Blog

​The pandemic has accelerated the rise in changing technologies and new ways of working, shaping the way organisations hire new talent. With 84 per cent of employers planning to expand remote working, traditional approaches need to be revised in order to maintain a competitive edge.So, as we get closer to 2022, here are seven recruitment trends that you and your business sho...

​The Great Resignation or the Big Quit - the ongoing trend of employees voluntarily leaving their jobs - has seen nearly two million UK adults leave their jobs since the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to research by Randstad UK, 24 per cent of all workers are actively planning to change employment, prompted by a high number of vacancies and burnout.In additio...

GKN Automotive is the global leader in drive systems and a multinational manufacturer of driveline components, all-wheel-drive and eDrive systems for the automotive industry. Having pioneered electric drive systems, GKN are now the future of transportation and the trusted partner for most of the world's automotive companies. GKN employs around 27,500 people across 20 countri...

On Wednesday, 24th November, VMAGROUP hosted an event called "Life post COP26 and the clean energy transition" - an hour and a half long open discussion for communication leaders from leading companies within the energy sector. Together we explored the key themes that came to the public's attention following COP26 and how communications practitioners can help to make a real ...

An average Brit spends over 80,000 hours of their lives at work, so finding the perfect job can be a challenge. In the post-Covid world, it is not always about the money... Employees at the start of their careers, as well as those who have established themselves and are looking to progress further, are increasingly concerned about company culture, passion for the role, compa...

Keen to expand on the individuality of thought and bring in new team members with a different point of view, Benedict Brogan, Group Public Affairs Director and the senior team at Lloyds Banking Group discussed their hopes of hiring differently with Lucy Cairncross, Executive Director at VMAGROUP. Lucy could clearly see that the team at Lloyds Banking Group were keen to affec...

As we are approaching the end of the year, you are probably starting to think about putting the final touches on the annual marketing and communications projects and campaigns. It is also the time to start making plans for the new year, and perhaps this busy period means you need to hire some contract support?  Working with a recruitment agency can be a cost-efficient and...

Last week, our Executive Director, Lucy Cairncross, was invited by the IABC UK & Ireland to deliver a Masterclass to students from the London College of Communication at UAL University of the Arts on the MA Communications course. Taking the first steps in your career is always daunting, but given the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on the work experience opportunities for...

As you embark on the search for your new permanent, contract or interim job, it is essential to keep your CV up to date and make it stand out from the competition in the saturated marketing and communications environment.  Due to the volume of candidates, many recruiters and employers can only spend a few moments scanning each CV, so here are our top tips to secure that a...

VMAGROUP was delighted to partner with A Leader Like Me at the Diversity in PR Conference on 14th October. We were also joined by Bananatag - an internal communications platform, Rachel Miller from All Things IC, employee experience experts at Brilliant Ink, We Are Resource - a marketing communications provider, a PR agency, Spotty Dog Communications, and Alive with Ideas, t...

Hiring a contract, interim or temporary communications and marketing professional is often a great challenge, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), who do not have access to internal talent acquisition departments dedicated to finding the right candidate. Training a new permanent member of staff may not be an option for a team that is already understaffed...

At our latest D&I Forum, our panel have shared some inspiring thoughts and deeper insight into the often dismissed topic of age-based discrimination. We have initially launched our D&I Forum to talk about diversity, equality and inclusion, both in its broadest form, and also to pick up on some of the subjects that are not given the airtime they deserve. We hope that by facil...

There has been a real emphasis on improving equality in the workforce with many employers focused on Diversity and Inclusion. Yet, ageism still seems to be the most "socially acceptable" form of discrimination in the workplace. So how prevalent is it? More than half of professionals over the age of 40 indicated experiencing ageism in their careers, most prevalently in fin...

Eight hours a day, five days a week… For many employees across Britain and Europe, this way of working is so deeply entrenched, that any alternative used to seem completely unrealistic. However, the pandemic and shift to remote, hybrid and flexible work, particularly across marketing, communications and digital has started to change our perceptions about the workplace. Follo...

VMAGROUP and the Institute of Internal Communication collaborated to create the first and only Internal Communication Hiring Guide.Created for anyone with a hiring responsibility for an internal communication role, the guide provides guidance and support through the process, aiming to standardise hiring practices and help to build strong and effective teams. The guide uses t...

In recent years, many companies across the globe took the time to reflect on their unconscious biases and create a Diversity & Inclusion strategy to improve equality in the workplace. However, the issue of ageism remains unsolved, as it is still viewed by many as the most socially acceptable form of discrimination. According to Age UK, over 36% of workers over 50 felt they h...

The aftermaths of the Covid-19 crisis continues to shape the way we work, learn and connect, with many industries and departments being forced to reinvent their business models. While employees adjusted to remote work and Zoom meetings, we saw new digital solutions emerge rapidly, accelerating the rise of streaming, eCommerce, or cashless transactions. Earlier this year, ...

More than 35% of the UK's employed population worked from home at some point during the Covid-19 crisis, leading to an increase in unpaid overtime, causing a greater risk of health implications and distress. As the complaints about work-life balance and its effects on mental health are growing louder, countries across the globe are starting to recognize it as a social iss...

The turmoil of 2020 has drastically transformed the way we work, live, and connect. Many organisations have re-evaluated their employee priorities to figure out the working arrangements that are most beneficial to all – whether they are a seasoned employee or a new hire.  Meanwhile, as some government advisors are issuing advice on salaries for remote workers and firms ar...

The contracting and interim markets took a significant hit in 2020, as contracts were being cut short during the early stages of the pandemic. Many organisations utilised their PR and external communications teams to support the internal communications division, conserve costs, and deal with the shortages caused by redundancies and furlough. Based on our survey conducted for...