The Assured Algorithm: Future-Proofing AI Recruitment in the UK The integration of Artificial Intelligence into UK recruitment processes is not merely a technological consideration but a stringent legal and ethical obligation. In the absence of primary, sector-specific AI legislation, UK employers must meticulously adhere to the interlocking demands of the UK GDPR/DPA 2018 (as enforced by the ICO), the Equality Act 2010 (mandating reasonable adjustments and bias mitigation), and the five principles of the Government’s Responsible AI in Recruitment Guide. Any failure to implement robust AI assurance mechanisms, mandatory Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), and rigorous, continuous bias monitoring constitutes a profound legal and reputational risk, potentially leading to widespread discrimination and regulatory action. Introduction: The Promise and the Peril AI-enabled tools offer UK businesses the promise of radically increased efficiency, scalability, and consistency across their recruitment drives—from sourcing to screening and final selection. However, this power introduces novel risks that can amplify historical human biases, lead to digital exclusion, and violate fundamental data protection rights. Recognizing this high-stakes environment, the UK Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) have provided critical guidance. For any organisation operating in the UK, understanding and implementing this guidance is non-negotiable for building trustworthy, legally compliant, and equitable hiring systems. The Five Pillars of UK Regulatory Compliance The UK government’s approach to AI governance is built on five core, outcomes-based principles. Organisations procuring and deploying AI tools must demonstrate alignment with each one: Safety, Security and Robustness: The system must function reliably and withstand internal or external challenges without causing unintended harm. Appropriate Transparency and Explainability: Employers must be able to communicate how the AI reached a decision or recommendation, and provide sufficient information to the applicant. Fairness: The system must not discriminate against individuals based on protected characteristics and must actively mitigate pre-existing biases embedded in its training data. Accountability and Governance: There must be clear lines of responsibility for the AI's performance, requiring human oversight and an established internal governance framework. Contestability and Redress: Applicants must have a clear mechanism to challenge automated decisions and seek correction or review. Navigating Legal Risk: The ICO’s Six Key Data Protection Demands The ICO, the UK's data protection regulator, has conducted audits on AI recruitment providers, identifying critical areas of non-compliance. Their findings crystallise the legal obligations under UK GDPR for any employer using these tools.   ICO Key Consideration Action Required for Compliance 1. Mandatory DPIA Complete a detailed Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA)before procurement. This is essential for high-risk processing (like large-scale profiling or innovative tech) and must be continuously updated as processing evolves. 2. Lawful Basis Identify the appropriate lawful basis (e.g., legitimate interests) for processing personal information. If handling sensitive special category data (e.g., racial origin or health), a specific, high-bar condition must be met. 3. Accountability & Contracts Clearly document Controller and Processor responsibilities in the contract. Set explicit written instructions for the provider, and monitor their compliance against metrics like statistical accuracy and bias targets. 4. Mitigating Bias Seek clear assurance from providers that they have mitigated bias. Employers must continuously monitor the tool's output for fairness issues, particularly against protected characteristics. Unfairly filtering candidates based on protected characteristics is illegal. 5. Transparency (Explainability) Inform candidates in clear privacy information how and why the AI tool is being used, the logic involved in its predictions, and the process for them to challenge the automated decision. 6. Data Minimisation Ensure the tool collects only the minimum amount of personal information necessary for its stated purpose. Indefinite retention or building large databases of potential candidates without their knowledge is incompatible with GDPR principles. Hypothetical Case Studies: When AI Goes Wrong These two scenarios illustrate the severe legal and reputational consequences that arise from neglecting the core principles of fairness and data protection. Case Study 1: The Biased Interview Tool (Violation of the Equality Act 2010) The Scenario: A large UK financial services firm, FinTechHire, procures an AI-powered video interview analysis tool that scores candidates based on facial expressions, body language, and voice modulation. The AI's model was trained primarily on video data from successful FinTechHire employees who, historically, have been predominantly white, male, and educated at a small number of elite universities. The Failure: When processing applications, the tool consistently scores applicants with certain regional accents lower. Crucially, a highly qualified candidate, Sarah, who has a mild tremor that causes her head and hands to occasionally move involuntarily, is ranked at the bottom. The AI flags