To be 1 OR not to be 1?????
12-Feb-16
So here it is Valentine’s Day! The big VD ……….. (Doesn’t sound so great abbreviated like that!!!) – Why is it that so many people love it or hate it? Does it depend on your current relationship status? Is it just some of us are hopeless romantics and others of us are cynical? Whatever your response it is something you can’t get away from as its everywhere! I have to admit this year I’m well and truly going for it as I’ve met someone who has become my true partner in what has developed into a relationship of equals (much needed for independent me!!!). I guess it’s about being in a partnership with both parties happily immersing themselves in a journey whose destination is unknown but which has all the promise of being a hugely exciting roller-coaster lasting many, many years and thus have happily concluded that, in my case, 2 is infinitely better than 1!!!! So, it is with buzz of electricity that comes from the chemistry of being in exactly this right place at this right time that I wish you and whoever you partner (or not, as the case may be) – a happy Valentine’s Day which, to me, is not about the sloppy sentimentality of another hyped-up, sales-driven day but actually celebrates that most meaningful of individual human feelings that has the power of poetry behind it ............... lurv!!!!! Okay! Okay! Enough already of the sloppy stuff!!!) But why talk about this in our recruitment blog I hear you ask? Well maybe it’s all about what I spend every working minute of my busy day doing and that is finding the perfect match – person for position, position for person and never forgetting it’s a people thing and I just love what I do to pieces – way to go eh????" But sometimes this is not an easy process! How do you pinpoint that all important chemistry that sparks the perfect reaction from client and candidate? Well for me its starts with remembering that everyone is an individual! One-size recruitment does not fit all – ...
Statistics vital to your Company!
15-Jan-16
Although I’ve been in the recruitment business for longer than most of our clients have been on this planet – a full 43+ years!!!! – I have tended to lope in the background as I’m more of a numbers guy than your average person-facing archetypical Recruitment bod! That is … until today , as I have come across some impressive numbers, relevant to all recruiters and senior management professionals. These figures taken from the Recruitment Industry between June 2015 and December 2015 were so illuminating that I would really like to share these with you. Rather than bore you will pages of figures I thought a short-form quiz-type questionnaire that can be accessed using the link at the end of this blog would be more informative. Please indulge me on this for a moment as the point of making this into a quiz is that you will be able to gauge the reality of your company’s recruitment position against the National Average which has been collated by our professional body, REC, from literally thousands of inputs across the country to see how you compare with what’s going on recruitment-wise nationwide! This is an information-only type quiz which we don’t need you to return to us with their answers. However, the answer to the 10 questions are contained in the final line of the attachment in small type so you can collate your score quickly! For what it’s worth, marking the correct answer as 3 with the next closest at 2 and the third at 1, I reckon that anything above 24 out of a possible 30 shows that your Company is there or thereabouts recruitment-wise. Any figure below that could indicate that you could be seriously bucking nationwide trends! Whatever the result, please don’t take it too seriously BUT I hope you find it as illuminating as all of us did! Charles Tuthill Managing Director Now, click here for the Quiz - Download (to complete online you will need to download the PDF)...
The shopping face off!
24-Nov-15
What you need to know about Black Friday & Cyber Monday A big hello to all of our fabulous UEA and WEA blog followers, Sian and Shannen here to give you the low down on Black Friday and Cyber Monday as after all, who doesn’t love a good shop especially if you can grab a bargain or 10? Now we are all ardent shoppers in this office but this is the first year we have really heard of Cyber Monday although Black Friday we know well. I remember our office last year on Black Friday taking it in turns (as if it was a relay race!) to run around the Intu shopping centre on the hunt for bargains – after all we are mostly females in here and can’t resist a little shopping! Black Friday along with Cyber Monday are a new shopping and consumer phenomenon sweeping over the UK – so what’s the difference between the two? What is Black Friday? This Originated in the U.S. in the early 2000’s where their biggest retailers offered huge discounts and savings to retailers to push the sales up! But this has now infiltrated the UK, Scandinavia, Mexico, South Africa and France to name a few. Black Friday USA is on the 4th of November, which falls just after U.S. Thanksgiving Day and well and truly starts their Christmas shopping season! It has been a huge success and in 2014, Amazon sold an average of 64 items per second on Black Friday – that is some crazy shopping! Our Black Friday this year falls on Friday 27th November so put a note in your outlook or diary! What is Cyber Monday? Cyber Monday, on the other hand, came about in direct competition to Black Friday with online retailers big and small promoting an array of on-line bargains all of which can be purchased from the comfort of your own home. No waiting in lines, pushing through crowds and feeling hot and flustered instead your gifts delivered to you without having to even move off the couch – well apart from having to open the door and the box! Cyber Monday this year falls on Monday 20th November - so don’t ...
