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Ahead of Sustainability Day on the 26^th of October, we have scoured the internet to find the top 5 tips to be more sustainable at work in 2022.

Of course, some tips may be easier to implement than others, but we can all do our bit for the environment.

1.Reduce plastic usage and recycle.

According to Surfers against Sewage, 12 million tonnes of plastic end in our oceans every year. Plastic has been found in the deepest parts of the ocean, as far as the Antarctic and across UK’s beaches.

From encouraging your team to use reusable coffee cups and water bottles to banning single use plastics such as plastics straws and cutlery.

2.Switch your office energy provider to a green supplier.

This may be a tad difficult to implement especially in shared building but there are quite a few green energy suppliers such as Ecotricity.

3.Offer a cycle to work scheme.

Cycle to Work is a government initiative that we’ve supported for many years which offers employees who want to cycle to work the opportunity to get a new bike and accessories, tax-free. According to the .GOV website:

‘Many employees choose to cycle to work. As well as being one of the healthiest and most environmentally friendly modes of transport, cycling is a great way to reduce congestion.’

4.Consider working in a co-working space.

There are countless reasons why working in a co-working space is beneficial, but from an environmental perspective shared spaces and resources Coworking spaces possess a huge potential to support environmental sustainability due to their inherently sharing-oriented constitution.

5.Print less.

This may seem like an obvious one but going digital is better for the environment but could also save your company money on ink and paper. And, if you really have to print that document, try using recycled paper.

We at Intersect Global have already implement some of these initiatives to do our bit for the planet and be a more sustainable recruitment business.

Want to be part of our team? We are recruiting for a range of Quantity Surveying roles with Civil engineering contractors across London and the South East, send us your CV or connect with us on LinkedIn.

The pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis have made a lot of individuals re- evaluate their work lives. Some are on the look out for more money, others more perks or simply a better work-life balance.

You may have read our previous blog post on the optimal times to find a new job – ‘Is September a good time to search for a new job?’ in which we spoke of the most optimal times to job hunt. It seems the recruitment norm remains true this autumn with recruiters reporting an increase in job searches. There have been reports October is predicted to be one of the busiest months for job hunters, as candidates hope to secure a new career before the pre-festive slump in recruitment.

Job hunting can be nerve-wracking at the best of times but especially to be doing so in the one of the busiest periods before Christmas. So, what can you do to ensure that you CV and professional profile make it to the top of the candidate list?

Ensure you CV is up to date and contains the right key words.

Follow this link for our Top Tips on CV writing. The key words employers will look for in your CV will be found in the job ad, so it is important to tailor your CV and covers letter to each ad.

Make yourself known

As well as applying for suitable roles on various online platforms, it is good practice to also check out our website and getting in touch via email or phone to discuss any potential job openings. 

Since the pandemic, people are less likely to have in-person meetings but here at Intersect Global we like to speak to all our candidates whether that be on the phone or via a video call. The more we know you, the more likely it is we can find the right role for you.

Networking

Networking is a great way to meet new work contacts and to get your profile/cv out there and under the eyes of the right person. LinkedIn is a great tool for this and is used by job hunters, recruiters, and companies alike.

There are many articles online which can help you to make the most of your LinkedIn profile.

At Intersect Global, we are adding new roles onto our job boards daily so it is worth checking it regularly.

For all queries email us at sjones@intersectglobal.co.uk

Follow the link below for the full article:

https://recruiter.co.uk/news/2022/09/mini-budget-recruiters-give-nitty-gritty-changes-ir35-and-msc-legislation

Article by DEEDEE DOKE of recruiter.co.uk

For a selection of our job vacancies head over to our job board or alternatively check out our company page on LinkedIn and connect with us. Should you have any questions regarding any of the roles we have on offer, you can also email us.

Generally speaking, to increase your chances of finding the job that best suits your preferences, experience and qualifications always ensure that you regularly update your CV and keep looking throughout the year.

That said, there are times of the year where hiring tends to be slower namely December and August. In December, businesses will tend to work towards wrapping things up before Christmas and New Year’s Eve, office environments will be more relaxed and as a norm companies won’t employ new team members during that time as their induction and training is likely to be interrupted by the festive season.

In August, the summer holidays are in full swing, hiring managers and their teams will be on holiday and most teams will function with a lower amount of people in the office.

So, when are the optimal times of the year in which to apply for a new role?

The general recruiting consensus is that September and January are a great time to begin the search for a new job.

Some reasons for this are that hiring managers are now fully back in the office after the festive season or the summer months and will have more bandwidth to divert their attention to recruitment. Recruiting companies also know that graduates will be looking for work then so will dedicate more time to it. 

