Large-Scale Capability

PHASE 1 – PERMANENT RECRUITMENT DRIVE

Methods of Approach – These included temporary and part-time working, and targeting of specific locations. A three-tier advertising strategy was developed, with different cost models mapped out, to be applied dependent on outcomes. Local community businesses, transport providers, major shopping centres, and major sporting venues were approached and utilised to promote the new site.

Collaborative Advertising – Additionally, both Siamo‘s and our customer‘s marketing teams worked together to have a joint approach on advertising strategies and spend, in order to drive the best collaborative result for the initial recruitment campaign.

National Recruitment Team – It was decided for Siamo to support with the initial full-time recruitment drive, with our National Recruitment team prioritising the project, operating as an outsourced provider for the provision of qualified, screened, and tested candidates ahead of final stage interviews. These were then completed on behalf of the customer, with a representative observing.

Clear Communication – For the outgoing customer, regular town hall meetings were attended. We developed a communication campaign to enable people to have an experience day at the new site and for interested parties to be provided with projected start dates.

Strategic Focus – The first phase of the implementation built a core team of specialist workers with various forms of MHE licenses, which saw the placement of over 900 permanent colleagues for the customer. A significant focus was given to the site’s key challenge of being geographically remote with no existing public transport links.

Key Supporting Initiatives for Phase 1:

• Negotiated with local transport companies on new routes and engaged other private providers.
• Worked closely with local business, sports clubs and charities to raise awareness.
• Circulated and canvassed local attractions to promote the site and available job roles.
• Hosted roadshows and marketed within local shopping centres and the local sports venue.
• Worked with other businesses locally to recruit people due to be made redundant.
• Identified unskilled people for training and upskilled those to fulfil key roles.

PHASE 2 – TEMP TO PERM RECRUITMENT DRIVE

To provide the customer’s temporary labour pool, an onsite project team was deployed to recruit candidates and to manage the customer’s key objectives, including performance, health and safety, compliance and conduct.

A key part of this project was the efficient movement of interested workers from the exiting supplier to the new site, ensuring all functions were managed properly to remove the impact on the customer. Our team had to be continuously dynamic to respond to increases, changes to timescales, and fluctuations in demand due to the complexities of the large-scale project.

The second phase entailed a recruitment drive for c.900 temporary to permanent colleagues, which changed the nature and management of the supply model from a recruitment process outsourcing approach to a managed service project.

With the pressure to operate at maximum capacity, we put in place a controlled flow of transfers to ensure both sites were functioning as a collective to the end client, whilst controlling the incumbent management from one key distributor to the other.

PHASE 3 – INTRODUCING 24/7 COVERAGE FOR BUSINESS CONTINUITY

Initially, working days were planned to be Monday to Friday, operating on a two-shift system. However, as the project progressed, it became operationally necessary for a 24/7 solution, with weekend supply and night shifts added.

Extended Management Hours – We responded to this challenge by adapting our management team, adding in extended presence to support unsociable hours for the recruitment and management of the colleagues on shift. Support was required to be dynamic and fast-paced.

Adaptability – On the customer’s request, we were tasked with, and implemented, a successful temporary weekend night shift over a 10-week period enabling the customer to sustain business as usual conditions across the new shifts. On completion of the project 50% of the additional workforce, inclusive of skilled MHE colleagues, were moved into the main team and retained on new shifts.

KEY COMPONENTS OF SUCCESS:

• Rapid redeployment of our project team to engage immediately with the customer requirement.
• Transparent and collaborative approach, with regular customer communication, allowing for dynamic planning.
• Recruitment, and subsequent identification, of key colleagues to upskill and fulfil requirements.
• Attraction of a predominantly skilled part-time team for a remote location on a weekend-only shift.

Additionally, on recognising the customer need, we delivered MHE medicals and stringent Aviation security checks to assist with the day-to-day requirements of the operation, creating additional value.

Key initiatives delivered:

• Mobilised an effective solution for an operation in its infancy, in a remote location with no recognisable density of population from which to recruit.
• Worked collaboratively on strategic marketing and advertising, combining traditional and digital demand gen channels. Focusing on radio, local sports derbies, bus and on-street advertising in local areas, driving candidates straight to our digital application platform, with acquisition tracking.
• Thorough advertising that resulted in 22,000 applications being screened within 10 months, with an interview conversion rate of c.9% and a new starter rate of 4%.
• Working in line with an above average new starter retention target of 92% for the first 12 weeks.
• Value-added initiatives added into our delivery, including MHE medicals and aviation security, as well as the flexibility of service at all levels.