If you are considering applying to work at Barclay Simpson, it is important you understand the way in which we work, which is likely to be very different to your current working environment. As a specialist (rather than generalist) recruitment organisation, which is 100% independent, has no external shareholders and operates a very different ownership and remuneration model to most recruitment companies, there are a number of specific differences about the way we work:
The standard employment model in the recruitment industry involves remunerating people via an individual performance based commission scheme and using various Key Performance Indicators combined with a hierarchical management structure to manage your behaviour. It is a mechanised approach – do this and you will receive that. Welcome to the recruitment machine.
At Barclay Simpson we do not have a commission scheme; we do not have Key Performance Indicators; we do not use targets. We manage the business not the people who work in it.
You may reason that if the rest of the industry does it one way but we do not, then we are suffering. We are not.
We are highly profitable, cash rich and have a record of sustained growth since our foundation in 1989. We choose to work in niche markets where our approach is valued and this underpins our profitability.
As a result, our consultants consistently earn well above the average when compared to our competitors.
But while money is an important measure of success, it is not the only one.
You are going to spend a large part of your life at work so it should be as enjoyable and satisfying as possible. Whilst achieving this for all our people is a key objective it is the people who work for Barclay Simpson who essentially create the environment and the character of the company. We try and help along the way.
For example, our company Profit Share scheme means that all consultants contribute to and are rewarded from a common pool, irrespective of their short term performance. This removes the stress involved in having to chase short term fees at the expense of good service and long term relationships. We know that a good recruitment consultant will ultimately be successful; motivated by the satisfaction that comes from providing a good service to clients and candidates and not from fear. We also understand that in a mutually supportive environment it is not always about who makes the placement but who created the circumstances for the fee to be made. Our Profit Share scheme means that it is in all our interests that you succeed. We work together, not against each other.
A healthy work-life balance is important. We work to live and are not chained to our desks. In addition to our standard holiday year of 20 days plus 4 at the Xmas close down, we offer an additional two half days per month. After three years service, a half day a month can be traded in for an additional 5 annual holidays, giving a total annual holiday entitlement of 35 days a year. We also have a rule that on one Friday a month consultants can leave at 4.00 pm. We know that our people work hard, often outside of standard office hours – that is part of the recruiters’ job. We recognise our consultants’ commitment and in return give them the freedom to control and organise their time so that they can achieve both their professional and personal goals.
Managers? We recruit highly able, ambitious people, who have the right values and desire for success. We train them and trust them to use the autonomy and responsibility we give them. If they need to be managed we have not recruited the right person. We add value by supporting and developing our consultants, allowing them freedom to make decisions and work in their own way.
We were delighted when our people policies and employment practices were externally assessed and we were awarded the Diversity Assured Recruiter accreditation under the REC’s equal opportunities and diversity initiative. While we knew that our values as an employer were sound, it is always gratifying to gain external validation of what you are trying to achieve.
Does our approach work? Yes it does. It works because we do not often recruit and when we do we recruit the right people. Please read what our people say and also consider that, since 1989, we have never lost an employee to a competitor. Not many recruitment companies can say that.
Recruitment with a difference - it's about you.
If you are attracted by what you have just read, get in touch. We are recruiting now. If you would like to explore the differences we can make to your working life please contact Ian Coyle – ic@barclaysimpson.com 020 7936 2601.
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