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Welcome to the Year of the Rat! Each Chinese year is represented by a different animal, with 2020 ushering in the Year of the Rat but what kind of employee does someone who was born in the year of the Rat make? People born in the Year of the Rat make excellent employees as they are smart, resourceful and quick-witted. Read on to find out more... Creative They have great imaginations making them perfect for jobs in the arts, such as actors and writers or creative sectors such as fashion and design. Leaders They make great business leaders as they are able to make sharp observations and have the ability to take advantage of several opportunities. Poor Communication They do however have some weakness - their poor communication skills can sometimes come across as rude! However, they make great colleagues as they are kind and sensitive to other people's emotions! Money They could be a good fit in accounts as enjoy saving their money, but probably shouldn't work in purchasing as this personality trait can sometimes cause them to waste their money on unnecessary things. Strengths: Intelligent, optimistic and adaptable Weaknesses: Stubborn, timid and greedy Not born in the year of the Rat - find out which animal represents the year you were born. The years below are a rough guide; bear in mind that if you were born in January or February it may be slightly different as the new year moves between January 21 and February 20. Rat: 2020, 2008, 1996, 1984, 1972, 1960 Ox: 2009, 1997, 1985, 1973, 1961 Tiger: 2010, 1998, 1986, 1974, 1962 Rabbit: 2011, 1999, 1987, 1975, 1963 Dragon: 2012, 2000, 1988, 1976, 1964 Snake: 2013, 2001, 1989, 1977, 1965 Horse: 2014, 2002, 1990, 1978, 1966 Sheep: 2015, 2003, 1991, 1979, 1967 Monkey: 2016, 2004, 1992, 1980, 1968 Rooster: 2017, 2005, 1993, 1981, 1969 Dog: 2018, 2006, 1994, 1982, 1970 Pig: 2019, 2007, 1995, 1983, 1971 If you want to start the Chinese New Year with a new job, click here to access our jobs or click here for your nearest branch. Sources: The Daily Express, The Telegraph

If you are feeling extra blue today don't worry, you are not alone! Every year, the third Monday of January is dubbed “Blue Monday”. This is because it's cold and dark outside, you're probably broke from Christmas and could well have broken all your New Years resolutions by now! Dry what now? However, what we didn't know is that Blue Monday is more than just a feeling, it is actually based on a formula created in 2004 by psychologist Cliff Arnall. W = weather D = debt d = monthly salary T = time since Christmas Q = time since failing our new year's resolutions M = low motivational levels Na = the feeling of a need to take action If Blue Monday has you looking for a new job, look no further, we have 100s of vacancies. Click here for our job search.

