With the Olympic Games due to start in London on July 27th and the Paralympic Games on August 29th, as the Official Recruitment Services Provider Adecco UK & Ireland is playing a vital role in ensuring the success of the greatest event on earth. An amazing effort by totally committed teams to recruit around 7,000 full and part-time workers and make the Games the most perse and inclusive ever.

The recruitment team is working on site at the LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games) operations centre in Canary Wharf London, right at the heart of the preparations for the Games. But other teams are also based at Adecco HQ in London, like the back-office, and many parts of Adecco UK & Ireland are supporting from around the country.

AGN spoke to Steve Girdler, Adecco Director of the London 2012 Partnership, and to 4 colleagues who are part of the intense recruitment drive. Let’s see how they are progressing, the challenges they face and how they are geared up to meet this mammoth deadline. The enthusiasm for what they are doing and the power of their dedication is palpable.
 

AGN: Steve, the last time we reported on the recruitment for the Games was back in November 2010 when you had a team of 13. What’s the status now?

Steve Girdler: "A lot has obviously been going on since then! The recruitment team in London has now been built up to over 60 colleagues and more will still join. The team is led by Heather Andrews and is doing an amazing job. We have a very successful partnership with LOCOG. I must say the relationship has grown and strengthened over the three years we have been on-site – we really are ONE team.
Heather and her team have devised new processes for managing and tracking associates, they have set up websites and put forward new ideas and solutions. The pressure is of course growing as that all-important date approaches. So recruitment will be ramped up to ensure we fill all the jobs needed to run the Games. The team are now recruiting 5,000 ‘Games Time’ roles for LOCOG and in addition, we are working with sponsors and contractors to help fill their roles for their own London 2012 activities, centrally as well as at branch level. It’s a huge project for the whole company but Heather’s team is the beating heart".

AGN: Apart from the recruitment team, who else is involved?

Steve: "We have a dedicated back-office team who run all the services to associates once they start work, a team that is also being built up as we speak. Almost every department at Adecco in the UK is involved in some way and also branches help out in the search for candidates. This work will also continue into next year, as we have already begun a programme with LOCOG to place over 2,000 associates once the Games are over".

Claire Smith - Recruitment Business Partner. Claire has been working on-site at the LOCOG operations centre in Canary Wharf since September 2010 and leads the team in charge of recruitment for the Athletes’ Village and for LOCOG HR roles.

AGN: Claire, can you tell us something about your role and the number of candidates you deal with?

Claire Smith: "Over the last 6 months, as press coverage has built up, there have been more and more applicants for each job. For some roles there is a huge response – as many as 250 applications for one job. We screen candidates and engage with all of them so that we can make assessments and make offers to those who are successful. The recruitment team works closely with LOCOG HR as all the associates will go through an induction programme, training and be provided with uniforms. We still have to fill around 2,000 open positions and also ensure that we have a contingency plan in case anyone pulls out. It’s a hectic, high-energy environment but great to work with people at LOCOG who have years of experience within the Olympic sphere. Our recruiting team is still being ramped up, more people are joining every week – and I can assure you that one week later, they are not new anymore!"

AGN: Is it fair to say that you very much enjoy your role?

Claire: "This is a golden opportunity, a chance of a lifetime! I consider myself to be very lucky as I live and breathe the Olympics every day and I am supported by the back-office team and by colleagues in branches. This is the biggest recruiting team I have ever been part of in my 9 years’ experience. The team spirit is incredible, we feel the pressure as time seems to fly by - but the experience is brilliant. Everyone is so committed to what they are doing and to the goal we have ahead. December 31st was a key moment. As the clock struck midnight, there was special excitement as we welcomed in the year of the Olympic Games in London!"

Jyoti Suglani is a candidate screener. Screening is part of the procedure to ensure that candidates meet the LOCOG requirements. Jyoti joined Adecco a year ago when she finished her Law degree at university and she is based at Adecco UK HQ.

AGN: Jyoti, what exactly does the screening process involve?

