Last week, the UK Government announced that the start date for the Procurement Act 2023, originally scheduled for 28 October 2024, has been postponed to 24 February 2025.&nbsp;
Georgia Gould, Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office, stated in Parliament that the former government's National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) is inadequate. She emphasised the necessity of revising it to ensure that the updated NPPS reflects the current government's priorities more accurately, resulting in this Procurement Act delay.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It is crucial that the new regime in the Procurement Act goes live with a bold and ambitious Statement that drives delivery of the Government&rsquo;s missions, and therefore, I am proposing a short delay to the commencement of the Act to February 2025 so this work can be completed. &nbsp;
I am confident that the extra time to prepare will allow for a more seamless transition, ensuring a smoother and more effective implementation process for both contracting authorities and suppliers.&rdquo;&nbsp;
The Procurement Act delay comes amid growing concerns that the new central digital platform, which contracting authorities need for procurement, wouldn't be ready by the 28 October start date, along with rumours of a recent extension of the platform's development contract.&nbsp;
Transforming talent in Local Government&nbsp;
Find out more about the challenges around local authority talent procurnement in our brand-new research report, conducted in partnership with Inside HR: Transforming Talent in Local Government.
In this research report, you will learn:
<ul>
<li>How skills gaps are affecting local authorities ability to provide essential services and the areas most at risk</li>
<li>How local government leaders believe the skills gap can best be addressed</li>
<li>The role of contingent workers for local authority workforce management</li>
<li>Which under represented groups are being targeted to attract new talent</li>
<li>Equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives remain on the local government agenda</li>
</ul>
<a href="https://www.comensura.com/insights/transforming-talent-in-local-government">Download the report&nbsp;</a>

Delay of Procurement Act – new launch date announced

3 benefits & 3 tips: building a diverse age range local authority workforce

Political change, People and Prospects: what the new UK Government means for local authority talent 

Redefining public sector employer brands: Promoting your local authority as a workplace with purpose

How to recruit talent from the autistic community

<h3>In 2024, local authorities across the UK are facing unprecedented challenges in delivering public services and meeting the needs of their communities.</h3>
One of the most severe consequences of the financial crises for local authorities is the risk of issuing a section 114 notice, which effectively declares that they are unable to meet their statutory duties and imposes a spending freeze on all non-essential services. &nbsp;
Reducing &lsquo;people costs&rsquo; - a significant cost for all local authorities &ndash; is one way that the public sector can try and reduce financial pressure, but how can this be achieved?
Our new whitepaper about the current crisis in local authorities looks at:
<ul>
<li>The leading challenges for local authorities both now and on the horizon</li>
<li>Solutions to address the shortage of essential workers</li>
<li>Workforce planning in the public sector - dealing with today, planning for tomorrow</li>
<li>The benefits of working with a strategic workforce partner</li>
<li>Redefining your employer brand as a workplace with purpose and meaning</li>
</ul>
<h2>Download the whitepaper by filling in the form opposite</h2>

Addressing 2024’s talent challenges in UK local authorities

The ability to attract and deploy high quality talent on-demand provides a competitive edge for all organisations, both in the public and private sector.
For those that need to grow fast to meet their customers' needs, and who have many roles that with repeatable and/or high volume roles, this is even more crucial. Saving money while doing this is essential.
Direct Sourcing is an efficient and effective strategy for creating a pipeline of relevant and adaptable talent and facilitating the seamless redeployment of valuable contingent workers.
This easy to digest guide lays out everything you need to understand about Direct Sourcing as part of a contingent workforce programme, and how it can work alongside your current supply chain with a sustainable model that can evolve and grow over time.
This guide includes:
<ul>
<li>What Direct Sourcing is and why you should do it</li>
<li>Facts and figures on the results you can expect from Direct Sourcing</li>
<li>How Direct Sourcing works and where it works best</li>
<li>What your next steps are in integrating Direct Sourcing into your contingent workforce management</li>
</ul>
<h2>Complete the form to download this quick guide to Direct Sourcing for contingent workforce.</h2>

A quick guide to Direct Sourcing for the contingent workforce

Research shows <a href="https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/time-to-hire-rates-2023-josh-bersin/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it now takes an average of 44 days to appoint people to a role, up from 43 days in 2022</a>. This increase might seem small, but unfilled positions for any length of time negatively affect productivity, morale, and growth. With too many vacant positions, achieving success is nearly impossible and the longer this goes on, the more difficult it is to come back from. Thus handing&nbsp;your competitors an advantage. &nbsp;
<a href="https://www.comensura.com/what-we-do/what-is-talent-bank" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Talent bank</a> provides an adaptable technology platform customised to meet your bespoke workforce management needs and can significantly reduce time-to-hire, leaving you with less or ideally, no open vacancies to worry about. But how does talent bank achieve this?&nbsp;
Using a Talent Bank in recruitment can significantly reduce the time to hire in several key ways:&nbsp;
<ol>
<li>Pre-qualified candidates: Talent Banks often feature <a href="https://www.comensura.com/solutions/vetting-and-screening" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pre-screened and vetted candidates</a>, eliminating the need for extensive initial screening processes, which means that your team can focus on more targeted and strategic tasks and assignments.</li>
<li>Fast access to pools of relevant talent: Instead of starting the hiring process from scratch for each position, you can quickly access a pool of available and relevantly skilled candidates, significantly streamlining the search and selection process.</li>
<li>Skill matching technology: Many talent banks employ advanced algorithms to match position requirements with candidate skills. This automated process accelerates the identification of suitable candidates, which is significantly faster than manually reviewing CVs and applications.</li>
<li>Reduced number of positions advertised: With a ready pool of candidates to hand, there is less reliance on posting jobs and waiting for applications. You can instead tap into the existing talent pool, cutting down on the time typically spent advertising and waiting for responses.</li>
<li>Improved candidate experience: The streamlined process and quicker response times contribute to a positive candidate experience. This, in turn, can help attract top talent and reduce the risk of losing candidates to competing opportunities.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
By creating and maintaining your own Talent Bank of potential employees and contingent workers, you can attract and retain talent with the skills, experience, and knowledge that your organisation needs, significantly shortening the time it takes to identify, evaluate, and hire suitable workers, leading to a more efficient recruitment process.&nbsp;
<h3>Talent bank with Comensura&nbsp;</h3>
Selecting Comensura as your talent bank partner gives you the advantage of years of knowledge, as our <a href="https://www.comensura.com/solutions/talent-bank" target="_blank" rel="noopener">talent bank solution</a> is powered by the Impellam Group. Impellam is a connected group offering unparalleled workforce and STEM talent solutions expertise to provide your organisation with mission-critical skillsets to future-proof your business. Though Impellam, Comensura have wide-reaching Talent bank experience across a variety of industry verticals and types of roles, sourcing and nurturing talent across the UK.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.comensura.com/solutions/talent-bank">Get in touch for more information&nbsp;</a>

5 ways a talent bank reduces time-to-hire, saving money and improving efficiency in your organisation.