her movements as "lack of focus" and "low confidence." The Outcome: Sarah is automatically rejected without human review. She discovers the AI was used and raises a formal challenge. FinTechHire is found to have breached the Equality Act 2010 by failing to make reasonable adjustments for Sarah’s disability. Furthermore, the systematic penalising of regional accents is deemed indirect discrimination based on race/national origin. The firm faces an Employment Tribunal claim, a substantial fine, and devastating public relations damage. The core failure was a lack of rigorous performance testing on diverse data and neglecting the legal obligation to plan for and accommodate reasonable adjustments. Case Study 2: The Data Scrape and Retention Fiasco (Violation of UK GDPR) The Scenario: A fast-growing tech firm, RapidScale, uses an AI sourcing tool to automate candidate outreach. The tool is designed to scrape vast amounts of data from public social media profiles, professional networks, and open databases, then "profile" candidates for future roles, even if they never applied to RapidScale. The Failure: RapidScale did not conduct a DPIA, relying solely on the provider’s generic assurance. The tool collects far more data than is necessary (e.g., political affiliations, family status) and retains all data for five years. When a candidate, Liam, asks for his data to be deleted under his "right to erasure," RapidScale cannot comply because the third-party AI system has integrated his profile into a vast, opaque internal database, and they lack the technical capability to locate and isolate it. Crucially, Liam

Safeguarding Data in the AI Era: Guidelines for Skylite Associates and Candidates The adoption of Generative AI tools presents an exciting opportunity for consultancies like Skylite Associates to enhance efficiency, but it also introduces critical data protection responsibilities. As highlighted by UK advisory sites, the core principles of the UK GDPR—such as lawfulness, fairness, and data minimisation—must be strictly applied to AI usage. Over the last few months, as the Data Protection Made Easy podcast has reported, there are growing privacy concerns using AI. Those developing AI systems rely on vast amounts of personal data to make them function, but whether this data is used appropriately is another cause for concern. We’ve already speculated about AI privacy threats, including data breaches, biased algorithms, deep fakes and cyber attacks. Taking a risk-based approach when handling AI will ensure you have the appropriate measures to mitigate these risks and stay compliant. In this blog, we'll outline the critical considerations for businesses adopting AI and how to maintain GDPR compliance when using it, referencing the expert guidance of UK data protection specialists like Data Protection People. Key GDPR Compliance Considerations for AI Usage   As a data controller, Skylite Associates is accountable for ensuring all processing, including that which involves third-party AI, is compliant. The guidance from Data Protection People outlines six critical steps for using AI and personal data lawfully: 1. Assess Business Use of AI Systems: You first need to assess how you are (or will be) using AI across your business. Are you using AI to streamline repetitive tasks or to make better decisions? Whatever your reason, you’re still processing personal data, so you must have a lawful basis for doing so. 2. Conduct a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA): The UK GDPR requires all businesses to do a DPIA if they process data that may result in high risk to the individual. As AI is considered a high-risk technology, it is highly recommended to carry out a DPIA to identify and mitigate your AI’s privacy risks. 3. Respect Data Subject Rights: If you’re processing personal data, you must comply with the eight individual privacy rights referred to in the UK GDPR, including the Right to Erasure and the Rights to Automated Decision-Making & Profiling. 4. Collect & Process Only the Data You Need: Known as the data minimisation principle, the UK GDPR says you should only collect the minimum amount of personal data needed. This principle is directly addressed in our guidelines below. 5. Identify Bias and Discrimination Risks Early on: AI works in a black box. If an AI system is trained on skewed or biased data, the algorithms can sustain these biases. Address these risks early to avoid discriminatory outcomes. 6. Receive External Support for Using AI: When using third-party AI systems, you remain the data controller. You must ensure the service provider (processor) can assist you in meeting your GDPR obligations. Skylite Associates and Candidate Guidelines for Generative AI Use   To fully adhere to the data minimisation principle (Point 4 above) and mitigate the risk of data breaches and unlawful processing via third-party AI systems, Skylite Associates has established the following strong and non-negotiable guidelines for all employees and candidates. I. Data Redaction and Anonymity: The Golden Rule   Never, under any circumstances, input personal details or proprietary organisational information into a Generative AI tool. Personal Data Redaction: Before using any document or text (e.g., CVs, project notes, reports) to provide context or structure for a generative AI tool, all personal identifying details must be fully redacted and anonymised. This