It seems so easy to take your job search into your own hands these days and bypass recruitment agencies altogether. After all, you have Google for Jobs, Indeed, LinkedIn and a multitude of job boards at your fingertips! You may also know all the companies in your area that you would be a good fit for. But hang on a minute, you’ve applied directly to the employer for a few roles and not heard anything - Quelle surprise! Maybe you're not sure exactly the best way into that company? And maybe you want to consider more than one company, indeed, you want to consider them all! Maybe there is still a place for a good recruiter in your job search after all; here we give five excellent reasons for letting a recruiter help you find your next role! 1. It will save you time Your time is precious, you may already have a full-time job and you want to spend your spare time doing the things you enjoy, not scouring the job boards. A good recruiter will already know about most of the vacancies in your sector and/or will know exactly where to look. They have eight hours a day dedicated to matching candidates with vacancies, so let them do it for you. They also know the hiring managers personally and have direct lines into them. They speak to them all the time. It’s their job to know their clients’ businesses inside out. In some cases, better than their own HR departments do. "An established recruiter will have invaluable market knowledge and can advise on the current job market trends, including the salary scales and growth areas. We also have excellent relationships with some of the finest and most reputable businesses in the region. We can offer advice and insights into a sector you may be wanting to carve a career within and can advise on the necessary experience, qualifications and qualities needed." Mags Rendle, Recruitment Consultant, Exeter "I represent the best interests of my candidates and my clients. I provide a cross-section of the entire transport planning market allowing the candidate to decide which companies they want me to approach on their behalf. It’s a professional approach and the same way that any agent in any profession works. Robert de Niro and Neymar do not approach Directors or club owners. But they definitely know them all." Fred Ewing, Managing Consultant, Manchester 2. You'll get invaluable advice From ways to improve your CV and interview techniques, to career advice, recruiters have seen more CVs and witnessed more interviews than you have had hot dinners! They are also a valuable source of information – any recruiter worth their salt should be able to answer all your questions and tell you not only about the Company and its culture; its wage and grade structure and benefits, but they should also be able to talk to you about their brand and position in the market place. How they operate in other, related areas, their P+L, share price, flexible working practices. They should even be able to tell you where the Christmas party is… The good ones will know everything. "Candidates have various reasons why they are looking for a new role and it is my job as a recruiter to give advice on how they should position themselves. Maybe if the candidate is looking at various positions, we as recruiters can help them narrow down the best roles for them. Sometimes just having a conversation and stripping back the “why it’s a good role” can be invaluable." Gemma Lawrence Recruitment Consultant, Salisbury "I recently gave some CV writing advice to one of my HR Managers; she had been struggling to secure an interview even though she had lots of experience and excellent skills. I took a look at her CV and sent her a template I thought would better showcase these skills and gave her a few pointers on how best to demonstrate the value she could add to a business in order to grab the hiring manager’s attention." Debbie Lee, Senior Consultant, Croydon 3. They will fight your corner This is an important one, after the recruiter has spoken to you, be it face-to-face or over the phone, they will have gained an insight into the type of person you are and what exactly you are looking for in your next role and company. They can judge if you are right for the job and a good fit for the Company. They will pick up on things that simply cannot be conveyed on a CV or application form, such as your values, sense of humour and integrity. Even more importantly they will then be able to communicate this to their client. Vice-versa, the client may have reservations about you based solely on your CV that the recruiter will now be able to address. "More often than not, candidates do not approach us regarding a specific vacancy. They approach us because of our unique and unparalleled reach into their market discipline. We don’t match people to roles. We match people to people, people to companies, people to projects and people to careers. Positions through the best recruiters are adaptable and shaped by the candidate’s ambitions and expertise and in a lot of cases, ‘created’ by the candidate being introduced to the right people by their recruitment expert." Fred Ewing, Managing Consultant, Manchester 4. They will help you negotiate Exciting times - you’ve been offered the job, it can be easy to get carried away and accept straight away when you’re dealing directly with the client. What if you have been offered four jobs? Who do you bounce this off? Having a recruiter to act as the middle man, gives you breathing space and time to think. It can also be daunting trying to negotiate with a potential new employer, after all, what will they think of you, if you play hardball. This is where going through a recruiter really comes into its own, it is their job to get you the best job AND deal available whilst ensuring it doesn’t reflect badly on you. That’s their job after all – they want you to get the job and they want their client to be happy too. You should especially consider using a recruiter if you have any special requirements, such as flexible or reduced working hours, or you have any gaps in your CV – a good recruiter will help to explain this. They will do the best by you and the client, and further to that offer you the advice you will need when it comes to resigning – one of the most daunting things anyone has to do. "We have candidates who simply don’t know whether their current package is the right one for the role they are in. We provide career advice and workshops to ascertain where they are and where they should be in the market from a financial and career standpoint. We will cover the whole market, talk through bonus and benefit structures and where the career might go with a number of different companies. An offer is not just a salary. In fact, the salary should be the smallest factor in accepting any role. We talk them through the whole process." Fred Ewing, Managing Consultant, Manchester 5. You’re on their radar If you’re not successful the first time, a good recruiter will keep your details on file and you will be the first person they contact when they receive another role that matches your skills, which takes us nicely back to point number one! We would love to help you with your job search, please click here to find your local branch.

Meridian is delighted to win Recruitment Campaign of the Year at The IRP Industry Awards 2019. We were recognised for a recruitment campaign we successfully executed for one of our Onsite clients, a leading meal kit provider. The campaign saw us supply up to 300 production staff daily, within a very tight labour market where competition for labour was very high and unemployment is 0.5%! Judges were impressed by Meridian’s partnership approach which saw them team up with local job centres to promote wellbeing initiatives, this along with the company’s disability confident status, encouraged some candidates who may not have felt confident to apply or enter the workforce, to engage. This resulted in Meridian attracting a new pool of candidates and helped position the client as an “employer of choice” locally. The client commented: “We have been partnering with Meridian for two years. Key to our successful Peak Delivery is the agency’s ability to resource temporary staff in a very tight local labour market. Competition for labour is very high in the local area and unemployment is 0.5% - consequently, we rely on Meridian to promote our business as the “assignment of choice” locally and provide upwards of 300 production staff per day.” The IRP Awards, held at The Royal Lancaster Hotel, celebrates the best of the best in the recruitment industry. Derek Skelton, CEO at Meridian Business Support, said: “I am delighted that our dedicated Onsite team has been recognised for its hard work and dedication to offering tailor-made recruitment solutions and coming up with an innovative campaign to attract candidates in a tight labour market. We are honoured to have been awarded the Recruitment Campaign of the Year Accolade. This campaign is representative of the service offered to all of our clients, not just this account so it’s fantastic to have the business recognised by such a highly respected industry body.” If you are struggling to find the right candidates in a tight labour market, please do not hesitate to contact us today! We have proven we are the experts in our field and would be happy to assist with your next recruitment campaign.