5 ways a talent bank reduces time-to-hire 

In today's competitive job market, organisations are constantly seeking ways to attract and retain the best quality talent. Many strategies have been implemented but one that has gained significant traction is <a href="https://www.comensura.com/solutions/advanced-direct-sourcing">Advanced Direct Sourcing.</a> &nbsp;
Advanced <a href="https://www.comensura.com/insights/quick-guide-to-direct-sourcing-for-the-contingent-workforce">Direct Sourcing</a> involves reaching out to a community of known candidates directly, avoiding traditional routes in recruitment such as job board websites and agencies. &nbsp;
It can help local authorities overcome talent shortages by attracting, curating, and engaging talent communities by activating &lsquo;employer brand&rsquo;. &nbsp;
Advanced Direct Sourcing has particular potential when addressing predictable, repeatable hiring needs in the public sector, for example covering <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/dec/29/nhs-england-storm-of-pressure-flu-covid-cases-surge" target="_blank" rel="noopener">staff shortages in healthcare in winter when flu and COVID cases increase.&nbsp;</a>
<h3>A more efficient form of talent acquisition&nbsp;</h3>
By bypassing intermediaries in the right categories, organisations can work more efficiently, streamlining the hiring process with direct access to a talent community of suitable candidates. This not only saves time but also ensures that all messaging and the employer brand are accurately communicated to potential future hires.&nbsp;
<h3>Access to niche talent &nbsp;</h3>
Relying on more traditional modern forms of recruitment such as job websites gives a wide reach to a wide range of job seekers. However, advanced direct sourcing means businesses can tap into niche talent pools, specific to their sector, role requirements, and the type of contract they are offering, i.e., permanent, temporary or project based. &nbsp;
By using advanced direct sourcing, local authorities can connect with only the most relevant individuals, with the specific skills, attributes, and qualifications they are looking for.&nbsp;
<h3>Enhanced candidate experience&nbsp;</h3>
Traditional recruitment processes often involve multiple stages of interviews and/or assessments, with waiting periods between these stages before a candidate is hired. This can add up to a stressful candidate experience, delays in filling skills shortages, and talent can be lost in this process where they find other work in between stages.&nbsp;
Advanced Direct Sourcing offers candidates a more streamlined experience, where organisations cut through red tape and provide timely feedback on their applications without compromising on essential stages such as <a href="https://www.comensura.com/what-we-do/what-is-vetting-and-screening">vetting and screening</a>, enhancing their Employee Value Proposition as an employer that treats candidates with respect.&nbsp;
This not only enhances the candidate's experience but also increases the likelihood of attracting top talent who appreciates a responsive and communicative hiring process.&nbsp;
<h3>Cost savings&nbsp;</h3>
Advanced Direct Sourcing can lead to significant cost savings: Saving on fees, reducing time spent on the recruitment process, and freeing up team members to spend time on their own roles and developing the organisation. At a time where public sector departments need to account for every penny, this is a massive benefit. &nbsp;
In addition, Advanced Direct Sourcing enables organisations to optimise recruitment spend by targeting only the right candidates and investing in leveraging their employee brand to those candidates that they are really looking to attract.&nbsp;
<h3>Advanced Direct Sourcing with Comensura &nbsp;</h3>
Advanced Direct Sourcing offers numerous benefits when it comes to talent quality. By reducing recruitment costs, enhancing candidate experience, and providing access to niche talent pools, Advanced Direct Sourcing attracts and engages the best talent in the market. &nbsp;
Selecting Comensura as your direct sourcing partner gives you the advantage of years of knowledge, as our <a href="https://www.comensura.com/solutions/advanced-direct-sourcing">Advanced Direct Sourcing solution</a> is powered by the Impellam Group. Impellam offers an impressive range of direct sourcing experience in a variety of industry verticals and types of roles. Customer success for us means cost savings, higher fill rates and shorter time-to-fills, but it also means better candidate experiences.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.comensura.com/insights/quick-guide-to-direct-sourcing-for-the-contingent-workforce">Find out more about Advanced Direct Sourcing with our new, free to download 'Quick Guide to Direct Sourcing.'&nbsp;</a>
<a href="https://www.comensura.com/contact">Get in touch for more information&nbsp;</a>

How Advanced Direct Sourcing increases talent quality for the public sector 

<h2 class="Paragraph SCXW1548205 BCX0">Despite toughening economic conditions, many parts of the UK labour market are still hampered by skills shortages. </h2>
Recent research has shown that in&nbsp;August 2023, 44%&nbsp;of employers across all sectors&nbsp;had&nbsp;vacancies&nbsp;they were struggling to fill,&nbsp;with this&nbsp;rising to 50%&nbsp;in the public sector.&nbsp;
As a result, many companies and&nbsp;organisations&nbsp;are looking for new&nbsp;strategies and models to help overcome this talent shortage, including ways in which they can&nbsp;evolve&nbsp;how&nbsp;they utilise&nbsp;contingent workers.
Comensura&rsquo;s&nbsp;new whitepaper, created in partnership with&nbsp;the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cips.org/">Chartered Institute of Procurement</a><a href="https://www.cips.org/">&nbsp;&amp; Supply&nbsp;(CIPS)</a>, explores the evolution of the contingent workforce. It&nbsp;contains&nbsp;insights from industry experts&nbsp;including&nbsp;directors&nbsp;focusing on strategy, specialists in niche areas of workforce management,&nbsp;and partners and consultants working&nbsp;hands on&nbsp;with the companies&nbsp;affected by these talent shortages.
You can read how companies and public sector organisations have used&nbsp;new approaches&nbsp;to contingent workforce management with success in both&nbsp;expanding&nbsp;and diversifying&nbsp;their&nbsp;pool of candidates.&nbsp;
<h4 class="Paragraph SCXW1548205 BCX0">Complete the form to download the whitepaper today.</h4>

The Evolution of the Contingent Workforce

<h2>The scarcity of workers in the UK has become a critical business issue.</h2>
The country has seen crucial public and private sector services grind to a halt as a combination of skills shortages, worker strikes and high staff turnover rates all impact access to resources.&nbsp; &nbsp;
Our free-to-download whitepaper &lsquo;Navigating Skills Shortages Through Inclusive Workforce Solutions&rsquo; looks at how an inclusive workforce can help sectors with a significant lack of potential job candidates overcome this challenge.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<h3>Covered in the whitepaper:&nbsp;</h3>
<ul>
<li>The scope of the talent shortage affecting the UK&nbsp;</li>
<li>Sectors most at risk from these shortages&nbsp;</li>
<li>Proactive inclusive recruitment strategies and tips&nbsp;</li>
<li>Examples of inclusive recruitment in practice</li>
</ul>
<h4>Please download the whitepaper by filling in the form.</h4>
&nbsp;

Whitepaper: Navigating Skills Shortages Through Inclusive Workforce Solutions

Find out how your organisation can capitalise on an era-defining shift to contingent work, in this report from Everest Group - one of the world&rsquo;s leading global research firms.
<h3 dir="ltr">Complete the form to get your copy</h3>
Today&rsquo;s unprecedented talent management challenge comes in the form of acute and global talent scarcity, record staff resignations, and rapidly rising wages.
In this unique environment, contingent workforces are emerging as the &lsquo;knight in shining armour&rsquo; for businesses that need fast and reliable access to the top talent.
Get your copy of this report to learn about:
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">Delivering a superior experience for candidates, workers, hiring managers and other workforce stakeholders</li>
<li dir="ltr">New ways of organising and paying for work, including direct sourcing and statement of work services procurement.</li>
<li dir="ltr">The role of advanced analytics and AI in making decisions about the workforce, suppliers, and spend</li>
<li dir="ltr">The shift to a services-enabled technology model, and the role of the vendor management system</li>
<li dir="ltr">The importance of managed service providers and staffing suppliers in shaping and delivering diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.</li>
</ul>
<h4 dir="ltr">Complete the form to get your copy</h4>
&nbsp;

The Next Era in Talent Management: Leveraging a Once-in-a-Lifetime Strategic Shift

