Lack of engagement from employees is having a major affect on businesses!

Research conducted by gallup.com showed that 15% of workers in Germany are disengaged in their jobs. A more worrying report by Gallup reported only 13% of employees are actively engaged in the US. Disengagement is not as simple as saying someone is unhappy at work, disengaged employees take less pride in their work, have less loyalty to their company and take more time off, thus costing businesses billions every year! 

Disengaged workers costs the German economy 73 billion to 95 billion euros annually in lost productivity. Each day when someone is away from work in Germany it costs a business 252 Euros! Disengagement costs the US $2,246 per disengaged employee per year!

Seeing those figures should surely make any company sit up and be more aware of their employees. So why are people feeling disengaged? 

Employee disengagement is primarily driven by how supervisors - from team leaders to line managers - manage people. Given the state of employee engagement in Germany today, it's evident that most managers aren't creating environments in which employees feel motivated. 

The main reasons for disengagement as reported by staff were; 

• Stress and isolation, 
• Lack of training,
• Skills and accomplishments going unrewarded. 
• No raise or financial incentives,
• Lack of respect,
• Lack of communication within the company.
• Too many restrictions and rules. 

You might think staff leaving and moving on might be a good thing if they are disengaged. However, the cost of staff training and the fact that employees have desirable skills and knowledge, is enough reason to keep staff within your company.  If you don't take full advantage of your employees another company or competitor will! 

Word of mouth and social media all play a part on how staff express their disengagement with a company. If customers are considering a service or product, they will take recommendations from their friends, family, media and digital technology. If they are seeing negative feedback about a company that will affect their decision. 

So can companies really afford not to take employee disengagement seriously?

This year getting you down already? See what new opportunities we have!

Its cold, the days are short, Christmas and the festivities of December are over and sometimes you think "I just need a change!" So while you have the momentum behind you why not do something about it?

Whether you just need a change of pace, or a change of scenery, Kubo have lots of new opportunities for you. Many companies get their new budgets in January and have funding for new positions. They now have the time, as wrapping up the end of the year is over, to focus on recruitment. As Kubo enters our 4th of business, year we have built up a solid client base and are recruiting for jobs across Europe and the US on a contract and permanent basis. We are bound to have something to suit you so take a look at our new opportunities.

Principal Biostatistician - UK South East England (Home Based Negotiable) 

We are looking for a senior‐level professional to work for a major CRO. The successful candidate must be able to work independently on requested activities, taking responsibility for the statistical outputs produced and overall Sponsor satisfaction, as well as oversee the work of junior resources they cooperate with. The person we are looking for will work autonomously in preparing Statistical Analysis Plans and writing statistical methodology plans as well as the results sections of reports. He/she will also prepare and deliver training to staff and/or clients on statistical methodology and statistical principles.

Vice President- US
As a member of the senior leadership team, the VP, Sales effectively leads the sales and business development organization to ensure that our client continues their growth trajectory. The VP, Sales will lead the Sales team and the development, execution, and attainment of our client’s annual global sales strategy focusing on business development, customer excellence, and channel partnerships. The successful candidate must have a Minimum of 10-15 years’ industry-related sales experience; minimum 8 years’ sales leadership experience
Position Location: Strong preference for this position to be located in Chicago, IL. Will also consider Cleveland, OH; Cary, NC; or other locations.

Senior Database Programmer- Homebased, UK or Italy
We are looking for a senior‐level professional  to work for a major CRO. The successful candidate must be able to work independently on requested activities and oversee the work of junior resources they cooperate with. The person we are looking for will build the database and program the computerized checks or SAS checks to ensure clean, accurate and complete clinical data can be delivered to customers at the highest quality in accordance with the project plan.

Head of Statistics- UK
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Head of Statistics to join an expanding CRO. The successful candidate will support the continued growth of the stats function based on a responsive, high quality service and to further enhance the already high reputation that our client has within the industry. They will  ensure that the clients’ expectations and Stats and programming aspects of the business are delivered to a high level of quality and contribute to the profitability of the Company. The successful candidate will also provide overall management to the Stats and Programming department via structured management approach with strong and effective team structures.