includes, but is not limited to: Names, Addresses, and Telephone Numbers Personal Email Addresses Specific Dates of Birth Candidate/Employee IDs that link back to a specific individual Organisational Data Redaction: All client-specific, financial, or proprietary details that could identify a client, a project, or Skylite Associates itself must be removed or generalised. Replace specific company names with generic placeholders like "[Client A]" or "[Large Financial Institution]". Redact sensitive financial or strategic figures. Principle: All documents or text used to "restructure contents and provide frameworks" must be made generic and anonymous so that no personal or organisational details are stored or processed by the AI provider, protecting both our clients and our candidates. II. AI Tool Configuration and Privacy   As the data controller, we must ensure appropriate security measures are in place to protect any data, including anonymised data, as part of our accountability obligation. Disable Training Data Storage: All Generative AI tools approved for use within Skylite Associates must have their privacy settings configured to explicitly prohibit the storage or use of input data for model training purposes. Confirmation of Settings: Every user is responsible for ensuring the "History" or "Data Storage" setting is disabled within their approved AI environment before each session begins. Approved Tools Only: Only AI tools where a rigorous Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) has been conducted and approved by the Data Protection Lead may be used for professional purposes. This ensures the third-party processor contract is compliant and the system offers the necessary safeguards, as advised by the ICO's guidance on using third-party AI. By adhering to these stringent guidelines, Skylite Associates demonstrates its commitment to the highest standards of data protection, allowing us to leverage the power of AI responsibly while safeguarding the privacy of our candidates and clients.

Executive Retirement: Redefining What Comes Next After a lifetime of success, leadership, and commitment, many executives find that retirement doesn’t come with an off switch. The pace may slow down, but the drive, curiosity, and need for purpose remain. At Skylite Associates, we know that transitioning from a demanding career to a balanced, fulfilling lifestyle is both exciting and challenging. That’s why we created the Skylite Programme — a practical and inspiring approach to help executives design their next chapter with clarity, purpose, and confidence. Why Executive Retirement Needs a New Approach Retirement isn’t what it used to be. We’re living longer, retiring earlier, and seeking more from life beyond work. For many senior professionals, it’s not about stopping — it’s about shifting direction. Whether you want to: Take on new challenges Share your experience through mentoring or consultancy Pursue personal passions Or simply redefine what balance means for you …the Skylite Programme helps you navigate this pivotal transition thoughtfully and successfully. The Skylite Programme: Creating a Fulfilling Later Life Our retirement coaching programme provides a friendly and engaging environment to explore what’s next for you. Together, we’ll look at every aspect of your future life planning — health, wealth, time, and purpose — helping you make confident choices about what comes next. You’ll be guided by our experienced executive coach, who understands the unique identity shifts that come with leaving leadership behind. Alongside this, our Independent Financial Adviser will help you address key financial questions so you can plan your future with peace of mind. What You’ll Gain Through a blend of reflection, guidance, and practical planning, you’ll:  Get ready for the lifestyle changes that retirement brings  Decide what to take forward from your career — and what to leave behind Clarify what matters most to you and explore all your options Find the right balance between health, wealth, and time Set meaningful new goals for your family, relationships, and personal growthIdentify any gaps in your planning and build confidence in your decisionsCreate a retirement that’s truly yours — not one shaped by others’ expectations “This has been such an eye-opener and given me so much inspiration for my future life.” Why Planning for Retirement Matters Your retirement may last 20 or 30 years — it deserves as much thought and planning as your career did. Good preparation ensures your later life is not just comfortable, but also rich in purpose, connection, and enjoyment. As one participant shared: “I could feel my apprehension melting away as the sessions went on. Such a worthwhile use of my time.” Who Should Join Our Skylite Programme is ideal for anyone who: Is approaching retirement or has recently retired Wants to refresh or redefine their goals after an initial transition Needs to rebalance their health, wealth, and time Is exploring new opportunities, ventures, or directions in later life Spouses and partners are warmly welcome — retirement is a shared journey, and planning it together makes all the difference. Take the Next Step If you’re ready to plan a meaningful and rewarding retirement, we’d love to guide you through the process. 📞 Call: Louise Cantril on 07808 277767📧 Email: louise@skylite-associates.co.uk “We can’t wait to get started on our new lifestyle!”