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Like many, the team at&nbsp;Comensura&nbsp;were incredibly saddened by the events as they unfolded in&nbsp;Ukraine. Since the&nbsp;conflict&nbsp;started, we wanted to support Ukrainian refugees arriving in the UK by helping&nbsp;them&nbsp;to find&nbsp;meaningful employment,&nbsp;taking into account&nbsp;their unique needs&nbsp;with roles that&nbsp;reflect their experience and&nbsp;expertise.
</div>
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&ldquo;We have been working with some superb Ukrainian candidates with excellent skills, but language barriers and lack of UK&nbsp;recognised&nbsp;certification had been holding them back in gaining employment,&rdquo;&nbsp;stated&nbsp;Kevin Atkinson, Senior Business Partner&nbsp;at&nbsp;Comensura&nbsp;and&nbsp;Impellam&nbsp;Group.&nbsp;&ldquo;Finding these candidates employment will go a long way to making their lives in the UK more settled.&rdquo;
</div>
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In 2023, we have found 50 Ukrainian&nbsp;refugees'&nbsp;employment, which takes our total since the conflict began to 120. These jobs have been in a range of roles from&nbsp;waste management to finance, and we have worked with companies equally keen to make a difference in these difficult circumstances.
</div>
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One company we have worked with significantly is Veolia,&nbsp;who have won&nbsp;a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.comensura.com/insights/comensura-shines-in-de-i-at-the-tiara-talent-solutions-awards-europe-2023">TIARA Talent Solutions Awards Europe&nbsp;in 2023</a>&nbsp;for their&nbsp;ED&amp;I (Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion)&nbsp;initiatives, of which Jobs for Ukraine is just one.
</div>
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&ldquo;Working with Ukrainian refugees has been challenging psychologically. Every person who turned to us for help has their own story; some&nbsp;individual&rsquo;s&nbsp;houses&nbsp;were&nbsp;bombed,&nbsp;and they have nowhere to return&nbsp;to.&nbsp;Some&nbsp;have&nbsp;lost friends or relatives,&rdquo;&nbsp;says&nbsp;Galina&nbsp;Herwins,&nbsp;Recruitment and Onboarding Administrator&nbsp;at&nbsp;Impellam&nbsp;Group,&nbsp;who has worked closely with Ukrainian refugee candidates.
</div>
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&ldquo;Employment&nbsp;is&nbsp;very important&nbsp;to them. Having a job in a foreign country is&nbsp;not only&nbsp;a means of survival, but also helpful in adapting to&nbsp;another culture.&nbsp;Each case is very individual, but when they call us and hear their native Ukrainian language on the other end of the line, they&nbsp;don&rsquo;t&nbsp;feel so alone.&rdquo;
</div>
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Comensura plan to continue this work into 2024, and we will be donating 100% of the profits made from job placements to the International Red Cross, who continue to do important, lifesaving work around the globe.
</div>
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<h2 class="Paragraph SCXW238740797 BCX8">Jobs for Ukraine at&nbsp;Comensura</h2>
</div>
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If you are, or know of, a company that would be interested in working with us to offer support to Ukrainian refugees through employment,&nbsp;<a class="Hyperlink SCXW238740797 BCX8" href="../../../../../../contact" target="_blank" rel="noopener">please get in touch using our contact us page.</a>
</div>

Like many, the team at&nbsp;Comensura&nbsp;were incredibly saddened by the events as they unfolded in&nbsp;Ukraine. Since the&nbsp;conflict&nbsp;started, we wanted to support Ukrainian refugees arriving in the UK by helping&nbsp;them&nbsp;to find&nbsp;meaningful employment,&nbsp;taking into account&nbsp;their unique needs&nbsp;with roles that&nbsp;reflect their experience and&nbsp;expertise.

Jobs for Ukraine – making a difference in 2023 and beyond

The hospitality sector skills shortage has received a recent rush of concern and publicity, with government ministers meeting to discuss concerns and ideas such as <a href="https://www.restaurantonline.co.uk/Article/2023/07/17/government-considers-hospitality-boot-camps-to-tackle-recruitment-crisis">hospitality boot camps</a> where Job Centre candidates are sent to pick up key hospitality skills and placed in easy take up roles.&nbsp;&nbsp; There is also talk of hospitality being added to the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skilled-worker-visa-shortage-occupations/skilled-worker-visa-shortage-occupations">shortage occupation list</a>, alongside care, health and STEM roles, in order to keep everything running. The run up to Christmas could prove particularly challenging.&nbsp; What has caused the skills shortage?&nbsp; The Covid-19 pandemic had a particularly adverse impact on talent availability in the hospitality sector. Repeated lockdowns shut down the industry and despite the furlough scheme, many people had to find alternative employment in new remits such as retail.&nbsp;&nbsp; However, once the sector was able to open again, many workers didn&rsquo;t return. Having discovered that they could work different, sometimes more amenable, hours, a significant proportion of ex-hospitality employees chose to continue on a different career path.&nbsp; Brexit is another factor which has impacted the availability of hospitality workers. As with HGV drivers, many staff in the sector chose &ndash; or had no other option than &ndash; to return to their home country following the UK&rsquo;s exit from the European Union.&nbsp;&nbsp; In fact, according to <a href="https://www.thecaterer.com/news/more-than-92000-european-union-eu-workers-estimated-left-uk-hospitality-sector">The Caterer</a>, around 92,000 hospitality workers are estimated to have left the country in the year that followed Brexit. Unfortunately, even for those looking to return should the government put hospitality on the shortage occupation list, the <a href="https://blog.infraspeak.com/hospitality-labour-shortage/">Tier 2 visa restrictions</a> mean that many will be unlikely to have a contract of employment that meets the annual salary requirement of such a visa.&nbsp;&nbsp; This exodus of talent has had a lasting impact on the sector. In fact, in the summer of 2023, trade body, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66021588">UK Hospitality,</a> revealed that vacancies were 48% higher than pre-Covid levels. These hiring difficulties are being noted in both the public and private sector, but focusing specifically on local authorities and other public sector employers, the shortage of catering and cleaning staff in hospitality is significant.&nbsp;&nbsp; In its <a href="https://www.apse.org.uk/index.cfm/apse/members-area/briefings/2021/21-56-local-government-skills-shortages-and-workforce-capacity/">Big Workforce Survey</a>, the Association for Public Service Excellence, found that over 55% of its members were facing severe or moderate difficulties recruiting these resources. We also saw <a href="https://www.thecaterer.com/news/houses-of-parliament-staff-shortages">reports</a> back in July of restaurants in the Houses of Parliament facing no other option than to reduce opening hours as a result of staff shortages.&nbsp; This hospitality skills shortage isn&rsquo;t just affecting private hotels, pubs, restaurants and resorts.&nbsp; &nbsp; Hospitality skill shortages in the public sector&nbsp; The public sector hospitality services skills shortages have been an issue for some time &ndash; in fact, some <a href="https://blog.infraspeak.com/hospitality-labour-shortage/">reports </a>suggest that the sector has been &ldquo;understaffed since 2006, with a steady 90,000 unfilled vacancies since 2017.&rdquo;&nbsp; Hospitality workers in the public sector cover a wide range of roles, including hospital and care home canteens and cafes, school meal production and supervision, and home care food preparation and delivery. All of these are essential roles to ensure both a good quality standard of care for those involved, and to ensure a good working environment for those working in the public sector.
Without these workers the public sector cannot run efficiently and there will be a domino effect on how this affects society.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Patients able to go home but unable to access home food provision will be stuck in hospital, where skills shortages will mean that meals are inconsistently delivered, putting the onus of care on friends and relatives, with morale low in the hospital where members of staff aren&rsquo;t able to access food and drink services.&nbsp;&nbsp; Meanwhile, children are getting a lower standard of food in their schools due to labour shortages there as well, putting further pressure on their parents to subsidise the school food provision.&nbsp; &nbsp; Targeting underrepresented groups as a labour shortage solution&nbsp; Identifying and engaging previously untapped pools of talent is a growing way of overcoming the skills and labour shortage taking place in the hospitality industry - in both the public and private sector.&nbsp;&nbsp; This might include a wide range of underrepresented groups that hadn&rsquo;t previously considered hospitality as a career option and/or have hospitality skills but hadn&rsquo;t thought to use these skills in the public sector.&nbsp; Ex offenders are one such group. <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/why-more-uk-businesses-are-offering-employment-for-ex-offenders-in-2023">Only 17% of ex-offenders are in employment within 12 months of leaving prison</a> and if this number could be increased, not only could the UK cut reoffending by at least 9%, but skills shortages could also be reduced.&nbsp; There are already big names looking into how ex-offenders might make the transition from prison to gainful employment in hospitality. <a href="https://feweek.co.uk/fred-sirieixs-prisoner-run-restaurants-to-expand-to-boost-hospitality-skills/">First Dates star Fred Sirieix has set up a charity</a> to train prisoners in the hospitality industry, spanning three prisons to date, with significant success. According to the charity, 61 individuals entered the programme in the first two years, with 95% of them obtaining at least one level 2 NVQ in hospitality areas.&nbsp; Obtaining qualifications is only half of the battle though. Employers &ndash; to include the public sector &ndash; need to create partnerships with prisons and their workforce partners, working together with prisons to identify how to help ex-offenders find the right positions. If successful, these employers may find that these ex-offenders turned hospitality workers go on to be some of their most motivated and loyal employees.&nbsp;&nbsp; For more examples of inclusive workforce solutions, take a look our whitepaper on recruiting from underrepresented groups, including age, gender, background and work history. <a href="../../../../../../gated-content/whitepaper-navigating-skills-shortages-through-inclusive-workforce-solutions">Read the full whitepaper on Navigating Skills Shortages Through Inclusive Workforce Solutions</a>
Comensura are here to help&nbsp;&nbsp; Since 2001 we&rsquo;ve been helping organisations plan, build and manage their workforces. We save companies money and time, ensuring full compliance and quality at every step. We bring simplicity to the complex process of acquiring contingent and permanent talent, workforce management, and people-based services procurement. All of this is made possible by our proprietary, adaptive tech, as well as data-driven insights and a team of experts dedicated to making a difference.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; If you are struggling with finding the hospitality talent you need, we have strategies, advice, and solutions from our experienced team to help. Simply drop us a message on our <a href="../../../../../../contact">contact us page</a>.

