You’ve spent time and money hiring the right person. The interviews are done, the offer’s accepted, and the start date is in the diary. But too many teams assume the hard work is over at that point, when in reality, it’s only halfway.

Poor onboarding is one of the most common reasons for early leavers, slow starts, and frustrated teams. It’s particularly damaging in consultancy and interim work, where people are brought in to hit the ground running and deliver from day one. In transformation programmes, where complexity is high and timelines are tight, even small onboarding gaps can have serious consequences.

The problem isn’t always obvious. Poor onboarding often hides in the background. Things like no contact between offer and start date, unclear expectations, or basic tools and systems not being ready. Or a lack of context, no real introduction to the team, and that all-too-common "sink or swim" handover. These moments add up and send a message: we weren’t ready for you.

That message has a cost. Replacing a leaver can easily exceed £30,000. Productivity loss is even harder to quantify, but very real. Most new hires take several months to get fully up to speed. In public sector programmes, there’s the added risk of reputational damage and slower delivery. And for teams already stretched, a poor onboarding experience doesn’t just affect the new hire. It pulls others off track too.

This is especially true for interim professionals. There’s a myth that experienced contractors don’t need onboarding and can just “crack on”. But even the best interims need clear objectives, political context, and a sense of who’s who in the team. They need to know what's been tried before and why it did or didn’t work. Without this, time is lost. Mistakes are repeated. Confidence suffers, both theirs and yours.

In transformation work, those early days matter. If someone spends the first two weeks figuring out basics that should have been clear on day one, that’s a red flag. Not on them, but on the process.

So how do you fix it?

• Start before Day One. A welcome email, a named contact, and confirmation that tech and systems will be ready.
• Make the first week feel structured. Share team charts, key contacts, delivery plans or timelines. Even for interims, a light-touch onboarding checklist helps.
• Assign a buddy or go-to person who isn't their line manager.
• Set a few clear goals for the first week and month, not just a list of admin tasks.
• Book regular check-ins. Not just to ask how it’s going, but to find out what’s unclear, what could be better, and what to fix next time.

These aren’t big asks, but they make a big difference. Done well, onboarding gives people the confidence and clarity to start delivering quickly. It builds trust. It protects the investment you’ve made in hiring and the outcomes you need to deliver.

If you're hiring for transformation or managing contract teams, onboarding isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s part of delivery.

Want to improve onboarding across permanent, interim, and consultancy roles? We help organisations build fast, effective onboarding processes that set people — and projects — up for success.

Get in touch to find out how we can help.

Lots of organisations are already thinking about hiring based on skills rather than just job titles. Some have made great progress, others are still working out how to make the shift. Whether you’re just starting to explore this or want to sharpen how you do it, here’s a straightforward look at why focusing on skills really makes a difference for project teams — and some practical tips to get there.

Hiring by job title alone can often miss the mark, especially when project needs shift and change. What really matters is the actual skills people bring. Instead of trying to fit someone into a fixed role, ask: what do we really need this person to do?

For instance, you might not need a full-time business analyst but someone who’s good at engaging stakeholders, gathering requirements, and comfortable working in an agile way. When you focus on skills, you’re more likely to find the right person — someone who can get the job done and adapt as things change.

This matters even more on project teams. Projects don’t always follow a neat, predictable path, so having people whose skills match the current needs is a much better bet than sticking rigidly to fixed roles.

A local council we know was rolling out a big digital upgrade. They needed skills in data migration, cybersecurity, and user-centred design. Those skills don’t always fit neatly under one job title but were absolutely vital for success.

If you’re thinking about making or fine-tuning this shift, here are a few simple steps to help:

• Start with a skills audit. Take a clear look at your team or upcoming project. What skills are really important? Where might you have gaps? A workshop or skills matrix can be surprisingly helpful.
• Write job specs that focus on skills. Instead of long lists of duties, focus on what outcomes you want and the key skills needed to get there. Keep it clear and straightforward.
• Change how you assess candidates. Make sure interviews and tests look for the skills that matter. Sometimes practical tasks or real-life scenarios tell you more than traditional questions.

