No Gap in agency staff’s skills

Citation

(2005), "No Gap in agency staff’s skills", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 37 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict.2005.03737eab.008

No Gap in agency staff’s skills

A UK recruitment agency has recorded a large increase in sales and improvement in staff-retention levels through developing its own “Blueprint for Success”.

Gap Personnel employs more than 80 full-time staff across 12 locations in England and Wales. It offers search and recruitment services for permanent and temporary staff across a wide range of sectors.

At the beginning of 2003, it set out on a voyage of change aimed at increasing year-on-year turnover by 25 per cent, reducing staff turnover, increasing new-customer retention and achieving Investors in People accreditation.

“All of these would move us in the direction of our long-term aims – being one of the top five recruitment agencies in the north of England, No 1 in north Wales, and to achieve a turnover of £25 million by 2007,” said HR manager Annie Lewis.

“The beneficiaries would be all our staff, as well as temporary workers and clients. The temporary workforce would receive second-to-none service from our account managers, and clients would benefit from dealing with confident, skilled and knowledgeable personnel.”

Working with business-growth consultant TWF, Gap Personnel devised a tailor-made programme where 45 staff from all business disciplines attended workshops, two of them held at weekends so they did not interfere with business. These were supported by knowledge-management and information-technology presentations.

A total of 19 people completed seven personnel-development programme modules, delivered over an eight-week period and covering such areas as core knowledge and skills and motivation and presentation. A total of 12 directors and managers attended workshops on managing growth, and directors received individual coaching and mentoring support throughout the programme.

Its success exceeded all expectations. Year-on-year turnover increased by 40 per cent last year, compared with the 25 per cent target. Staff turnover halved to 12 per cent, and new-customer retention rates doubled to 50 per cent. Investors in People accreditation, targeted for December 2004, was actually achieved in March.

“For the first time in our company’s history, people are truly aware of the contribution they can make to our ambitious and exciting plans for growth,” said Annie Lewis. “A real sense of belonging has been achieved, as employees realize they are playing a part in the direction and future of their company. The success of ‘The Winning Formula’, which was highly commended in the most recent regional UK National Training Awards, has not only seen morale improve dramatically, but has helped to produce some spectacular changes in behaviour and results.”