The hospitality sector skills shortage has received a recent rush of concern and publicity, with government ministers meeting to discuss concerns and ideas such as <a href="https://www.restaurantonline.co.uk/Article/2023/07/17/government-considers-hospitality-boot-camps-to-tackle-recruitment-crisis">hospitality boot camps</a> where Job Centre candidates are sent to pick up key hospitality skills and placed in easy take up roles.&nbsp;&nbsp; There is also talk of hospitality being added to the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skilled-worker-visa-shortage-occupations/skilled-worker-visa-shortage-occupations">shortage occupation list</a>, alongside care, health and STEM roles, in order to keep everything running. The run up to Christmas could prove particularly challenging.&nbsp;

Hospitality Labour Shortages: Why the public & private sectors need to think outside the box

The latest statistics from the annual <a href="https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Adult-Social-Care-Workforce-Data/Workforce-intelligence/publications/national-information/The-state-of-the-adult-social-care-sector-and-workforce-in-England.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Skills for Care Workforce</a> analysis show that there were around 165,000 vacant posts in the social care sector in 2021 / 22. While a staggering figure on its own, this is a significant increase from the previous year where this number stood at 55,000 and marks the largest number of empty roles recorded since records began in 2012 / 13.
Our own insight further highlights this growing pressure on skills requirements. According to statistics collated by Comensura, demand for those with child protection skills has increased 179% since 2018, while those with experience of working with children have noted a 158% uptick in desire for their skills. More broadly, social work attributes have seen a 155% spike in demand.
The care sector has faced resourcing difficulties for some time, but for public sector employers, the competition from the private sector has only served to exacerbate the issue. With the latter often able to use higher pay as an incentive, the drain on talent pools has been significant.
Long term impact of skills shortages for the community
The impact that these worker shortages are having on the general public is profound, with <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/carers-struggle-to-find-support-for-loved-ones-amid-enormous-staff-shortage-in-adult-care-sector-12835867" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">news</a> reports of carers struggling to access the support they need growing in number. <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/shortage-workers-london-crisis-social-care-b1084775.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Reports</a> have also indicated that this talent crisis is adding to pressures on the NHS, with beds being taken up by elderly or vulnerable patients with no access to care packages, meaning they can&rsquo;t be discharged. 
In the UK we have an aging population. An aging population that needs assistance. According to a <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1733885/care-crisis-elderly-nhs-Caroline-Abrahams-age-uk-charity" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">study carried out by Age UK</a>, in October of 2022 2.5m older people said they were finding it difficult to get dressed and/or undressed, 2.2m said cooking themselves a hot meal was too much for them, and 3m were even struggling to get out of bed. These vulnerable people either need care on a day-to-day basis, or assessments in order to get the equipment or support to live comfortably.
Where is the staff shortage coming from?
The reasons behind the shortage of care workers are widespread &ndash; more demand and less staff is the underlying issue. This is unlikely to be resolved with a silver bullet solution but pay is certainly an issue. The challenge, of course, is that local authorities have <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/shortage-workers-london-crisis-social-care-b1084775.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">limited spending</a> power as budgets are continually slashed, leaving many unable to compete with the pay on offer in the private care sector. 
It&rsquo;s not just competition from other care employers adding to the drain of resources<s>,</s> though. According to a report from the <a href="https://www.apse.org.uk/index.cfm/apse/members-area/briefings/2021/21-56-local-government-skills-shortages-and-workforce-capacity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE)</a>, local authorities and suppliers of care workers are also facing competition from industries such as retail, where better pay and more reasonable hours can often be provided.
There&rsquo;s also the issue of agency fee increases and a reliance on off-PSL vendors to fill urgent gaps, which is creating a <a href="https://nation.cymru/news/wales-is-facing-a-social-worker-shortage-and-some-councils-are-spending-millions-plugging-the-gaps/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pay spiral</a>, with some able to command above average fees for the supply of workers. 
Despite the challenges facing care worker recruitment, a career in this remit is incredibly rewarding, which is arguably one of the key motivators of those who continue to work in this area. Indeed, a <a href="https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/who-cares/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">report</a> from the Resolution Foundation indicated that many people are attached to their job, suggesting that quite often workers view it as a &lsquo;vocation&rsquo; rather than just a job. 
The same study also indicates that the flexibility of the hours meets the requirements that some can&rsquo;t find elsewhere. For example, close to one-in-five frontline care workers are women with dependent children. 
While there may be staff shortages in care, there are clear positives to capitalise on in talent attraction strategies, beyond pay inflation. 
Overcoming care skills shortages 
<a>A local authority case study</a>
We&rsquo;ve worked with an upper-tier local authority for a non-metropolitan county in the North West of England. They pride themselves on being great employers in order to attract the best employees, so they can deliver high quality services to people in the region. 
Staff shortages in healthcare, social services, logistics and planning have a serious impact on a local authority&rsquo;s capacity to deliver services and reduces their ability to help central government meet key pledges.
They were looking to take a more collaborative and organised approach to sustainable employment, with a focus on finding local, available talent. They also wanted to help local people without the immediately required skills but who have the potential to develop and find employment within the local authority.&nbsp; The initiative needed to be cost and time efficient in its approach, but with a long-term outlook to ensure sustainable pricing and good levels of retention.
Instead of a purely contingent workforce-based approach, sourcing both permanent and temporary talent for roles was included. This was to not only ensure that all roles were filled, and labour shortages were reduced, but where permanent staff could be used, they were, in order to cut the costs involved in the recruiting and induction of new team members.
Another completely new initiative for this local authority was the introduction of a Statement of Work Management solution, which is to be used across the board in all projects that are output based &ndash; care being one of them. 
Inclusive workforce solutions
Identifying and engaging previously untapped pools of talent is another way to overcome the skills shortage which is only likely to grow as the population continues to age. This can include a wide range of underrepresented groups that hadn&rsquo;t previously considered care as a career option.
Whilst many sectors such as the facilities management sector are looking to recruit more women due to a lack of gender balance, in the care sector the opposite is true. Only <a href="https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/news/social-work-in-england-emerging-themes-report-launched" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">18% of care workers are currently male</a>, and only <a href="https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/news/social-work-in-england-emerging-themes-report-launched/#:~:text=There%20are%2099%2C191%20social%20workers,worker%20in%20England%20is%2045." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">17% of social workers are male.</a> 
The care sector can use tactics embraced by other sectors to target men as the underrepresented gender, to demonstrate to them that caring is a rewarding career option not closed to them. Likewise for different ages groups, backgrounds, ethnicities, and with disabilities.
<a href="https://www.comensura.com/insights/whitepaper-navigating-skills-shortages-through-inclusive-workforce-solutions">Read the full whitepaper on Navigating Skills Shortages Through Inclusive Workforce Solutions</a>
Comensura are here to help 
Since 2001 we&rsquo;ve been helping organisations plan, build and manage their workforces. We save companies money and time, ensuring full compliance and quality at every step. We bring simplicity to the complex process of acquiring contingent and permanent talent, workforce management, and people-based services procurement. All of this is made possible by our proprietary, adaptive tech, as well as data-driven insights and a team of experts dedicated to making a difference.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
If you are struggling with finding the care talent you need, we have strategies, advice, and solutions from our experienced team to help. Simply drop us a message on our <a href="../../../../../../contact" target="_blank" rel="noopener">contact us page</a>.
<div>&nbsp;</div>

The latest statistics from the annual <a href="https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Adult-Social-Care-Workforce-Data/Workforce-intelligence/publications/national-information/The-state-of-the-adult-social-care-sector-and-workforce-in-England.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Skills for Care Workforce</a> analysis show that there were around 165,000 vacant posts in the social care sector in 2021 / 22. While a staggering figure on its own, this is a significant increase from the previous year where this number stood at 55,000 and marks the largest number of empty roles recorded since records began in 2012 / 13.

