Flexible approach helps Sx3 create new opportunities

A flexible approach to recruitment, which matches business needs to the demands of the market, is helping leading IT services company, Sx3, restructure and manage its employment practices.

This implementation of a ‘flexible workforce’ policy has also led to the Newtownabbey-based company establishing a strategic partnership with local employment agency, Premier People. The agency will now be solely responsible for Sx3’s growing recruitment of ‘flexible’ or temporary staff, commencing with the recruitment of 30 new positions – for desktop engineers – for the company.

These posts are key to the rollout of C2K, the government-backed initiative that is delivering the latest education technology to every school in Northern Ireland.

Sx3 claim sales success is the key reason for the company’s partnership with Premier, as well as the drive to reshape their 650-strong Northern Ireland workforce.

Gillian Allen, HR manager said: “Our contact centre has grown substantially over the past 12 months and the nature of the work is ideally suited to those who want flexible employment, such as mothers returning to work after having children or graduates who want to get some experience to help kick start their career. Many who come on-board on a temporary basis, go on to become full-time employees at Sx3.”

According to Sx3, winning large public sector contracts, such as C2K has also impacted in Sx3’s employment requirements. A flexible workforce policy enables the staff to work to ‘optimum’, rather than ‘maximum’ levels. Effective, temporary employees who can be mobilized into action quickly can aid permanent staff, helping the company meet its delivery and implementation targets. The end result is the reduction of costs, maximization of productivity and the retention of valuable employees, while also delivering an effective service to the customer.

Tracy Hale, Operations Manager of Premier People, who is responsible for overseeing the management of the Sx3 contract, said: “Peaks and troughs in business and in the economy as a whole have made many companies wary of increasing their full-time, permanent workforce.

"But supplementing their employee base with flexible or temporary workers helps them better manage business growth and development. This is particularly pertinent to the IT sector, but is applicable to many others and it is an approach that suits both employees and employer.”

(KMcA)