Turning Redundancy Into Renewal: A Time to Reimagine Your Future: Redundancy can feel like a heavy word. It often arrives suddenly, bringing with it uncertainty, loss of routine, and questions about the future. But with time and perspective, redundancy can also become a powerful turning point — a moment to pause, take stock, and realign your life and career with what truly matters to you. A Chance to Really Understand Yourself When you’re caught up in the day-to-day pressures of work, it’s easy to lose touch with your deeper motivations. Redundancy gives you the space — and the necessity — to reflect. Who are you when you’re not defined by your job title? What are your strengths, interests, and values? What kind of work energises you, and what drains you? Many people discover through this process that their previous role no longer reflected who they’ve become. Taking the time to reflect can reveal insights that shape a more fulfilling and authentic future. Reconnecting With Your Values Values are at the heart of every decision — even when we’re not consciously aware of them. Redundancy can bring these into sharp focus. You might realise that flexibility, creativity, or purpose are non-negotiable for you. Others find that stability, teamwork, or meaningful impact drive their satisfaction. Understanding your values helps you make better choices about what comes next. It’s less about chasing titles or salaries, and more about aligning with work that feels right. Interestingly, research shows that very few people make career decisions based on salary alone. The majority are looking for connection, growth, and balance. Exploring Every Option When one door closes, you suddenly see all the other doors you hadn’t noticed before. Redundancy offers a rare opportunity to explore your options fully. You could: Retrain or upskill in an area you’ve always been curious about. Start your own business or move into consultancy work. Transition to a new sector that aligns with your passions. Take time out to study, volunteer, or travel while you regroup. This is a moment to think broadly and creatively. What would your ideal working life look like if you could design it from scratch? Planning a Better Life Moving Forward The most successful transitions after redundancy begin with reflection and move towards action. Once you’ve identified what’s important to you, create a plan that bridges where you are now to where you want to be. That might include networking, working with a coach, refreshing your CV and LinkedIn profile, or taking on short-term projects to build new experience. Redundancy can also be a chance to redesign your lifestyle. Maybe you want more balance, time for family, or space to pursue personal goals alongside work. This is your opportunity to shape a future that works for you — not just a job that pays the bills. In Summary Redundancy is rarely easy, but it can be one of the most transformative experiences of your life. It’s a pause — not an end. A moment to get clear on your purpose, reconnect with your strengths, and step into the next chapter of your career with confidence and clarity. When you see it as an opportunity for renewal rather than rejection, redundancy becomes the start of something meaningful — the foundation for a better, more fulfilling life ahead.  

Resilience in the Workplace - Empathetic Managers who know how to support their teams resilience, require flexibility in today's workplace. To be successful in this new hybrid environment, managers must lead with empathy and have some new tools available to them. We need to discover for ourselves why building resilience and agility (strategic, operational and behavioural) is critical to revitalise and refine organisations and businesses for these uncertain times. In a 2021 Gartner survey of 4,787 global employees assessing the evolving role of management, it concluded only 47% of managers are prepared for this future role. The most effective managers of the future will be those who build fundamentally different relationships with their employees, building resilience and showing empathy. The empathetic manager Empathy is nothing new. It’s a common term in the arsenal of good leadership, but it has yet to be a top management priority. The empathic Manager is someone who can contextualise performance and behaviour, who transcends simply understanding the facts of work, and proactively asks questions and seeks information to place themselves in their direct reports mindset. Empathy requires developing high levels of trust and care and a culture of change and flexibility within teams. Developing leadership capabilities This is a lot to ask of any Managers without training. They will need to ask questions that discuss vulnerable answers without compromising trust, diagnose the root cause of an employee’s behaviour without making assumptions, and demonstrate the emotional intelligence necessary to imagine another’s feelings, whilst juggling their own workload and challenges. To do this we will need to develop the leadership capabilities of our Managers to help our teams succeed, enabling resilience to be built at every level of the organisation. Six models that can be used Here we share six models that can be used in the workplace to enhance the teams resilience: Coaching helps people find their own resilience and capacity, even when we can’t change the external landscape. Any coach worth their salt knows to focus on the client, not the issue, but do your Managers know this? When people are, “looking within” through coaching, they see more possibility and find more internal resilience. This restores some sense of control in what feels like an uncontrollable world. Make sure your managers are converting even 