Established in 2004 at the instigation of the UK government, ALP is a specialist trade association promoting responsible recruitment and good practice for organisations that supply the workforce to the food processing, agricultural and wider consumer goods supply chain. The ALP influences government and regulatory policy and provides a range of very useful information and services to its members. The ALP’s mission is for “UK labour provision to be recognised as a model of global good practice” achieved through six policy focus areas: Supply Chain Partner – Driving awareness of the crucial role labour providers undertake in supply chains through the sourcing and supply of a high calibre future workforce. Access to Labour – Promoting national policy actions and developing industry capability to maintain ongoing access to an adequate labour supply of all skill levels. Fair Charge Rates – Promoting payment of fair charge rates to labour providers that enable business sustainability and do not foster worker exploitation or tax evasion. Fair to Workers – Supporting labour providers to meet legal and ethical responsibilities and to treat workers fairly and with respect. Fair Competition – Support for clear and proportionate regulation of labour provision that facilitates fair competition. Responsible Recruitment – Leading a stakeholder partnership approach to drive continuous improvement in responsible recruitment standards applied by labour providers. The ALP is governed by a Members’ Council of labour providers with an independent Chairman and Chief Executive and supported by the following team. Meridian's CEO Derek Skelton is a member of the council. The Association of Labour Providers (ALP) is the specialist trade association promoting responsible recruitment for labour providers. ALP represents and supports its members to ensure that the provision, use and management of labour in our sectors is recognised as a model of good practice. ALP Members range from small local labour providers to the largest national multi-sector suppliers. All organisations in the supply chain are welcomed as Associate Members.

Meridian has been a corporate member of the REC since 2000. Being a member of the REC means being among the best recruitment agencies in the UK. The REC represents a network of more than 3,500 recruitment businesses and more than 10,500 individual recruiters through its Institute of Recruitment Professionals. Maintaining and improving industry standards is a pivotal part of the work that the REC does, which means that all members’ sign up to the Code of Professional Practice and complaints and disciplinary process. In addition, all members’ must pass the REC’s mandatory Compliance test. Which ensures all REC members conduct themselves ethically and adhere to best practice. There binding Code of Professional Practice ensures all REC Members conduct themselves ethically and adhere to best practice. Click here to find out more.

The goal of any leader is, ultimately, to increase output. In the current volatile business climate simply maintaining allows other key players in the industry to gain advantage. However, simply brandishing a whip and telling your team to ‘work harder’ is far from a sustainable way to truly up productivity. Whilst you may see a small increase in output in the short term, of course any leader worth their salt will know that this simply cannot last, or will be at the detriment of quality and diligence. Truly increasing productivity isn’t down to one thing; like most elements of effective leadership, the concept should be approached with finesse and an overarching view of the business’ key functions – one of which should always be to ensure that workers are treated well and with respect. Simply pushing them to their limits will lead to high turnover, poor wellbeing and ultimately a complete breakdown in function. But then what works? How can leaders actually up productivity without compromising other areas? Read on to find out… Review functions Most workers aren’t performing as well as they can, but the truth is that it’s not their fault. Often, good workers simply pick up small voids left by others. This may be as simple as watering plants, or fixing the printer when it jams, yet these little incremental tasks take them away from their actual jobs and waste time. It may take just five minutes to fix a printer jam, but this one task takes them out of whatever they were doing and it may take more than half an hour to get back into the productivity ‘zone’. If you want to ensure that all workers are operating at 100%, take away the fluff that surrounds their core function. Promote breaks It sounds counterproductive, yet ensuing that workers are taking the time to mentally decompress between big tasks is massively beneficial to productivity. A survey conducted by Tork in the US last year found that those who took a fifteen-minute break between big tasks to decompress were not only 38% happier at work, but also 22% more productive; the study also found that the quality of their work was better. So, to do more, professionals must work less. Set small goals It’s all well and good aiming for a grand company objective – yet often this is vague and sets no roadmap to strive for. Your workers don’t need to know that they’re aiming for ‘excellence’ in customer service. This is a given, and provides absolutely no aide in getting there. Instead, set smaller, far more achievable goals with tangible roadmaps to success. Instead of ‘excellence’, why not ‘Upsell THIS service to 10 customers today’. This is easily achievable, and ups productivity through proper guidance. Consider work-life balance No professional is at their best when they can’t mentally divide themselves for their work. Burned out workers get ill, they let things slip and their wellness evaporates, along with their drive and purpose. ONS research suggests that work-related stress was the single largest cause of workplace absence last year. And if you’re their manager, it’s your fault, not theirs. Fight this by ensuring that they aren’t messaged about work outside of work hours, that they go home on time every day, and that they don’t work in evenings and weekends. By dividing these two worlds, they’ll be far more refreshed and ready to work. Promote collaboration Good teams work together to achieve goals, and as a worker, knowing that you have a vast network of expertise that you can call upon if you’re stuck is a massive advantage. But this doesn’t come naturally. Workers are far more likely to simply try and keep their workloads to themselves – so it takes the promotion of collaboration from managers to make it happen. Source: Executive Grapevine

