Our culture – it’s about you
If you are considering working for the People Connection, the first thing to appreciate is that it will be a different experience. The People Connection is a specialist recruitment company wholly owned by its management and employees. This allows us to work in a way unique to the rest of the recruitment industry.
The standard employment model in the industry rewards consultants via an individual commission scheme, frequently supplemented by Key Performance Indicators. These are combined with a management structure that directs your behaviour, often micro managing the way you use your time. It is a mechanised approach resulting in you being treated and behaving like a cog. Welcome to the recruitment machine.
At The People Connection we do not have a cost of desk, we do not have Key Performance Indicators and we do not use targets. Our aim is to manage the business and empower the people who work in it to manage themselves.
You may reason that if the recruitment industry does it one way but The People Connection does it another way, then the established wisdom should be right. However, over the last 20 years The People Connection has never lost a consultant to a competitor that has not returned to our employment.
The People Connection is cash rich and has a record of sustained growth since our foundation in 1994. We choose to work in niche markets where our approach and expertise are valued and this helps underpin our profitability. As a result, our consultants consistently earn well above those working for our competitors.
But while money is an important measure of success, it is not the only one. We spend a large part of our lives at work so it needs to be as enjoyable and satisfying as possible. Achieving this is a key corporate objective.
For example, our Profit Share scheme ensures that all consultants contribute to and are rewarded. There is no cost of desk deficit. This removes the stress involved in chasing short term fees at the expense of providing a good service and maintaining long term relationships. We recognise that the consultants we recruit are ultimately successful and motivated by professional satisfaction and not from fear. We also understand that in a mutually supportive environment it is not simply about who made the placement but who created the circumstances for the fee to occur. Our Profit Share scheme ensures that it is in everyone’s 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. We do not encourage a long hour’s culture. When you employ the best people it is unnecessary and ultimately unproductive. You manage your own time, working longer hours when you believe it necessary to achieve your objectives.. We know our consultants work hard – that is part of the recruiters’ job. We recognise their 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.
Management style. We recruit highly capable people who have the potential and values to succeed in our environment. We then provide them with the support, time and opportunity they need to develop and become successful. We then ultimately trust them to use the autonomy and responsibility we give them. We add value by allowing our consultants the freedom to make decisions and work in their own way. What is important is effective self-management. Consultants are asked to give a rolling quarterly forecast of their expected billings and then be in a position to justify that forecast. This encourages consultants to be in control of their pipeline which enables them to bill higher and more consistently. If problems are experienced, support to resolve them is provided. We do not see any value in managers setting targets for such things as billings, calls made or CVs sent; it will always be better if consultants are able to set their own targets and manage their own time so that they can achieve their goals.
Does our approach work? Yes it does. It works because when we recruit, we recruit the right people. Please read what our people say.
Recruitment with a difference - it's about you.
If you are considering working for the People Connection, the first thing to appreciate is that it will be a different experience. The People Connection is a specialist recruitment company wholly owned by its management and employees. This allows us to work in a way unique to the rest of the recruitment industry.
The standard employment model in the industry rewards consultants via an individual commission scheme, frequently supplemented by Key Performance Indicators. These are combined with a management structure that directs your behaviour, often micro managing the way you use your time. It is a mechanised approach resulting in you being treated and behaving like a cog. Welcome to the recruitment machine.
At The People Connection we do not have a cost of desk, we do not have Key Performance Indicators and we do not use targets. Our aim is to manage the business and empower the people who work in it to manage themselves.
You may reason that if the recruitment industry does it one way but The People Connection does it another way, then the established wisdom should be right. However, over the last 20 years The People Connection has never lost a consultant to a competitor that has not returned to our employment.
The People Connection is cash rich and has a record of sustained growth since our foundation in 1994. We choose to work in niche markets where our approach and expertise are valued and this helps underpin our profitability. As a result, our consultants consistently earn well above those working for our competitors.
But while money is an important measure of success, it is not the only one. We spend a large part of our lives at work so it needs to be as enjoyable and satisfying as possible. Achieving this is a key corporate objective.
For example, our Profit Share scheme ensures that all consultants contribute to and are rewarded. There is no cost of desk deficit. This removes the stress involved in chasing short term fees at the expense of providing a good service and maintaining long term relationships. We recognise that the consultants we recruit are ultimately successful and motivated by professional satisfaction and not from fear. We also understand that in a mutually supportive environment it is not simply about who made the placement but who created the circumstances for the fee to occur. Our Profit Share scheme ensures that it is in everyone’s 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. We do not encourage a long hour’s culture. When you employ the best people it is unnecessary and ultimately unproductive. You manage your own time, working longer hours when you believe it necessary to achieve your objectives.. We know our consultants work hard – that is part of the recruiters’ job. We recognise their 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.
Management style. We recruit highly capable people who have the potential and values to succeed in our environment. We then provide them with the support, time and opportunity they need to develop and become successful. We then ultimately trust them to use the autonomy and responsibility we give them. We add value by allowing our consultants the freedom to make decisions and work in their own way. What is important is effective self-management. Consultants are asked to give a rolling quarterly forecast of their expected billings and then be in a position to justify that forecast. This encourages consultants to be in control of their pipeline which enables them to bill higher and more consistently. If problems are experienced, support to resolve them is provided. We do not see any value in managers setting targets for such things as billings, calls made or CVs sent; it will always be better if consultants are able to set their own targets and manage their own time so that they can achieve their goals.
Does our approach work? Yes it does. It works because when we recruit, we recruit the right people. Please read what our people say.
Recruitment with a difference - it's about you.