Filling the skills gap for business in Kent

We work with lots of small businesses to help them find the professional skills they need to grow and make inroads in their industry sector. Nick Kelly, Managing Director of Afia, came to us seeking specialist staff for his successful Kent-based business.

As suppliers of disability and mobility equipment to Wholesalers and other businesses, Nick was keen to bolster his operations team consisting of four staff as well as warehouse operatives. Upon reviewing processes, he realised he had to recruit a specialist professional who could take responsibility for some of the more intricate work, like purchasing and forecasting.

Understanding the business challenge

With a shift in the market, it was imperative that they were accessing the most cost effective materials without compromising their excellent reputation for quality goods.

Nick needed someone with a critical analytical eye who could identify areas where they could improve practices and procedures, as well as strategically reviewing the purchase ordering and forecasting system. They also needed someone who could identify purchase patterns and behaviour that could be streamlined or made more efficient. Full-time hours weren’t necessarily required, but the level of professional skills were.

Flexible workers fill the skills gap

It wasn’t proving easy for the business to find someone with a unique set of professional skills in Kent like this, but luckily, they received a recommendation for Ten2Two’s flexible recruitment agency. It soon became apparent that the role would only require 15 hours per week. Ten2Two met with Nick to get a better understanding of the problems the business was facing. It wasn’t long before we were able to introduce them to Tracey.

Tracey had come from a supply chain background with 15 years’ experience in inventory analysing and purchase forecasting. She had been made redundant from her last position and was looking for something where she could work flexibly with a local growing company – somewhere she could add value but with the flexibility she required.

A positive case for flexible working

Since recruiting Tracey, the business has gone from strength to strength. In fact, Nick was so happy with the hiring process that he has used Ten2Two Kent four more times to find further staff.

Nick says, “All of our last four recruits have been sourced via Ten2Two, who are now our automatic go-to recruiters. They have a pool of outstanding talent that we have drawn from and I am delighted with the quality of the candidates we selected. They have truly changed the dynamics of my team for the better.”

“In fact, due to this positive experience, we have restructured the business and now offer all our team the opportunity to work flexible hours, from home or the office. Our productivity has increased sharply, the commitment and enthusiasm from everyone is noticeably higher and we are all happier and a good deal less stressed.”

“In my opinion, Ten2Two are unique in understanding this and they can attract highly motivated, qualified professionals who are not well served in the traditional recruiting environment. I would urge any business owner or manager to try Ten2Two and their talent pool!”

If you’d like to find flexible workers for your business, please contact Andrea at Ten2Two Kent today – email andrea@ten2two.org or call 01732 759849. We look forward to helping more businesses like Afia to find talented, local professionals who can put their skills to great use and drive results for companies like this one.