Floods and winds batter the recruitment industry
12 February 2014
Recruiters and temporary workers have been heavily hit by the combination of rain, bitter storms and coastal surges, which have caused some of the worst flooding in UK history this past week.
Wed, 12 Feb 2014 | By Matt Bodimeade
Recruiters and temporary workers have been heavily hit by the combination of rain, bitter storms and coastal surges, which have caused some of the worst flooding in UK history this past week.
Recruiter spoke with two flood-hit recruitment agencies to see how they are coping, and how their business has been affected.
Tom Clarke, director of Staines-based recruitment agency Clarke Recruitment Solutions, said: “It’s happening right across the board. There’s only one route in, and that’s closed. It’s become physically impossible for temps to travel anywhere within the local area.
“The majority of our corporate clients have closed their offices for health & safety reasons, which makes it impossible to provide placements in the Staines area.”
He also said his own members of staff have been hit hard by the flooding, with many being evacuated from their homes.
More than 1,000 properties across the country have flooded over the past week, while 14 severe flood warnings are in place in Berkshire and Surrey, while two remain in Somerset.
Mike Collett, a recruitment consultant at Chertsey-based agency Copperfield, says he spent most of yesterday morning having to warn companies of delays to his temp placements.
“I spent an hour on the phone yesterday morning calling on behalf of our temps as they just couldn’t travel, the only way to get around anywhere is by boat.
“Four candidates we placed had to pull out of roles, as unfortunately they live on the wrong side of the river, and these are certain areas you just can’t cross.
“It’s badly affected our own staff members. What should normally be a four-mile direct drive has taken employees two hours to complete,” he concluded.
Conditions will only get worse for the recruiters over the next two days, with winds of up to 100 miles an hour, and a month’s worth of rain expected to fall by Friday.
Recruiter spoke with two flood-hit recruitment agencies to see how they are coping, and how their business has been affected.
Tom Clarke, director of Staines-based recruitment agency Clarke Recruitment Solutions, said: “It’s happening right across the board. There’s only one route in, and that’s closed. It’s become physically impossible for temps to travel anywhere within the local area.
“The majority of our corporate clients have closed their offices for health & safety reasons, which makes it impossible to provide placements in the Staines area.”
He also said his own members of staff have been hit hard by the flooding, with many being evacuated from their homes.
More than 1,000 properties across the country have flooded over the past week, while 14 severe flood warnings are in place in Berkshire and Surrey, while two remain in Somerset.
Mike Collett, a recruitment consultant at Chertsey-based agency Copperfield, says he spent most of yesterday morning having to warn companies of delays to his temp placements.
“I spent an hour on the phone yesterday morning calling on behalf of our temps as they just couldn’t travel, the only way to get around anywhere is by boat.
“Four candidates we placed had to pull out of roles, as unfortunately they live on the wrong side of the river, and these are certain areas you just can’t cross.
“It’s badly affected our own staff members. What should normally be a four-mile direct drive has taken employees two hours to complete,” he concluded.
Conditions will only get worse for the recruiters over the next two days, with winds of up to 100 miles an hour, and a month’s worth of rain expected to fall by Friday.
- What are your thoughts on the floods? Are you a recruiter that has been affected by the floods? The Comment box is at the bottom of the page. Sorry for the glitch but just scroll right down and share your opinions!