Crisis in Care: Just how big are the talent challenges local authorities and private sector care facing?

Planning talent needs in line with a business&rsquo;s objectives makes strategic sense. By taking a holistic view of available skills - both within the organisation and beyond - talent management professionals can ensure their workforces operate at maximum efficiency.
However, according to research from <a href="https://www.gartner.com/en/human-resources/insights/talent-analytics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gartner</a>, just 21% of HR leaders believe their organisations are effectively using talent data to shape talent acquisition and recruiting strategies, improve employee engagement, and inform other business decisions. So, what does an effective workforce planning strategy really look like? And how can your business benefit from taking this approach? Here's what you need to know about workforce planning.
What is workforce planning?
Workforce planning is the process of ensuring that the right people, with the right skills, are in the right place at the right time to deliver a business&rsquo;s commercial strategy. Today, effective (and even advanced) workforce planning is a feasible talent management strategy for any size company, thanks to the widespread availability of advanced HR and talent analytics tools.
<a href="https://business.linkedin.com/content/dam/me/business/en-us/talent-solutions/talent-intelligence/workforce/pdfs/Final_EMEA_Rise-of-Analytics-Report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn reports</a> that at least 19% of companies have adopted HR analytics to plan workforces more effectively, and 12% have dedicated HR analytics roles. However, for many HR leaders, the concept of workforce planning still seems daunting.
The good news is that applying analytics to answer critical HR questions is a lot simpler than you may imagine. For example, by calculating the percentage of employees who are eligible to retire in the next five years, firms can ensure their talent pipeline is ready to fill these gaps accordingly. And that&rsquo;s just one, basic example.
Why is workforce planning important?
Workforce planning is absolutely integral to wider organisational strategy and now every HR team, in theory, has access to huge volumes of valuable data. The benefits of harnessing this information to implement total workforce planning strategies, in order to aid organisational efficiency, should not be underestimated.By harnessing data to predict the behaviours of employees and market demand fluctuations, HR teams can plan to overcome forecasted skills gaps. This also allows them to bring in external expertise to bolster growth and push into new markets.
In its most sophisticated form, workforce planning can also show where a surplus of talent is available, helping businesses to make better informed decisions about where skills need to be redeployed, or which geographies to target or avoid.
Workforce planning can also be used to model various possible commercial scenarios, in effect helping to future proof an organisation - an invaluable asset in this increasingly unpredictable, fast-paced, globalised world.
By digitally tracking the availability of skills, both within the business and externally in the market, leaders can:
map where permanent workforces can be deployed most effectively see where automation can pick up process-driven tasks that reduce productivity identify the skills they are lacking, and determine if skills gaps can or should be filled on a full-time or contingent basis. The elements of workforce planning
By identifying short and long-term strategic priorities, businesses can build a robust workforce plan to enable HR leaders to target inefficiencies, see where people can and should be moved within the organisation, and identify relevant strategies for focussed people development.
The key is to keep business goals front and centre of every plan. Where are you now? And where is your target destination? Any business is only as good as its people, and by pinpointing the gap between present and future talent needs, firms can ensure they are equipped to meet their business objectives.
Of course, there is no exact science to predicting future workforce needs. Indeed, some of today&rsquo;s most in-demand roles didn&rsquo;t even exist a decade ago. However, we can assume that some skills, such as digital, will only continue to grow in prominence. Having a policy of assessing potential recruits for - and hiring based on - core competencies, rather than strictly on specific experience, can also be an effective strategy.
The role of learning and development in workforce planning
When it comes to closing workforce gaps, the argument for offering learning and development opportunities to existing teams, rather than automatically seeking external hires, is a convincing one. Redeploying staff where a business needs talent most is much more efficient than hiring and firing as markets ebb and flow, and staff retention should be a top priority for every company.
At a time when talent scarcity and skills shortages are impacting almost every sector, identifying overlaps in ability and mismatches in skills allows companies to close gaps in a sustainable way. Retraining, upskilling, and redeploying existing talent where possible - rather than continually buying in fresh skills - also has the distinct advantage of promoting a positive corporate culture.
Using technology to predict and meet workforce needs
Today&rsquo;s talent technology can provide reliable data around which employees are suitable for re-skilling, which are likely to move on over time, and what talent is likely to be available in the external market. This helps with predicting gaps within the workforce that may open and close as market demand fluctuates.
This type of data can also be used to implement a policy of growing your own internal talent, which can subsequently help to close projected gaps in the future.
Workforce planning for fluctuations in demand and turnover
A great workforce plan allows a business to flex along with peaks and troughs as demand dictates, as well as undertake robust succession planning. One common misconception about a successful workforce plan is that it is rigid and set in stone. In fact, the opposite is true.
The best strategic workforce plans are dynamic, shifting and evolving in line with both changing organisational objectives and market conditions. An effective plan must be adaptable and almost constantly fine-tuned in order to stay in line with market demand. Covid-19, and associated restrictions on business activity, is a perfect example of why firms must always plan for the unexpected.
Workforce planning example: managing sudden changes in demand
With the outbreak of Covid-19, our customer, which specialises in the delivery of essential public services, saw an exponential increase in demand for healthcare services to support the health crisis.
Demand for workers almost tripled within two months. Elsewhere, the customer was awarded a contract to manage call handling for contact tracing, which also meant that huge volumes of staff had to be recruited, trained and deployed in a matter of days.
By drawing on our deep understanding of the recruitment industry, and working closely with our recruitment agency supply chains, we were able to on-board almost 2,000 workers in an incredibly tight window. This would not have been possible without our extensive experience of planning for similar seasonal fluctuations in demand, and implementing processes to allow the rapid ramping-up of hiring activity.
Find out more about this project and its outcomes in our C<a href="../../../../../../insights/case-studies/customer-case-studies/business-services-client" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ovid-19 customer case study</a>.
The benefits of workforce planning
Mapping skills across the workforce, and using data to drive talent management decisions, can enable a business to accomplish its goals and strategic plan. Analytics tools can help talent managers understand why and when certain individuals, both inside and outside their business, are likely to make career moves. This leads to more effective recruitment strategies and an ability to pinpoint potential areas of concern.
There is no doubt that strategic workforce planning is key to enabling sustainable organisational performance. This perhaps explains why research from Deloitte has found that more than 70% of companies now say they consider people analytics to be a high priority.
Find out how Comensura can help with workforce planning
Ultimately, a workforce should be built to boost output, reduce costs, and increase productivity - while also being adaptable to the needs of the future. By balancing talent supply with skills demand, organisations can ensure their teams perform to maximum efficiency, without skills gaps (or surpluses) so that they are future-fit and firing on all cylinders.
Contact us today to find out how our specialists can help your organisation plan for future workforce needs, and meet them in the most efficient and sustainable way.

