Recruiting agency workers has become increasingly competitive over the past few years as factors such as Brexit and the pandemic have taken their toll on the number of workers available.
Attracting staff is a challenge and agencies like ourselves need to find a unique selling point that sets us apart from our competitors. That’s why we have worked hard to put care for our agency workers at the top of our priorities – from the moment we advertise for new starters throughout the time that they spend with us.
The recruitment process is an important first stage in that employment journey with clear communication between our staff and workers, explaining exactly what the roles entail and completing the formalities that will enable them to sign on with Pathfinder.
We think we have a good system in place and that was the feedback we found on the completion of a recent survey for new starters, with over 80 per cent of respondents saying that it was easy to apply for a job with Pathfinder and that the process was well explained. Nearly 90% of respondents were also positive about the explanation of job details with an extremely clear or very clear brief by the recruiter.
Our commitment to agency workers continues once they have joined Pathfinder with a comprehensive induction process covering important elements such as health and safety and the provision of PPE.
We also take great care to ensure that our workers are comfortable in their roles once they start shifts, whether their work relates to cruise ships or ro-ro cargo vessels. It’s important that they feel part of a team and it was gratifying to receive an e-mail from one of our new joiners saying: “It’s not every day that one gets to work with such considerate colleagues.”
Feedback from our workers is valuable in ensuring that we keep doing the right things. It enables us to improve our ways of working, whether that’s recruitment, allocation or the services that we provide.
And, if and when the time comes to leave, a message like the recent one saying, “I really enjoyed working with the CPS team…I would highly recommend your agency,” shows that we are on the right track.
