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Movember 2023 Results
During the month of November, ten members of the MorePeople team have been growing moustaches or covering kilometres as part of the Movember campaign. The charity aims to raise awareness for men's health and funds programmes that support men with health issues. As a team we have raised a collective of £1,111, with MorePeople CEO Andrew being our top fundraiser, raising £310. Below are some before and after tache pictures, quite impressive if we say so ourselves!
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Talk at Stamford School
As a Stamford business, we always seek ways to engage with the local community. We support local retail businesses through our team prizes, sponsor sports teams or give industry knowledge. On Tuesday, Lawrence our Operations and Rural Professionals Team Manager visited Stamford School to give a Talk to Year 12 students about CVs, careers in the food industry and recruitment as they begin to think about their options post A-levels. He began by introducing MorePeople as a business, what we do and the type of clientele we deal with. He then gave a brief background of his own career, highlighting that his plan 'A' is far from his current occupation and that people are likely to have multiple jobs across different sectors before finding what they like. As a recruitment business, we see thousands of CV's every year and know what elements contribute to a good CV. Lawrence passed on his knowledge about tailoring CVs to each job application and if the CVs look a little thin, as expected by students as they leave school, to add in events such as Duke of Edinburgh to showcase their skillset. He pointed out that if they didn't know what they wanted to do after completing their studies, is to find out what their passionate about and see if it could be turned into a career.Networking was also brought to light. Lawrence asked the group to turn to the person next to them and ask what their parents do as a job, showing the students the likelihood that one of their peers has a connection to the same line of profession that they may wish to pursue and the importance of having these connections. He then went on to discuss careers within the food industry, highlighting various graduate schemes. The session ended with a short Q&A where students were invited to ask questions about anything that had just been spoken about. The students had some interesting questions which Lawrence was able to answer.
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Ending Modern Slavery - Cycle Revolution 2023
Did you know that 52% of modern slavery occurs in upper-middle-income or high-income countries?The 2nd of December is recognised as the UN International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. Over the past 5 years forced labour and forced marriage have seen a sharp increase, 10 million more people were in modern slavery in 2021 compared to 2016 global estimates, bringing the total to 50 million worldwide. Women and children remain disproportionately vulnerable. The food industry is no exception to this, with intricate global supply chains and often low-wage labour, has been associated with instances of modern slavery and exploitation. Certain sectors have seen reports of forced labour, child labour, and human trafficking. Factors like the complexity of supply chains, the prevalence of low-skilled and low-paid jobs, and the vulnerability of migrant workers contribute to this issue. Subcontracting and outsourcing practices, and weak or poorly enforced labour regulations in some regions, further complicate efforts to monitor and regulate working conditions. One man trying to change this is Gordon Miller and his Ride for Freedom initiave, MorePeople has proudly been sponsoring this charity for a number of years. Earlier this year, Gordon cycled the first 3 stages of the Tour de France the week before the professionals, covering 535km across Spain. This is just one of many events he has arranged for the charity. Feeling inspired to help a good cause? Ride for Freedom is holding a virtual event called Cycle Revolution between 1st and 3rd of December which supports more people to be released from modern slavery in the UK. You can find out more about the event and sign up here.
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Final MorePeople Executive Dinner of 2023
On Thursday 23rd November, MorePeople hosted the final Executive Club dinner of 2023.The dinner was hosted at our Stamford venue and was attended by Directors from various food and fresh produce businesses.MorePeople Senior Consultant, Jack Williams comments;"Yesterday I had the pleasure to attend my first MorePeople Executive Dinner at The George in Stamford! Being surrounded by 12 Directors of some of the UK's largest food and fresh produce Businesses provides an insight into all the various successes and challenges of the industry and how to overcome these. The knowledge we can gain from this ensures we are in the best position to support your Growth Plans going into 2024 and beyond, we truly understand the challenges you face, both from a recruitment and industry viewpoint."This year we have hosted 11 dinners over two locations, The George of Stamford in Stamford and Rotunda in London which was a new venue for 2023 and has been highly successful. MorePeople Executive Dinners are a way of getting industry leaders together in a relaxed and informal manner to discuss industry-related topics. Feedback from these events is always positive and allows attendees a perspective of how all businesses are facing similar issues. You can find out more about the MorePeople Executive Club by clicking here.We're already planning for the 2024 dinners and would love to be able to meet with clients in this setting further afield. If you're unable to reach our London or Stamford locations, where would you like to see a dinner hosted?Are you a client and haven't been to a dinner yet, or have been to a dinner but would like to attend another? Contact guy@morepeople.co.uk to discuss our Executive Dinner plans for 2024!