10 minute conversations in to coaching opportunities. When stress is reduced through coaching, people have more access to creativity, empathy, and resilience, all of which are critical right now. Commit to Building Each Other’s Resilience: It’s essential to establish clear and unambiguous expectations around team unity and peer-to-peer support. Any hesitation or reluctance to help a struggling colleague is a sign that deeper interventions may be needed. Ultimately, team resilience is similar to a battery. It needs to be restored and recharged regularly. Teams that put in place measures to do that will find that they are better equipped and more importantly willing to undertake any challenge beyond the pandemic. Back to basics : Ensure all your team know the organisations why, the mission, values and strategy, as this will enhance resilience. Everyone will feel they are pulling in the same direction. Build on our natural ability to build our mental resilience through mindfulness. Mental resilience, especially in challenging times like the present, means managing our minds in a way that increases our ability to manage our thoughts. Resilience is the skill of noticing our own thoughts, unhooking from the non-constructive ones, and rebalancing quickly. This skill can be nurtured and trained. “Resilience is not a trait that you either do or do not have. It involves behaviours, thoughts and actions that can be developed in anyone”. It is the ability to bounce back quickly from unexpected challenges. If you can learn techniques for yourself, and others, to reduce stress, anxiety and strain under unpredictable and unstable times, this will improve resilience. Focus on finding ways to inspire yourself and others to step up, by focusing on the teams strengths, so they quickly feel they can lead and thrive again rather than just resuming the old normal. Do your own inner work You will need to ensure you have an ability to remain positive about the future even when you don't know what's coming next. Planning Make sure you plan in some focused time to stop, think and reflect on what you and your teams need to do. Actions to consider to build resilience Build your confidence in identifying complexity and your ability to anticipate where problems are most likely to arise, so that you can determine where resilience is required. Create a focus group within your leadership team, this is not a time to go it alone Understand the key organising principles for making your business more resilient and how these can be turned into new management practices. Make sure you are sharing guidance with your Managers.  Gain new perspectives, insights and tools that will help build individual and team resilience. Skylite offers a Resilience Workshop and a Staff training Workbook for Managers on Resilience. Email Louise Cantrill for a chat at: Louise@skylite-associates.co.uk  Reflect on your own resilience as an individual and develop strategies to succeed when faced with difficult circumstances. Empathy for Managers and Leaders will not be easy, but it’s worth it. In fact, in that same survey already mentioned, 85% of HR leaders agreed that it’s more important now for managers to demonstrate empathy than it was before the pandemic. Further Gartner analysis shows that Managers who display high levels of empathy have three times the impact on their employees performance than those who display low levels of empathy. Employees at organisations with high levels of empathy-based management are more than twice as likely to agree that their work environment is inclusive. (Info source HBR) Support from Skylite Contact us for a FREE Resilience Flipbook: www.skylite-associates.co.uk To find out more or book a webinar for your organisation, contact Skylite Associates today: t: 01736 756295 | m: 07808 277767 | e: louise@skylite-associates.co.uk  

Stress At Work In this global pandemic, we're used to wearing masks. What's your style? Professional black? Cool navy, with stripes perhaps, or fashionable florals? Each to our own and - because it's the law - we’re all wearing them: Hands, Face, Space - to save lives. But now we're beginning to head back to work after lockdown (or perhaps, sadly, losing our jobs), what about the other type of mask - the invisible type, the one called 'Fake Smile'? Have you ever worn one of those masks, the 'Put on a Brave Face' type, to disguise the tears, the frustration and yes, the stress? Chances are you have, especially in the workplace.  Whilst we're happy to admit to a broken leg, or a bout of mild Covid, we're often reluctant to admit to anxiety or stress; our mental health remains shrouded in fear, shame and secrecy, whether we're the boss, or the newest recruit. One in four of us experience mental health problems of some kind each year The mental health charity MIND says one in four of us experience mental health problems of some kind each year, much of it relating to anxiety, depression and stress. But there's something about putting on our suit or tie, carrying work tools out of the van, or marching into the office post-lockdown that prompts us to put on a display of professionalism, and tip-top performance, and shove to one side our vulnerability. So many of us grab that invisible mask from deep in our pockets, stretch it over our ears and smile cheerily, with the message: ‘Yes, I'm Fine Thanks'. That's all well and good...until it isn't. Stress knows no boundaries Stress can creep up on us, it knows no boundaries, targeting anyone from the CEO down to the apprentice; cracks emerge in the mask, we go off sick. It can create anxiety and depression, a weakened immune system, stomach aches, soaring blood pressure for some, insomnia for others. It's a costly business. It’s