Business Development Director- US
The primary purpose of this role is to sell our client’s software, services, and training through strategic and consultative selling. The individual will generate sales through personal contacts, prospecting, business case justification, demonstrations, phone calls and written proposals. This role will require complete sales cycle activities from lead identification through contract negotiation, account transition to Clinical services, ongoing support and follow on sales. The position will maintain relationships with existing customers within assigned accounts and/or territory. The individual will serve as a liaison between all of our client’s departments and the customer to maintain a high level of customer satisfaction with all levels of customer contacts. Position location: Home office based with frequent travel. The position is ideally based in Northern New Jersey, or the metro Boston, Philadelphia, or Chicago areas. Other locations will be considered. 

If you would like more information on any of the roles featured or to apply please email Andi Brown directly at andi.brown@kuborecruitment.com. 

Interviews then and now! .....How have they changed?

This week Kubo looked at how the process of finding a new job has changed in the last 20 years!

Technological advances and discrimination laws have dramatically changed the way that people look for a new role. Nowadays there are even apps that allow applicants to scroll through vacancies and receive notifications as new vacancies become available.  These apps also make it possible to apply for roles on the move, all from a smart phone!

In 1994 Robert J. McGovern began NetStart Inc the first online tool for job seekers and in 1995 six major newspapers joined forces to group their job listings online and created Careerpath.com. This new revolutionary idea of people being able to sit at home and see all the jobs available to them meant it was much easier and quicker for people to apply for a new role. Previously people had to look through the jobs pages of newspapers and apply by post or deliver in person!

As a result people can see roles all across the World now and apply at the click of a button, does this mean that applicant are applying for everything and anything because it's too easy to do so? Has this changed the way companies need to whittle down candidates to find the perfect person?


Kubo Spoke to Julia Bedford a Business and Finance manager about her experience of looking for a new role recently. I firstly asked Julia how she found applying for roles " there is a lot more emphasis on qualifications now than 20 years ago. Companies want to see that you have qualifications before they will even look at your experience". I went on to ask about the interview process and how she felt this had changed, " Historically you would have a much less informal one on one interview normally with a manager, but now you get interviews with panels. At my last interview there were four senior members of staff, which followed a group interview with the other candidates, during which we were given tasks and had to research and prepare a group presentation on a given topic". 

Kubo also spoke to Kevin Gutsell a CEO of a trade association about his experience of finding a new role recently "The first interview nearly always involves some form of presentation" Kevin said " which for some is quite daunting. The trick here is to stick to the subject and stick to time! I have experienced 2,3 and 4 interviewers so the more senior the position the more likely you will be presented with a panel consisting of Board members and experts." Kevin went on to say "I was invited back for a second interview as other candidates had been discounted, yet there was still a need to confirm the decision of the panel who took the opportunity to put me under more pressure (akin to the pressure I may experience in the job) After an hour I was asked to sit downstairs while a final decision and subsequent offer was made" 

In conclusion, it seems the whole interview process has become more involved and companies are having to be more stringent during the selection process.The simple one on one interview just isn't enough for some. It is also much easier for a company to do a background check on a hopeful candidate using social media. All a company has to do is type your name in and up pops your Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin profile picture.

As mentioned in last weeks blog, Skype interviews are now very popular, so people don't need to travel miles for an interview and the company can have an informal interview with you first before taking it to that next step.

As it is so easy to apply for roles now, some companies will only use recruitment agencies as they act as a filter. Companies don't have to spend hours looking through CV's and having that first interview with a candidate. This is where engaging an agency like Kubo Recruitment can help with the process, by ensuring that the candidate and company are both suited before the first interview, reducing a lot of wasted time on both sides.

It seems to me that the process of looking for a job has been helped and hindered by advances in technology. Its great that jobs are so easily accessible to everyone now, however the fact that more people are now able to apply means that the process of securing that position is a lot tougher now. Looking for a new job can be tough, but when applying for a role make sure you only apply for roles you are really suited for. Your passion and enthusiasm will come across to recruitment agencies and employees.

To make sure that you don't miss out on that dream role read through Kubo's helpful interviews tips


If you would like to share your experiences on finding that new role Kubo would like to hear about them!