As management structures change to meet the demands of austerity we are seeing the job titles of senior managers changing too.
Gone are the days of a chief executive, directors, assistant directors and then heads of service.
We now have chief executives, managing directors, executive directors, strategic directors, corporate directors, service directors, assistant directors and heads of service at 3rd, 4th or 5th tier.
When recruiting an interim it is now not enough to give a job title. Understanding where the role fits, the context and your expectations, is essential.
With the proposed legislation changes from HMRC around IR35 this is even more important.
HMRC wants to make sure there is a clearer delineation between those inside and outside of IR35 which will impact their tax status. By putting the tax liability on recruiters we will also need to be very black and white about it. We will rely on the brief to determine the tax position and that will undoubtedly impact the availability of talented interims.
Knowing what you are bringing an interim in for is vital. This might sound obvious but we still receive briefs that aren’t clear on what outcomes are needed.
Clients don’t need to define what an interim will do on a daily basis, but there should be an agreed brief with clear priorities, milestones and outcomes – just coming in to do the permanent job on a temporary basis is not helpful.
If you get the brief right, you get the interim you want, and the outcomes you really need.
Anthony Lewis is Associate Director of Local Government Executive Interim at Penna.
Anthony.lewis@penna.com
www.penna.com
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