Life’s a lesson, then you learn something new!
19-Nov-15
Growth...this is our mantra. Being part of a local independent business that has enjoyed 38 successful years trading within the local area; it can be easy to relax into the role of single branch business with the loyal support of your local clients (to be fair we have probably done so on occasion) however times move on. Recently we made the decision to expand into a new geographic location and with the launch of our new sister company, Windsor Employment Agency; a new and unique set of challenges were presented which required us to review our skill sets to decide if we had the talent internally to cope with such change, or did we need to go into the market to source the skills required? I myself have always been involved in both the operations and marketing aspects of the business, however our review highlighted the requirement for a more dedicated marketing function and this was a role I wanted. The result? The need to train and improve my skill set by enrolling in a Diploma in Professional Marketing and a year I shall never forget. The requirement to dedicate such a large amount of your time and effort, coupled with a full-time job, is not something I would advise for the faint-hearted. Long hours, lost weekends and a slightly annoyed family (to say the least) are all part-and-parcel for the mature student; however, would I do it again? Most definitely. Looking back; pushing myself out of my comfort zone opened my mind to the prospects available and the relationships formed in the hard slog of the classroom are ones that I never would have made in my day-to-day role. Studying and working alongside like-minded individuals really underscored the needs and requirements in today’s busy workplace and gave me new energy and perspective on how to achieve the goals you set yourself. My advice? Well, firstly think long and hard about the time and dedication required to achieve your qualification, and if you still wish to take that step, I offer my pearls of wisdom: ...
The Windsor branch, our story so far…
20-Oct-15
It’s been a while since I have blogged on our escapades but here we are 9 months in and Windsor Employment Agency is well and truly on the map and flourishing! And what a wonderful opportunity I now have to reflect on the last 9 months of establishing this new branch for the business. So much has happened, yet it is still hard to believe that we have been around for 9 whole months! Where did that time go?! One thing I do know is that if my Manager asked me when I started this venture “what does the branch look like to you in 9 months’ time?” I would have probably had a mild panic attack and laughed nervously….internally visualising myself with a red and white spotted neckerchief of goods over one shoulder and a sign around my neck saying ‘looking for work’. Looking back my most poignant memory was sitting in front of an empty whiteboard thinking right “where do I start?!” I had my phone, my computer and my wonderful assistant Shannen…all we needed now was jobs and candidates! It was do or die … so I started doing! So I started picking up the phone and talking to people. An interesting concept when you have no jobs to send candidates to and no clients to send your candidates to – but I put this conundrum to the back of my mind and went for it! I knew we had a good offering of sound experience and the support of clients already in the area that I had worked with at our Uxbridge Branch. On top of this I had the solid support of our team in Uxbridge who were on hand to do anything they could to help us and so I started sourcing reputable clients; who needed agency support and identifying top candidates who were committed to their job search in the local area. And low and behold things started to happen. One thing I realised is that if you don’t pick up the phone to speak to people then you will not get anywhere! ‘So’ I hear you say ‘what things started to happen?’ Well firstly, I remember that our ...
As a family-run recruitment agency that’s worked with local employers and jobseekers for years, we’ve seen our fair share of policy changes shake up the employment landscape. Some come and go without much impact - others genuinely reshape how people hire, work, and build careers.The Government's decision to shift from “day one” unfair dismissal rights to a proposed six-month qualifying period has already sparked strong opinions. But from where we sit - working closely with small businesses and candidates every day - there are some practical considerations worth highlighting.Here’s what this change may mean in practice. A More Balanced Approach for Small BusinessesMany small employers have been nervous about the idea of day-one unfair dismissal rights. For a family-run shop, a small café, or a growing start-up, every hire is a big investment - not just financially, but emotionally too. When you’ve only got a handful of staff, getting the hiring decision wrong can put real pressure on the whole team.By setting a six-month qualifying period, the government has created a workable compromise. Employers still need to treat people fairly - and most genuinely do - but they now have a realistic timeframe to assess whether someone is the right fit without immediately worrying about tribunal risks.By setting a six-month qualifying period, the Government has introduced a compromise that aligns more closely with how most businesses already manage probation. Employers will still need to treat people fairly (and most genuinely do) but they now have a more practical timeframe to make sure the role and individual are the right fit.This will, in our view, make some business owners more confident about hiring again, especially after years of economic uncertainty.A Win for Jobseekers Too — Especially Compared to the Old Two-Year RuleWhile six months isn’t as protective as day one, it’s still a significant improvement on the previous two-year requirement.Many people - especially those ...