One word of caution: avoid vague buzzwords like “strategic thinker” unless you can explain what that actually means in your context. Also, bring your HR and procurement teams along early — making sure everyone’s on the same page saves time and headaches later.

At the end of the day, skills-based hiring isn’t about ignoring job titles. It’s about looking beyond them to what really matters — having the right people doing the right work.

If you’re working on a project and want to rethink how you hire, Malikshaw is here to help you focus on skills that lead to real outcomes, not just matching CVs to job titles.

London, 25 September 2025 — Malikshaw was proud to be represented at the prestigious TIARA Talent Solutions Awards Europe 2025, where the best in recruitment process outsourcing and talent solutions gathered to celebrate innovation, impact, and excellence.

Our very own Rob Shaw and Marta Ortigas joined our partners at Resourgenix, who were shortlisted for the highly competitive Challenger Award — a category that recognises ambitious and high-growth talent solutions providers making a real impact in the market.

While Resourgenix narrowly missed out on the trophy this time, the evening was a celebration of partnership, performance, and progress. We were thrilled to see several of our industry peers receive well-deserved recognition:

•  AMS triumphed in not one, but two major categories:
  The Bullhorn Long-Term Partnership Award
  The Talent Attraction Strategy of the Year
  AMS were also highly commended in several other categories, highlighting their continued innovation and impact across the sector.
•  Special congratulations also go to Louise Shaw, Managing Director of OMNI RMS, who was awarded the evening’s most prestigious individual honour:
  Talent Solutions Leader of the Year – a testament to her exceptional leadership and influence in the talent space.

Rob Shaw commented:

“Events like the TIARAs are a great reminder of the strength and innovation across the talent solutions landscape. It was an honour to be there supporting our partners, and to celebrate the achievements of so many leaders and teams driving the industry forward.”

 If the last few months have taught us anything, it’s that the things we once assumed were fixed, permanent, and stable can turn upside down in an instant.

The American political landscape has long been associated with stability — maybe even a certain reluctance to change. But lately, it’s taken an unusually unpredictable turn, almost like something out of a novel. Institutions once seen as untouchable are being questioned. Alliances are shifting. And the basic rules of the system seem open to renegotiation.

Watching a major Western power develop an appetite for challenging its own foundations is a striking reminder that even the systems we assume are permanent can, in fact, change.

And if that’s true for governments and empires, it’s doubly true for organisations — especially those under pressure, facing sudden change, and expected to deliver without pause.

For many in the UK, the NHS is the one institution they’d name as the most dependable. A public service that, for nearly 80 years, has symbolised stability, safety, and service. And yet, behind the scenes, the NHS is increasingly run on borrowed time — and borrowed people.

Right now, as you read this, thousands of agency nurses are keeping hospital wards running. Locum GPs and surgeons are stepping into overstretched rotas. Temporary admin staff are handling the back-office load. Interim transformation leads are working across trusts to deliver change at pace. NHS England reported over £10 billion was spent on agency and bank staff in the last full year alone — a figure that continues to rise. In some departments, up to 40% of clinical shifts are covered by temporary or external staff.

An institution built for constancy is now reliant on augmentation to function.

It’s easy to view these numbers as a red flag — and in some ways, they are. But there’s another story here. One about how, when the system comes under pressure, leaders adapt. They go to the market. They bring in specialists. They create short-term flexibility inside long-term structures. And sometimes, that’s exactly what makes a transformation succeed.

Remember 2020? When the pandemic hit and the NHS stood on the brink, something extraordinary happened. In just nine days, the ExCeL Centre in London was transformed into a functioning Nightingale Hospital, with 4,000 beds, oxygen piping, and full ICU capability. It was a feat of speed, scale, and coordination. But what made it work wasn’t just the logistics — it was the augmented workforce behind it.