estimated mental health-related sickness cost UK businesses around £14 billion in 2020, with companies facing problems with teamwork and concentration, reduced productivity, and having to pay out huge sums to replace staff who leave jobs. When the real cause of the sickness is masked in silence and secrecy, with many unable to admit to the levels of stress we're under, the issue remains unresolved. Financial Resources Various websites can help. It's worth checking out a computer search on “money comparison sites” for helpful hints and tips to reduce your overheads and get a better deal than what you are currently paying. It is also worth checking out gov.uk, which has all the government websites in one place, including advice on any benefits you may be entitled to. It’s all about balance Fortunately, increasing numbers of companies are beginning to recognise that it's in their interests, especially when it comes to the financial bottom line, to ensure staff are not overwhelmed at work. Motivated staff, rather than stressed out staff, are more likely to be productive. Last year, around 8 out of 10 businesses reported a renewed focus on the mental and physical health of employees. Research shows that the way forward lies not in getting rid of all stress, but achieving a balance, because while stress can be harmful and make us sick, in the right doses it can also be good for us; it can fire up our brain, boost our performance, inject energy, and improve focus. Raise self-awareness and address the problem of stress head on The key to achieving this balance means addressing the problem head on. It helps to understand what stress is, to tune in to what's really going on for us, to raise self-awareness, change our habits and, if necessary, reach out for help. We've all experienced the physical impact of stress as we respond to 'danger', including the beating heart, faster breathing, sweating, a rise in blood pressure, flushed cheeks - all changes linked to the activation of our fight, flight or freeze mechanism. Over time, many of us ignore these changes and just 'get on with the job'. In the short-term, this repression can work, and we can live a high-powered life in the fast lane. Problems arise when this constant denial of danger continues relentlessly, year after year. We may also act differently under extreme stress. We may lose perspective and focus, become anxious or depressed, feel overwhelmed, stuck or confused, and become unable to make decisions, feeling insecure or trapped. Yet, we can become so good at denying the impact of stress that all too often we're not even aware of the dangers to ourselves, let alone noticing it in our colleagues. Instead of enhancing our working lives it can have the opposite impact; over time we topple from soaring confidence to a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion - burnout. What can we do to reduce our levels of stress? What can we do to help reduce levels of stress, and create a healthy balance? Well, the usual stuff, such as eating well, exercising, and getting a good night's sleep. We can also learn mindful techniques, take up yoga, or do breathing exercises. It's also helpful to take stock every now and again, tune in to how we're really feeling, and ensure stress levels remain manageable, rather than creeping into the sense of overwhelm. If we're leading a team at work, we could encourage walking groups, or organise wellbeing sessions, keep an open door policy, and welcome staff who come and chat, ensure they feel at ease with asking questions or raising concerns. Offer constructive feedback, ensure staff take the holidays and breaks they deserve. Be positive. Importantly, we need to be aware of our own masks, as well as those of others. Are we aware of putting on a 'Yes, I'm Fine' mask? Is our colleague doing the same? Check in, and if the reality is that we're not fine, then consider adjusting workloads. Can we say, 'no, sorry' to extra responsibility, or

Money Management Tony Lippett - Skylite Career Coach Getting your finances in order is a perfect way to reduce one aspect of daily stress, so you know where you are financially, at any given time. With so much turmoil in the world at the moment, there has never been a better time to take control of your personal finances. Start to plan ahead and budget with your money to avoid the unexpected surprises that catch you unawares!  So many people have cleared debt during lockdown. It's important though to put the foundations in place to avoid a rerun, when the world returns to normal, and the shops and restaurants reopen fully. Financial Management Financial management is about discipline, planning and monitoring. It should be incorporated into the running of every household. We can take you through what is needed to prepare a budget, closely examining income and expenditure, and breaking things down to essential and non essential spending. Detailed Planning There has to be detailed planning to keep to any budget constraints, with an element of planning ahead, emphasising the importance of looking long term to avoid future shocks that will destroy all your hard work. Things like Christmas or birthdays that come up every year, but often get overlooked despite the substantial costs associated with these family events. Financial Resources Various websites can help. It's worth checking out a computer search on “money comparison sites” for helpful hints and tips to reduce your overheads and get a better deal than what you are currently paying. It is also worth checking out gov.uk, which has all the government websites in one place, including advice on any benefits you may be entitled to. Money isn’t Complicated Money isn’t complicated, it's actually very simple.  Like everything worthwhile, it just needs some time and effort spent on it.  Getting your finances in order is a perfect way of reducing one aspect of daily stress so you know where you are financially at any given time. To find out more or book a webinar for your organisation, contact Skylite Associates today: t: 01736 756295 | m: 07808 277767 | e: louise@skylite-associates.co.uk  

