INTRODUCING THE MAJAR GROUP

We are delighted to announce the formation of the Majar Group, a strategic merger with Major Players, the UK’s leading digital, creative, and marketing talent agency.

The creation of this group is a formalisation of successful collaborations between these two founding brands over the years, and together, provides the creative and technology industries with the opportunity to leverage a legacy that spans over 50 years.  

The group will offer agile talent solutions that shape progressive workplaces to enable rapid, international growth. By combining capabilities and offering complimentary services with Major Players, Arrows Group will now be able to deliver greater talent, digital transformation and growth strategies for its clients, benefitting from greater buying power and economies of scale.

The group scale enables Arrows Group the opportunity to expand its services and geographical footprint, with ambitions to launch in the US markets in 2023. The move will also strengthen their employer brands and will create greater career opportunities and development of staff.

All the businesses within the group will continue to trade independently under their own brands. In addition to the founding brands (Arrows Group & Major Players), the group will also be home to BOOSTA, an embedded tech talent consultancy, and Caissa Recruitment, a Berlin based tech recruitment agency.

Charlie Sell, Managing Director of Arrows Group, said “Formally announcing the creation of Majar Group is a result of the past two years collaboration and cultural alignment. Both businesses share the same values, ambition, and belief we will offer a world class service. On behalf of all at Arrows Group, we are excited and inspired about the collaboration and future of the group”.

“Creating the Majar Group enables us to capitalise on the convergence we see between the technology and creative services across our combined customer bases. We are investing in the solutions we can deliver to these high demand sectors and looking to compliment these with specific acquisitions to support our global strategy. We are really excited about bringing these exceptional businesses together under the Majar Group and collaborating closely across the brands”, said James Parsons, Group CEO.

For further information, visit: www.majargroup.com.

New Year, new you!

New Year, new haircut! (we’re looking at you, Boris)

New Year, new resolutions!

Yes, some of us might come swinging into the New Year, ready to tackle the world and our epic goals.

But some of us come crawling reluctantly from under the duvet to the home office, with a severe case of the back-to-work blues.

Recognising the January Slump

People have very different feelings following the Christmas break. As a business and as individuals, it’s important we acknowledge and appreciate that.

I’m sure we are all hoping for great things in 2022, but it comes off the back of another tough year. This Christmas break has been longer than usual, due to the timing of Bank Holidays. Additionally, offices changed to home working the week before Christmas. As a result, a lot of people have been at home for several weeks now.

Some people love this and will be raring to go, delighted to still be working from home. Others are fatigued by it. Opening a laptop at the kitchen table feels like more of the same.

I have been working with our senior leadership on ideas to help overcome this amplified January slump. These are some of our suggestions for a positive and sensitive start to the year. If you have any more ideas, I’d love to hear them in the comments below.

1. Embrace Informal Conversations

New Year

I don’t think you can over-communicate at times like this. This isn’t about micro-management, it’s simply about checking in with people and encouraging them to engage.

Catch-ups don’t have to be for work reasons, social discussions are just as important. We have a Slack channel, for example, dedicated to ‘Thought of the Day.’ It’s not compulsory to join in, but lots of people do. We have discussions from ‘are people bemused by what Boris Johnson is saying’ to affirmative quotes. It’s an open channel.

2. Get Away from the Desk with Walking Meetings

Because there aren’t colleagues to get up and speak to at home, it’s easy to end up sitting in the same spot for long hours. This isn’t great for physical or mental health.

January Blues

We have set a goal of one walking meeting a day. Instead of a video call, the meeting is via phone with EarPods in and both people walk while talking. It’s a great way to get the blood flowing and get you unstuck from your chair.

3. Discover What’s Changed

I like to speak with as many people in the company as possible to kick-off the New Year, including those I don’t regularly get to talk to. It’s a chance to say, ‘welcome back.’

This is a good opportunity to give a very informal business update. I remind people about the company purpose and what we want to achieve this year. It’s also an opportunity to recognise and remind people of their individual achievements in the last year.

The Christmas break can be a time of reflection and change. Some people may have new resolutions and goals that can be informally discussed. There may also have been some life changes. The New Year is an ideal time to find out what’s new and how people are feeling.

4. Give Time for New Balance

We may want to hit the ground running in January, especially in sales. But a lot of people need to ease back in and businesses should give them time. It’s about finding a new balance again.

For anyone who is feeling a bit blue, it’s important to recognise whether it is about work, family, or other. These are all equal in seriousness and one impacts another. Businesses must recognise that everyone has a life outside of work!

Equally, some people will be feeling great. You don’t want to make people think they SHOULD have the blues! If you’ve started the year in high spirits, try and spread that positive energy on. When you do, appreciate others may need a little more time to get their mojo back.

How do you like to kick off the new working year? What helps you start in the best frame of mind? 

Charlie Sell
Charlie Sell – Group MD Arrows Group