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The Challenges in Hiring for the Fresh Produce Industry
Luan Harrison, Associate Director, Technical. Tom Edmundson-Matthews, Executive Consultant, Commercial & Alex Marshall, Associate Director, Technical discuss recruiting within the food industry. The fresh produce sector encounters distinctive difficulties in recruiting and retaining skilled workers. A major obstacle is the scarcity of experienced individuals and the lack of young talent entering the field. Complicating matters, hiring managers are hesitant to consider people with transferable skills, further narrowing the pool of potential candidates. Fresh produce businesses grapple with an image challenge, often being misunderstood as solely associated with factory or packhouse work. This misconception hampers the recruitment of new talent, and the root cause lies in a lack of awareness regarding the diverse career paths within the sector. It is imperative to implement initiatives aimed at educating and inspiring young individuals, encouraging them to explore opportunities in the fresh produce industry. These efforts are essential for sustaining the vibrancy of the industry in the long run. For graduates aspiring to enter this field, the situation is nuanced. Those graduating from universities like Harper Adams or Cirencester, with a focus on food, agriculture, and horticulture, find it relatively easy to secure placements. However, the industry struggles to attract graduates who may view it as less appealing, especially if they lack transportation, considering the sector's reliance on unconventional working hours and remote locations. The surge in hybrid and flexible working models has revolutionised the landscape, not only in fresh produce but across various industries. The ability to work remotely has become a crucial consideration for potential candidates, particularly in technical and commercial roles. Nonetheless, some roles continue to resist this shift, insisting on the necessity of physical presence. The importance of location in hiring has changed significantly. While being close to the workplace is still attractive, the rise of flexible working has shifted the landscape. Now, areas with more skilled individuals and strong transportation links are gaining attention, making the recruitment process smoother. In attracting candidates for graduate and middle management roles, several factors play a role. Opportunities for career advancement, company culture, reputation, salary, and benefits, including hybrid working options, heavily influence decision-making. Moving forward, a fundamental change is needed in how recruitment operates within the fresh produce industry. Businesses might find it beneficial to work closely with recruitment partners to strengthen their HR capabilities. Embracing a broad perspective on transferable skills and challenging the belief that the industry lacks attractiveness are essential measures. Offering appealing benefits, especially in terms of holiday allowances, is crucial for remaining competitive compared to other sectors. Even though the industry hasn't experienced ground-breaking shifts in recruitment strategies, the ongoing success of recruitment fairs, community outreach, and a well-organized hiring process remains essential. In summary, overcoming these challenges requires a united effort from both industry stakeholders and educational institutions. By showcasing the varied career possibilities within the fresh produce sector, we can chart a course toward a more vibrant and robust industry.
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Christine Tacon - Working on Boards
Article by Christine TaconI have been asked a few times recently about how to get started working as a non-executive director (NED) or Trustee of a board, so I thought I would share my thoughts. I have been working on boards for over 20 years, my first one being a NED of the Rural Payments Agency for 8 years whilst CEO of the Co-op Farms. I then went on to be a Groceries Code Adjudicator for 7 years, this was a 3-day per week role so I did other NED roles at the same time. I have been on the board of the Met Office, Natural Environment Advisory Council, and the AF Group and I was a Governor of Harper Adams University. Now I am a Trustee of the Farmers Club Charitable Trust, Chair of Red Tractor, Chair of MDS Ltd and I chair the BBC Rural Affairs Committee. Working on a board or as a trustee has legal and financial implications. You are responsible for the governance of the business or charity, and it should not be done lightly. Most boards have professional indemnity insurance to ensure you can’t be sued personally, however, you do have a duty to ensure that the business is operating within the law, whether it be financially, health and safety or employer liability. There is training you can do, the public sector runs courses if you are on one of their boards, but there are others which you can pay to do. There is a lot of support around public appointments, they are incredibly keen to get more diversity and balance on their boards so go out of their way to make it accessible. First, there is guidance which is well worth reading, it explains the types of roles, who can apply, conflicts of interest etc but also you can create an account and get the regular newsletter of everything as it comes up in the public sector. This could be anything from NED of the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero to being on the Committee on Standards in Public Life or Chairing the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority... it