• Get the right people in to your business using advanced selection techniques and spend time gaining an understanding of exactly what you need them to do and how they need to do it;
• Treat people well when they leave and don't miss out on the opportunity to find out why they are leaving – information gathered through a well structured exit process has a direct impact on who you hire next.

To find out more about my take on talent management, you can read the article here.  Any comments welcome!

Katherine Wiid is the founder of Recrion, specialists in Career Management Coaching and Talent Management.  Telephone +44 1780 484910, http://www.recrion.co.uk.

We opted for a fun flambouyant evening of swishing (also known as wardrobe swapping) in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care.  And fun it was!  17 local business women attended bringing 5 quality nearly new garments with them, and after a very informative overview from image consultant Susan Lawton and on what we should be wearing (and not wearing) we swished!

Read the full article in the Rutland and Stamford Mercury 31 July 2009

Following the increased level of interest in the Redundancy Action Plan from abroad, Recrion was approached by HR eXcel, Asia's Resource for the Learning and Development Community, to feature in their recent online publication.  Read the article here.

For more information on how best to prepare your management team to tackle the difficult issue of redundancies, or to find out more about how an outplacement consultant can help to fortify the support you can give to your business, you can contact Recrion on +44 (0) 1780 484910 or by email.

Handling redundancies badly can lead to not only a great deal of stress for all those involved, but to potentially costly legal proceedings when claims of unfair dismissal arise.  Ensuring that your management team and HR division are suitably trained and prepared to deal with the process in a professional, considered and appropriate way can help to protect not only the individuals, but also the company as a whole.

Providing those at risk, and those who stay behind, with the right level of support and training can make the difference between maintaining the company’s position as an employer of choice, and irreversibly damaging its reputation.  And so it’s at a time like this when the value of the L&D division can really be highlighted and make a significant contribution to the successful future of the business.

For more information on how best to prepare your management team to tackle the difficult issue of redundancies, read Katherine's article in The Training Journal, June 2009.

For a full free copy, you can email or call Katherine on 01780 484910.

Read the full story in Peterborough Today.

If you want to find out more about how we can help you through the redundancy minefield, contact us on 01780 484910 or www.recrion.co.uk

The article was written for managers in procurement who are used to negotiating with suppliers, but find it tough when it comes to making staff redundant.  The article explores three main areas:

• understand the emotional implications of redundancy
• explain the reasons and the criteria as soon as possible
• consider using an outplacement provider to help your staff with the news.

Read the full article here.

For more information on how how Recrion can help to you to manage redundancies and the people left behind, contact us on 01780 484910 or www.recrion.co.uk

"Manage redundancies successfully as part of a change programme" was written by Recrion's founder Katherine Wiid.  "In my experience, no matter how often you have to play "the hatchett man" a little refresher on how to do it sensitively always helps".

Recrion's Redundancy Management Service has helped small as well as large organisations to deal with this stressful and legally challenging task with confidence.  For more information on how we have done this, visit our website or call Katherine direct on 01780 484910.

BUSINESSES will no longer have to spend money on hotels to hold meetings now a Stamford firm has spotted a gap in the market. Recrion has decided to open up its converted listed building in St Mary's Hill as a venue to host meetings and conferences.

The firm has three meeting rooms which can take between eight and 25 people and are fully equipped with internet connection and white boards.

Director Katherine Wiid said: "Talking to local business people we realised that in the current economic climate there was a need for a high quality yet affordable venue for people to hold meetings, conferences and seminars. With three meeting rooms in our refurbished first-floor suite, it seemed common sense to share the space with our wider business community".

To find out more contact the firm 01780 484910 or visit www.recrion.co.uk/meeting-rooms

In the economic downturn, the last thing employers want to be doing is losing the staff they have paid a lot of money to recruit. Successful Stamford-based HR consultancy Recrion has come up with a solution that should make them sit up. It's known as the Employee Engagement Barometer.

The headaches that high staff turnover can cause are well-known. The huge investment in recruitment, induction and training of quality candidates can seem to have been all for nothing if they leave before they've really fulfilled their potential.

In fact, the cost of losing an employee within the first six months of employment has been estimated at as much as twice their annual salary. Yet in some sectors, dealing with a highly transient workforce has almost become accepted as the norm.

Recrion, already highly regarded for its talent management expertise, and a finalist in two regional business awards this year, has successfully challenged this view and created a new focus on increasing staff retention.

Managing director Katherine Wiid said: "We knew from past experience that many companies were incurring huge costs simply from back-filling vacated positions; often on an alarmingly regular basis. We needed to find a way to identify the root causes of these high levels of attrition, and to spot those employees with a high potential to leave; and so we developed our Employee Engagement Barometer".

"The baromoter goes much further than the traditional exit interview strategy, and actually begins by interviewing employees when they first join a company. Speaking candidly at this early stage can shed invaluable light on how the employee feels the impression given during the recruitment process is borne out in reality, at a time when they're still keen to suggest constructive changes which will improve the probability of them staying for the long term."

Taking the input from these early interviews, Recrion has been able to work side by side with employers to develop retention programmes that really deliver what the employees value: increased job-satisfaction, better promotion opportunities and clearer communication.

And the benefits to the employers are clear. A measurable, manageable way to reduce the cost of high staff turnover dramatically, and to improve their employees' performance and output – meaning their budget can be invested in high-return talent management and retention projects, rather than negative "recruit to replace" programmes.

For more information on how you can work with Recrion to create a tailor-made solution to your staff turnover issues, visit www.recrion.co.uk, or call 01780 484910.

Katherine Wiid, Director of Recrion (on the left hand side) receiving her award – photograph courtesy of Rutland & Stamford Mercury