For Clients
FAQ's
Why should I consider hiring someone on a flexible basis?
We define as flexible jobs which fall outside the conventional five-day week permanent position:
We place professionals across a range of industry sectors including:
Our professionals offer a range of expertise including:
Many of our professionals are senior women who have reached a point in their careers where they want to work more flexibly; we find that most professionals who are seeking flexibility are women but we welcome men who are in search of new ways to work
Research shows that flexible professionals are more productive, focused, committed and motivated than conventionally employed staff and there is far less absenteeism.
At Sapphire we dislike the term “part time”, all our candidates are 100% committed to getting the job done.
How can I evaluate the performance of a flexible professional?
Measure their results, not their face-time. A person who is working part time or doing part of their work outside the office is under the same performance pressure as anyone else. Sapphire Partners can work with you to agree performance goals and implement an evaluation process. We want our professionals to succeed for you.
Are your candidates appropriate for Board roles?
The UK plc boards are well served by the major search firms for traditional candidates. Sapphire Partners is focused on the broad group of UK small and medium sized enterprises, corporations, private equity firms and not for profit organizations who would benefit from experienced, female board members who may not yet be sufficiently high profile for more conservative search firms to have noticed.
Our female board candidates have strong credentials, demonstrable capabilities and deep commitment to their careers. Their integrity, intellect and achievements are outstanding.
For a number of reasons:
- To reduce your cost base of full time employees with associated benefits packages
- To tap into a source of highly experienced professionals who have reached a point in their careers where they want to work more flexibly
- To solve an immediate need, e.g. maternity cover or resignation
- To provide experienced resources for special projects
- To test drive a role and/or a candidate
We define as flexible jobs which fall outside the conventional five-day week permanent position:
- Special projects: Projects that are short to medium term duration that may need an individual or a team dedicated to successful implementation, part time or full time depending on client needs
- Permanent part time: Where an individual can work flexibly during the working week
- Interim assignments: to cover short to medium term staffing needs, e.g. whilst a new recruit is being hired; to cover maternity leave
- Job sharing: A position that could be shared between two people with similar or complementary skills to team up and create a greater impact than one individual
- Flexible full time: when some element of a full time role can be done effectively from home
We place professionals across a range of industry sectors including:
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- Sales
- General Management
- Business Development
- Communications
- Finance
- Human Resources
- Research
- Strategy
- Consulting
- Technology
Many of our professionals are senior women who have reached a point in their careers where they want to work more flexibly; we find that most professionals who are seeking flexibility are women but we welcome men who are in search of new ways to work
- Typically they will be aged 37-47 with over 15 years’ management experience. They have all reached senior positions within their chosen career fields
- Most are educated to post graduate level
- The majority have worked for leading companies or organizations
- All of our professionals are rigorously interviewed and at least two references taken up
Research shows that flexible professionals are more productive, focused, committed and motivated than conventionally employed staff and there is far less absenteeism.
At Sapphire we dislike the term “part time”, all our candidates are 100% committed to getting the job done.
How can I evaluate the performance of a flexible professional?
Measure their results, not their face-time. A person who is working part time or doing part of their work outside the office is under the same performance pressure as anyone else. Sapphire Partners can work with you to agree performance goals and implement an evaluation process. We want our professionals to succeed for you.
Are your candidates appropriate for Board roles?
The UK plc boards are well served by the major search firms for traditional candidates. Sapphire Partners is focused on the broad group of UK small and medium sized enterprises, corporations, private equity firms and not for profit organizations who would benefit from experienced, female board members who may not yet be sufficiently high profile for more conservative search firms to have noticed.
Our female board candidates have strong credentials, demonstrable capabilities and deep commitment to their careers. Their integrity, intellect and achievements are outstanding.