is interesting just reading what sort of jobs exist! The big downside is that the process is ridiculously slow with ministers often having to sign off longlists…3-6 months is not unusual! There is also an excellent organisation called Women on Boards, it has a resource centre with a wide range of articles, they run training courses and events, offer help with doing your CV and host a massive list of vacancies. They have a lot of roles which are unpaid, they seem to scoop up anything from public appointments to ones in the press, so they have a comprehensive database of vacancies and businesses seeking board diversity go to advertise their positions. You have to pay, but there are various levels (£20 and £195), if you are starting out, it is probably worth joining to get an idea of roles and to use their resources. I have been told by a full member that if you decide to go on any of their training courses, the higher fee gets a reduction that pays for itself. Many businesses still use head-hunters, even for unpaid roles - they are paying someone to find you to work for nothing! But if you want to make a career out of being on boards, you need some well-paid roles and the head-hunters often have them. If you apply to a public sector role, it is often managed by a head-hunter… I am probably out of date as to names but do contact me for my recommendations for the businesses who operate in our sector to get on their radar. The lessons I wanted to share about going onto boards are from my experience. 1.Don’t give up the day job. Most businesses approve of an employee doing one NED role in addition to their work as it gives you quite a different experience, which will benefit you and them. And some businesses like their board members to be employed in a full-time role rather than spread thinly across several boards. Working on one board in addition to your current work is a brilliant way of getting started and learning without financial risk. 2.Focus on building experience first. You may have to take an unpaid role, eg as a charity trustee or maybe on an advisory board or committee. I started out doing a lot of work for nothing (University Governor, Member of the Living with Environmental Change Business Advisory Board, talking at conferences and being a Public Member of Network Rail) and I can point to 3 jobs I got by having contacts on those committees or meeting people at the events, who encouraged me to apply for board roles in their businesses. 3.Be ready to prove yourself all over again. Being on a board is different from being an executive working full-time. Your role is to guide the executive team and share the benefits of your experience. I found it much harder to get these jobs than executive ones and even harder to predict which ones I would get. A board is trying to put together a mix of skills, so although you might be perfectly qualified and capable if they already have someone they perceive as covering your area of expertise or have a candidate with some added extra that they hadn’t considered when doing the person spec, you won’t even get an interview. I was crest-fallen on many occasions when I started out, not understanding why for example the Food Standards Agency didn’t consider me an ideal candidate…in the end I approached it as a numbers game, i.e. if you apply for 5 you will get one. I became less strict in fitting things into a portfolio and more focused on getting enough to earn what I wanted to! At one point I had more days committed than I could do, as one of the roles took 3 months to get approval from the Cabinet Office and I had accepted another, so they asked me to accept and do what I could. 4.If you are going to do this full-time, focus on a sector. I sought advice from Baroness Barbara Young when I decided to build a portfolio of board positions, that was her piece of advice to me. It is very easy to get interested in many different subjects, but it really helps to keep the roles in a sector so that your experience and learning in one, and background reading keeping up to date, assists in another. She also advised me to get one big job (eg 3 days a week like my GCA role) and fit others around it. 5.Be aware of logistics. Many boards will have a strict timetable, eg board meetings on the last Thursday of the month, so some jobs you find you can’t do because your dates are already committed! And don’t underestimate how long it takes to apply to roles – I allow at least half a day to do the written application (they always ask you to demonstrate how you meet the person spec, you can’t just send your CV) and if you go forward to interview you really have to do your research, including really checking that the organisation is one you want to be associated with, as it will affect how are perceived when you apply for other roles. 6.Build yourself a profile. You are not just being recruited for who you are, but also for how your appointment will be perceived and the contacts that you may bring to the business. 7.Give it a go! Personally, I think we should have much more youth on boards, the businesses who turn you down for lack of experience have probably not yet realised how critical it is to have younger insights. Let people know you are looking for to join a board too: most boards retire members after 6 or 9 years so they will be on the lookout. Diversity is important to all good businesses, so the days of white men who have just retired getting board jobs working with their mates are going. I can’t predict when I will get an interview, let alone be invited onto a board, I just develop a thick skin and keep applying….so why don’t you?
