Recruitment firm gives resourcer her Shangri-llama reward to say thanks

Resourcers are the backbone of any recruitment agency and can mean the difference between whether or not a client can secure the perfect candidate.

So when a St Neots-based recruiter looked into rewarding all of the hard work of one of its departing resourcers, the agency chose a special treat that meant she could encounter her favourite South American camelid.

Leigha Marvell, now a housing income officer at disability charity Papworth Trust, previously worked as a researcher at agency Zitko Consulting.

Her former boss Emily Coates, a senior consultant at Zitko, told Recruiter the agency has a history of rewarding staff with benefits such as Go-Ape, go-carting, pizza making and Crystal Maze experiences. But when dedicated resourcer and alpaca-obsessed Marvell revealed she was leaving to relocate for another job, Coates knew a different sort of reward was in order.

Consequently, before she could get ‘alpaca-ed up’ and leave the building, Marvell was sent on an alpaca experience day at Herrings Green Farm, Wilstead in Bedfordshire, which brought her into contact with Beebee the alpaca.

“She [Marvell] loves them,” Coates told Recruiter. “She had alpaca pens and alpaca pictures on her desk. When she left, we got her a few other alpaca items, such as an alpaca blanket… She says they are her spirit animal. She’s a big fan of them.”

Elaborating on the reasons for rewarding a departing member of staff in this way, Coates told Recruiter Marvell was a dedicated resourcer to a lot of the clients she works with and brought in some excellent candidates and was a very valuable member of the organisation.

“It’s important to thank people for their hard work, isn’t it? She made a massive difference for this key account that I work with…

“We wanted to thank her for all the hard work that she’s done rather than her leave without feeling appreciated. I think it’s important that even if people decide to move on for whatever reason that they are still recognised and rewarded for all the hard work that they’ve done.”

• Comment below on this story. You can also tweet us to tell us your thoughts or share this story with a friend. Our editorial email is [email protected]

FINANCIALS: Empresaria reveals fall in profits, but Offshore Services delivers growth

Empresaria’s Offshore Services operations proved to be the shining light in the company’s fortunes in 2023, according to the global specialist staffing group’s annual results.

Financials 27 March 2024

Gi Group trains mental health first aiders to support staff wellbeing

HR and specialist recruiter Gi Group plans to train around 100 mental health first aiders (MHFAs) across the business.

27 March 2024

Recommendations for better integration to support refugees into work

The current integration of refugees system is “broken, expensive, inefficient and damaging” for both refugees and the UK, according to the chair of the Commission on the Integration of Refugees.

Legislation 26 March 2024

HMRC employment tool CEST not updated in five years

The underlying decision engine of HM Revenue & Customs’ Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST) tool has not been updated in five years.

26 March 2024
Top