Article

​As we kick off Q3 2023, we're looking back at a productive few months. Business activity has continued as expected, and we're seeing a shift in the market that suggests the latter half of the year will be even busier than the first.

One of the most encouraging signs is the increase in candidates looking for new roles. This suggests that the demand for talent is growing, and we're well-positioned to help businesses find the right people to fill their open positions.

The Commercials

In Q2 2023, we paired 111 candidates with new permanent and contract roles across 71 businesses, including an Operations Director at a well-known insurance business, a Senior Credit Risk Manager at a building society, a General Counsel at an asset management firm, and many more.

We are delighted to have struck up 12 new partnerships with organisations across the UK, ranging from global to start-up banks, property development businesses, wealth management organisations, and more.

In June, Ellie, Neil, Barry, and Kirstie attended the Credit Awards once again and this time, not only did we sponsor the award for Best Mortgage Provider, but we took home the trophy for Recruitment Partner of the Year! This is a wonderful accolade and one we're so proud to have achieved, particularly as this is our third time being presented with the award.

Team News

Our six new additions in Q1 2023 have had flying starts, with Chloe securing a magnificent first placement and being awarded with a spin of the wheel of fortune for her efforts, Elisha developing her role into part Researcher, part HR, and Caroline, James, Millie, and Paul all making brilliant contributions to the team.

We also added another new face in May in the shape of Lauren Dono, who joins the Front-Line Talent team as a Consultant looking to further develop the customer service and contact centre market alongside Sally, Jo, Mandy, Lucy, and Millie.

The whole team had the pleasure of celebrating the annual Summer Social in May, with MERJE's first theme park trip on the cards this time.

The MERJE folks had the option of riding the rollercoasters at Alton Towers or a relaxing spa day at Hoar Cross Hall, before convening at the hotel for an evening of food, drinks, and dancing.

It was a fantastic event, arranged by our Head of Business Support, Jo Donlon, and as always, provided a superb opportunity for the team to let their hair down, relax, and get to know each other outside of the workplace - something which was particularly useful for our newest recruits!

Good Business

We’re committed to creating inclusive and thriving workplaces for everyone. This ongoing evolution has recently seen us highlight the importance of providing workplace support for those who go through the menopause.

To improve our initiatives in this area, in the last few months we have taken a number of actions, including signing the Workplace Menopause Pledge, creating a specific menopause in the workplace policy, and appointing a workplace menopause champion.

Q2 also saw us celebrate Pride month as a business, with treats delivered across each of our offices, gender pronouns added to our email signatures, and more training and advice shared with our team to ensure their day-to-day recruitment is inclusive for LGBTQ+ individuals.

We know that the more we talk about, highlight, and raise awareness of these issues, the more businesses will be encouraged to improve their workplaces for the better. After all, many studies have shown that diverse and inclusive workplaces have happier, more engaged, and more productive employees.

Q2 2023 saw us receive 22 testimonials from our wonderful clients and candidates. This means, thanks to our Every Review Plants a Tree pledge, we’ll be planting a further 22 trees in the Greater Manchester region through our partnership with City of Trees. That takes our total to 62 trees so far for the year!

What’s Next?

As always, we continue to look for ways to improve our business and stay ahead of the curve.

In the early part of the year, we implemented a new CRM system to help us better serve our candidates and clients. The project of embedding this new, state-of-the-art tech into our business is ongoing and we’re sure will prove to be a major step forward in how we deliver exceptional services to clients and candidates.

As well as this, Jo Sanderson is working hard to expand our Business Services desk, offering expert hiring advice and solutions to businesses across the UK who are looking to hire in their HR teams.

The coming months will see us shine a spotlight on our Executive Talent solution. We have been supporting clients with senior hires such as Chief Risk Officers, Chief Compliance Officers, Heads of Audit, Heads of Financial Crime, and more for many years.

So far, our services have grown thanks to referrals and word of mouth, which is fantastic and we’re incredibly grateful to the clients who have recommended us. Now, as we look to grow this area of our business even further, we’ll be sharing more content, insights, and updates about our Executive Talent solution and the unique offering we can provide to organisations throughout the UK.

For now, we're excited to see what the rest of the year brings for MERJE and the recruitment industry as a whole.