Join Lauren and Craig as they finally leap into the 'Dark Side', with an absorbing chat with Jason Darbyshire - CEO of Charterhouse Partnership... yes an Agency.
Jason shares his experience in the Covid world and how his perception has changed about working from home...
Join us!
Join Lauren and Craig as they finally leap into the 'Dark Side', with an absorbing chat with Jason Darbyshire - CEO of Charterhouse Partnership... yes an Agency.
Jason shares his experience in the Covid world and how his perception has changed about working from home...
Join us!
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wait A podcast for everything telling acquisition were informative, controversial and a little bit crazy. Now please join your hosts and industry leaders Lauren Shop and Craig Watson. Hi, everyone. Welcome to Tapod. I'm Craig and I'm Lauren. Today we're interviewing Jason Darvish, ER, the CEO of Charterhouse Partnership Australia and UK. Welcome, Jason. Before we get
spk_1: 0:40
going, I just want to make reference. Teo Lauren. She's done an amazing thing that I got out of her bed. She's had her eye operation earlier in the week. She's highly medicated, so I cannot be held responsible for anything she may say on air today, not removing myself from all responsibility.
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And you can get stuffed talk,
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Teo. Anyway, Jason, we always start with a very simple question. How did you get into recruitment? Tell us a little bit about your equipment journey over to you?
spk_2: 1:15
Yeah. Okay. I suppose it's much like everybody. I got sold the dream 22 years ago. It was, you know, how'd you like to drive a car on DH? More than you made about 22 years ago. That was unacceptable pitch and it worked on me. Quote from clan. You know that was kind of having got into It was Robert half in the city of London. And then I went back up tio Manchester with them. And then after I did my time, my my then girlfriend now wife relocated. Teo London worked her what Wass A proper called Harrison Wells became TMP that became on. Then I shifted over to Australia and did some time China McCloud before going back to a British firm that rubble order on then. For the last 11 12 years I've been in China, have it was just basically a car
spk_0: 2:10
e. If only I had a fast car. Eso Charterhouse is one of the largest privately owned recruitment companies in Australia, isn't it? With about 110 people?
spk_2: 2:25
Yeah, yeah,
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on globally. Happy,
spk_2: 2:29
proper close. It's about 200 across the middle Eastern here, if we talked to in the UK as well. So it's about 200 people.
spk_0: 2:37
Okay? So normally you're our first agency person we've had on the podcast. Actually re you a lucky u e. I know I can hear most of our listeners out there gasping and clutching their pearls and going Lauren, what have you done? E Oh, my God, I can hear it now. So how have you coped as a company? As our industry has been really hit hard with the onset of covert 19. How have you moved your business? That we're just high volume high energy in one room and you're home? Hi, Workforce has gone remotely
spk_2: 3:20
like it. It's amazing what happens when you have Teo. Imagine, like many, many firms are industry way talk about work from home and flexibility. But a lot of firms, I guess they have resisted it because they feared around the perception of White potentially implied But literally we spent two weeks in conjunction with our with our providers and breaking policy frameworks talkinto our recruiters and skill in Amman, you know, howto set up a work from home environment. What have you literally within two weeks ago vanished in my great all of our UK office in all of our Australia office till working time scenario, and I have to say the business hasn't missed to be, You know, you are operating madam in terms of what we typically do day today that's still being done, then I think it's a credit to the people that we've got working. We obviously didn't give them enough credit at the start, But it's a credit to the people who have got working for us and the directors. But it just seems to have gone pretty smoothly, certainly better than the market that moment.
spk_0: 4:23
Well, yeah, because I know when I was an agency world myself, that office vibe that fast paced that always kept feeding off each other. How do you maintain that when people home alone are teams relation? Covid covid covid
spk_2: 4:39
So the question is probably the area that we put most focus into, and, ah, lot of it is come for ideas, top down. But actually, the best buddies that are working their way through at the moment actually come from my business way. Have a rhythm whereby we have a cheque in a cheque in cheque out each day. It is designed to mirror the operating system of our office environment. So in an office environment, a team would huddle around the border, the more than it would talk about its business. It would talk about his plan for the day, and then at the end of the day, we will catch up and review it that same thing. That same process happens, But it happened by do meetings. You know where the sheriff's means. In my view, cheque in in the middle is typically a very casual conversation, and I do. It simply just happens in charge of each of their people protecting him round the nose, a tracking. So the replication of work based environment is it actually going pretty well in terms of making sure that there's some degree of high energy? Still, because who do feed off energy around them? I guess. Estimation As much as we're talking about surviving the current market, making sure that we're doing everything we should be making sure that you know our people pretty problems that motivated the navigate investors they can't. So we've got some of the team's run quiz night, sort of once twice a week. Some of the teams were winning games daily. You know, they require some level of virtual face to face interaction. I tried to position itself, is a pretty accessible CEO, trying to replicate that so this to drop in zoom meetings each week has been a virtual room, and anybody with any questions regardless, while controversial, then they Bacon Command and no set agenda beyond simply chatting, catching a get the day off to a bit of a good start Replicator idle water cooler that had happened in office.
