Vacancy Management...an unnecessary cost or an opportunity lost?

For some years the pharmaceutical industry has been feeling the pressure of escalating costs and reducing margins, which have heightened its focus on targeting and ROI. In this environment there is a growing recognition that downtime on territory, through maternity leave or long-term sickness, can have a significant bearing on overall performance. Consequently Royce – the leading name in direct to headcount recruitment and vacancy management services – has been actively working with customers and candidates to ensure overall performance is maximised, and has recently detected an upturn in demand for its vacancy management services both from customers and, perhaps surprisingly, from its candidates as well… To backfill or not to backfill? Is the age-old question. In the era when sales call volumes were the priority, many were tempted not to worry unduly about the overall effect on performance of vacancies on territory. But in the current, tightly targeted and relationship-oriented pharma sales environment, this trend is beginning to turn. These days, pharma companies are more inclined to consider the opportunity lost through a temporary vacancy, than the additional cost of an interim solution. Increasingly, pharma is seeking not only to fill short to mediumterm vacancies to cover maternity and sick-leave, but also to make tactical use of vacancy management services – to ensure consistent support on territories with high levels of attrition, or when there is a freeze on headcount, for example. Vacancy management is attracting a steady supply of excellent and experienced candidates

Scott Page

It’s a trend which market-leader Royce has been swift to identify. With its 25 years of experience in providing recruitment services to customers spanning the pharma spectrum, Royce is uniquely positioned to monitor changing conditions within the market. “We aren’t surprised to see this trend emerging,” comments Scott Page, Royce’s Managing Director. “In this complex market the demand from our customers for top quality short to medium-term placements is on the up – and the variety of interim opportunities this creates, at all levels throughout pharma, is attracting a steady supply of excellent and experienced candidates in both primary and secondary care. For these sophisticated candidates, the notion of outsourcing companies as pharma’s poor relation is outmoded, because they recognise the advantages of a ‘try before you buy’ in terms of roles, therapy areas and pharma employers.”

Some 60% of candidates are people either returning, or recommended, to Royce Royce, which has been selected by the readers of Pharmafield Magazine as the agency of choice for four consecutive years, is ideally placed to take advantage of the increased demand for vacancy management services, within its existing service framework. This is because the company’s innovative candidate attraction strategy, together with its reputation for the quality of its service to customers and candidates alike, ensures that Royce is the first port of call for pharma sales professionals seeking their next permanent or interim career move. “Some 60% of our candidates are people who are either returning to Royce seeking their next career move, or who have had Royce recommended to them by colleagues and friends within the industry”, Scott Page affirms. 80% of Royce candidates find a permanent position on headcount at the end of a contract The secret of this enviable success in quality candidate attraction and retention, is that Royce prides itself on applying the same diligence to its vacancy management services as it does to its direct to headcount recruitment. The company does its homework to ensure the right fit of candidate to project, and maintains regular contact with both parties throughout the contract to the benefit of the candidate, the customer, and their mutual working relationship. Unsurprisingly therefore, Royce enjoys an outstanding retention rate on all of its contracts, and over 80% of the candidates it places through its vacancy management service go on to headcount at the end of a contract. “Essentially,” Scott Page concludes, “we’re providing a virtuous circle of service to the industry. Pharma companies are assured of the quality of candidates and continuity that they need to meet their targets, whilst good vacancy management gives quality candidates the chance to acquire new skills and experience, and to try out every aspect of a role, before they are usually offered it on a permanent basis.”