In 1986 Situations’ founder, Pat Lynch, realised her dream of setting up a quality local recruitment agency in Guernsey. It was only the second on the Island.
She and her husband, Patrick, ran the business alone for a few years before taking on additional staff and today Situations is a business of 9 staff. Though no longer involved in the business on a day to day basis, Patrick is still the major shareholder, making Situations the longest-standing Guernsey recruitment agency with the same original ownership.
Director Melissa Campbell comments:
“In 2001 and 2002, my fellow director Jenny Mitchell and I joined the business as Consultants. We quickly realised it was the place we were meant to be. Pat could see our potential and, with a view to succession planning, she made us both Directors within a year of joining. Unfortunately, in 2009 Pat passed away from a serious lung condition. This was devastating for the team, but Jenny and I were determined to honour her and look after her “baby” Situations and we became shareholders”.
Jenny elaborated:
“From day one, Situations has prided itself on its professional and friendly service. We’re members of the REC UK and we abide by their strict Code of Conduct. All of our Consultants are professionally qualified or studying for relevant qualifications. We take the time to get to know our candidates well and regularly keep in touch with our clients to ensure the best match for both sides. Our whole team’s enthusiasm, hard work and quality of service are second to none.”
Senior Consultant, Rebecca O’Sullivan is passionate about working for Situations and having worked in recruitment for agencies in the UK enjoys the fact that staff aren’t targeted on fees, calls and client visits and don’t work on commission.
“We are a team and want the business to be profitable and succeed regardless of who makes the most money that month. We have the freedom to work autonomously but at the same time we can always ask for advice and support. It is a small open plan office so we often just shout a question. Not only do the directors give advice but the consultants actively help each other which is lovely and refreshing to see. There is a real feel that we all care about the candidates and the clients – we honestly want to do what is best for them and we put their needs first. I think this not only makes us ethical but actually helps us in the market place as we are viewed as trustworthy and honest which is always something to strive towards.” Rebecca concluded.
All of the staff actively come up with innovations and ideas and these are always listened to and more often than not implemented. The business is proud to support the local community as much as possible. In April 2016 Situations will be sponsoring the 30 Walks event for Les Bourgs Hospice, we regularly offer both our time and financial support to the GSPCA, and other charities we’re supporting include Lungevity, a local charity that offers support to people suffering from lung disease, Jeans for Genes and the MacMillan Trust. Situations also sponsor a local mixed volleyball team.
Another idea we have actively embraced is mentoring at the high schools, Grammar and the College of FE on the island. Our consultants have been to quite a few of the schools in the last 12 months giving CV advice, interview skills and just generally explaining how recruitment works. We feel it’s in everyone’s interest to invest in the future workers of the island and to help them prepare for the world of work.
Jenny Mitchell continued:
“We’re always keen to stay ahead of the latest innovations in technology and embrace new as well as tried and tested marketing solutions. We are actively involved in social media and in 2015 won the Best Use of Social Media Award at the Guernsey Customer Service Awards. 2015 was a fantastic year for us financially with a 49% increase on the previous year in permanent staff placements, plus an 18% increase in temp business. Like any successful business, we know we can’t rest on our laurels, we are determined to celebrate our 30th year in style and continue to maintain the highest of standards. We know that for a business to succeed it must adapt to market conditions and developments in technology. We’ve certainly started our 30th year on a high, with a nomination for Best Small Business from the Guernsey Awards for Achievement (awaiting result in February!) and our team remains as committed as Pat and Patrick were when they first set up the business 30 years ago”
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