spk_0: 6:25
Supposed aids with your staff's mental health knowing now, Tio, they're just a bit of a chat and non work related charts and things like that Keep meeting TA
spk_2: 6:36
absolutely. And we've just until the Commons, basically. So you know where they used to be. A fortnightly date from me, the one you know that's turned weekly. You know, a lot of piecemeal chart that's going out on a pretty good basis. I think we're okay, but But it is just seemed to come together and yeah, that's kind of how we doing it, really. Talent
spk_0: 6:55
So one thing that's crossed my mind in agency World is Do you think that this work from home option would be a possibility in the future? Across the agency landscape?
spk_2: 7:09
Yes, I've done a full 1 80 on it. I always like the level of reticence, and, you know, I think a lot of that has got to do with being a dinosaur. By comparison, Teo most having what our our people have adapted Teo. I'm happy to admit on. That's probably my concerns around are more reflective. My own bases and there were about the cat ability people. So certainly, you know, my intention when we get back to a tradition to some form of normality will be put in place. A work from her policy that is available companywide on reflects exactly what they're after. Recruitment
spk_0: 7:46
In my view, I can't see that it's working quite well now for you, another company. It's also going to be a good comeback for those work work from home mums, perhaps. And those three days a week,
spk_2: 8:01
The interesting thing we've seen. And it is it is the three amount of our recruiters that are actually now keen, believe it or not, to go back into the office because the part of Miss Most is you, Leo. Just natural interaction. There have been consequences sitting alongside somebody you know. I think if people were certainly given one day, we'd work from
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ther e. I can only imagine trying to work from home with Children would be a bloody nightmare, A question with the
spk_1: 8:44
environment we're in where a large percentage I would. This's all guesswork, so I don't know. And obviously we're not asking for commercial in confidence information. But, ah, large number of companies across the country are struggling up. I've
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got a little
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bit of data they last quarter in terms of hiring intentions. So this's the quarter up to March 63% of businesses in Australia. We're looking to add the headcount, while only 4% 4% said they were going to reduce head count now. Currently, that's flipped quite a lot. Where, what? The data. I've got access to a saying 7% of companies are looking toe kid count during this quarter, while 73% of companies will be reducing. And that's obviously a co vered reflection of covert. And also there are some industries that are hiring really well. So
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my question is, you know, I spent
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20 years in the agency environment, and it's for all intents and purposes, partly a sales environment.
spk_0: 9:41
How do you
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cell in an environment where your clients are not buying? So in terms of the KP eyes or the expectations around sales calls or sells interaction? How has that changed it all?
spk_2: 9:55
Well, you don't you don't sell because you know the product in inverted commas that we're selling, you know, it's just not a transaction of that I think would be turned. Death is an industry if today were still making traditional marketing calls talking about people that were representing today, actually the big pushing the businesses around. Just making sure that interaction, interaction with candidates, insurrection clients sharing ideas of what other companies may be doing in terms of keeping staff engaged, making sure that we're really rating in our contact. Locals are candidates because it's a real hard time to remember the moment. In many ways, I guess we've seen the same trends in a sharp drop off that demands. Generally speaking on DH, I don't mess everything. We can tackle it by simply making calls, you know, just doing the same as we did before. We have to accept the situation we're in, and we still need to be relevant. We still need to be talking to a candidate's incline community, but to some extent that you discovered situation, we'll just negatively impact our revenue, and our job is to get through that with the minute amount of description as we can.
spk_0: 11:07
Com House Covert 19 affected your UK. Yes, it's wondering about that one because you've got a huge medical practise over there. Oblique.
spk_2: 11:15
Yeah, yeah, you know, it actually hasn't Andi think that's more a happy accident than anything? Because the only business that we have over there is it's focused in medical soul now on is still very much on on its honest growth trajectory on it's a bit like we're not too big to lose to merch Andi, still small and agile enough to be ableto cover its cost base and everything. Be aware, you know. And so I looked at state stands at a great strategic vision on my part. You know, it's just a little bit of a break. We've been waiting a good little team over there. They're a great group of people. They're good people in there.
