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If you’ve been keeping up with the latest updates in the contracting world, you’ll know that IR35 is the main topic of conversation. But what is IR35, and what does it mean for contractors? What is IR35? Implemented in the year 2000, IR35 was and still is a tax law designed to combat tax avoidance through the use of ‘disguised employment’. Simply put, ‘disguised employment’ is when a person engages with a business through a limited company to carry out work that would usually be completed by an employee. Operating this way means they take advantage of tax efficiencies, allowing them to pay comparatively less tax and National Insurance. The purpose of the legislation is to ensure that contractors that are in ‘disguised employment’ are paying the correct amount of tax. If you’re genuinely in business on your own account then you will not be caught by the legislation and can therefore, take advantage of the tax benefits available when working through a limited company. The IR35 rules are applied on an assignment-by-assignment basis; and currently contractors working within the private sector are responsible for determining the IR35 status of the contract and paying the correct Income Tax and National Insurance contributions for each contract they take on. However, this is due to change on the 6th April 2020, when the current IR35 rules in the public sector are extended to the private sector. The release of detailed plans On the 11th July 2019, as part of the release of the Draft Finance Bill 2020, the government revealed its detailed plans for next year’s reforms to off-payroll working. These reforms are due to be introduced to medium and large businesses, leaving small businesses unaffected. These medium and large businesses will then become responsible and liable for determining the IR35 status of the contractors they work with. What does all of this actually mean? We’ve explored some of the key points below: The small business exemption As mentioned above, the reforms will not apply to small businesses – as defined by the Companies Act 2006. Income Tax and National Insurance deductions will be paid by the fee payer If your contract is deemed to be inside IR35, then the amount paid for your services will be seen as employment income. The fee payer, the organisation that pays the personal service company, becomes the employer for tax purposes and is required to make deductions for PAYE tax and National Insurance contributions from the contract income. Debt transfer provisions This gives HMRC the power to collect unpaid Income Tax and National Insurance contributions from another organisation in the supply chain, should the entity responsible for paying the limited company (referred to as the fee payer) fail to pay these. Improvements to the Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST) tool The CEST tool is a digital tool designed by HMRC, to help decide if your contract falls inside or outside IR35. There has been a lot of debate surrounding its accuracy, HMRC have advised that they are making improvements to the tool and this will be made available later in 2019. The impact on contractors in the private sector The employment status tests are not changing. The only change is in who is responsible for applying the legislation. If your contract and working relationships are similar to those of an employee then you could be deemed as falling inside IR35, meaning the income from your contract will be subject to PAYE Tax and National Insurance deductions like an employee. Though there is a significant amount of nuanced details for IR35, there are also three key pillars to determining your status: Control: If your client imposes a level of control over your work the project is likely to fall inside IR35. Some things to consider – does your client set your working hours, keep a close eye on your work, and dictate how you approach the work? Do you need consent to be given time off work, and are you able to choose the location in which you carry out the work for your client? Mutuality of Obligation: In permanent employment your manager would typically give you work to complete, and when that was done, they would have more for you. You would accept this further work and the cycle would continue. Both you and the employer are obliged to keep this relationship going until one party terminates the contract. However, if your contract is outside IR35 then you have no obligation to accept any additional work offered and the deliverables may be renegotiated at the end of each contract. Personal Service / Right to substitution: One hallmark of an employment relationship is the fact that you are engaged to complete the work personally. If you have an unfettered right to send a suitably qualified substitute in your place without requiring your employer’s permission, this points towards a business to business relationship Providing support We hope our overview of IR35 has been useful, and that we’ve answered some of your questions. It is important to note that determining the IR35 status of a contract is not a tick box exercise, and a holistic approach is needed. If you are unsure of your IR35 status or have any questions regarding IR35, it is important to contact a specialist contractor accountant. You can also contact our Head of Contracts Alex Martuccio by email alex@understandingrecruitment.co.uk or by phone 01727 228 244. Check out our latest contract roles here. ​Leading umbrella company Parasol offers contractors the flexibility which is part and parcel of self-employment, but with the added reassurance and support which comes with permanent employment.

Relocating cities or even countries for a new job can be an exciting but also daunting prospect. There are lots of things to consider before packing up, so we’ve put together the most important things to think about before accepting that new job abroad. 1. Find your why Before relocating, take some time to write down the pros and cons of the move. Why is it that you want to change your current situation? Is it a step up for your career or are you looking for more job satisfaction? Is the pay package better and will your quality of life improve in the new location? Also take into consideration the negatives such as being further away from family and friends, cost of living and possible language barriers. If you have real doubts about moving, then discuss them with family or friends and remember it’s an option and your choice to make. 2. Get to know your new home Before making the final decision about your move, visit your new home and try to experience it as if you already live and work there. This will help you see if you can picture yourself living and laying down roots there in the long-term. You’d be surprised how much places can vary from online photos and information and your gut feel will give you a good indication if the move is right for you. Research the place you’re moving to as much as possible. It’s a good idea to see some different areas while you’re there so you can find the one that suits your lifestyle best. If you can’t visit before you move, speak to people already living there to get a better picture. Local social media groups can be helpful to join, and your new employer will be able to offer some advice. 3. Ask for help Many companies offer a variety of relocation services including practical and financial assistance to employees who are relocating, so it’s worth asking about this during the hiring process. Even if your employer doesn’t typically offer relocation services, it’s worth negotiating this with them if it’s crucial for you to be able to make the move. Make sure to find out what your moving expenses will look like and if your goods need to be shipped so that you have a basis for negotiation. Some companies may also offer corporate housing. 4. Research, research, research Research your future company as much as possible and find out who you will be reporting into and what the team is like. You can find out more about the organisation’s ethic and culture by asking to speak to someone in a similar role as the one you’ll be doing. Next up think through the logistics of your move. Is it a permanent move? Will you be gone for a few months or a couple of years? Selling a house is one of the biggest complications that relocating homeowners face. So, analysing how permanent your move is will influence if you keep your current property, put your things into storage or opt for the full move. Renting your accommodation is also a great choice to settle into a new city without making a huge commitment. Make sure you know how much your cost of living will be, including accommodation, transport, childcare, other expenses, and tax rates. Your new job may offer a better salary package overall, but it may soon lose its novelty when compared to your cost of living. You also need to find out if you need a visa or residency permit to live in the new county. Visas can take quite a lot of time to process, so tackle it early on. If you already have found a job, the company is likely to sort this part out for you. But you should double check if this is the case before accepting the position. It is also worth looking into taxation as many countries have different tax guidelines especially if you are self-employed. Several countries also have bilateral tax treaties in place for non-residents to avoid being double taxed in your home nation and abroad. The UK for example, has over 100 of these treaties with different states. Your move can also affect your state pension so it’s best to clarify your pension status. To make the whole process easier, the best thing to do is to become a list person and keep a to do list for your current location and one for your destination. That way you have an overview of everything you need to keep on top of and don’t forget anything important during this busy time. 5. Think family If you have family, you need to take into consideration how they feel about the move. Will your partner be able to find work and what is the education system, schools and childcare like? Are there language barriers that will affect integration for your whole family? Is an international school the best option? 6. Your new start Once settled in your new city, make sure you’ve done the trial commute to your new place of work and know how long it takes you. The last thing you want is to turn up late on your first day. Networking will help you make new friends and build your safety net. Your new company may offer social clubs and activities to help you meet new people. Joining sports groups is also a great way to meet people with similar interests. The trick is to say yes, get out and be social. 7. If it doesn’t work out You’ve moved to a new city or country and started a new job. Now it’s turned out to be different than what you expected. Remember that it can take some time to get used to new surroundings and cultural differences which can be stressful but it’s important to stick with it and give your new situation a chance. If you’re still not happy after months and you don’t think that will change, you need to have a backup plan. Is it something job specific that is bothering you and could it change if you discuss it with your Manager or is it the location you are living in? Perhaps your commute is too long which is adding on stress or you’re not making any friends. Analyse why you're unhappy with the situation and see if a simple change could have a positive impact. If after this, the situation is still not working out for you, consider what your other options are. Overall, experiencing a different city or country can be the boost you and your career need. The key is that if you don’t like it, you can always go back, but chances are you won’t want to...

BOSTON, Mass., July 10, 2019 (UNDERSTANDING RECRUITMENT) -- This past week award-winning technology, software and digital staffing consultancy Understanding Recruitment, has opened its first stateside office in Boston, Massachusetts. In the city dubbed to become the AI capital of the world the team will be working closely with candidates to bring them the most relevant, challenging and innovative career opportunities within Artificial Intelligence and Backend Engineering. The new office is being led by one of Understanding Recruitment’s most successful consultants, Matthew Ferdenzi, who successfully developed a team of six consultants specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning recruitment in the UK. Matt will now be focusing on growing the Boston office over the next few years and brings with him a wealth of industry knowledge and experience. Understanding Recruitment Inc. Chief Operating Officer Matthew Ferdenzi commented “Moving to the U.S. has always been one of my personal goals and Understanding Recruitment have given me the platform to go to Boston and set up my own office and take the bull by the horns really. It’s a massive opportunity and I’m hugely proud to be taking our business stateside. We think that Boston is a global hub with a flourishing tech market and a lot of potential and I’m looking forward to speaking to new candidates and expanding our client base over the coming years.” Ideally located between Boston’s historic North End and ever-evolving West End, Understanding Recruitment has opted to make the WeWork 200 Portland Coworking space their new Boston address. As well as covering Boston and the surrounding cities, Understanding Recruitment recently expanded into the Berlin tech market specializing in Java technology recruitment. With exciting plans for continued growth across new geographical territories the business is also aiming to boost their worldwide headcount from 50 employees to 100 by 2022. Founding Director of Understanding Recruitment Inc. Chris Jackson concluded “We’re thrilled with the success we’ve had in Boston so far and with Massachusetts recruiting more Artificial Intelligence jobs per capita than all other U.S. states except Washington, I look forward to seeing the business go from strength to strength. Opening up in Boston was a very strategic decision that we took because we truly believe that the Boston tech market is strong and is evolving from its biotech roots towards Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies.” ENDS About Understanding Recruitment Inc. Understanding Recruitment is an award-winning technology, software and digital staffing consultancy with offices in Boston, Massachusetts and the United Kingdom. As well as covering the U.S. and the U.K., Understanding Recruitment also specialize in Java recruitment in Berlin, Germany. Having recently celebrated their first decade in business they have been recognized with several industry awards over the years including 'Best Staffing Firm to Work For 2018'​ at the SIA Awards for the third consecutive year. Their team of specialists operate across all areas of Technology and Digital covering both contract and permanent roles, including Java, DevOps & Cloud, Mobile & Web, .NET, Machine Learning & AI, FinTech, Project / Program and Product Management, Cyber Security, Infrastructure & Support, Testing & QA, Architecture & Design. Contact information: Understanding Recruitment Jana Timm jtimm@understandingrecruitment.co.uk (01144) (0)1727 809 340

As part of our ongoing growth plans, we’re excited to announce that our new Boston, Massachusetts office is now open for business! ​In the city dubbed to become the AI capital of the world the team will be working closely with candidates to bring them the most relevant, challenging and innovative career opportunities within Artificial Intelligence and Backend Engineering. ​ The new office is being led by one of Understanding Recruitment’s most successful consultants, Matthew Ferdenzi, who successfully developed his team of six consultants specialising in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning recruitment in the UK. Matt will now be focusing on growing the Boston office over the next few years while our UK team is now in the capable hands of Hannah Beach. Understanding Recruitment Inc. Chief Operating Officer Matthew Ferdenzi said “Moving to the U.S. has always been one of my personal goals and Understanding Recruitment have given me the platform to go to Boston and set up my own office and take the bull by the horns really. It’s a massive opportunity and I’m hugely proud to be taking our business stateside. We think that Boston is a global hub with a flourishing tech market and a lot of potential and I’m looking forward to speaking to new candidates and expanding our client base over the coming years.” Ideally located between Boston’s historic North End and ever-evolving West End, we’ve opted to make the WeWork 200 Portland Coworking space our new Boston address. As well as covering Boston and the surrounding cities, we recently expanded into the Berlin tech market specialising in Java technology recruitment. With exciting plans for continued growth across new geographical territories we’re also aiming to boost our worldwide team from 50 employees to 100 by 2022. Our Founding Director Chris Jackson concluded “We’re thrilled with the success we’ve had in Boston so far and with Massachusetts recruiting more Artificial Intelligence jobs per capita than all other U.S. states except Washington, I look forward to seeing the business go from strength to strength. Opening up in Boston was a very strategic decision that we took because we truly believe that the Boston tech market is strong and is evolving from its biotech roots towards Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies.” If you'd like to find out how we can help your business grow in The States get in touch with Matthew Ferdenzi mferdenzi@understandingrecruitment.com or connect with him on LinkedIn.

Lily joined us as part of our Digital and Data team based in St. Albans, Hertfordshire that specialises in placing tech talent in the Charity Sector. She has made a fantastic impression on the business so far, breaking the Understanding Recruitment record by placing three candidates within her first two months. She also recently won our ‘UR of the month’ award at the monthly stand-up that acknowledges team members who live and breathe our values. In this blog she shares her experience of working in recruitment so far… I joined Understanding Recruitment just over two months ago now and it has been the best decision I have made in my career so far! I can quite easily say I’ve enjoyed every part of the journey. I started as a Data Recruiter with absolutely no prior experience within the Recruitment sector, in fact no sales experience at all. At first, I was a little apprehensive about starting my new job and I really didn’t know what to expect. Prior to joining Understanding Recruitment, I went to Sandringham School and studied Geography, Sociology and Psychology at A Levels. I really enjoyed my time in sixth form and found my subjects fascinating however I wasn’t passionate enough about any of them for me to think that going to University would be beneficial. I was more passionate about starting to make money straight away and getting a head start in my career, so I became the Manager of a local café. Although I had a rough idea of what I thought recruitment would be like, I imagined it was going to be a very simple process and that there wouldn’t be much to it. I soon realised that there is a lot more to recruitment than most would think. There are so many different factors that contribute to being a successful Recruitment Consultant but fortunately I can confidently say that I’m learning from some of the best in the industry! My experience so far in recruitment has overall been very successful but I’m aware that not all days are good days. Due to the nature of the role every day is very different, and I have experienced very good days but also not so positive days. It’s normal and I have realised already that those not so good days just motivate me to work even harder the following week. "I’d say the most important thing to remember is not to take things personally when things don’t always go the way you’d hope as there are always highs just around the corner." A typical day for me as a Resourcer consists of checking emails and adverts, speaking to candidates, searching for CVs on job boards and LinkedIn, prepping candidates for upcoming interviews and much more. "My favourite part of my day would be getting on the phone and building good relationships with my candidates and helping people find the perfect job for them. Of course, the best part is placing candidates and I was extremely happy when I placed my first candidate last month, it was the best feeling!" My advice to anyone thinking about starting a career in recruitment who is in the same position I was two months ago is that if you’re financially driven, hardworking and passionate about being successful then definitely give it a go. I was provided with excellent training which has set me up for what I’m hoping will be a very successful career ahead and I can’t wait to progress further within the industry.

This past week, Understanding Recruitment achieved a significant milestone: we expanded to more than 50 employees worldwide and moved into newly refurbished headquarters in St. Albans, Hertfordshire. In line with our company values, renowned motivational keynote speaker Pete Wilkinson delivered an impactful talk on winning teams, everyone playing their part and being the best, they can be. Pete, who has managed a large team of 300 people is massively passionate about professionals achieving their potential and spends his time business coaching and supporting Chief Executives and Managing Directors in a range of businesses from small micro businesses up to £130m Engineering Businesses. Following the inaugural opening speech from founding directors Chris Jackson and Dale Swords, the ribbon was cut marking the official opening! The UR team then enjoyed an afternoon socialising in the new office space with a range of canapes and bubbly on tap. As well as covering the UK, we've recently expanded into Berlin and Boston with exciting plans for continued growth across new geographical territories. But despite the growth, we’ve not gone all corporate. Giving both our clients and candidates a top-notch experience is still our priority! It was also important for us to stay true to our roots and keep the office in St. Albans where Understanding Recruitment was founded in 2007. The only major difference between then and now is that we have a spacious 3,346 square feet to stretch out in. We also have what feels like limitless meeting space with a boardroom that seats 12 people that is ideal for our expansive internal training scheme. The new layout also boasts four smaller meeting rooms fully equipped with state-of-the-art Zoom video conferencing capabilities which means we can meet all our clients and candidates face to face! And there’s two fully stocked kitchens, a large breakout area perfect for team lunches, a custom-made pool table, individual lockers to store gym gear, a library, and plenty of room for expansion. In fact, we still have plenty of job openings and have ambitious plans to grow our team to 100 people by 2020. We have roles in recruitment, account management, business development and back office with openings in St. Albans and Boston. So why not join the team? Working here is pretty ace! Our newly refurbished offices are in the heart of St. Albans in The Maltings Shopping Centre on the 2nd Floor of the 38-40 Abbeyview building. If you’re curious and want to come by and visit, just let us know!

ST. ALBANS, Hertfordshire, 24th June 2019 (UNDERSTANDING RECRUITMENT) -- This past week award-winning technology, software and digital recruitment consultancy Understanding Recruitment, achieved a significant milestone in their growth: they expanded to more than 50 employees worldwide and moved into newly refurbished headquarters in St. Albans, Hertfordshire. In line with their company values, renowned motivational keynote speaker Pete Wilkinson kicked off the day with an impactful talk on winning teams, everyone playing their part and being the best they can be. Pete, who has managed a large team of 300 people is passionate about professionals achieving their potential and spends his time business coaching and supporting Chief Executives and Managing Directors in a range of businesses from small micro businesses up to £130m engineering businesses. Following the inaugural opening speech from Founding Directors Chris Jackson and Dale Swords, the ribbon was cut marking the official opening. The UR team then enjoyed an afternoon socialising in the new office space with a range of canapes and bubbly on tap. In his opening speech Founding Director Chris Jackson applauded the team for their fantastic achievements over the past years but also thanked Workplace Interiors for their great work on the office refurb and finished off by saying “We’re just at the beginning of where we are going and this office is a massive statement of where we’re looking to go as a business.” As well as covering the UK, Understanding Recruitment recently expanded into Berlin and Boston, Massachusetts with exciting plans for continued growth across new geographical territories. But despite the growth it remained the Founding Director’s priority to stay true to the companies’ roots, keeping the office in St. Albans where Understanding Recruitment was founded back in 2007. The new spacious office boasts 3,346 square feet to stretch out in. There is a new boardroom that seats 12 people and is ideal for delivering Understanding Recruitment’s internal training scheme to new starters. The new layout also boasts four smaller meeting rooms fully equipped with state-of-the-art Zoom video conferencing capabilities. There are also two fully stocked kitchens, a large breakout area perfect for team lunches, a custom-made pool table, individual lockers to store gym gear, a library, and plenty of room for expansion. In fact, Understanding Recruitment still have plenty of job openings and as stated by Founding Director Dale Swords “have ambitious plans to grow the team to 100 people by 2022.” ENDS About Understanding Recruitment Understanding Recruitment is an award-winning technology, software and digital recruitment consultancy based in St. Albans, Hertfordshire. As well as covering London and the surrounding areas, Understanding Recruitment have recently expanded into Berlin, Germany and are opening their first office stateside in Boston, Massachusetts. Having recently celebrated their first decade in business they have been recognised with several industry awards over the years including 'Best Staffing Firm to Work For 2018'​ at the SIA Awards for the third consecutive year and ‘Business of the Year 2017’ at the SME Hertfordshire Business Awards. Their team of specialists operate across all areas of Technology and Digital, including Java, DevOps & Cloud, Mobile & Web, .NET, Machine Learning & AI, FinTech, Project / Programme and Product Management, Cyber Security, Infrastructure & Support, Testing & QA, Architecture & Design. Contact information: Understanding Recruitment Jana Timm jtimm@understandingrecruitment.co.uk 01727 809 340

Making the switch from permanent employment to contracting can be one of the most exciting times of your career. The first major decision you need to make as a contractor is how to operate; do you work as an employee of an umbrella company or through your own limited company? You may be wondering, which option is the best for you? Thankfully, help is at hand. We have all the information you need from the experts at Parasol, including the pros and cons of each pathway, so read on for advice to help you make a well-informed decision. What is an umbrella company? An umbrella company is an excellent choice if this is your first venture into contracting or you’re planning on only contracting for a short period of time (for three-six months, for example). The main reason many contractors choose an umbrella company is the ease of use and less administration. If you decide to go down this route, you are considered an employee of the umbrella company. You will receive a contract of employment; as well as giving you peace of mind, this also entitles you to the benefits given to a permanent employee. This includes: Holiday pay Sick pay Maternity/paternity pay As well as receiving these benefits, you will also be able to claim business costs and expenses. The only drawback is that you can only claim these back if they are incurred during an assignment. Advantages of working as an umbrella employee Working as an umbrella employee can be the simplest way of operating whilst you’re contracting. The umbrella company will automatically deduct Income Tax and National Insurance contributions on your behalf, so once you receive your salary, the money is yours with no need to worry about additional liabilities. What is a limited company? A limited company is a company which you can set up in order to carry out your services. They have their own legal identity; this allows you to own company assets as well as having a business bank account – this account must be separate from your personal finances. If your limited company makes any profit, it then owns this profit. Although contractors working through a limited company can receive more money than those working under an umbrella company, this increase in income is a result of slightly more paperwork each month. You will need to raise your own invoices with your client and – with the help of your accountant – make your own National Insurance and tax contributions. Advantages of contracting through a limited company Forming your own limited company and working as a limited company director can be the most tax efficient way of working. In terms of expenses, limited company directors are also able to claim on a bigger selection of expenses than those working through an umbrella company. Forming a limited company gives you the ultimate control over your business finances, providing the freedom you perhaps first expected when you decided to become self-employed. Working as a limited company director is a great option for those who are planning on contracting for the long-term. A quick overview of both options So far, we’ve explored both contracting under an umbrella company, and through a limited company. It’s now your choice to take charge of your career, and decide which way is best for you. To summarise, an umbrella company could be the best option if you’re new to contracting and want to avoid the hassle of paperwork. It is also the best option for you if you’re intending on contracting only for a couple of months at a time. A limited company does come bundled with slightly more paperwork and added responsibility but if you’re planning on contracting long-term working through your own limited company could be a great option. Helping you decide Whether it’s a limited company or umbrella company you choose, we hope our guide has been useful in helping you decide which option fits you best. For a tailored recommendation, leading umbrella company Parasol offers a set of simple questions designed to point you in the right direction. You can also contact our Head of Contracts Alex Martuccio by email alex@understandingrecruitment.co.uk or by phone 01727 228 244. Check out our latest contract roles here.

Mike Sowerbutts is the Head of Engineering at White Springs, a technology provider dedicated to improving sales performance. They employ approximately 20 employees across offices in London, Banbury, Oxfordshire and San Diego. After ten years of progressing through the ranks at White Springs, Mike took on the Head of Engineering role with the challenge of recruiting a permanent team of highly skilled software development professionals to be based out of the Banbury office. We spoke to Mike to find out how he did it and what advice he'd give others who face similar challenges in this talent short market. Background UR: First off Mike tell me a bit about yourself. MS: I studied IT & Media at Lancaster University and was based in Oxford before I joined White Springs in March 2009. I then moved to Banbury in order to be able to walk to work, it’s been a long time since I’ve had to jump in the car and commute to work! I now live just outside of York. UR: But that’s quite a commute isn’t it? MS: It’s a good drive yes – but pales in insignificance to a daily commute, given that for the majority of those years, I have been 100% remote! The Challenge MS: Moving into the Head of Engineering role and realising the CEO’s ambitions it was quite clear we had to scale up our team and that two developers wouldn’t be sufficient to deliver on the projects we had lined up. UR: So, what was the plan? MS: I needed to hire six people including a Technical Lead to be based out of our Banbury office. UR: And how did you start to go about doing that? MS: Well, I went out to some recruitment agencies and I managed to make one hire inside the first couple of months. UR: That was good then... MS: Well yes and no. From looking at the candidates and interviews we conducted to make just one hire I wasn’t convinced that I could find another six hires of sufficient quality in the right location within the timescale required. I was ideally looking for experience of microservices, Entity Framework and .NET Core 2.0. I needed to change something… The Solution UR: So, what did you do? MS: I decided to expand the criteria to include the hiring of remote developers who didn’t need to be within a commuting distance of Banbury. UR: Ah okay. What experience, if any, have you had of remote workers previously? MS: I’m one! When I moved to Yorkshire from Banbury I asked to work remotely and while there was initially some hesitation and resistance, the company did have some people in other departments doing it as well as some employees working out of the US so the decision was made to allow me to do it. UR: I’ll come onto what some of that initial reluctance was down to later but for the moment, tell me what your experience was from a recruitment perspective after relaxing the location criteria. MS: I hired the six further people I needed within the timescales I had! I also hired a new recruitment agency to help me as well. UR: What made you choose the recruiter you did? MS: I liked the recruiter, he came across as trustworthy and not too pushy and thankfully he turned out to be able to find the calibre of people I needed. UR: And what did you find with regards to the new candidates that you saw? MS: I started seeing a larger pool of high-quality candidates than I had done previously. It allowed me to be more selective and certain about who I selected as I knew I had more people to choose from. If you are not careful you can hire people for the wrong reasons, i.e. they live locally even if they are not the best for the job. UR: Okay, great, that makes sense. While it seems an obvious positive that you get more candidates to choose from, what about the negatives you hear about employing remote developers? For example, I’ve heard that productivity slumps? Remote Working MS: That hasn’t been an issue. I’ve found that by being more flexible and by hiring the right people they don’t take the mick. UR: Trust people until they give you a reason not to then. What about still being able to foster that team culture and effective communication when everyone isn’t in the same location? MS: I’ve been the sole remote working employee in a team previously and that is difficult, especially when your line manager isn’t the biggest fan of remote working. However, when everyone in the team is remote it becomes easier. We use Microsoft Teams (allows multiple communication channels, syncs through Outlook…) to foster collaboration while also having an open chat where we can have some non-work communication and share our love of Star Wars etc! That may become more difficult with bigger teams but for the size we have it works. We also get together at least once every 2 months and go to developer conferences etc. UR: Sounds great! I’ve also heard that companies are concerned about sensitive data becoming unsafe through the use of remote workers – what do you do to mitigate this? MS: We use BitLocker (a full volume encryption feature included with Microsoft Windows) and Microsoft Intune (a device management solution) to handle this. Hiring UR: How would you summarise the impact that offering remote work has played in your hiring efforts? MS: It’s definitely been advantageous. I always ask our current developers for any negatives / improvements but there hasn’t been anything up to now. Given that all of them were 100% office based in prior positions, this is telling UR: And what about the interview process has that had to change? MS: Not too much, I do a telephone interview first (anything from 20-60 mins), then invite them into Banbury for a face to face interview including technical tests). Though sometimes it makes more sense to interview at a location closer to both of us. Fortunately, the recruiter I worked with was able to provide a space for this. And Finally... UR: Thanks a lot for taking the time to do this Mike, finally, for anyone reading this who is considering hiring remote developers what tips would you give them? MS: Okay, first one – look for more than just skillset. If someone’s personal skills are poor then working remotely doesn’t mitigate this, don’t change your team & cultural fit requirements just because they aren’t going to be in the same office. It’s still really important to get the right fit for the team. Secondly, ask the candidate where they plan to work from. You don’t want someone who says the sofa! Someone who can separate themselves from family distractions when needed and ideally has a separate workspace is better. It shows they are taking it seriously as well. And finally, you need the candidate to have fibre broadband so it’s worth checking their location, connection and speeds. For more information about White Springs and what they can do for your sales performance click here or contact them on 020 7754 5924.