Member Article

Recruitment specialist champions workers as “People Ambassador” for Leeds

A Leeds recruitment specialist is calling for the city’s businesses to put their workers first, as part of his new role as an Inclusive Growth Ambassador.

Craig Burton, managing director of The Works Recruitment, is one of four “People Ambassadors” selected by Leeds City Council as part of its Inclusive Growth Ambassador programme, to focus on creating better jobs, tackling low pay and boosting productivity in the city.

As founder of The Works, one of the oldest and most established recruiters in the UK, Craig recently commissioned a survey asking temporary workers about their employment experiences. He is using its results to fuel his new ambassador role and reach out to employers who he says, should be doing more.

“I’ve always been a champion for workers’ rights – especially temporary workers as they are often disregarded as not a ‘proper’ member of staff,” Craig explains. “The recent survey commissioned by The Works showed that 52% of respondents felt undervalued, half said the pay and benefits were ‘not good’ and almost two thirds said they didn’t feel supported to develop their skills.

“As a newly appointed People Ambassador for Leeds I will be using these statistics to hammer home to local employers the critical need to improve their workplace culture to combat the feelings expressed through our own research. If productivity can be improved through better people skills and by cultivating rather than alienating talent then we can start to make a difference to lives and businesses.”

In his 12-month role as Inclusive Growth Ambassador with responsibility for ‘people’ Craig will be creating blogs on workplace culture, productivity and tackling low pay to maximise the reach of his expertise, alongside influencing and driving the aims and objectives of the city-wide Leeds Inclusive Growth Strategy.

He added: “It’s time to put all of our workers first – whether they are permanent, part time or temporary workers. Employers have a responsibility to provide a healthy working culture, with reasonable pay and support for their staff. Businesses should have an understanding that if they support and nurture their workforce, then they will see a rise in productivity from a more motivated and engaged workforce.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Approach PR .