spk_0: 12:07
Is that team growing? Yeah, yeah, that It's
spk_2: 12:14
a good little business, A little happy action, and we're very happy with it. Sze doing well over there.
spk_0: 12:20
You've got a dream here in Australia, your medical team, money from that party tonight. And how were they throwing?
spk_2: 12:27
Good, because it's only one of the biggest comments I get is surely that booming. You know, logic. Obviously, you know that a medical business there's many different facets. Teo still seeing demand that an emergency doctors are rising in the war. John Bad Journal magazine. Bert Areas like GPS Health that's been hit. You know, it's no different than when we talk about white collar and you know West actors may be good and might not. You have the same dramas in Medical? Forster got here a little bit, with some of the opportunity and travel restrictions, internally and externally. But the upside, of course, is that capital availability is greatly improved on that. Generally speaking, people are a lot more flexible that they were. So it's it Sze doing okay. Booming is a big words of using nothing pretty disciplined.
spk_0: 13:18
So other than the medical industry, are there any other areas that you see are tugging ling chugging along quite well.
spk_2: 13:27
I language I use more have been hit last on the list. Really, we're still say some level of demand come through, so that's that's good to say. And our business has done a very good job that, you know, and then the work that we do and local and state government where across various prophets were still get a job job Slocombe through at the moment in particular areas like communications and policy. And what have you seriously that for a welcome welcome contributions departs.
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Jason within the
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government environment is the majority of you work from my supposed stimulus spend? Is it around contract or they More permanent roles were
spk_2: 14:16
absolutely, definitely so even in mainstream commercial, even though even though we've seen a sharp drop off in demand for people at the moment where we are seeing any demand that all tends to beam or on the entrance, I'd like for me I draw the line between permanent term is definitely fallen a bit off a ledge. Where's the still some semblance of demand? The marina
spk_0: 14:42
and I? No, actually, I don't know. I'm quite sure that a ll the other leaders of the other big agencies out there all have a little bit of a track together. So across the board, what is the feeling off agency recruitment at the moment? That way, he likes way
spk_2: 15:11
all recognise that, like you know, which just isn't comparable in my mind. No, no, in the you know, the mentality you'll get through it by doing Mohr looking harder, working harder on just that. That just won't be it. I don't think you know this is the That's an exception to the rule. Personal combat. Full circle, the understandably employers air turning off the car right at this very moment on, we've got to find what our roles are to some extent, we navigate that, you know. So there were positioned already for way
spk_1: 15:45
eyes Jason during this time for agency recruitment. Teo look att. We look at strategy like working from home, but look, ATT, maybe other strategies like how they engage with talent, acquisition or even their model. Is this an opportunity for you to step back and look at the business is how can we? How can we do things better
spk_2: 16:04
here? I think the level of dialogue were having at the moment with candidates and clients. When you're not talking about, do you want a job? Do you need a Do you need a person which probably the two basic languages that most recruiters of when Robin genuine general conversations around how you manage in this situation? In other words, we're doing something, please supplying people in and asking for availability. There's a lot of dialogue that exists, you know, Doris Asian looking more genuine. It's a little a little deeper than the traditional transactional recruitment dialogue that our industry gets gets labelled with on I don't think e I think that's a really important positive thing in this environment for doing a lot more of that. It's a lesson taken forward that it's something that we should be doing anyway because they will just facilitate better relationships, the most sincere, deeper relationships that they will have better outcomes for everybody in the future. I think
spk_0: 17:02
it's going to
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be different. World look Industry leaders have openly said in last week that they expect upwards of 30% of of agencies to disappear on these will be people that are carrying a high expense load against a locker return on investment. You know, we know the language, all those sorts of things, so no one wants to talk about these amazing opportunities at the expense of others. But it's going to be a different landscape. On the other side of this, whenever that date is three point now is to make sure that you're getting ready as when we talk to talent acquisition people. They're looking at strategy Now. They're looking at processes they're looking at being ready for when it turns, because it will. Companies like yourself also need to be saying, Well, there's going to be a complete different landscape. There's going to probably be less people in that in that field. And there's going to be a better opportunity to have better relationships with businesses not only not only on providing talent as just distracted, but also being a a trusted adviser and an expert in a particular environment and and offering. And you were talking before about the conversations you're having with clients around what other people are doing in their environmental in their industry to cope and is a really important pass forward at their
spk_2: 18:17
absolute crowd. Couldn't groom or some of the best conversations we're having at the moment. The highlights of you know, when I thought recruiters, you know, the highlights of their days, literally the legitimate to a dialogue to enjoying whether we would come to that's all clients. You know, when you move some of the traditional tells based dialogue out of that, I couldn't agree more I think I think that's exactly what will happen in
spk_1: 18:41
just looking at you. I'm just looking across that Lauren and she's really staying a struggle. She's like Nelly falling off.