With September well and truly here, is your CV up to date? For some top tips on CV writing read our CV Writing Blog.

Alternatively, if your CV is ready to go and you are looking for greener pastures, why not head over to our job board, you can also connect with us via our LinkedIn page or email us. 

As of the 1st of October 2022, employers will no longer be able to carry out Right to Work or ID checks remotely.

Photo by Romain Dancre on Unsplash

Read this article by ShipShape to find out what’s changing and how employers will be carrying out these checks going forward.

Are you looking for the next step in your career? If so head over to our job board for a selection of roles on offer, connect with us on LinkedIn or email us.

With the UK set to have another heatwave this week, we were glad here at Intersect Global to read that:

‘Making better use of rain water in London was the focus of a new funding stream announced last week. Mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced £4M in funding for 19 projects across the capital aimed at building resilience to climate change and that Eleven boroughs will receive £2.85M from the Green and Healthy Streets Fund and funding will also be provided to enable the development of strategic green walking routes.’

Read the full article below:

Intersect Global works with major infrastructure providers and contractors in London and the South East , to see a list of civil engineering roles currently available head over to our job board on our site or alternatively why not connect with us on LinkedIn.

Our minds make decisions intuitively, before we’re aware of it. Unconscious bias in recruitment is common but we can all do our bit to reduce it and make the recruitment process fairer.

This video by ‘The Equal Group’ gives food for thought and tips on how to do this.
Worth a watch….. 

Are you on the lookout for a new role?

Head over to our Job Board for a selection of roles advertised or connect with us on LinkedIn.

Sustainability is thankfully becoming more forefront when businesses are setting out their objectives or their company’s mission statements and values.

In 2015, the United Nations, set out the Sustainable Development Goals (also known as the SDG’s) of which there are 17. These goals aim to provide peace and prosperity for our planet and for people now and into the future.

Using the SDGs as guidelines, individual countries have then set out their own targets to meet these goals.

By 2050, the UK Government aims to cut carbon emissions by at least 80%, compared with the country’s 1990 baseline figure of 592.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. (Please note, this is a domestic baseline target and excludes emissions from international aviation and international shipping).

Construction projects have historically been a significant contributor to the use of resources and environmental pollution, but advances in design, engineering, and a greater awareness to reduce carbon omission has been how the construction industry plays its part in helping the UK meet the Government’s Green Growth Plan.

The Institution of Civil Engineers has acknowledged the part the civil engineering sector can play in building a more sustainable future for the planet. It has also stressed how important it is for individual companies to collaborate to ensure that green targets are achieved.

Some examples of what is being done to make civil engineering more sustainable:

• Construction companies are using more environmentally friendly materials such as wood, which is effectively carbon-neutral, and sheep wool which is increasingly being used for insulation purposes rather than a manufactured alternative.
• Using artificial products such as manufactured sand can be a more eco alternative, instead of extracting it from the environment and transporting it across long distances.  
• Recycling materials which would otherwise be destined for landfill is another way of cutting CO2 emissions.
• Projects such as high-rise buildings can be made more sustainable by sourcing their own energy with the installation of roof top solar panels or wind turbines.
• Companies can use prefabricated components which are manufactured offsite in a controlled environment. This helps to cut down on the time spent on the construction site, reducing noise levels and CO2 emissions. 

Sustainable engineering also involves being more aware of, and cutting down on, emissions during the process, for example, with the use of plant and machinery. One method of achieving this is by sourcing materials locally.

Green engineering solutions need not be more expensive than conventional practices.  There may be a short-term increase in costs, but this can be recouped in the long term by using renewable energy from sources such as solar cells.

Sustainable engineering can also refer to renewable energy projects which will bring long-term benefits to the environment. These include harnessing wave and tidal power -onshore and offshore wind farms also fall into this category.

In July 2018 the UK Government announced £557m pounds worth of financial support to increase offshore developments in the UK.  Ministers will hold contract auctions to developers, every two years, over the next decade, under the Governments energy plans. This will see almost a third of Britain’s power being generated by offshore wind turbines by 2030.

See the Rampion Offshore wind farm website for more information on their work off the coast of Sussex.

Another growing sector of green engineering is biomass, which involves creating energy by burning wood or other organic matter. In the UK a project is underway to build a £160million biomass plant in Sandwich, Kent, which will be able to supply power to 50,000 homes.

Civil engineers are tasked to find complex solutions to the increased need for sustainability and environmentally conscious projects all over the UK.

If you are looking for a new challenge and contribute to making Civil Engineering greener, head over to our website to see a selection of Civil Engineering roles advertised.

Can’t find what you are looking for? Get in touch