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Specially created for our own ABCs - (Amazing Beyond Recruitment Contractors)​Being a contractor, you may miss out on corporate wellness initiatives and support in your organisation. Also, if you tend to work from home a lot, which can be great for the most part, missing out on workplace wellness opportunities can be a downside. For these reasons, many of the contractors I have spoken with so far have been interested in discussing options for improving their physical and mental wellbeing.With a potentially overflowing to-do list, incorporating new wellness habits into your schedule can feel overwhelming. To help you with this, I created the ABCs of work wellness that are easy and quick to implement. The secret to implementing positive change that sticks is to start super small and keep it consistent. Let’s take a look!A for Awareness, Not AutopilotFirstly, the ‘A’ you don't want here is autopilot. While doing some things on autopilot is essential, it can hold you back professionally and personally if being on autopilot is your default position. Don’t worry if this is you; we all do it to varying degrees! Your brain aims for habit creation and being able to do things without too much thought in order to protect its precious, limited energy reserve. There is absolutely a time and place for this, like getting to work, brushing your teeth and likely some elements of your job. However, this becomes a problem in your life when too many things are habitual, preventing you from making progress and creating the new habits you desire. These habits can be hard to change because our environment contains triggers that cause us to react quickly without thinking.Being aware of your habits and behaviour is crucial for making positive changes. Prioritising awareness allows you to start making new choices and do things differently. Another name for a similar process, that you might have heard is mindfulness, but that doesn’t start with A! In addition, mindfulness is more focused on being in the present moment and what's going on around you, while awareness is more guided towards your behaviour and how you personally engage with your environment. Practicing awareness then allows you to recognise when your responses are not in alignment with who you want to be and allows your brain’s CEO – the prefrontal cortex – to be more intentional about decision-making moving forward.Throughout your working day, start to become aware of how you do things. Take a pause before reacting and consider ways that you could respond differently. Over time, this will shift your neurology, increasing your awareness. Recording your observations of how you do things can be beneficial too.B for BreatheNext is breathe! I know you breathe already, but most of us don’t breathe properly and may actually be doing more damage to our wellbeing than we realise. This is honestly the first suggestion I make to anyone wanting to feel better.When you breathe under 'stress', in a shallow manner without awareness, physiologically your body responds in a way that it feels threatened or unsafe. This affects many things in relation to your health, such as sluggish digestion, heart problems, storing fat (because your body thinks it is trying to 'survive'), low energy, moodiness and more. Your brain also doesn’t get enough oxygen, so cannot function optimally – which is a big problem if you need to use your brain during the day. Learning to breathe in a healthy way will have so many incredible benefits to your mood, energy, health and, in turn, how you perform and feel in your work. You don’t need to take up meditation to get the benefits. Deep breathing, while it sounds super simple, actually creates a significant change in your physiology – altering your state from a sympathetic stressed state (fight or flight) to parasympathetic (rest and digest) and informing (tricks) your brain that you are ‘safe’ and well. Here are just a couple of tips to get you started:Use the 5-5-7 breathe technique. Breathe in deep (right down into your stomach) for 5 seconds, hold for 5 seconds, then let out slower for 7 seconds. A slower exhale is another great way for you to release stress and remind your brain you are safe. Repeat a few times.Use this technique anytime you feel stressed or overwhelmed and at regular intervals throughout the day. You can even set a timer until you become more aware of when to use this. On the way to work or before an important meeting or presentation is also a great time.Taking deep breaths before eating lunch – to remind your brain you are safe and that switching on your digestive system is ok. Once you’ve taken some breaths, eat slowly and mindfully. Your food will be processed more effectively, and you’ll feel less sluggish in the afternoon – despite your choice of food. Improving the quality of your food can come later when you’ve nailed your ABCs.C for CelebrateAnd finally - Celebrate! Being aware of the good things that happen in your day can really change your whole perspective and feeling around how things are going. As contractors, you especially need to give attention to this as you may not have anyone around you letting you know what’s going well.Our brain, annoyingly, is wired to look for the negative and threats, in case there is a tiger in the bush nearby. But in this modern world, having the negative things outweigh the positive is not so helpful, especially for our mental state.The good news is that our brains can be changed. It takes a little work and a lot of awareness, but you can change