We were recently honoured to be shortlisted in the REC Awards, an annual celebration by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, the voice of the recruitment industry in the UK.

This is the most prestigious awards for our sector, showcasing outstanding achievements from in-house recruiters and agencies to start-ups and multinationals.

We’re delighted to be a finalist in the Best Company to Work For category (up to 50 employees). It celebrates companies that place employees at the heart of their business strategy and champions people development, employee engagement and recognition.

We want to enable a working life where our employees can be the best they can be and participate in awards to evaluate our initiatives and programmes. After a pretty turbulent few years we felt it was the right time to benchmarking ourselves against peers and competitors.

Receiving an award showcases the winner as a leading figure within their industry, differentiating them from competitors and providing a prestigious endorsement of high standards and best practice. This is reassuring for customers and gives our team a real boost, contributing to a strong sense of pride in their place of work.

Of course, being shorlisted is a fantastic achievement and provides an opportunity for positive PR. More importantly though, as a people business, it validates the culture we strive to cultivate; the opportunities we provide through training and leadership development; our reward practices and how we monitor employee satisfaction.

Being shortlisted is particularly pleasing because our headcount has grown by 30% in the last year and our submission incorporated the experiences of new employees working through our bespoke training programme, and more senior recruiters who have autonomy to shape their own specialist areas and set the direction for growth.

It goes without saying that we’re looking forward to the awards ceremony on November 24, but being shortlisted for an award extends far beyond putting on your gladrags for a night in London.The positive message the REC awards send out about excellence in the recruitment industry is a great thing to celebrate.

Wish us luck!