Neil Carberry:

"Specialism is the difference maker. And we are the specialists. That works at many levels."

"If we are going to unlock labour productivity in this country in years to come – and we know that is the primary problem we have had for the past decade – then clients and regulators doing the people stuff well, matters."

Justin Madders: "Our mission is to achieve the highest sustained growth in the G7. Growth that people feel the benefit of. Where there has been growth it hasn’t yet made its way to people in terms of job security and workforce. People have to feel the growth."

Asked about the Employment Rights Bill, Justin Madders said:

“I don’t think many people can say everyone has security and respect at work. We want to raise the floor for everyone so there isn’t this race to the bottom. Lots of the businesses I speak to are doing these things well. If you treat staff well you will have better engagement and retention. We’re really trying to raise the standard for everyone. That will encourage those who are doing the right thing to go on and do even more."

Neil Carberry: “What happens now as the Bill eases through the lords?”

Justin Madders: "We’ve got to get the bills passed and we’re in the hands of the Lords. We want to go Royal assent before the Summer break. But that doesn’t mean it’s the end of the conversation. We’re looking at a period of time over the following months and years to get the detail right. Lots of the real practical elements of this are covered in the secondary legislation. The real work is getting that second level right and we’re keen to engage on all parties on that."

Neil Carberry: "I’m very concerned about the ghost of the bill. That client businesses are saying ‘I might just hold off’. There are challenges in the bill but the roadmap needs to be clear so it doesn’t hold off growth now."

Kate Shoesmith: "People look to work for flexibility, it's no longer just about salary. 53% of people still favour hybrid working."

Petra Tagg: "The ONS data is retrospective so it’s really hard to get a current take on the market. But what we’re seeing is employers have a real level of nervousness around the ERB and the changes due to come in the rest of the year. One thing is clear - candidates no longer have control of the market."

Paul Nowak: "One observation I’d make is work doesn’t pay at the moment – it’s low paid and insecure. There is uncertainty on a wider level with everything going on overseas as well. It’s a varied picture but I have some hope after the spending review tomorrow. Government needs to make sure resources are in place to make ‘Make work pay’ work. We need a properly funded investment strategy – how will it support good quality jobs."

David Wreford: "Fundamentally we’ve come from an era where organisations think change is a constant and they need compelling propositions but we layer on top of that disruption like the ERB, legislation and that suggests we know what it is and how to broach it. But we have a third thing which is uncertainty. Until we’ve thought through what the uncertainty might be and the implications there’s not an awful lot we can do to tackle the others."

Jimmy McLoughlin OBE: "It doesn’t matter how successful a company is at the moment, they’re making job cuts and at some points that’s at the same time as announcing profits. Ai is at the point now where it is able to do a lot of that entry level work and that is a challenge for Government and workforce planning."

Alex Arnot: "It’s hard to second guess the future as things are moving so fast. There are three key things we’re looking at. Firstly, an increase in fractional workforces – if that’s where the market is going what are you doing? Second one is AI – AI will support recruitment. There is a positive to it – particularly interested in predictive analytics around how successful a candidate could be and how long they could be in the job. But there needs to be caution around potential bias. Thirdly – around M&A, lots of smaller agencies are combining their pools."

Calogero Mingoia: "You need a critical mass to be able to compete in the UK, through M&A various investments, buy outs and buy ins,... we see people either buying oversees and getting into new markets, increasing critical mass in the domestic market, or investing in tech."

"Take a advantage of the support and business advice available to you, make sure you are doing your homework and due diligence when selecting partners to work with, check that you have a cultural fit and make sure you can trust your finance partner."

Ross Thompson: "There are lots of options around doing outsourcing right now. Make sure the company you're using is actually employing the person, not just working with an umbrella, make sure they are not outsourcing the payroll responsibility. Outsourcing looks to become a bigger part of the UK market as it is in Australia, so look for those industries that will be around in the future."

Maxine Bligh: "We're hearing a lot from members how busy they are working in their business, not on their business, so it's about how we carve time for that."

Denise Walker: "I think it starts way back, before even having a conversation with a client about their role. Its the leadership team that decides their focus on what type of clients we are going for, what they need, what do we want to provide for them and what don't we want to provide." 

Michelle Mellor: "It's about asking questions and really listening to the answers. Not just to fill the vacancy but to help the client's business. It's about how you add value" 

Colin Gunnell: “Fundamentally understanding what a client’s goal and objectives are, is vital. The power of the question ‘why’ and then challenging them as to why that is problematic or challenging for them. Go into a conversation with discipline… in a strategic way.” 

Lucy Adams:

"HR are worrying about the employee experience. Your employment is a series of key moments. Think beyond policy and think about how you want people to feel when they engage in moments that matter, like onboarding or annual review meetings."

"Differentiate what you do but always come back to how does it make them feel. How do we develop better leaders? Only 1 in 10 leaders have the natural attributes to be a good manager and leader. So how do we address that? Managers must lead with trust, coach their people and really show appreciation."

"Leadership management programmes – mandatory or not, rarely work as we’d like. Be focused on outcomes; what does it look like and what are our expectations? Organisations are rejecting the traditional competency frameworks. Instead, deliver bitesize and practical training. People forget 80% of training within a month – so make it bite-sized and digestible for managers who are time poor."

"Focus on talent. We’re seeing some different approaches to talent management for example ‘stay conversations’, a mantra that ‘growth isn’t optional’, retiring older processes and instead asking insightful questions such as ‘would you rehire them tomorrow?"