your overall perspective and soon you’ll start to notice more positivity. In your brain there is a filter system called the Reticular Activating system (RAS) that filters out approximately 90% of your environment, to protect your brain from overload. The RAS is why when you are looking for a new car, suddenly you see that car everywhere, even in the colour you were looking at – they were always there, but now you are more aware of them. Let’s train your RAS to look for what you want to see or experience more. I’m sure you can now see how beneficial this can be for your mental wellbeing and seeing your experience at work from a more positive perspective.Now You Know Your ABCsHopefully you can see how all three ABCs work really well in tandem.Notice that none of the ABCs discusses actual diet and exercise habits. Firstly, you’re probably already so busy and potentially overwhelmed that adding something like that may take a little too much brain and willpower right now.Secondly, simply focusing on improving your energy and outlook with the ABCs will allow more space to up the ante a bit later on. The secret to implementing positive change that sticks is to start super small and keep it consistent. Laying the right foundation when initiating change helps those new habits to stick. You may also find that just focusing on this will elevate your mood to a point where you feel more ready and inspired to add some new healthy habits to your life.A Quick Review:Awareness: Being mindful of your current behaviours and habits that are on autopilot. Once you start using your more advanced prefrontal cortex part of the brain, you will be better able to make more conscious decisions.Breathe: Deep breathing allows your body and brain to feel safe and so all the things you need to be working effectively will be activated. Find time throughout your day to add this in for significant health benefits. It only takes a minute!Celebrate: Being conscious of looking for the good in your day and sitting with it for a bit will rewire your brain to allow it to be open to finding more of it every day.Ask yourself, what steps can you take right now to start incorporating the ABCs of work wellness into your day and ensure that it is consistent so that it becomes a habit?The team at Beyond Recruitment want you to be feeling your best. If you would like help with implementing your ABCs or anything else relating to your wellbeing or contract please get in touch. 

​As we near the end of Q1 2023, we have witnessed some extreme shifts in the recruitment market. Having gone from a job drought in March 2020, to an extreme candidate shortage in 2022 continuing into 2023. With this change in market conditions, we have seen Candidates, Contractors and Clients look at various ways they can plug the skills gap, find balance in life and maximise their earning potential.Plugging the Skills Gaps One of the key strategies that has arisen has been clients hoping to fill the skill gaps by looking to bring on Contractors, which is a highly credible way of reducing your risk, bringing capability into the business unit whilst buying time until, either the market changes or a more permanent resource is secured. Whilst this in principle sounds like a strong strategy, we have seen some recurring misconceptions that need to be addressed. Clients that are not accustomed to using contract resources seem to be looking to secure the skillset at the same budget as a permanent individual would have cost. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. The Demand for Contractors​Clients have been forced to look at hourly rate resources as the typical working holiday visas and returning Kiwis have failed to materialise. A number of employers have been looking to minimise their costs using fixed-term assignments with a pro-rata salary. This is not a bad strategy in a talent-rich market but we are in 2023, one of the most talent-short markets we have seen, at least in my lifetime. This strategy unfortunately fails to attract quality Contractors. They understand the reason behind the fixed-term proposal but in this market where there are so many hourly rate contract opportunities out there, many employers are having to make a number of sacrifices in talent, availability and suitability for positions by using this strategy. Skilled Contractors make a career out of Contracting. Some like the variety, some like the freedom, and some like the opportunity to run their own business. Contracting is a business. Contractors can be GST registered, make tax returns, and must provide insurance (Beyond Recruitment does provide that on behalf of Contractors). In fact, there are several expenses and costs Contractors take on board to provide their services that you must factor in. Factoring the Costs What this means is that when you are looking to secure the services of a Contractor, you must consider and factor these costs into their rate. Merely dividing the salary into an hourly rate doesn’t work. You are securing a professional individual for a specific task or purpose. You are not offering a long-term commitment. The contract may be extended, but the Contractor is only guaranteed the length of each contract. Other things to consider are; who is payrolling the Contractor, and how will this be financed? How do you secure the services of a contractor, through your network, direct advertising, or via an Agency? What is the cost of securing a short-term resource with no guarantee of ongoing work? Contractors do not accrue annual leave, sick pay, KiwiSaver, bereavement leave, birthdays off, etc. When you factor all these into account, you can now begin to see the additional costs that need to be factored into the budget to secure a reliable, skilled and effective Contractor. Contractors: A Business EssentialContractors are an essential part of the employment market, but we need to start to manage them as our business partners, as a skilled specialist that is solving problems and who will depart when the assignment has been completed, with little fuss, allowing you to get on with your business.If you would like to learn more about contracting opportunities or employing contractors for your business project, your next step should be to contact the specialist team at Beyond Recruitment today.​

