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.
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.
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.
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.