An introduction to workforce planning

In <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oGVPbRtrA5YohyqMnpyK-csIvEqkGRXA/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this guide</a>, HR and procurement leaders will discover how they can adapt hiring practices to find and attract the best talent in a competitive market.
The struggle for talent is intensifying in Australia with workforce preferences changing and more employers finding it difficult to fill roles with suitable staff.
What does this mean for HR and procurement leaders?
It's increasingly important for leaders to adjust their thinking and approach to hiring if they are to continue surviving and thriving in fast-changing times.
Get your free copy of the guide to learn:
<ul>
<li>what's driving the war on talent</li>
<li>how workforce preferences are changing</li>
<li>ways to tap into new pools of talent</li>
<li>steps to proactively manage retention risks and talent attraction</li>
<li>how to more effectively communicate your Employee Value Proposition (EVP)</li>
</ul>
Download your free copy of the guide<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oGVPbRtrA5YohyqMnpyK-csIvEqkGRXA/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> here</a>

How to combat the talent shortage in Australia

Acute talent scarcity has been a defining feature of 2021, presenting major challenges for businesses of all shapes and sizes and in all corners of the globe. As we look ahead to 2022, it&rsquo;s clear that this situation isn&rsquo;t likely to improve any time soon.
In this climate, procurement professionals must work to become a customer of choice for suppliers, and an employer of choice for in-demand candidates.
But how?
To discuss how procurement teams can ease the pressure on their recruitment suppliers, and help unblock the flow of talent into their organisations, we partnered with Procurious on a webinar entitled&nbsp;Talent supply: Are you breaking your own chain?
Joining Comensura and Procurious founder Tania Seary on the call were Ross Mandiwall, Global Category Chair for Contingent Labour at IBM, and Amy Fong, VP of Sourcing and Vendor Management at Everest Group.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y44Ffa1ChII" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture"></iframe>
Watch the webinar recording to learn:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>How procurement teams can improve their resourcing and recruitment processes</li>
<li>How to establish closer working relationships with your services suppliers</li>
<li>What more you could be doing to help your recruitment supply chain succeed</li>
<li>How to introduce more flexibility and speed into your hiring and buying processes</li>
<li>What contingent workers want from an employer, and how to create a winning EVP</li>
</ul>

Video: How to help your recruitment suppliers attract scarce talent

In this guide, HR and procurement leaders will learn how to develop a successful, post-pandemic workforce strategy. What will it take to attract, keep, and manage a productive team in this increasingly tough market for talent? Get your copy to find out.
<h4>Download your free copy of the guide <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Soi_IEFEhMtRDUJPPI8gYj3TBOLshrNv/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a></h4>
Rapid digital transformation and remote working have fundamentally changed the nature of work - as well as what individuals want from it. Workforce strategies that were once successful are quickly becoming out of date in this post-pandemic climate.
<h4>What does this mean for HR and procurement leaders?</h4>
It means that to continue providing their organisations with top contingent and permanent talent, they must understand how things have changed - and how to adapt. In this guide, the third in our series on leadership, our workforce solutions experts provide the answers.
Get your <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Soi_IEFEhMtRDUJPPI8gYj3TBOLshrNv/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">copy</a> of the guide to learn:
<ul>
<li>the unique forces that are driving the need for new contingent and permanent workforce strategies</li>
<li>what you can do to attract, retain, and manage the right people post-pandemic</li>
<li>how IR35 changes and flexible working have changed people&rsquo;s work expectations</li>
<li>why demonstrating your value to potential workers is more important than ever.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Download your free copy of the guide <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Soi_IEFEhMtRDUJPPI8gYj3TBOLshrNv/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a></h4>

Leadership in the new normal Part three: your strategy

Candidates with criminal convictions can now apply for jobs at Comensura UK, safe in the knowledge that they will be assessed on their ability to do the job before any convictions are fairly considered.
In signing up to the national Ban the Box campaign from Business in the Community, we&rsquo;ve joined more than 160 employers who are creating a fair chance for ex-offenders to compete for jobs and bringing down the &pound;18 billion a year cost of reoffending.
By signing up to <a href="https://www.bitc.org.uk/employment-and-skills/">Ban the Box</a> and considering whether, when and how to ask about criminal convictions, employers can play a vital role in keeping people out of prison while gaining access to a large and diverse talent pool.
Having a job can reduce a person&rsquo;s chance of reoffending by up to 50%, and we&rsquo;re proud to be leading the way in offering people a chance to turn their lives around while helping to keep communities safer.
Hoa Ngo, Comensura&rsquo;s UK Managing Director, commented:
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m absolutely thrilled to be able to commit Comensura to Ban the Box. As a staffing solutions business, we have a duty to lead from the front when it comes to diversity, inclusivity, and fairness - and this commitment is the latest proof that we take that duty seriously.
&ldquo;Banning the box is consistent with our values to treat others with respect and embrace change. By reconsidering if, when and how we ask candidates about criminal convictions, we&rsquo;re taking one step further in our constant search for a smarter way to work. I hope our commitment inspires even more employers to step forward and Ban the Box.&rdquo;
Kate Carr, Business in the Community&rsquo;s Campaign Manager said:
&ldquo;Two thirds of employers admit to discriminating against people with criminal records but the employers we work with recognise the skills and loyalty this diverse group of people can bring to their roles. Removing the barrier of a tick box can make all the difference to someone deciding to apply to your company or not and we need more forward-thinking employers to join the campaign to help stop the cycle of reoffending.&rdquo;

Comensura Bans the Box on job applications to access new talent

In the first of a series of spotlight articles on contingent staffing we offer some tips and guidance for organisations looking to gain greater value from their use of agency staff through the effective control of demand. In some cases this has seen us help our customers to realise savings of up to 75% on annualised expenditure, and is arguably the best way to reduce cost in this category.&nbsp;
Agency staff are for many organisations an essential component of their workforce, providing amongst other things scalability, flexibility and expertise. It is very easy however to let the costs associated with them spiral out of control without an appropriate level of governance.
The agency staff cost profile
If you take a close look at the total charge rate for an agency worker you will see 5 main component parts:
<ul>
<li>pay rate&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>holiday pay</li>
<li>employers national insurance</li>
<li>pension auto enrolment fee and</li>
<li>agency margin.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Using a worked example of &pound;15 per hour pay rate to the worker, and &pound;1.50 in agency margin, the total cost for the worker equates to about &pound;20.30 per hour once the statutory costs have been applied.
The agency margin element therefore constitutes a mere 8% of the total charge. 92% of cost in this instance is attributed to an agencies cost of sale.
Extrapolated over expenditure of say &pound;10m per annum, you can see that the agency margin &ndash; the amount that is traditionally negotiated within a procurement exercise and then controlled by contract &ndash; is &pound;800,000. So if you want to make 10% savings or more on total spend, you have to start thinking out of the box.
How this cost profile can get out of control
Temporary workers should be just that, workers that are engaged for a temporary period. Why then, is it that some workers are engaged for 9 months or longer?
We carried out some analysis for a manufacturing organisation recently that had had the same temporary worker engaged since 1981, and another since 1987. Whilst this is an extreme example, it is certainly not isolated. Carrying out the same analysis with a bank, we identified several workers who had been engaged for 3 years or more &ndash; the customer actually thought they were permanent employees!
Placing this into a financial context, let&rsquo;s say that the &pound;20.30 pay rate described above has been agreed for a 3 month business case. The cost for this, assuming a 40 hour week across 12 weeks is &pound;9,744 (&pound;20.30 x 40 x 12). Now let&rsquo;s say that the same worker is in place for 12 months &ndash; the cost rises to &pound;42,224 (&pound;20.30 x 40 x 52). The difference of &pound;32,480 therefore represents an eye-watering 330% increase to the committed cost.
Within your own organisation you may feel that this cost risk is under control, but is it really? Going back to the bank that we spoke with, they certainly did. Any PO approvals for &lt;&pound;50k financial commitment required executive board sign off. The majority of contractors engaged cost the business over &pound;50k, but every time the PO approached the magical sign off figure, the cunning line manager would simply create a new PO, and then repeat the process ad infinitum. Approvals are in any case, only effective if someone is prepared to say &lsquo;no&rsquo;, and as discussed above, the real damage is done thought stealth.
How to take control back
Within our managed service models we approach demand management in two way: at a transactional level, and strategically.
Transactional demand management is as it sounds &ndash; best practice controls that place governance over the order approval process, channel opportunity to replacement channels (internal agency, employability provider and so on) and effectively manage tenure.
Strategic demand management refers to the analysis of usage and the implementation of affirmative action to eliminate waste, such as; challenging hiring behaviours; converting workers from temporary to permanent status where pertinent to do so; exiting workers that have become part of the furniture; reviewing controls, and changing these controls where required.
In order to implement both approaches, you will need:
<ol>
<li>A robust system through which contingent staff can be ordered, time-sheeted and invoiced, with flexible approval mechanisms, order allocation controls, tenure controls and detailed management information capability. The system will also need to replicate your organizational structure so that the appropriate permissions and reporting are put into place.</li>
<li>Access to an expert resource that fully understands the contingent recruitment market, can interpret management information and who can use their expertise to advise on opportunities to reduce demand.</li>
<li>A managed supply chain, where the agency&rsquo;s inherent interest in actively stimulating demand is firmly shackled and under control.</li>
<li>An internal contract manager who is prepared to challenge line manager behaviour and implement change where a business case dictates.</li>
<li>A firm, senior level mandate.&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
The benefits
Working with our customers, we have helped them to realise up to 75% in savings on their total spend on temporary workers, and importantly, helped them to maintain their expenditure at this level without compromising the quality of worker provided.
For example, one of our local authority customers spent &pound;12,500,000 in 2012/2013, and through the implementation of a number of the measures discussed above had reduced annualised expenditure to &pound;3,500,000 by 2014/2015, a level which is still maintained in 2017.
More recently we have helped another customer to reduce their annual spend from peak levels of &pound;18m to a steady &pound;5.8 over an 18 month transition period. We have been repeated this pattern across a number of customers - &pound;43m per annum to &pound;19m, &pound;34m to &pound;18m, &pound;7m to &pound;3m and so on, albeit with different metrics applied and over varying time periods.
The overall opportunity within your organisation depend on your own circumstances and the tools available to you to combat demand effectively; either way, it is likely that if you spend in excess of a million on agency staff there will be money to be saved.

