We are able to boast that we have clients that we have worked with from the very beginning; the likes of Adam Jones and AF Blakemore to name but a few. We have also retained employees that we started working with twenty years ago; not many recruitment companies can crow about that!
Here’s a sum up:
2004 – Jobsworth Recruitment Solutions was born. It was set up in Dudley by Jim Turner, Lucy Yorke, Rob Hayes to support an established and successful Driving Agency and to focus on the industrial, technical and catering divisions. Relationships were established with Baldwin+Co our accountants, Wilkes Partnerships our solicitors, Allcomm our communications and technical provider, Barclays Bank and GET Solutions.
2005 – We moved from Dudley to new premises owned by one of our earliest and most loyal customers Adam Jones & Sons. JRS also opened a West Bromwich branch. This was an early representation of our desire to work in a collaborative structure along with a strategy for expansion. West Bromwich gave us the opportunity to add a fully dedicated accounts and payroll facility that was headed up by Lucy Yorke. During this period the demands of our first (and still our biggest) client AF Blakemore meant we had to further expand by opening another branch in Willenhall which primarily serviced the client but gave us the opportunity to further focus on localised supply of clients.
2006 – Ever increasing demand of localised clients such as AF Blakemore led to Rob Hayes stepping away from JRS to focus on the aforementioned driving agency leaving Jim and Lucy to concentrate on the development of the branch network.
2007 – Successes in the southern region led to the opening of the fourth branch located in Droitwich. The aim for the branch was again based on localised supply strategy. The success of this branch was heavily supported by strong relationships in the area with larger clients such as the Local Authority, TM Logistics and the international Ryder Group. Also, this year saw the launch of a permanent placement division to cope with the demand from current temporary staff using clients to recruit quality candidates for full time roles.
2008 (early) – The southern region expansion continued with the opening of a new location. Tewkesbury was identified as an ideal site to gain new business in the Gloucester/Bristol corridor. The success of this branch was quick, and again was supported by winning a contract to support the local authority along with other local clients. The branch had to take a very hands-on approach with clients to help face the challenges of the extreme flooding that hit the area which had a huge impact of the local economy.
2008 (late) – Significant downturn in the global economy led to a challenging a time for all businesses. Typically, Jobsworth acted quickly enough to restructure and protect against the recession. We had to make the very difficult decisions to close West Bromwich and Tewkesbury branches whilst at the same time we reinvested funds into the development and enhancement of software and technology. We improved our CRM, compliance software and national exposure to job boards. This allowed Jobsworth to continue trading at its previous level without the liability and constraints of a traditional branch network. Purchasing a mobile recruitment unit gave us the tools to recruit anywhere in the UK.
2009 – This year saw the introduction to the Driver CPC qualification. This was something Jobsworth wanted to be involved in first-hand with Jim soon qualifying as a CPC instructor and Jobsworth Halesowen becoming an accredited center to deliver the course.
2010 – Yet again the theme of collaborative working saw the opening of Garretts Green office on the site of our client RGF.
2011 – Amalgamation of the driving agency with Jobsworth Recruitment Solutions and further investment in technology and CRM systems allowed a large portfolio of clients to be handled by the Halesowen branch. This, along with an onsite presence at AF Blakemore, saw some large changes within the company and its personnel with a focus on high quality service levels to our clients.
2012 – Continuing the quest to raise service levels and give our clients value for money, JRS made a large reinvestment into its newly founded training division. The significant investment saw the arrival of two vehicles to aid in training of HIAB and Moffett Drivers.
2013 – Staffing issues and the breakdown of the relationship with our client led to the closure of the Garretts Green office. However, we continued in our belief that working with clients in a partnership role was a positive move.
2014 – Jobsworth had to combat the first CPC deadline, this was a huge challenge as the driving industry started to realise its shortfall of drivers. Through hard work and the investment in the training division, Jobsworth thrived thanks to the CPC accreditation, putting 90% of our own drivers through the course along with supporting our clients need to certificate their own drivers.
2015 – Having established our training division, Jobsworth started to see success on a national basis, winning contracts with two of the country’s biggest suppliers of building materials. Jobsworth recruited, trained and supplied HIAB and Moffett drivers on both a temporary and permanent basis.
2016 – We began the quest of purchasing our own premises; this had been a long standing desire with a view to run a multi-functional site to support the company operationally for both the service and training side of the business. A site was identified and an offer to purchase was accepted in late 2016.
2017 – Early 2017 saw the completion of Lodgefield Road, this was an investment by the company to not only have a multi-functional site but to give the staff a better working environment. The move was somewhat over shadowed by the devastating news of Lucy’s illness. Like any move it proved stressful and there were challenges, but as a team we came through and it soon became a home away from home. This year also saw the Permanent Placements Division go from strength to strength, notably securing a national contract for all their recruitment.
2018 – Having gone through the transition period of 2017, 2018 had its own challenges with Lucy Yorke’s health deteriorating. Fortunately, the team at Jobsworth pulled together to get us all through to the end of the year when sadly as we lost our Lucy.
2019 – Putting 2018 behind us saw a clear and focused 2019, with further investment into cloud based CRM, technology and hardware. The aim this year is to create a fluid workforce with a strong account management team. To support the collaborative account management approach, we have gone on to open an office on Pensnett trading Estate with our Client JJX logistics.
2020 – As the world adapts to the effects of Covid, Jobsworth learns to embrace remote, flexible working. Rob Hayes formally becomes a stake holding Director of Jobsworth.
2021 – A new direction, embracing a flexible approach to staffing, Hartlebury office is born
2022 – Back to our roots, the Wolverhampton office opens, and Jobsworth partners with Black Country Boxing.
[The year ahead will see our commitment to charity and to continue to operate under the banner of Lucy’s standards and ethics to protect her legacy.]