​Today’s employment landscape is ever changing and the candidate market remains very tight. We expect this to continue for the next 18 months at least. At present the market is a whirlpool of people moving around and creating vacancies behind them, with minimal new candidates coming into the market. Not only are available jobs out numbering the availability of qualified job seekers, but there’s more pressure than ever to secure preferred candidates as quickly as possible. We have been advising our clients one of the best ways to adapt to the current talent acquisition challenge is to review and revise their hiring processes to make them more efficient. According to ELMO’s HR Industry Benchmark Survey 2021, the average time to hire in New Zealand is currently 50.3 days with the longest time reported as 86 days. Believe it or not, this is actually longer than pre-COVID times and organisations are now risking losing top candidates to a competitor offering a more streamlined process. Market Snapshot: ​In this blog, I would like to offer insights about changes I am seeing in the marketplace and advice for how you can develop efficiency in your hiring processes. Shortening Your Interview Process Moving quickly in today’s job market is a great way of ensuring you secure top talent – as they say, time kills all deals. Having an efficient process can save Hiring Managers both time and money but most importantly, it can attract the best talent. We have seen first-hand situations where candidates have multiple opportunities on the go. If another role is already at the offer stage and you are only partway through your interview process, you’re likely to miss out. The key way to simplify your hiring process is to review how many interview stages are really required. It may have been standard practice in the past to have up to five steps, but a process like that will likely lose you the best candidates. Have a think about the purpose of each stage – is it to truly assess aptitude and cultural fit? Or is it more of a box-checking exercise where the candidate must meet a number of different stakeholders? Is there a way to organise alternative setups such as panel interviews rather than one-to-ones? It may sound a bit risky, but we’ve seen great success in this approach with some of our clients dropping down to two or even one-step interview processes. And they’ve all been able to secure their preferred candidates while still maintaining an appropriate level of due diligence. Make the Most of Reference Checks Reference checks can sometimes feel like a standard step in your hiring process, but they can actually provide much more than a record of when a candidate has worked with a previous employer. Instead of scheduling another interview with the candidate, why not utilise the reference process to gain additional insights into their skills and experience? Update your reference check template and tailor it to the role you’re recruiting for. When you do this, you have an opportunity to validate your preferred candidates’ resume and clarify any areas you’re not sure about. Some referees have been cautious in the past about providing too much information about previous employees and crossing legal boundaries. It’s your job to reassure them that any discussion will be held with the utmost discretion, and that you’re purely looking to assess their suitability for the role. Strengthen Yourself as a Preferred Employer An efficient hiring process not only benefits the employer but is also a major factor when assessing a positive candidate experience. We’ve had candidates tell us recently how enjoyable and stress-free some interview processes have been. Conversely, with onerous/drawn out or multiple interview hiring processes, some candidates can lose interest and favour other opportunities that turn around faster and make it ‘easier’ for them. Don’t forget that the recruitment process is the first interaction a prospective employee has with your business. If you conduct an efficient, clear and straightforward recruitment process, you will be contributing to a strong employee value proposition. The employee will leave the interview feeling your business values align with their own and reinforce their desire to work with you. Summary It’s safe to say that the tables have turned in the world of talent attraction, and it’s now up to organisations and Hiring Managers to look for ways to improve and simplify their recruitment practices. Small changes can bring major rewards, both in terms of saving you time and money as well as securing the best candidates. To learn more about how you can streamline your hiring processes and get that much-needed assist across New Zealand, get in touch with the Beyond Recruitment team today. Our specialist team is more than happy to work with you and find the right candidates for the roles you’re hiring for.