"We’re seeing a shift to new skills in great HR – consultancy, coaching and facilitation. Embracing our own judgement and not relying on processes and policies alone."

Novo Constare:

"What inspired me was the opportunity. Traditional recruitment is fundamental to a lot of businesses so it was a really exciting opportunity."

"Indeed saw what we were trying to do for jobseekers and looked at our values and how they aligned. We continued to lace technology through our operating model and from an efficiency and scale point we were just better. From a tech perspective we were the only ones at the time giving jobseekers that type of platform. It was those things combined that made us the best suitor for them."

"The last couple of years for staffing companies have been horrific. We all benefitted from rampant growth of a candidate short market at the end of the pandemic but we know a lot of companies and platforms are struggling because the boom and bust was so aggressive. Now we’re seeing growth coming back and steadying, I do think there’s potential for a mild recession. Total hirings are slowing and firms are cautious of hiring because of the erratic nature of the geopolitics at the moment. The adoption of AI could also start influencing those hiring patterns sooner rather than later."

"AI is not going to take control, someone using AI will. We’re building AI skills to lace AI into everything we do because if we don’t, we’re going to fall behind. It’s shifting the way we interact with technology. It’s giving people that ability to scale up in a way that’s never been done before."

"What do I think our business will look like in the future? The ratio of people to tech was off balance, we had a lot of people doing low value, high volume work and that needed to shift. By allowing tech to do that low value work we could use people to do higher value work, work they couldn’t get to before."

Novo's final thought: "The one thing members should do? It’s advice I wish I was doing myself. Don’t go to Google.com anymore, search is dying and soon it will be dead. Make one of the AI agents your default operating model and how you interact with tech. Live it and interact with every type of AI tool so you are proficient in it and are ahead and know how it’s potential."

Kate Shoesmith:

"AI is fundamental and changing how we work already. But the majority of us in our sector would rate ourselves as level 1 on our AI knowledge, yet we’re bombarded with offers on AI. So the question is what do we need to know and what should we be asking our partners for?"

David Stott:

"Very few AI start ups out there are making money, lots of these providers are going boom and bust quickly. The key underlying element to this is your data and having your data and your users at the heart. The best approach is having a platform with which you can lay across the use cases and use the same underlying data. This is where you are going to get bang for your buck, and where you are going to drive adoption. Tie it to the value."

"Tech is moving fast, but we are also learning fast. No supplier has all the answers so don’t let them tell you otherwise! Be clear on what you want to get out of the tech. Don’t worry about your data being perfect – it doesn’t have to be perfect to use AI. Speak to your vendor be open and frank about where you’re at and let them understand what you need."

Roxanne Sweeney:

"Our digital transformation is front, middle and back office. Start with your vision and then look at how the tech can help get you there. What is your USP? What is your offering to the market? Where can you see improvements that will improve your business? We’re looking at technology to support our people better, not just replace them. We’ve been laying the foundations that allow us to keep up with the rate of change."

"The tech won't be what constrains you, there are so many options available. You will be constrained by people. You can change tech overnight but you can't change people overnight. The best thing you can do for your tech strategy is to invest in your people strategy."

Annie Andrews:

"You hear of AI everywhere, which can also be confused with automation. It can be easy to become cynical about it. The conversation is not just what could you do with AI, but what should you do with it? Don’t be frightened by it. AI anxiety is a real thing but we need to get over this. It’s easy to think AI and LLM know all the answers, but AI learns from data, so what are the sources it’s learnt from? There still needs to be a human lens over what we trust."

"If you try and wait until you have the absolute perfect tool it will destroy your business. Instead, experiment with different tools. A lot of providers have high fees and lock you in for years, what I want is a tool with a month trial – if it’s good I’ll stay but I don’t want to be locked in. So look for those options."

Danny Brooks: "There's a mismatch between the old school 10 CVs a day, 100 calls and the new recruiters who are AI enabled" 

Geraldine King: “Well obviously, AI is a game changer, we all know that. The role of the recruiter is now more of a consultative role that you play for your client and your candidate. I think specialism will play a huge part. The 360-recruitment consultant is here to stay" 

Helen Tomlinson: "Being a top biller and being a manager are an entirely different skillset. We see people being promoted because they've asked for something more and then they don't have the skillset for that role." 

Tim Bradshaw:

"Should you treat others the way you would like to be treated? No. If you want to create real influence with someone else – you need to treat them the way they like to be treated. Processes don’t work with people."

"Even with all the tech which we should embrace, don’t underestimate the power of human communication and connection. The people element will never go away, it will be supported by the tech."

"Change is the fastest way to create anxiety in humans. Perspective is the answer. Sometimes people just need perspective and reassurance to refocus. Set micro goals and go one step at a time. ‘Focus on the next checkpoint’."

"Emotion is driving reality and reality is driving emotion. Take a tactical pause and ask yourself the right questions before responding to emotional perspectives. Focus on intelligence and filter out the background information. If you can do that, whilst covering each other’s blind spots you stand a chance."

"Point out to someone where the risks are, what you have in place to support them, where the holes may still be and then invite them to be courageous. People will respond positively when it’s their choice. If you don’t, their flight and fight mechanism will kick in and you’ll meet resistance. Change perspective on it’s head."

"Are you striving to succeed or afraid to fail?"

Michelle Mellor:

"Standing still isn’t an option but I remain optimistic on what’s to come. I’ve been reminded of the intelligence and passion of our industry. We’ve adapted before and we’ll do it again. Our industry changes lives and I echo the sentiments of this morning’s session that we truly are entering the golden era of recruitment."