5 steps to Improving Employee Engagement: Leadership, Employee Engagement & Coaching. Kaidi Bowen - Skylite Executive ICF Career Coach As I’ve studied employee surveys and results, it’s astounded me how many people would trade their next pay rise for their immediate line manager to be replaced. (Even for them to be sacked!) Employee engagement is a topic I thought I’d never have to think much about. As a manager or leader it can be difficult to feel you can impact the results when so many areas are outside of your sphere of control. It is for the people at the very top of big companies right?  In any leadership role we have a fundamental responsibility to influence employee survey outcomes. It matters what our teams feel, what they are thinking, because wherever you work and whatever you do, each person can influence the engagement of the people around you. We all have a responsibility where we work. It's not just your chance to influence the hearts and minds of your team when it’s the survey time of the year. Their voice should echo your company’s mission and values without intervention. The survey is your opportunity to understand how you can make where you work better. It’s not just about briefing your team beforehand, about all the good things  that are happening either, it goes much deeper.  Engaged employees are happier There is a lower chance of them leaving their company. They are more satisfied with their jobs, and perform better. The key to employee engagement for the leadership team is capturing the hearts and minds of the employees, so they are willing to offer more of their capability and potential. If, right now, the employees are doing that anyway because they are forced into it by staff shortages and increased workload, the workforce will inevitably become stressed or want to leave. This impacts businesses much more quickly, with loss of experience, increasing overall costs, making the company less profitable due to turnover costs and sickness absence. If you manage anyone or lead a team, ask yourself, are you being the boss that people want to work for or more importantly are you being the person you want to be? You can really be the catalyst for change. Even if you are not a senior manager, as a member of a team, the way you interact will impact on people’s lives. Perhaps you could even be a better colleague to your peers, collaborating more. Martin Luther King said, “A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus, but a moulder of consensus”. All of us can be leaders in our own way. Real Leadership Real leadership can be the catalyst for change in your team which then has a ripple effect. If you aren't sure how to make a difference starting today, start with knowing yourself better, then you can better support those around you. Here are 5 thoughts around improving engagement where you work: Step 1 If you haven't already, invest in a coach to help you discover your life purpose, your passion. Get to know your values and limiting beliefs. Once you understand yourself, you will be able to influence the lives of the people who work around you. Being the best version of yourself will uplift everyone. Step 2 If you don't do it already, learn to coach. (ICF defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires others to maximise their personal and professional potential - https://foundationoficf.org/) If Managers are great at telling people what to do, then the job gets done. However, staff are often demotivated, undervalued and lack creativity and inspiration. By coaching, staff become empowered. You are enabling them to think for themselves, taking responsibility for their actions. Coaching builds confidence, making change easier to embed. When you coach others, you trust people to choose their own goals and people can surprise you. They will challenge themselves more than you would ask them to do. This is especially important, post Covid. Step 3 Be the leader that leads by example. Once embedded, coaching will free up more time and it will prevent “Groundhog Day” conversations. Through coaching, you will learn to ask powerful questions, to elicit personal growth within your team. By doing this, you will be encouraging and developing them. You will be helping them experience the greatest motivators, which are shown on surveys to be above money. They are self-development and positive feedback “recognition”. Step 4 Be flexible. Technology has changed the way we work. Mobiles and emails are with us 24/7. We often answer emails on our days off, make calls out of hours. I've even been skiing on the top of a freezing mountain where guys have stopped to take a business call! Is this you? This shift in work-life balance means, as leaders, we are all giving and asking more. But are we managing the effects of this in return? Little things like providing WIFI so people can manage their lives at work, access to healthy snacks, exercise facilities, use of office equipment to name a few. What could make a difference for your team? Lastly, I want to leave you with this thought: “If we do nothing, everything doesn't stay the same”  It's just another way of saying, people always need support and development, because the workplace is constantly changing, so we can't just keep doing what we have always done. Has this got you thinking What difference could you make today?