Hundreds of clinicians, volunteers, ex-military planners, private contractors, and retired NHS staff came together, under a single transformation mission, to get it done. They weren’t permanent. They weren’t part of a long-term workforce plan. But they were the right people at the right time. And that’s precisely the point.

Just as Manchester City’s transformation hinged on a manager who knew exactly what kind of team he needed, the NHS’s use of resource augmentation only works when leaders are clear about three things: where the gaps are, what good looks like, and how to build momentum quickly. (We could just as easily have chosen Arsène Wenger or Brian Clough — but the principle remains.)

The difference between smart resource augmentation and reactive firefighting comes down to intent and clarity. When trusts know what capability they need — whether it’s a trauma surgeon for a two-week stretch or a digital PMO for a six-month rollout — they can build the solution around that need, rather than be overwhelmed by it.

Some NHS trusts have gone further. They’ve embedded flexible resourcing models into their transformation programmes, building blended teams of permanent staff, interims, and third-party specialists. And when they do it well, something interesting happens: speed increases, burnout decreases, and outcomes start to move. It’s not perfect. But it’s progress.

Too many transformation programmes are built on the assumption that the team you start with will be the team you finish with. That your people won’t leave. That the world won’t change. That no new skills will be needed halfway through. But reality doesn’t work that way.

Manchester City didn’t rise through the ranks by relying only on what they had in-house. And the NHS doesn’t save lives every day without drawing on some of the most agile, capable, and committed external professionals in the UK.

As ever, it’s not the model — it’s the mindset.

The most successful transformations treat augmentation as a strategic capability, not a desperate measure. They build a clear case for where and why it’s needed. They set up integration mechanisms so augmented teams feel part of the mission. They keep internal leaders accountable. And they use augmentation not just to fill gaps, but to accelerate capability.

In the same way a Prime Minister assembles a Cabinet with the right portfolios — or a football manager recruits for a system rather than a star — the best transformation leaders build teams designed to win now, not just one day.

There are no permanent teams. Only teams fit for purpose today.

In a world where even governments are learning that they can’t control everything, the ability to augment, adapt, and assemble the right people at the right time might just be the most important transformation skill there is.

The NHS, for all its challenges, shows us that sometimes, borrowing strength is the most permanent kind of resilience there is.

(and what they teach us about interim work)

Some jobs sound made up. Water slide tester. Ostrich babysitter. Pet food taster. And yet, every one of them exists because a gap needed filling and someone had the skills to step in.
That's exactly what happens in interim roles. When a public service is under pressure, when a transformation is faltering, or when specialist capability is missing, organisations need people who can land fast, think differently and deliver results.

So, what can the world's oddest jobs teach us about the mindset needed for successful transformation? Quite a bit, actually.

1. Water Slide Tester
Yes, someone is paid to travel the world testing water slides for speed, safety, and (crucially) fun. They're assessing user experience under pressure — and often at speed — before anyone else goes near it. That's not far from what interims do during service redesign or system change: pressure-testing the new model before it's fully rolled out.

2. Iceberg Mover
In remote waters, teams are occasionally hired to divert icebergs from shipping lanes or oil rigs. It's niche, reactive and mission-critical — just like being brought in to stabilise a transformation programme before it hits a crisis point. Interims are often asked to act quickly, shift direction, and prevent long-term damage.

3. Professional Mourner
In some cultures, actors are paid to attend funerals and express emotion on behalf of others — not theatrics, but presence, empathy and support. Transformation isn't just technical. It's emotional, especially when structures shift or jobs are at stake. Great interims understand how to hold space, communicate with care, and support teams through uncertainty.

4. Pet Food Taster
It's real and it's about quality assurance, however unglamorous. Someone has to deal with the parts of the job that others avoid. The best interims often take on the work no one else wants: legacy system audits, failed procurements, cultural clean-ups. It's not shiny, but it's essential to lasting change.