Jyoti Suglani: "Basically we make sure that every candidate who has been offered a job is compliant with a set of LOCOG criteria. This involves running a series of checks – passport, references for the previous 3 years’ employment and a criminal records check. Each candidate also has to complete an on-line form, something that is not easy for everyone and we often support candidates in this task too. Not all candidates are from the UK so we also run checks in about 12 other countries. It takes between 15 to 20 days to complete 1 candidate screening".

AGN: What is the biggest challenge in your task?

Jyoti: "The biggest challenge the screening teams are facing is the sheer volume of candidates that we deal with. We have screened over 2,000 so far. At the moment I am dealing with over 170 cases and I make sure that I have the time to support and guide them all when needed. A personal landmark for me was on February 7th when I completed my 900th case. Some weeks I am dealing with 50 candidates at the same time. But we overcome the challenges thanks to the Olympic spirit – it is so strong here at Adecco UK. And every day on my way to work, I pass the Olympic site and see the progress in getting everything ready!"

Jody Armstrong is part of the on-boarding team based at Canary Wharf, the LOCOG operations centre. Jody was ‘blown away’ to be offered this job as she loves the Olympics and enjoys the ‘client management’ aspects of her role.

AGN: Jody, what exactly does an on-boarder do and what is the importance of this role?

Jody Armstrong: "On-boarders are the point of contact for those candidates whose applications have been successful. My task is to build up a relationship with them and keep them involved and motivated until they actually take up their positions. These associates could be on 1-month or 6-week contracts that don’t start until the Games themselves begin.  We support them with any questions, problems or concerns they have. To do that, we are in contact with many of the other teams involved at Adecco. There are five of us on the team at the moment – but this number will grow as the pace steps up even more – and we will have on-boarded around 3,500 associates by the end of March. Their level of enthusiasm is so high that often it is not difficult to keep them involved and motivated!"

AGN: So, does the challenge for you too lie in the number of people you are on-boarding?

Jody: "Yes, at the moment the team is dealing with around 160 associates a week – but that will soon be 500. The challenge is to make sure that they all have the same experience building up to and during the Games, independently of when they were recruited. Then, as not all associates are from the UK we have to factor in the various time zones so we can also remain in contact with associates living abroad and be available for them. The whole team put their heart and soul into the job, we are all very dedicated to taking care of our Olympic associates!"

Lindsay Harrison – Operations Manager. Lindsay is based in Birmingham, in the Midlands, but spends around 2 days a week in London. She acts as the link between the on-site team and the back-office team. Lindsay jumped at the chance to re-join the great Adecco UK team last October (she had previously worked for Spring) and be part of the Olympics.

AGN: Lindsay, due to the scale of the Olympic project, a special dedicated back-office team has been set up to provide centralised services. Can you tell us more about that?

Lindsay Harrison: "At the moment there are 25 colleagues in the team – some of them are based at Adecco HQ in London but I am currently setting up a second part of the team in Birmingham, which will be operational as of April. The team in London deals with contracting and pre-employment screening whereas the team in Birmingham will be dealing with the payrolling of Olympic associates.  My task, in addition to lots of planning and process mapping, includes training the back-office teams and generally ensuring that everything is covered and delivered by THE deadline. But we will deliver, I have no hesitation in saying that!"

AGN: What do you feel is unique about what you are doing, about this huge Olympic effort by Adecco and the UK in general?

Lindsay: "There is no blueprint for this huge project - such an event has never been delivered before in the UK in recent history. At Adecco, we are not hiring the usual kind of associates either. Some of the roles we need to fill are very unique and we sometimes need to re-think processes and find alternative solutions. For those candidates who don’t use the Internet, for example. The very high level of professionalism within the Adecco team is something I really appreciate. For me this whole experience is all about the people I work with, the challenge and the learning. I have amassed an amazing amount of knowledge that I know will be of great benefit to me in the future. I am honoured to be playing my part in Adecco’s Olympic efforts and I will savour the memories for many years to come".

All 4 colleagues are looking forward to watching the games, seeing the whole ‘machine’ work and knowing that they played a part in making it happen. A special thank you to Jody, Claire, Jyoti, Lindsay and Steve for taking the time to talk to AGN and to Heather Andrews for setting up the interviews and answering lots of questions. We wish the whole team at Adecco UK the very best and look forward to the next report on London 2012.