The word depression is used in many different ways. Everyone can feel sad when bad things happen. However, everyday sadness is not depression. People may have a short-term depressed mood, but most manage to cope and soon recover without treatment. A clinical depression lasts for at least two weeks and affects the person's behaviour and has physical and psychological (emotional and cognitive) effects. It also interferes with their ability to work and to have satisfying personal relationships. Depression is a common but serious illness and can be recurrent (people recover but develop another episode later). Symptoms of Depression The World Health Organisation states that a person who is clinically depressed will have at least two of the following symptoms for at least two weeks: An unusually sad mood that does not go away Loss of enjoyment and interest in activities that used to be enjoyable Lack of energy and tiredness People who are depressed can also have other symptoms such as: Loss of confidence in themselves or poor self-esteem Feeling guilty when they are not really at fault Wishin they were dead/suicidal thoughts Bleak and pessimistic views of the future Having difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much Loss of interest in food or eating too much, leading to either loss of weight or putting on weight How many symptoms someone has depends on how severe their depression is. Here is a guide to the severity of depression: Mild depression: 4 of the 10 symptoms over the past two weeks. Moderate depression: 5-7 of the 10 symptoms over the past two weeks Severe depression: 8 out of the 10 symptoms over the past two weeks. Where to go for help? We have put together a list of helpful resources and organisations that can help you or someone you know if they are suffering from depression or any mental health issue. Source: MHFA England

Stress is everywhere and whilst a little stress is OK and some can actually be beneficial, too much stress can wear you down and make you sick, both mentally and physically. Stress can come in many different forms: Physical stress - late nights, binge drinking, illicit drug use, lack of routine, poor diet, illness Environment stress - poor housing, social isolation unemployment, new environments to adjust to such as moving house or holidays Emotional stress - relationship problems, peer pressure, expressed emotion within the family home, conflicting cultural values and beliefs, leaving home, marriage Acute life events - bereavements, physical illness/accident, arrest/imprisonment, fights, pregnancy and childbirth, rape and assault. Chronic stress - accommodation problems, debts, prolonged use of drugs and alcohol. Mental health issues can also become a chronic source of stress in and of themselves. The first step to controlling stress is to know the symptoms of stress but recognising stress symptoms may be harder than you think. Most of us are so used to being stressed, we often don't know we are stressed until we are at the breaking point. What are the symptoms of stress? Stress can affect all aspects of your life, including your emotions, behaviours, thinking ability, and physical health. No part of the body is immune as illustrated in the infographic above. But, because people handle stress differently, symptoms of stress can vary. Symptoms can be vague and maybe the same as those caused by medical conditions. So it is important to discuss them with your doctor. You may experience any of the following symptoms of stress. Stress in the workplace The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has identified six main sources of stress in a workplace environment, which impact not only individual health but also organisational health. These are: 1. Demands (workload, finances, work pattern and work environment) 2. Control (how much say the employee has in the way they work) 3. Support (from the organisation, line manager and colleagues) 4. Relationship (promoting positive working to avoid conflict and dealing with unacceptable behaviour) 5. Role (if employees understand their role and whether the organisation ensures that they do not have conflicting roles) 6. Change (how change is managed and communicated) ​Help is available Stress is a part of life, what matters most is how you handle it. The best thing you can do to prevent stress overload and the health consequences that come with it is to know your stress symptoms and ask for help when it is needed. We have put together a list of helpful resources and organisations that can help you or someone you know if they are suffering from stress or any mental health issue. Sources: MHFA England, WebMD

Mental health issues in the workplace are common, research indicates that one person in four experiences some form of mental health issue in the course of a year, and estimates suggest that at least one in six workers experience depression, anxiety or stress-related issues at any one time. Throughout the course of any person's life, it is highly likely that they will either develop mental ill-health themselves or have close contact with someone who does. There are many different conditions that are recognised as mental illnesses. The more common types include: Depression Anxiety Eating disorders Self-harm Psychosis Substance misuse In the coming weeks, we will be looking at each of these conditions in more detail. Please click here to access our useful mental health resources.