The Importance of Managing Demand

By implementing the following measures on pay rates and costs, organisations can minimise costs incurred by a temporary workforce:
Ensure transparency
Recruitment agencies inform you on the pay rate for each temporary worker, and it&rsquo;s important that you make this information visible to managers within your organisation. Look at the pay rates for temporary workers across the organisation and ensure they are consistent with those of workers performing similar tasks, and align them with that of permanent workers. This will help reduce any anomalies that might exist, and standardise pay rates to prevent workers demanding a raise based on how others are paid. 
Benchmark against local employers
Probe into the pay of temporary roles in the area. Local sources such as recruitment agencies, competitors or Job Centre Australia may give you access to how much people are typically paid in the types of temporary jobs that you provide. This will give you a better idea of suitable pay rates and prevent you from paying over the odds. 
Align with your employer brand and strategy
Your organisation may look for specific traits in candidates to fill certain roles, which you should abide by when procuring temporary staff. Vacancies are then more likely to be filled by a type of worker that has previously performed well in a similar role. Ensure that you&rsquo;re offering a pay rate that will attract this kind of person.
Implement authorisation processes for inflation
It&rsquo;s inevitable that you&rsquo;ll need to uplift pay rates from time to time, particularly as a response to changes in the job market. The most efficient way of doing this is by using an approval process that consults all the relevant people and ensures that the rise is reasonable.
Standardise expenses
Temporary worker expenses such as travelling costs and accommodation can sometimes be forgotten about, even though it collectively amounts to a considerable cost. Determine what constitutes acceptable expenses for your organisation and apply it as a standard rate for every temporary worker. There are many benefits to reap from the use of temporary workers, such as flexibility and the ability to cover permanent worker absences. But without maintaining the overall costs, you risk it being a drain of resources. By putting processes into place that determine acceptable pay rates and costs, you can ensure that you&rsquo;re getting value for money when procuring temporary staff and that you&rsquo;re carrying out the process cost-effectively. To find out more about how to manage your costs of supply effectively <a href="../../../../../../gated-content/a-practical-guide-to-msp-costs">download our Supply Costs practical guide.</a>

Top tips for getting value for money from your temporary worker costs

<h2>A perfect match?</h2>With 100+ employees split between the UK and Australia, we’re a tight-knit team that feels more like a family - a place where all contributions are important and valued. Here’s what we look for in new team members. Here’s what we look for in new team members:

<h1>Join us</h1>At Comensura, hiring isn’t just about getting you through the door; it’s about us growing together and helping our customers succeed. See what it’s like to be part of the Comensura team and view our vacancies.

<h3>Join Team Comensura</h3>With 100+ employees split between the UK and Australia, we’re a tight-knit team that feels more like a family - a place where all contributions are important and valued.

<h2>Book a demo</h2>Book a demo of our c.net platform with our workforce experts and find out the art of the possible. They’ll show you exactly how Comensura’s leading technology can work for you.

<h1>What makes us different</h1>We’re an experienced, reliable pair of hands – with the passion, knowledge, and a hard-earned reputation to give you the confidence that Comensura is the smart choice for your organisation. But what makes us stand out from the crowd?

<h2>We take ESG seriously</h2>We use recruitment and the power of work to build better futures for our colleagues, clients, communities, and planet. We are committed to operating responsibly, sustainably, and ethically, and choose to partner with customers and suppliers who share these guiding principles.&nbsp;Below are just a few of the initiatives we are delivering as part of Impellam Group to play our part in cultivating a better world.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<h2>Book a demo</h2>Arrange a demo of our c.net system with one of our supply chain management specialists. They&rsquo;ll show you exactly how Comensura&rsquo;s leading technology can work for you.

<h2>Smarter workforce solutions</h2>We bring simplicity to the complex process of acquiring contingent and permanent talent, workforce management, and people-based services procurement. All of this is made possible by our proprietary, adaptive tech, as well as data-driven insights and a team of experts dedicated to making a difference.

<h1>About Comensura</h1>Since 2001 we’ve been helping organisations plan, build and manage their workforces. We save companies money and time, ensuring full compliance and quality at every step.&nbsp;We’re way more than just a vendor-neutral MSP. We provide access to essential talent - through bespoke CWM solutions, Statement of work management, superior supply chain management, direct sourcing and the fullest capability of our parent group, Impellam.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<h2>We take ESG seriously</h2>We use recruitment and the power of work to build better futures for our colleagues, clients, communities, and planet. We are committed to operating responsibly, sustainably, and ethically, and choose to partner with customers and suppliers who share these guiding principles.&nbsp;Below are just a few of the initiatives we are delivering as part of Impellam Group to play our part in cultivating a better world.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<h2>Award winning workforce solutions and technology</h2>

<h2>Insights to drive workforce performance</h2>

<h3>Generating employer brand-led, technology-enabled communities of talent, managed by experts</h3>

<h2>Unique in the market</h2>Our approach is not reliant on technology alone. It’s a holistic, integrated solution that includes talent marketing and talent delivery expertise - underpinned by the latest technology. We work in partnership with you to develop a bespoke direct sourcing strategy and build talent communities.

<h2>Book a Demo</h2>Arrange a demo of our c.net system with one of our supply chain management specialists. They&rsquo;ll show you exactly how Comensura&rsquo;s leading technology can work for you.

<h2>Book a Demo</h2>
Arrange a demo of our c.net system with one of our supply chain management specialists. They’ll show you exactly how Comensura’s leading technology can work for you.

<h1>Award winning workforce solutions and technology</h1>Our smarter workforce solutions and proprietary, adaptive technology have received multiple awards, accreditations, and outstanding analyst rankings.

