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As 2022 comes to a close, we wanted to take the chance to recognise and pay thanks to the many people who have contributed to our resounding growth and success this year.
We understand that it’s been a challenging 12 months for everyone on both a professional and personal level, as living costs rose, economic uncertainty increased and we ventured into an uncharted post-pandemic market.
It’s fair to say that as we left 2021 behind, we approached 2022 with caution, but in spite of this, we’re proud to have overcome those obstacles with minimal interruption and in a stronger position than ever before, which is a massive achievement.
A huge thank you to our candidates, clients and team
Our success is partly owed to the fact that we’ve partnered with around 230 organisations to support their hiring needs this year.
Some of these are new relationships that we’re excited to grow further, and some are familiar clients that we’re thankful to have been working with for many years now. Whatever the circumstance, we thank you for choosing MERJE as your trusted recruitment partner.
The past 12 months have also seen us pair more than 650 skilled industry professionals with these businesses, from full contact centre outfits to experienced C-Suite professionals and everything in between.
In a year that witnessed a tentative jobs market outlook, we would like to express our gratitude to everyone who worked with us during their job searches and allowed us to support their career journeys.
And then there is our dedicated team, who have contributed to a host of exceptional results over the course of this year. We firmly believe that our strategic approach to hiring has enabled us to add some superb people to MERJE this year, who will each have a valuable impact on the future of the business.
These additions, along with our dedicated and fastidious long-term employees, mean we are in a better position than ever before to provide a host of genuine, down-to-earth and highly collaborative services.
We’re confident that we are well set up to achieve our ambitious growth plans over the next few years, including adding more new faces to the team.
People are the cornerstone of our culture
The simple fact is that people have always been core to our strategy, and where we are today really is a testament to our approach to client, candidate, and employee care. We want every individual we interact with to succeed on a personal and professional level.
When it comes to hiring for the MERJE team, choosing someone to join us isn't simply about assessing the skills and experience they can bring. It’s about making sure that they share our ethos and values so that we can effectively support them, add value to their lives and help further their future career plans.
This is why we strive to give people the right platform and tools to evolve and progress in their roles, in whatever direction they choose. We like to set people up for success from the off, meaning we bring people in to warm desks and leads, offer training and development opportunities in spades, and deliver continuous support.
Our approach has never been about aggressive sales tactics, stringent KPIs and impossible targets. And our success over the years proves that it doesn’t have to be. We value strong partnerships, real relationships with real people, and encouraging everyone to work towards their personal and shared goals. After all, if each individual succeeds, the business succeeds as a whole.
Recognising Success
We were delighted to mark the achievements of our team with a raft of end-of-year promotions. Congratulations to everyone who received one, they’re all so well-deserved!
Ellie Sykes to Director
Andrew Varty to Director
Adam Jones to Principal Consultant
Connor Partridge to Principal Consultant
David Herman to Senior Consultant
Jake Kelly to Senior Consultant
Lucy Waddock to Senior Resourcer
End-of-Year Celebrations
As we do every December, our UK team members united in Manchester to celebrate the successes of the past 12 months and the festive season.
Richard, Jonathan and Edward, our MDs, summarised the sentiments of the year and announced a raft of thoroughly deserved promotions, following which the second annual MERJE Awards took place.
A series of lighthearted, staff-voted accolades, including Comedian of the Year (Mike Ayres), Ray of Sunshine (Sally Brearley) and Lynchpin of the Year (Jo Donlon – because the business would fall apart without her), the MERJE Awards 2022 proved to be a joyous reflection on the positives and highlights of the year.
During the day, the team enjoyed fresh-made pizzas from the Pick Up a Pizza van, and in the evening we headed into the city for drinks, pool, dancing and food at 7SINS and Ramona. A fantastic night of fun and festivities!
Giving Back
If we’ve not been busy enough as the year comes to a close, we also got involved in some fundraising efforts as part of our goal to spread a little festive cheer by giving back to the local community in the run-up to Christmas.
The MERJE team were delighted when our friends at DF Capital invited us to support them by collecting toy donations for Manchester’s Wood Street Mission Christmas Toy Appeal, which aims to improve the life chances of children and families living in poverty.
Alex Bedford, a fundraising manager for City of Trees also dropped into our office to share information with the team about the charity, which is boldly tackling the climate emergency head on, by planting trees and restoring woodlands for the people and wildlife of Greater Manchester. We are supporting them over the next 12 months by becoming a proud member of its 100 Trees Club and pledging to plant a tree for every review we receive throughout 2023.
We’ve come a long, long way together
We also wanted to acknowledge how far we’ve come as a business, from the twinkle of an idea in a small office in Whitefield to new, purpose built headquarters, a 40-strong team of brilliant staff operating across the UK with 11 years of success and growth behind us, and plenty more exciting times to come.
Once again, we’d like to thank everyone who has played a part in making 2022 a great year for MERJE, and we wish everyone a fantastic end to the year and a happy festive season. We look forward to collaborating with you all again in 2023 and beyond!
