A tribute to the unsung heroes of recruitment: the back-officePosted over 3 years ago by Nick Boulton

Let’s talk about the unsung heroes of recruitment. These are the people who amid the toughest year in living memory brought their A-Game. They are a vital cog in the machine of every recruitment business, especially ours.

Make no mistake, there were some herculean efforts from certain individuals, efforts that in any other market would have resulted in record-breaking figures.

Some of our senior staff were simply outstanding: calm, measured, focused and carrying our business on their shoulders. They forged strong relationships with clients and candidates, agreeing on exclusivities, guaranteeing future business and ultimately with it, our survival.

People really did step up.

Rarely do they get the recognition or credit they deserve but without them, we could not function as a business – They are our Back Office team.

The value of a good back office team can’t be overstated. As companies grow and have had to adapt, business processes have had to evolve too. Back office functions might seem less appealing, perhaps even less glamorous, than sales or client networking, but as an SME they are vital to the success of our business.

While sales figures plummeted, productivity, efficiency and output soared from our back-office teams. They worked as an army, whether it was writing adverts, posting jobs, creating content, engaging on social media platforms, forming marketing strategies, running webinars, contributing to blogs, hiring, training, the list is endless.

Every marketing, advertising and social media channel saw huge uplifts in traffic followers and engagement, and this created a flow of inbound traffic looking for jobs, support and sales opportunities.

Client Server’s brand, profile and stock have been on the rise ever since and we are in an incredibly strong position to capitalise this year as our candidate and client pool starts to swell.

The back office is the lifeblood that pumps through our veins and allows the rest of us to function, it’s incredibly important to recognise and understand the value an excellent back-office team adds.

Could your organisation function effectively without them? Ours certainly couldn’t, and in recruitment where support teams often go unheralded and traditionally sales teams and consultants receive all the plaudits, it’s key to understand the vital role that back-office play in our success.

At this year’s company awards, Marketing and Advertising were recognised for their huge efforts in 2020. Karen Simons, our Head of Advertising, won Employee of the year, a testament to her hard work and dedication throughout the year.

I’m confident that with the strong foundation our operations and back-office teams have put in place, we will all reap the rewards of 2021.