Sixteen years ago, I was doing a temping job as a receptionist when the owner of the agency approached me to see if I fancied a go at recruitment.
Always open to opportunity, I said yes. Here we are 16 years later and I’m the Operations Director at Wote Street People. Now, I could tell all the old jokes about prison sentences for murder being shorter… but actually, I can, hand on heart, say that I love my job. There are days when I need more coffee than others, but on the whole I enjoy the world of recruitment.
A lot has changed over those years. Now temps get holiday pay from day one, Agency Workers’ Regulations give parity pay and there are also National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates. All good things that help people who want truly flexible working. We also fill permanent vacancies, and over the years our focus has shifted from purely industrial to pretty much anything that small to medium sized companies in the Basingstoke area are looking for.
Has it felt like sixteen years? No, not really. What brings it home is the fact that people who were born in the year I started with Wote Street People, are now coming in to register for work!
We’re one of the few agencies that allow 16 year olds to register for work and we have a number of clients who are ready to embrace young adults into the workplace. In return we pay at least the National Living Wage to all temps, not the lower rate. Our ethos is that if the only skill is to turn up and follow instruction, age shouldn’t come into it.
If you’re looking for temp jobs or flexible working in Basingstoke and the surrounding areas, then get in touch – 01256 799127 or email maxine@wotestreetpeople.co.uk.
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