A values-driven business shares how they continue to recruit and on board during lockdown

August 3, 2020

Lifeplus, a local Cambridgeshire based business has a vision to help everyone around the world live well. This is now more important than ever as people adjust to keeping healthy in lockdown.

Employing around 350 people, across three sites in St Neots and Bedford, the business has grown from strength to strength.

Recruitment is a key priority for Lifeplus. Their logistics team are working around the clock to fulfil customer orders and meet the high demand for nutritional supplements. However, there have been significant challenges of recruiting and on boarding during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Toni Jones, Talent Manager, said: “We have around 180 people working in our contact centre in St Neots and within a few days we had to ensure that everyone was set up to work from home and had the right technology to allow them to keep speaking to customers. We sell our products worldwide speaking to thousands of customers a week. Our management team were quick to ensure that everyone had the right equipment in place at home whether that be a headset or an office chair. We have weekly team calls with everyone working from home to check on their well-being and to make sure they feel connected to the business, especially as they have come from a lively and fun contact centre sitting next to their colleagues. It has been a period of adjustment for everyone.”

For those working on-site, Lifeplus ensure that social distancing is in place and all employees have the right PPE and regular temperature checks. Pure helped Lifeplus to recruit three people during lock down for their headquarters in St Neots and the whole process was conducted virtually using video technology. The interviews took place over two stages where the applicant met their line managers and others from their future team.

Customer service is key to the success of Lifeplus and this is the same for their internal employees. New recruits receive a welcome goody bag on day one, which are sent to their home along with all the kit they need to work from home.

Toni said, “We make sure everyone receives a pre-start call before their first day and then regular calls with their line manager once they have started.”

Talking about how they are able to on board new starters during this time, Lee Murray, Induction Trainer said: “We have been delivering our seven-day induction via zoom and it’s been going well. I have inducted two employees based in Europe who were due to relocate to the UK to start their new role in the contact centre and due to the travel restrictions they have not been able to leave their countries. We start each day with a coffee and a chat so we can get to know each other rather than diving straight into the training. I also record the induction so they can watch it again in case they miss anything on the screen. A number of people get involved so the new starters can meet a variety of people from across the business, they also speak to their own Team Leader each day and we assign them a buddy to shadow. We really have been learning as we go however, the feedback has been good and we are still evolving. The key is that the new people feel connected to Lifeplus from day one.”

Talking about their partnership with Pure, Toni said: “Pure and Lifeplus have a lot in common, not only are we values driven businesses based on quality, integrity, generosity and transformation, we both put customer service at the forefront of everything we do.  I enjoy partnering with your team as you really take the time to get to know us and you deliver a personalised recruitment service.”