So, what’s behind round?
Round Recruitment is an independent recruitment to recruitment consultancy, founded by Geoff Sims.
So, what’s behind Round?
We’ve been forced into arguably one of the biggest experiments of all time in how we work. In the coming years, it is clear we can’t assume business will or should return to what it was before.
The 9-to-5 workday is fading in an age of hybrid work with calls for a focus on how people work better, rather than when they actually work. Microsoft has just launched evidence of a new ‘triple peak day’ with an evening spike in work in addition to before and after lunch peaks. If you are working all three peaks, that would be a cause for concern, and a recipe for burnout. But we are coming to appreciate that each person has a different context in which they are trying to be productive. That means some may trade a gap in the afternoon (to get to the shops, pick kids up from school, or to workout), for several hours at night where the distractions are fewer, and they can ‘get more done’. These are the conversations that are opening up, and valuably so. One size is hard to fit all.
Initial evidence from a research project set up by Claire Kelliher, Professor of Work and Organization at Cranfield School of Management, with input from the CIPD, the CBI, and TUC shows that many employers have drawn positives from their recent experiences. The project is looking specifically at employers’ experiences of using the flexible element of the furlough scheme, their learnings, and what will change in how they approach part-time working offerings in the future. Their findings are resonant with many of our experiences over the past year or so. We’ve had a chance to experiment, to reflect, and to think about what could be different, perhaps it is more flexible working conditions, a slight change in focus, or a different career altogether. In our post, The Great Reset, we talk about this feeling that work expectations could be shifting forever, for the better. If that’s true, it’s a shift we support.
So, no more round pegs in square holes? That sounds good, and it circles us back to where we started: why Round exists.
It is no secret that there are many Rec-to-Rec providers out there. But at Round, we think we are at a special time in the history of work. The changes we drive now could set a new tone, more fulfilling, and more human. Insights from The Great reset, combined with a willingness to act (which has increased over the years of the pandemic) may energise us to push our own versions of positive change. Both employers and employees have a chance to play a role in creating supportive and inclusive environments where most of us are free to do our best work.
At Round, we are not driven by making ‘the number’. We think our role is to provide reliable, transparent, and honest advice to candidates, to bring industry credibility, and a down-to-earth, candid approach that tells it like it is. We challenge the reasons for seeking a new opportunity, and we speak up when we think it may not be the right time for a move.
With so much shifting in the working landscape over the past months, the call for independent recruitment to recruitment consulting that commits the necessary time to fully understand requirements, expectations, and the climate of an organisation has never been more important. This is what we aim to bring.
Founder of Round Geoff Sims has spent 37 years in the recruitment industry, with over half of those at managing director level. We can say he knows this industry inside out, in addition to holding an enviable network.
We’ve long been talking about how the world is changing. Let’s drive that change with understanding and respect. We want to see people free to do their best work.
If you are wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from. – Seth Godin
Idealistic? We don’t think so.
Ready to explore some options? We hope so.
Connect with Geoff: