If you’re anything like us, you’ll have looked at a word such as “asynchronous” and immediately thought, no thank you, that’s not for me, and scrolled on. However, posts regarding the continuous change in office hours following the pandemic have spurred new discussions around how businesses have adapted to work from multiple locations and across multiple time-zones.
What is asynchronous work? What could it mean for you? Or are you already doing it without knowing?

Alarmingly, we've spoken to an increasing number of confused and concerned candidates who have been put forward for roles without their knowledge. Recruitment is of course a competitive sector, and more often than not it's a case of who gets to the best talent first. However, this competitive nature can lead to recruiters not doing their due diligence and cutting corners, with top talent no longer feeling in control of where there CV ends up.

How can you ensure that your CV is ONLY being submitted with your permission, for the roles you're interested in? And what can you do if your CV is submitted without your prior knowledge?

Publications can be divisive: you either seem to love them or hate them. There's nothing wrong with having a preference, but you shouldn't let other people's biases put you off giving them a go for yourself.

Publications is often stereotyped as being "boring" or "less creative" than other aspects of healthcare communications. However, working with publications/publications plans provides the opportunity to have key input into the development of the medical strategy and requires a stringent review of the the competitor landscape.

Have you ever spent so long waiting for something that you really want, but the longer you've had to wait the less you want it? Even when in the process for a dream job, the best talent can still be disillusioned by a slow, drawn out interview process, with unrealistic timelines and non-existent feedback.

How can you avoid missing out on top talent an ensure that they stay engaged throughout the interview process? Check out our top tips below.

It's no secret that (both in healthcare communications and beyond) the market is flooded with people looking for a new role. In times like this, it's natural to think that there is no need to utilise a search consultancy; why pay for a service when there are candidates practically begging to be considered? However, working with a Search Consultancy can ensure can ensure that your time and efforts are not spent wading through an endless supply of "tick box" CVs, and can instead offer a direct route to carefully curated top talent that is relevant to you.

With the latest reports suggesting that UK job vacancies have fallen to a three year low, it's no wonder that so many working professionals are struggling to find new roles. The news that vacancies are few and far between isn't exactly surprising for those who have been trying to navigate the market for a while now; the market is flooded with well-qualified and experienced people all jostling for the few roles available, and these high levels of competition see many talented individuals missing out on their dream role simply because they didn't get there fast enough. Can we expect the job market to change in the coming months? What can we do to push our profiles forward and ensure that we don't fall to the weyside?

Talking about money is something that makes most people uncomfortable. If you've not grown up in an environment where conversations about finances are common place, then speaking openly about your salary, particularly in the workplace, feels incredibly taboo. In fact, for generations open conversations about pay compensation have been actively discouraged by management teams. However, latest reports suggest a shift in attitudes towards discussing salaries, as younger generations entering the workforce are encouraging greater transparency. What are the potential benefits to openly discussing salary packages with colleagues? And how can we re-train ourselves to no longer recognise money as a taboo subject?

Back in the Summer we were writing about "the great resignation", as changes to the UK business market saw unprecedented numbers of workers leaving their roles in favour of more attractive offers. Now that we've almost made it to 2024, the "great resignation" has been replaced with the "great negotiation". Highlighted in LinkedIn's ideas that will shape 2024, the great negotiation refers to increasing tensions between younger workers and old-school bosses. What is the "great negotiation"? And how could it change UK business practice moving forward?

Promotions can seem inherently positive. Of course, what’s not to love about ticking another goal of the list, salary increases and further rewards? However, a word of warning for companies who think that promotions are enough to keep their teams happy: overdue promotions are one of the leading causes of dissatisfaction and disillusion in the workplace.
Too often, we speak with candidates who are going above and beyond in their day-to-day, but are still waiting for an ever-postponed review meeting. Their progression seems to be stagnated, so much so that they begin to look for the next step up outside of their current company. More often than not, even when finally offered, promotions and unlikely to sway top talent away from looking to continue their career in a different setting. Why is this? What can agencies do to ensure they don’t know what they’ve got until it’s gone?

Unfortunately, micromanagement is something that most working professionals will come across in their careers. With increasing economic pressure for companies to stay at the top of their game, it's not uncommon for managers feeling the pressure to over-involve themselves in team processes. This has led to business commentators asking whether we are too keen to call out mid-level managers who are themselves responding to imposed pressures from senior leadership teams.
Is there a more efficient way to challenge cultures that breed micromanagement, without targeting mid-level leadership professionals? Or is managing micromanagement a micromanagement in itself? Confused. You're not alone. Let's talk it through together.

You might not want to believe it, but we're already in November. 2023 has managed to be the longest but quickest year in collective memory. It's been a year in which the healthcare comms sector has faced many changes. On the one hand, as we have moved further away from the 2020 pandemic, we've seen more agencies increase their in-person team days, settling back into a more hybrid structure. On the other, we've seen agencies having to revaluate their strategy as pharmaceutical budget cuts and economic strain impact teams across the sector. Amongst all of this, it can feel completely irrational to begin to even consider a change. However, this year's market turbulence has offered a great opportunity for introspection, with talent across all levels reflecting on their current role and company, and considering if they want more from their work.

With so many changes in the sector, this October is definitely feeling less pumpkin-spice and more nightmare on med comms street. With uncertainty rife, it's no wonder that so many people are jumping at shadows of redundancy and budget cuts. How can we navigate a turbulent market? And how do we differentiate between sector-oriented insights and fear mongering?

Those who don't acknowledge the relevance and impacts of gender equality in the workplace have likely never experienced it. Indeed, with more companies advertising their stance as inclusive and forward-thinking businesses, it can be difficult to identify microaggressions which consistently target women in positions of leadership in UK businesses.

It can be hard to consider why people would CHOOSE to stay in a role that makes them unhappy. Many working professionals will at some point during our career get stuck in an environment that does nothing for your progression, bank balance or your mental health, and will all of the above as signifiers that it's time to make a move. 

"The Great Exodus"- so apocalyptically dubbed - refers to the inflation in numbers of professionals resigning from their roles following the COVID19 pandemic. Like rats leaving a sinking ship, the pandemic had an unprecedented effect on British business, with entire workforces having to adapt to new rules and regulations. Unlike other industries however, the healthcare communications sector thrived throughout 2020 and 2021, as influxes of pharmaceutical funding was flooded into vaccine development, production and implementation.

If the latest figures by the Recruitment and Employment Federation (REC) are anything to go by, then job seekers are beginning to feel the impacts of the cost-of-living crisis. Recording the slowest pace in job vacancies in the last 26 months, economists and insiders alike have attributed the drop in opportunities to an overall slow-down in internal recruitment, teamed with cross-industry job cuts.

Last weekend, Silverstone once again became the epicentre for one of the year's motoring highlights. Whether you were cheering for Verstappen or Hamilton (contentious topic, I know) there's no denying the exhilaration of the dramatic highs and lows that F1 brings. This week our Creative Production Consultant sat down with our Founder and Director, Carys Mills, to talk about her trip to Silverstone and what she's taken away from this years' events.

Unless you've been living under a cinematic rock for the last 6 months, you'll know two things about the most highly anticipated theatrical releases of the summer;

We've spoken many times before about the ever evolving nature of agencies in the healthcare communications sector. Whilst more often than not these changes positively impact the professionals who work and thrive within the industry, we know that some changes can result in upheaval and discontentment.

Happy Med Comms Day 2023!

Our team has been lucky enough to work with an amazing variety of healthcare communications talent and clients across the sector. Since 2006, we've had a front row seat to witness the evolution of a sector that encourages innovation and challenges the "norm" for work/life culture and balance.

For so many working professionals in the healthcare communications sector, hybrid working offers the perfect balance between having your own space to focus and collaborating with a team.

Although healthcare communications has long been a sector which has embraced hybrid working, it's no secret that since the pandemic a wave of businesses across industries have adopted the hybrid work style, with more and more professionals working from home at least one day a week.

In case you didn't know, there's this thing called Chat GPT...

It's been hard to avoid the buzz surrounding Chat GPT, both in the mainstream media and healthcare communications circles.

Neurodiversity and work are two words that for decades felt at logger-heads with one another. Indeed, the word "neurodivergent" wasn't coined until the late 1990s. Sociologist Judy Singer states that “Neurodiversity refers to the virtually infinite neuro-cognitive variability within Earth’s human population. It points to the fact that every human has a unique nervous system with a unique combination of abilities and needs.”

We know how much energy it takes just looking for a new role, let alone getting your CV in the best shape to start getting applications out. As search partners, we work with candidates on the day-to-day to optimise their CVs to highlight their relevant skills in the best possible way.

The beginning of 2023 has seen many companies- from fish and chip shops to investment banks- come to the end of trialling a 4 day week for their employees.

The ongoing cost of living crisis in the UK continues to add new waves of pressure across multiple facets of day-to-day life. But speaking to working professionals in the healthcare communications sector, our team has seen an increasing number of freelancers making the transition to permanent roles in response to the increasingly alarming economic environment.

"Culture fit"

In today's challenging environment, finding the workplace culture that's right for them is one of the top priorities for industry leading talent within the healthcare communications sector.

We know it sounds cheesy, but the relationship we have with ourselves and our sense of self-worth is intimately linked with how we feel in our professional lives. If you feel under-utilised in your current role, or disillusioned with the lack of progression opportunities, it can impact the way you view yourself as a professional, and that unhappiness can bleed into other aspects of your life, having a knock on effect on your wellbeing.

In a market flooded with new opportunities, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. As search partners, we spend a good portion of our days talking to candidates about the pros and cons of placements, always taking the time to ensure that we understand our candidates wants and aspirations are reflected in the companies we submit them to.

Between back-to-back meetings, endless emails and responsibilities outside of work, finding the time to think about the next step in your career can feel impossible.