​Parental leave is something that is changing rapidly and it’s getting better for parents. The latest trend that we have seen is that parents are now splitting parental leave, with mothers able to share up to 26 weeks of parental leave with the other parent. The current leave rules in New Zealand may seem complicated but we are hopeful that the trend of splitting parental leave continues across all sectors. The benefits are huge, from fathers having a closer bond with their children and gaining the chance to be the main carer, to mothers being able to step back into their careers earlier and continue to grow professionally. Being able to share parental leave also helps to reduce the gender pay gap. Data shows that there is a 9.1% pay gap between men and women in New Zealand, which meant that there was an economic incentive for women to be at home. When you combine this incentive with the societal attitudes toward gender roles you can see that men have long been blocked from taking on a bigger chunk of parenting when children are very young.It's vital to understand that early childhood really does matter when it comes to positive outcomes in later life. If parents have the chance to share that load it’s the children who benefit and parents end up with a better relationship with their children overall. We spoke to two parents from different families to gain an understanding of how splitting parental leave has worked for them:​A Mother Returning from 6 Months Parental LeaveWhat benefits have you and your family experienced with sharing parental leave?​There have been many benefits that we’ve experienced in our family, including the fact that this change has given Dad a chance to bond with the baby and build a much deeper bond in these formative years. It’s also given him a chance to see what being a parent who stays at home is really like.Most partners don’t see the work that goes behind the scenes and imagine that they will get a lot of housework and yard work finished while with the baby. Of course, they quickly learn that they have to build their day around naps and feeds, other children and their activities and then their own wants and needs. It’s a learning curve for sure and it’s one that allows Dad to appreciate Mum on a new level.For me, being able to go back to work and not worry about the baby being put into day care has been a relief. There’s less of a distraction knowing that Dad is there to cover any sickness, too, which gives me the space I need to get back into the swing of full-time work. It also helps to know that our older children have the chance to spend quality time with their Dad and enjoy having more of his attention.What challenges have you come across? What things should be considered when planning parental leave and returning to work?For us, we haven’t come across major challenges as this is baby number three so it’s not our first go around! We knew what to expect with leave. Our financial and career implications are our biggest considerations of my return to work. It’s worked out really well for us to share parental leave because when I started out in my permanent role from a contract one, I was already six months pregnant and working on having more security. I didn’t want to take too much time out, so sharing leave has been great and it’s good to be earning again.​What has it meant in terms of your career?I was able to feel more comfortable in returning to work sooner. Sharing leave gave me the flexibility to do it and have a high level of confidence that it would work out.​What are the challenges/benefits for your partner?We’ve had some small challenges to overcome while sharing leave. As a mother, I had to relinquish control a little and be ok with Dad taking over and find his own rhythms and routines. This wouldn’t always align with how I would do things and that takes some time to get through without swooping in to help! This can create some tension as we have different parenting styles, but it’s been fine overall.A Father Heading onto 6m Parental LeaveWhat are you looking forward to most about taking parental leave? Mostly, I am excited about spending so much more time with my daughter. Being able to see her development as she grows is something I am very much looking forward to.What are the benefits to you and your family?When we had our son I took six months to be with him and by the end of it, I felt that our relationship was much stronger than it had started out. I know that taking this time off will allow me to build the same strong relationship with my daughter. ​Taking six months of parental leave also allows my wife to return to her career sooner. On the whole our family unit is made stronger as a result.What are the challenges or things to think about when planning your parental leave and return to work? ​Understanding the routines my daughter has already set is important and it’s the biggest challenge of planning parental leave. ​​SummarySplitting parental leave is a fantastic trend that we are seeing across HR at the moment and we hope to continue seeing it across companies in New Zealand in every sector. Being able to assist families with their balance at home only makes for stronger and more productive employees.​To find out more about roles that include this option for your family, get in touch with the Beyond Recruitment team today. Our specialist team of Recruiters can talk you through the roles currently available and help you plan out your next step.