Humane Leadership; How Do We Lead Post Covid? Louise Cantrill - Managing Partner - Skylite Associates For most of us those early stages of this pandemic were a bit of a sprint. I have seen organisations transform in days – areas that would have taken years to complete normally with huge numbers of people working from home.    We were working on Agile and Flexible plans with organisations in the Public Sector back in only last February and well that got taken over! We watched as shops, bars and restaurants switched to delivery-only models. My local pub opening a wonderful takeaway service to survive – which is now closed again!   We are also grappling with the complexities of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, furloughing staff rather than let them go, with the government paying 80% of the wage bill. After hearing the word furlough at the horse races it is now an everyday word - 9.5 million jobs furloughed! Who would thought this back at the beginning of last year? However, a year later, it has become painfully, exhaustingly clear that what we thought was a sprint, was actuall,y a marathon. The additional adrenaline rush – that we felt ourselves - of new ways of working wore off. People are fatigued and fed up.  As you know we speak with HR leaders on a regular basis. This fatigue has only increased with leaders and managers looking for external support and peer connection. Something that has raised its head in recent weeks through these conversations is what I think of as a “fracturing” of the workforce. Many organisations now know when they can bring people together physically, but the more challenging issue—one that can’t be solved with one-way walking systems and Perspex screens—is bringing people back together psychologically. Organisations of all sizes and across all sectors and regions have such a disparity of employee experiences of the pandemic, that creating a sense of “oneness” is a formidable task. “That sense of ‘we’re all in this together’ has long gone,” one chief people officer reflected recently. Another, rather gloomily, added: “The kindness has left the room.” It’s being replaced with resentment (Why am I putting myself in danger every day while my colleagues sit at home on full pay?) and anxiety (Am I going to lose my job?). We are seeing cracks appear.  There are always challenges with staff – we wouldn’t have a business if there weren’t but this crisis made things more visible and more profound. As a Covid survivor myself lets pull no punches this is a matter of life and death.  This uniqueness of experience challenges the concept of fairness. How can you be fair and consistent when the spectrum of needs varies so dramatically? Should you even try? Fed up with furlough or angry about staying on Reluctant returners against those that can’t wait to get back Covid casual as opposed to Covid concerned Rather than trying to second guess the future ways of working we see the need to recognise how individual our working experiences of the pandemic have been. And more than recognise, we need to care.  As INSEAD management professor Gianpiero Petriglieri put it recently: “We need more humane leadership. We need leadership to care, with a bigger focus on community, connectivity, and bringing people together.” Compassion and humanity will be key at all levels to knitting back together a psychologically fractured workforce. The question for leaders then, is as much about how to engender empathy, as it is about what the new, post-COVID-19 strategy should be. As human behaviour is messy and unpredictable, there are no easy answers to solving this but being as open and inclusive as we can be, where honest conversations are welcomed. And we need to give people voice and choice. Autonomy in our ways of working is sorely lacking right now. Enforced home working, without the option to go into the office or a café for a change of scene, is not the same as flexible working, as it lacks the element of choice. Moving forward, we are going to need to be innovative, creative, and compassionate to engage, motivate, and connect our teams. Fostering togetherness will not be easy. We can at least start by acknowledging the incongruity of experience within our workforces and building from a place of honesty and compassion.