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E just hurt, that's all a
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reflection of
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eyes that we owe. So you said be just in a moment ago about turning the tap off, which is pretty much what has happened for the whole entire recruitment industry when that tap gets turned back on, my opinion is, when this all opens up, we're going to be influx of jobs. There's gonna be people wanting people left, right and centre. All of those people laid off from Crown and all the other big businesses. Not all of them are going to want to go back. So you're going to have to. They're going to have to start running great big recruitment drives. How busy do you think we're going to bay?
spk_2: 19:40
Yeah, but I think it's going to split up like I think for me. I measure I think about what normality will look like, and when things will change, break it into two distinct and then for the want of a better word, I think recruitment will start, Tio, come back on. Once normality resumes on, people start to, you know, go back to their commuter restaurants. Overturn an element of day to day life gets back to normal because, you know, there's a lot of clients that were talking to that. It is not an economic decision as to whether not hiring they simply don't have the visibility right now is when this is likely to left, you know, and the that question will shift wants normality resume so that for me will be our first big step change. See, you know, a gradual return to home on the next big one will be once people are back in people starting to get a handle on. Understand? You know, maybe the economic implications of this period of space is a lot of organisations have put themselves think there will be a supposed
spk_1: 20:45
and Lauren and I were talking before we came on today and there's so many different challenges across different industries. Look at something like hospitality with, you know, the bars and those sort of things which rely heavily working holiday visas. Now 280,000 people have left the country that the international travel ban will be one of the last things toe lift. So hospitality are going to have a huge challenge in re populating their head count. When when these sort of restrictions around them being open is going to be lifted. And I don't know what people doing toe. Look at these sort of things where that's sort of where staff are going to come from it. Z really interesting.
spk_0: 21:22
A lot of virgin people need jobs.
spk_1: 21:24
They do, but with a gun, pull beers at the
spk_0: 21:26
A great safety demonstration. It's just really interesting that none of us. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard your let's just
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say she's not feeling any pain.
spk_0: 21:47
I worked. I know the drill. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome on board your flight on flight 463 Pretty Sydney. I'm your flight attendant today. So that logic on
spk_1: 22:01
that logic learning who used to work for an set and we know what happened there on. We know what's happening to virgin. So can we get spect all of the virgin flight attendant to become recruiters?
spk_0: 22:10
Well, actually, the big thing most, most of them went indeed was getting to hospitality. They did that was a big That was the first thing that everyone could go and get a bar job and things like that because they've already got There are Risa or whatever it is the bath service, the ticket s so they can all go and work in bars and things like that straight off the bat.
spk_1: 22:31
So there goes. So we've just problem solve that problem without even
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a pretty face.
spk_1: 22:39
She was telling me again earlier, Jason, that we should start talking about planning for for Top White over the next 12 months, because with the drugs, or might the moment come out with the best idea you ever
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cry? Nothing will be, Oh, anyone's just halfway through. They're going to think I'm some sort of drug addict surgery, that prescription or thiss discussion
spk_1: 23:09
that we've been having Jason is like I said thie outside. I hadn't done a massive a lot of research, but I'd have come from a heavily agency background and this has been really interesting and really informative and productive discussion around what you're doing internally and how you're looking at your relationships currently with clients and for the future. So I think that a lot of the listeners that we've got that ordinarily from talent acquisition will really appreciate. Thie are working in this difficult time in a large agency within Australia later. Thanks very much for
spk_0: 23:42
that. It's very you're very welcome. It's very nice to get an agency's perspective and all those pearl clutching today. People out there see? Didn't hurt. Wait, we're gonna finish
spk_1: 23:58
up here, Jason, say All right. Thank you so much for your time and all of your speaking of pearls. Pearls of
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wisdom and think real time goodbye from a and it's a good bite me. Thanks for listening to Tar pod. Please don't forget to subscribe and look out for upcoming podcast Tok. Exactly how many off our podcast you've listened, Teo? Well, well, because you're on this one. I'm stoned. Basically on medic prescription drugs