<h2>Book a Demo</h2>
Arrange a demo of our c.net system with one of our supply chain management specialists. They&rsquo;ll show you exactly how Comensura&rsquo;s leading technology can work for you.

<h2>Book a Demo</h2>Arrange a demo of our c.net system with one of our supply chain management specialists. They’ll show you exactly how Comensura’s leading technology can work for you.

<h2>Get in touch</h2>We’d love to hear about your resourcing needs, and discuss ways that we can help you meet them. Use the details below or the form to get in touch.

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<h1>Submission Success</h1>
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<h2>We’ve been recognized for our CWM, DE&amp;I &amp; direct sourcing capabilities</h2>

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We simplify workforce acquisition and management with smart tech, enabled by smart people, streamlining people-based procurement. We save companies money and time, while ensuring full compliance and better access to talent.

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<h2>Answer the questions below to understand if SoW management can help you get work done better and more efficiently!</h2>
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<h1>Smarter workforce solutions</h1>
We simplify workforce acquisition and management with smart tech, enabled by smart people, streamlining people-based procurement. We save companies money and time, while ensuring full compliance and better access to talent.

<h3>Join Team Comensura</h3>
With 100+ employees split between the UK and Australia, we’re a tight-knit team that feels more like a family - a place where all contributions are important and valued.

<h2>Smarter workforce solutions</h2>
Our flexible, adaptive VMS platform, c.net, and our team of experts work seamlessly together to solve your complex, workforce management and people-based procurement challenges. Our solutions bring a vast pool of contingent workers, permanent candidates, and service providers straight to your fingertips.

<h2>Book a demo</h2>
Book a demo of our c.net platform with our workforce experts and find out the art of the possible. They’ll show you exactly how Comensura’s leading technology can work for you.

<h1>Our smart people become your smart people</h1>Our people are the heart of our business. From our experienced strategists and supply chain management experts to our account managers and system developers, our brilliant people set us apart from the rest. It’s our determination to do even more and to always be ambitious and brave for our customers.At Comensura and Impellam Group we call it Virtuosity and you’ll see it every day in the way we are innovative and creative, using our decades of global experience to unleash potential.

<h2>Book a Demo</h2>Book a demo of our c.net platform with our workforce experts and find out the art of the possible. They’ll show you exactly how Comensura’s leading technology can work for you.

<h2>Workforce insights in your inbox</h2>
Sign up for our newsletter with the latest workforce management news, insights, analysis and more.

<h3>Source and pay staff from your own network with our end-to-end payroll solution</h3>

<h2>Payroll</h2>Our easy-to-use payroll solution does the hard work for you, removing the administrative burden associated with non-employee payroll and providing outstanding candidate experiences.

<h1>Smarter workforce solutions</h1>From vendor neutral and hybrid contingent and permanent staffing supply chains to services procurement, our flexible, adaptive VMS platform, c.net, and our team of specialist experts work seamlessly together to solve your complex, people-based procurement challenges.&nbsp;

<h2>Solution benefits</h2>We make things simple – with one place for all your people-based procurement needs. Forget the chaos of multiple hiring managers juggling multiple systems and invoices from multiple suppliers.

<h2>Our Smarter Solutions</h2>From contingent and permanent staffing supply chains to services procurement, our flexible, adaptive VMS platform, c.net, and our team of specialist experts, work seamlessly together to solve your complex, people-based procurement challenges.

<h2>Book a demo</h2>Book a demo of our c.net platform with our workforce experts and find out about the art of the possible. They’ll show you exactly how Comensura’s leading technology can work for you.

<h1>Understanding and using SoW management from Comensura</h1>
Welcome to Statement of work (SoW) management from Comensura! If you have not used the solution - or indeed a structured way or tech platform in which to manage your services or project SoWs - then this page is for you.

<h2>Award winning workforce solutions and technology</h2><h2> </h2>

<h3>Optimise your services procurement with ultimate visibility and control</h3>

<h2 class="MsoNormal">Top 4 SoW management questions answered</h2>
We know that for someone new to using SoWs or managing an SoW in a new tech platform, there are questions. But don’t worry, it’s quite simple once broken down into bitesize chunks. Our experts have detailed what we believe are the top 4 questions for users new to SoW management from Comensura.&nbsp;

<h2>Speak to our SoW experts</h2>
Get support, advice or demo of our c.net technology platform with our SoW experts and get started managing your first SoW. Our experts will show you exactly how Comensura&rsquo;s leading SoW managed solution and c.net technology can work for you.

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<h1>Suppliers</h1>Working with Comensura gives suppliers, the potential to supply temporary, consultant, interim and permanent staff to more than 133 large public and private sector organisations. We manage over £1 billion of workforce spend globally – so it’s no surprise that our recruitment suppliers see Comensura as a key route to market and have seen significant growth as a result.

Free yourself from sales and marketing costs&nbsp;Orders come directly from our c.net VMS platform. There’s no selling or marketing involved, saving suppliers both time and money and allowing them to devote more resources to what they do best: outstanding sourcing, candidate management and customer service.&nbsp;Keeping our suppliers happy&nbsp;Comensura can only provide the best service for our clients if our suppliers are happy. And that means making sure our suppliers get real benefits from being part of our network.&nbsp;Access wider opportunities&nbsp;Suppliers can respond to opportunities from organisations which they wouldn’t be able to reach any other way. In our UK and Australia regions, we have wide coverage of some of the largest private sector companies and a public sector organisations.&nbsp;&nbsp;Compete on a level playing field&nbsp;We’re independent and don’t supply workers ourselves. What matters to us is a supplier’s expertise and ability to fulfil our client’s requirements. Small or large, every supplier competes for business on equal terms, each able to maximise opportunity on their own specific strengths.&nbsp;&nbsp;Build a track record and get greater opportunities&nbsp;We rank suppliers using a mixture of quantitative measures and customer feedback. The better client needs are met, the more opportunities a supplier gets. Suppliers can see exactly how they rank and compare with competitors.&nbsp;Get paid sooner&nbsp;Our automated payment process includes online timesheets and gives clients an accurate single weekly invoice covering all their Comensura workers. This makes it quick and easy for clients to check and process payments, so suppliers get paid sooner - which is great for cashflow.&nbsp;&nbsp;Save admin time&nbsp;Our c.net software streamlines workflow and saves suppliers time. The technology is simple to use, and we help suppliers make the most of it. Initial training gets suppliers up and running, and there’s 24/7 support from our Customer Service Centre with dedicated supplier support.&nbsp;

<h2>Become a supplier</h2>We only work with the best recruitment suppliers. Like-minded partners that share our candidate-centric approach. If you would like to join the Comensura supplier network, get in touch.

<h2>Talent bank</h2>Our Talent bank solution provides real-time access to a pool of high quality, pre-screened contingent workers, ready to go – for any unexpected or last-minute positions you need to fill fast.

<h1>Technology</h1>Make efficient and informed decisions with our intuitive and adaptable VMS technology platform c.net.Based on customer feedback to overcome staffing challenges, c.net helps you to recruit better workers objectively, saving time and money without compromising on technology that fits around your organisation.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<h2>Technology benefits</h2>We make things simple – with one place for all your people-based procurement needs. Forget the chaos of multiple hiring managers juggling multiple systems and invoices from multiple suppliers.

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<h2>Book a demo</h2>Arrange a demo of our c.net system with one of our supply chain management specialists. They’ll show you exactly how Comensura’s leading technology can work for you.

Award winning workforce solutions and technology<h2> </h2>

<h3>Vendor neutral contingent workforce management solutions for finding and keeping great talent, time and cost effectively</h3>

<h2>Vendor neutral managed services</h2>We will change the way you manage your contingent workforce &ndash; removing the challenges&nbsp;and simplifying working at scale.&nbsp;Our MSP solutions evolve with you and can be infused with Impellam&rsquo;s extensive expertise for improved access to talent.

<h3>Effective and consistent pre-employment and governance checks</h3>

<h2>Vetting and screening</h2>We deliver effective and consistent application vetting and screening regardless of assignment type. This covers a variety of pre-employment and governance checks.