Supporting Brentwood Borough Council

Government

“We’ve had a good working relationship with Vivid; we haven’t had any issues and I’d recommend them to other organisations.”*

Brentwood Borough Council

Vivid Resourcing has been working with David from Brentwood Borough Council for a while now, since helping the organisation out with a staffing problem. The council covers around 80,000 people and David is the environmental health manager responsible for the environmental health and private sector housing team. This encompasses everything from noise pollution to tenant’s rights. We talked to David to get his perspective on how we were able to help his department out.

The Requirement

In late 2019, David’s was faced with a significant recruitment issue. His team consisted of him, four district officers and one technical officer, but practically overnight it lost three of its members. One member of staff quit, one retired and one started a new job, all within quick succession of each other. Shortly after this, COVID-19 hit, which added to the staffing pressure. David had been in touch with us before this point and soon we got in contact to see how we could help by finding his team some contractors.

The Challenge

While we hadn’t worked with David before, we had provided other departments in Brentwood Borough Council with staff, so we were his first choice for a recruitment agency. We had monthly calls with them and on one of these David talked to us about his recruitment needs. His team required district officers who are able to get up-to-speed with the role quickly, so previous experience in similar roles would be a major help.

*David Carter – Environmental Health Manager

How we helped

The Solution

David needed two contractors to fill the gap left by his departing staff members and due to the pandemic the roles would have to be remote. We were able to fill the roles quickly, arranging phone interviews and helping the chosen candidates get set-up to work from home. David described the process as “quick and easy” and said we were able to understand and meet the council’s needs regarding the hires.

The Results

The fact the hires were starting right at the beginning of the pandemic meant the circumstances of the contract were unusual at the time. Although everyone was being thrown into the unfamiliar situation of remote working, David said both contractors fit in well and the council was very happy with the results.

He also mentioned that he was very happy with the relationship between the council and Vivid. He said we were helpful and a pleasure to work with. When the council needed another contractor with specialist knowledge in the housing sector, David came straight to us and we were able to find a candidate who yet again met the council’s needs. He said he would recommend us to any other organisations looking for recruiters.