5. Ostrich Babysitter
On some farms, people are hired to supervise young ostriches — chaotic, unpredictable, and prone to running in the wrong direction. That sounds a lot like managing stakeholder groups during complex change. Good interims bring calm, structure and momentum — even when emotions are high and direction is unclear. 

6. Ethical Hacker
Once considered fringe, now a key part of security strategy. Hired to break into systems to find weaknesses before someone else does. In transformation work, interims often act as a critical friend — exposing gaps, surfacing risks, and offering solutions while there's still time to act.

What's the takeaway?
All of these unusual jobs exist for one reason: someone saw a need and stepped into it with clarity, skill and confidence. That's exactly what the best interim professionals do. They don't just manage projects, they solve problems, steady teams, and move organisations forward when it's needed most.

At Malikshaw, we've spent over 20 years working with interim specialists across central and local government. Whether it's stabilising services, leading transformation or filling critical capability gaps, we support public sector clients with people who know how to land fast and make a difference, even in the most unusual circumstances.

We're featured on multiple procurement frameworks and continue to support public service leaders with the people who make change happen.

Digital Clinicians: The New Frontier in Healthcare Talent

Across the healthcare system, digital transformation is no longer a future ambition. It is an immediate operational and strategic necessity. From electronic patient records and virtual wards to population health analytics and integrated care systems, the sector is undergoing rapid change. What is becoming increasingly clear is that technology alone does not drive successful transformation — people do.

A critical enabler of this shift is the emergence of the digital clinician. These are hybrid professionals who combine clinical expertise with a strong understanding of digital tools, systems, and data. Whether they are nurses involved in user experience design, GPs contributing to digital strategy, or pharmacists embedded in electronic prescribing rollouts, digital clinicians bring a unique and valuable perspective. They understand clinical workflows and patient needs while also navigating technical design, system integration, and data governance.

This blend of experience is becoming increasingly sought after by NHS Trusts, ICBs and health tech delivery teams. Many programmes struggle not because of the technology itself, but because of a disconnect between those building systems and those using them. Digital clinicians help bridge that gap. They ensure that frontline priorities are considered during implementation, that clinical safety is maintained, and that adoption is not an afterthought.

Yet while demand is growing, supply remains limited. These roles are still emerging, often without clear pathways or consistent role definitions. Many organisations are unclear where to source this talent or how to identify individuals with the right balance of clinical credibility and digital capability.

At Malikshaw, we are seeing increasing demand from healthcare clients for interim professionals who understand both domains. Whether it’s a clinical informatics lead, a CCIO, a digital nurse, or a clinical safety officer, these individuals are critical to building services that are safe, usable, and future-proofed. Because of our work across digital, data, transformation, and public service leadership, we are well positioned to identify and place these hybrid professionals — often from adjacent sectors or as returners into the NHS.

As digital investment continues, the ability to attract and deploy these professionals will be a competitive differentiator. Healthcare organisations cannot afford to rely solely on traditional structures or assume that digital adoption will happen organically. The digital clinician is not a niche role but a strategic asset. One that healthcare clients should be actively investing in, supporting, and embedding across programmes.

If your organisation is looking to deliver complex change that is both clinically grounded and digitally enabled, we can help you find the people who can make it happen.

To learn more about how we support healthcare clients with specialist interim and transformation talent, contact our team.

We are pleased to announce that Malikshaw has been appointed as an approved supplier on the Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium (SUPC) framework. This appointment reflects our strong track record in delivering high-quality, value-driven services to the public and education sectors. Being part of this framework complements our existing positions on other national and regional frameworks, reinforcing our commitment to supporting clients through compliant, flexible procurement routes.

Malikshaw is proud to have been selected as an approved supplier to the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (OPFCC) for Northamptonshire. This recognition highlights our continued dedication to delivering professional, responsive services in the public safety and community support sectors. Our appointment aligns with and strengthens our growing portfolio of work with local and national public bodies.

Southern Universities Procurement Consortium.  A leading provider to the education sector of high-quality, innovative procurement services.