Smarter working boosts The Hireman

19 August 2022

Several factors have made the world of employment a rapidly changing one in the wake of the pandemic, and hire companies are affected as much as any other business sector – perhaps more than average, given the scale of the construction bounce-back. 

Employers may have posts to fill because of expansion, personnel leaving, and others might want to commit to fewer hours in pursuit of a better work-life balance. Working from home for some or all of the time is also a more common option now. 

For The Hireman, based in London, this has actually brought significant benefits. 

“Every business should always be looking to become more productive,” managing director Neil Graham told me recently. “We all had to consider the working from home model during Covid-19 and subsequently we have been able to employ a number of people on this basis for whom being based permanently in an office environment would just not be practical. 

“We recently appointed two part-time and two full-time people who have family and caring commitments and so home working is ideal. One is in HR, another in marketing and two in our accounts and finance department. 

“The point is that they can work in the area of operations that best suits their experience, skills and qualifications, which in turn boosts job satisfaction and productivity,” said Neil.

“Previously we would probably have assumed they would be based at The Hireman’s head office in Bermondsey, but that would effectively eliminate a big proportion of the workforce who can’t commute easily. Or some might have had to take another job that is conveniently local to them, but which does not offer them the role that they would really want or are best suited to.” 

Obviously home working will not suit everyone – and in a depot environment you have to be based at the location – but for many others, the arrangement can deliver big benefits on both sides. 

● Neil told me to expect some interesting developments at The Hireman before too long…