The AWR: Legislation and Recruitment Together at The House of Commons

AWR 200x200Recruitment agency software provider Bond International Software and APSCo bring legislators and recruiters together to discuss the implications of the AWR at House of Commons Reception.
Worthing, UK, 13th October 2011: AWR software provider, Bond International Software, the recruitment agency software specialist, sponsored and took part in a lively AWR reception at the House of Commons on 13th September 2011.
The reception was hosted by the UK’s leading professional recruitment industry body APSCo, and was also attended by Peter Stephens, Director of Labour Marketing, Strategy and Operations from the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and Jim Dowd MP. BIS was responsible for implementing the AWR on 1st October 2011, and thus Peter Stephen’s input was gladly welcomed by all attendees.

Following on from a successful client event that Bond recently held on the subject of AWR compliance, AWR software provider Bond International Software sponsored the reception. As an affiliate member of APSCo, and the only software provider to sponsor the event, Bond International Software demonstrated its commitment to helping its clients become and remain AWR compliant.

The APSCo Reception is an annual, high profile event that attracts senior recruitment sector executives to listen to relevant parliamentary guest speakers. This year, with the introduction of the AWR, the 180 recruitment sector executive attendees took the opportunity to quiz Peter Stephens and Jim Dowd MP about the implications that the regulations may have on their recruitment businesses.

Attendees were also invited to participate in a review of a further 200 pieces of employment law, which BIS will be working on over the next few months.

One point of contention raised was why BIS had not decided to introduce a blanket exemption for personal service company contractors, or temporary workers earning more than certain level of pay, and as such could not be considered ‘vulnerable.’ Stephens and Dowd however, alleviated concerns by stressing that whilst a rumoured last minute review of the regulations was unlikely, the Government will be assessing how the AWR is working in practice and make any changes it deems necessary in a few months’ time.

Tim Richards, Managing Director of recruitment agency software specialist Bond International Software, comments, “Recruitment consultants across the UK have been hugely concerned about the implications that the AWR may have on day-to-day tasks, and this isn’t without warrant. The regulations have permanently altered the temporary recruitment landscape and recruiters are therefore desperate for clear guidance as to how to avoid the penalties associated with breaching the regulations, as well as advice on purchasing a suitable AWR software package to assist in the transition. 

Events such as the APSCo House of Commons Reception are invaluable to the recruitment industry, as visitors can be offered demonstrations of AWR software, and front line practitioners and legislators can be brought together to discuss the implications of the regulations in fine detail. As well as sponsoring the APSCo House of Commons Reception, Bond shares APSCo’s commitment to educating the industry about how to respond to the regulations. As a recruitment agency software specialist, we have committed to developing AWR software solutions that enable recruiters to become and remain compliant.”

Bond International Software Key Sponsor at World Leaders in Recruitment Conference 2011

globeBond International Software, http://www.bondinternationalsoftware.com the recruitment process software provider, will be the main sponsor at World Leaders Conference held on 13th October at Royal Bank of Scotland, 250 Bishopsgate, London.

As the only staffing solutions software provider to sponsor the conference, Bond demonstrates its commitment to strengthening the recruitment industry by sharing its suite of technology solutions with the market.

Representatives of Bond will be showcasing the recently launched latest version of Bond Adapt – the specialist portfolio of recruitment process applications. New developments such as AWR workflow, integration with a number of industry tools – such as LinkedIn and Drag&Tag – and newly developed features to aid recruiters’ day-to-day activities, will be displayed.

The new version of staffing solutions software, Bond Adapt, available as a Software-as-a-Service or on-site deployment, has a wide selection of new additional features, specifically designed to enhance the software’s practical ease of use and breadth of function, the combination of which has not previously been available in a single recruitment package as standard. Visitors to the REC National Convention are invited to witness first hand the enhanced functionality of the latest developments to Bond Adapt.

Now in its 14th year, the World Leaders Conference is renowned within the industry for being the most influential and thought provoking event of its kind. This year, the Conference will focus on recruitment business development, and offers visitors a chance to meet with and listen to high profile speakers from across the globe, who will offer presentations and advice on to build business, and how to invest in the industry. Exhibitors, such as recruitment process software provider, Bond, will give visitors the opportunity to discover how their day-to-day activities may be improved with a series of recently launched recruitment initiatives.

Tim Richards, Managing Director, Bond International Software (UK)
, comments, “We are keen to offer our support to recruitment events across the market, but as a world leader in the staffing solutions technology industry, we count The World Leaders in Recruitment Conference as a primary event on our calendar. This year, we are delighted to be the headline sponsor at the Conference, as it provides us with not only a great opportunity to network with industry peers and learn more about how we can develop our own recruitment process software solutions, but also, the opportunity to raise the profile of the latest version of Bond Adapt. We have spent a great deal of time and resource in introducing the new features to Bond Adapt, and as we are committed to continuing the development of our staffing solutions software in line with industry demand, we feel that participation in events of this calibre is fundamental to our success.”