experts and speak daily with clients and candidates in the industry. https://www.iagrm.com/

Tim Parfitt is our recruitment specialist for Rural Professionals.Working with some of the best-known clients in the UK, Tim has built strong connections in the rural sector and has an established, strong pool of professionals he speaks to daily. Roles Tim typically recruits for include; Rural Surveyors - Graduate through to director level. Utilities Surveyors Wayleave Officers Estate Managers Agri-business Consultants Prior to joining MorePeople Tim worked extensively across the sector for companies such as Velcourt, NIAB and Rothamstead Research for 13 years. Along the way becoming Basis and Facts qualified. The strength of Tim’s candidate network will save you time and money in finding the right people for your business including those who aren’t actively looking.Have a look at our current Rural Professional jobs here.​Get to know Tim a bit more...What did you want to be when you were at school? A fireman, no idea why probably just the Fireman Sam influence on the TV as a child. A small problem in that I'm terrified of heights!How did you get into recruitment? I was looking for a role where I could be connected to the industry but indirectly. This way I get to talk to a wide range of people all day about agriculture.What do you specialise in at MorePeople? I focus on rural professionals. Think rural surveyors, estate management, wayleave offices, farm business consultants.What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced since working at MorePeople? Organising diaries for everyone. They're moving targets and by the very nature I work with busy people.Something on your bucket list you’re hoping to tick off soon? I don’t know about soon but run the UTMB, it’s a 48hr trail running race around Mont Blanc. I have a 24hr run this summer and I'm excited and scared at the same time, I’m interested to see how far I can run. The best piece of advice I've ever been given is…..? Just keep going, it think this applies in all walks of life. Cats or dogs? Without question dogs, they're loyal, loving, and always put a smile on your face, what more do you want. I have a German Short Haired Pointer named Wilma, who occasionally joins me on a park run!Contact Tim for a confidential chat on 01780 480 530 or email tim@morepeople.co.uk