At Uxbridge Employment Agency, our tagline has always been “people in a people business”, as we’ve always believed recruitment doesn’t need to be complicated — it just needs to be human.Recently, one of our longstanding clients sent us a testimonial that reminded us why we do what we do. Their words were generous, but more importantly, they captured the essence of what makes recruitment partnerships thrive.Here’s what stood out and why it matters a great deal to us, as their words encapsulated the service we aim to offer; Simplicity Over Complexity“The thing with you guys, it’s like calling a mate to ask for help. There are no complicated processes, no one-hour calls to qualify the role, and I’m not passed to someone miles away I’ve never spoken to.”This really resonated with us because we’ve seen how recruitment can become over-engineered. Many agencies put clients through hoops before any progress is made — long qualification calls, multiple handovers, and unnecessary steps that take time but don’t add value.For us, the process has always been simple: pick up the phone, have an open conversation, and let us get to work. Our clients trust us because not only have we had over 45 years local experience, but we take the time to visit them and understand their business. This means they don’t need to re-explain everything every time and that simplicity saves time, removes friction, and lets us focus on what matters most — finding the right people! Approachability Matters“Guaranteed to take the call in a friendly manner… Nothing is too much trouble, even if it’s just a question about the market in Uxbridge.”Recruitment isn’t just about jobs — it’s about relationships. Sometimes our clients call with an urgent vacancy, but often they just want advice: a sense check on salaries, insight into the candidate market, or a second opinion on their plans.We take pride in being approachable. There’s no “meter running” when you pick up the phone to us. Our role is to be a trusted ...
It’s no secret that August is one of the quietest months in the business calendar. Offices thin out, HR decision-makers head off on holiday, and inboxes are set to “out of office.” But while the world slows down, the savviest hiring managers see this lull as a strategic opportunity.Here’s why making a move now (rather than waiting until the September rush), can give you the edge. 1. Less Competition = First Pick of TalentCome September, the hiring market floods back into action. Everyone is chasing the same talent pool at the same time - and by then, some of the best candidates may already be gone.By starting your search in August, you avoid the crowd and increase your chances of securing the right person before others have even got going. 2. You’ll Get More Time (and Attention) from Your RecruiterRecruitment agencies (ours included) tend to have more bandwidth in August, meaning you get more time dedicated to your search. We’re able to dig deeper into shortlists, move quicker on promising CVs, and really tailor your campaign - all without the usual pile-on that comes in autumn. 3. Candidates Are Still Looking — And Many Are Ready for a September StartNot everyone is on a beach in August. Plenty of excellent candidates are actively looking, especially those: Coming to the end of a contract Relocating over the summer Exploring post-bonus moves Looking to leave before the next quarter begins By engaging them now, you’re in a stronger position to line up interviews and offers for an early September start. 4. You’ll Avoid the September ScrambleIf you've ever tried hiring in September, you’ll know how hectic it gets. Roles build up, internal workloads increase, and hiring decisions are expected yesterday.Starting in August means you: Lock in your shortlist calmly Avoid rushed decisions Onboard early and hit the ground running Final Thought: The Smartest Hires Start EarlyAugust may not be the obvious time to recruit - but that’s exactly why it works. While others hit ...
As summer approaches and many businesses navigate ongoing uncertainty, the demand for temporary workers continues to rise - and it’s not hard to see why. From SMEs to larger organisations, teams across the UK are turning to temps to help manage workload peaks, cover absences, and provide short-term flexibility at a time when permanent hiring is often stalled.We’ve seen this trend play out first-hand as local businesses come to us for fast, reliable temporary support — not just for holiday cover, but as a strategic response to wider hiring challenges.So, what’s driving the surge in temp demand?1. Hiring Freezes & Budget ConstraintsMany companies are still facing internal sign-off delays, spending reviews, or formal hiring freezes — particularly in mid-sized and larger organisations. Even when there’s a business case for extra resource, getting permanent headcount approved can be slow or blocked altogether.Temps provide a way around that. They allow businesses to bring in much-needed help without committing to a long-term hire or navigating layers of red tape.2. Workloads Aren’t Slowing DownDespite caution on the hiring front, the work keeps coming. From customer demand and internal projects to compliance deadlines and seasonal peaks, businesses still need to deliver — and often with fewer people than they’d like.Temporary workers are a practical, scalable way to plug those gaps quickly and keep teams moving.3. The Summer SqueezeWith school holidays just around the corner, many teams are about to feel the impact of reduced headcount even more. Summer absence cover — particularly in office-based roles — is often underestimated, but when multiple people are away at once, the effect on service levels, morale, and output can be significant.Booking holiday cover early ensures the best availability — especially for specialist or part-time needs.4. Temp-to-Perm is Becoming the New NormalA growing number of companies are using temporary contracts as a low-risk way to ...
