Work-life balance, once a low priority for most companies, is
now something all employers have had to sit up and take notice
of. Many multi-national businesses now offer flexible working
and a large number of small businesses already see the benefits
of flexibility that can help recruit the right people and align
working hours and location with business needs.
But how do flexible workers and companies offering flexible
work find each other?
Flexible Skills Bank is a specialist recruitment
service tailored to the needs of small and medium sized
businesses operating in the Hertfordshire area, which encourages
fresh thinking about flexible working practices in small and
medium sized businesses.
Established last year, the company works to bring together
the many men and women who are looking for more flexible work to
fit in with their family commitments and the vast number of SMEs
who need some professional expertise or even an extra pair of
hands from time to time, but can not afford to take on full time
staff.
Founder Karen Kennard has over 15 years marketing experience
in both blue chip organisations and running her own small
business. She is also a mother of two young children and
understands the frustrations of wanting it all that many parents
face - how to have time to be with their children and still have
a challenging, fulfilling career.
“Having run my own business and worked as a marketing
consultant to a growing business, I realised that small
companies could benefit from the skills and experience that
many mothers are not using, simply because they can not find
the flexibility they require. It seems to me that the idea of
Flexible Skills Bank can fulfil the needs of small companies
and professional workers who are aiming for a better work life
balance”.
Since the company was established last April, Flexible Skills
Bank has successfully matched many candidates with suitable part
time or flexible work. One such company is TJL Marketing, a
marketing consultancy specialising in marketing support for
start-ups and growing businesses. There was a strong synergy
between TJL and Flexible Skills Bank, as Tracy Light, Director
of TJL explains.
“TJL works on the principle that small businesses require
flexible support to meet their ever changing needs. By
sourcing staff through Flexible Skills Bank, it has enabled me
to offer my clients a highly skilled and experienced team that
they can use as and when they need them, without incurring any
extra overheads. It also means that the staff I am using have
the flexibility to work how and where they want to fit in with
family commitments.”
At present the company operates in the Hertfordshire area of
the UK (for our international readers, that's an area to the
north of London in the prosperous South-East of England).
But we are sure demand is such across the country, that such
services will soon be extended to all regions.
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