How to get back to business

Steve Legg, Industrial Manager at Responsive Personnel, Swindons Leading Independent Recruitment Agency.

Summarise how Covid-19 has affected your business? 

At a time when so many people and businesses have struggled and suffered both personal and financial hardship and distress, we have been very fortunate to have been at the other end of the spectrum in so much that our business has increased and we are ahead of where we were this time last year and what we have predicted for this stage in the year.

What has been your plan to continue? 

As a business we took the decision that we would work our way through the situation rather than furlough the team. We believed and feel fully vindicated in the decision that the requirement for staff would still be needed by local employers and our clients. To furlough the team would have meant that we would have effectively ceased trading and jeopardised the whole agency, which we have built up over nearly 6 years. If we had turned our backs on clients we would be handing them over to those agencies who had stuck it out.

How has business changed for you over the last few months? 

As I mention, we have been fortunate that we have experienced an increase in our business in recent months but from a day to day perspective we had to modify the way we have worked. Initially we all worked from home and conducted daily meeting through zoom, like so many people have. The nature of our work is all about people – our candidates and clients. To ensure that we were able to function we offered new candidates the option to register with us online and have a zoom / facetime discussion with us afterwards.  With our clients, we still needed to be in physical contact with some of them and the decision was taken that some of the team would return to our office and work in separate rooms. It’s good to now have the whole team back under one roof!

As lockdown eases what measures have you put in place to get back to business? 

It has been business as usual for pretty much from the start of lockdown for us. It is good now to see many of the businesses slowly returning and hopefully pick up from where they were.

What has been the most challenging aspect of all of this? 

Challenges are opportunities to try different ideas to overcome them.

As our business is all about relationships and support, it has had its testing times when we have wanted to drop in on a client or to see how a candidate is getting on in their new assignment.

But through observing social distancing wherever possible we have adapted how we have registered candidates and the methods we have at our disposal to keep in contact. 

What has been the most positive aspect? 

For ourselves, the dedication of our team. We’ve accepted that the workplace and business landscape has changed and we have had to move with it and find a way to remain safe and productive.

Has it made you consider how you feel about other businesses/suppliers/customers/clients for good or otherwise?

I don’t believe it has.  Every business is different and have their own way they need to implement change and work way through what for so many has been an unprecedented period or change and restrictions.

How important is this phrase to you – ‘buy local, supply local’? 

It is one that I like to follow under normal circumstances and have continued to maintain.  I always feel that if you can add value by either supporting local business or being in the supply chain with them creates sense of local wealth and strength.

What are your top three tips for other business owners at this time? 

Remain positive. Be ready to react and respond – circumstances are changing all the time and you need to be on your toes for whatever the future may hold.

Do you have a service, product or special offer you'd like to flag up? 

We supply both temporary and permanent solutions.  Our team are on call to our clients and candidates 24/7 to ensure that we give the best service we can at all times.

Your parting thought? 

Thank you to the NHS and all key workers for all that they have done and for the sacrifices made by so many.

Let’s all keep safe and keep the economy ticking over.

Find out more about Responsive Personnel by visiting their website, https://responsivepersonnel.com/