Recruitment agencies obligation to watch their carbon footprint
United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland (Press Release) September 17, 2007 --
Fetching and carrying has long been seen a rather mundane activity, a necessity of function required to get the desired object from place to place. It is a task that most of us would rather usually leave to others to do, which is why we see internet shopping take a greater hold year after year.
It could be argued that recruitment companies have benefited from this very outlook. They have repeatedly taken on the role of collector and deliverer and found value in the role of the intermediary; only providing people rather than groceries. I’m sure Fred Smith of FedEx would tell you that the business of getting things from A to B in time, with little inconvenience, is a service people will value greatly and pay for willingly. The fact is, the more difficult it is for the end-user to find the product they want, the more willing they are to pay a specialist to find it and bring it to them.
However, the world is changing. It is not time to talk of killing off the middle man, as for now they are alive and well in this expanding global market. Yet they are having to face up to the more challenging tasks in meeting the desires of their customers.
Over recent years we have seen the growth of the internet which, while serving a considerable advantage in terms of communication and efficiency to the go-between, has equally empowered the end-user. Suddenly, the end-user has the potential to break down the barrier between them and their required product or service. They can access information and details that allow an informed buyer decision and then actually contact them directly and do the whole process without the use of anyone else. No showroom to visit, no distributor, no adviser or salesman, no misleading or diluted information, no unmet promises, just straight and direct, unadulterated commerce.
The middle-man has learnt to live and survive amongst these threats but now a new challenge is facing the middle-man, the environment. Globally people are beginning to face the realities of climate change. In business, whether for genuine reasons or commercial edge, companies are driving the agenda. They are facing up to their environmental responsibilities and also the importance of sharing the philosophies and beliefs of their employees. They are moving to reduce their carbon emissions and go beyond merely ‘off-setting’. The greener we become in our personal lives, the more we will demand this of our employers and so this becomes an important issue for recruitment and employee retention.
So how does the middle-man, in particular recruitment companies, keep pace with this? Most companies select their suppliers on a number of criteria. These can range from expertise, infrastructure, back-up and support through to shared business philosophies. As an example, a company who has a strong equal opportunities policy is unlikely to select a recruitment vendor to supply people unless they know the vendor shared that approach or their pledge is in any way disingenuous.
It could be argued that recruitment companies have benefited from this very outlook. They have repeatedly taken on the role of collector and deliverer and found value in the role of the intermediary; only providing people rather than groceries. I’m sure Fred Smith of FedEx would tell you that the business of getting things from A to B in time, with little inconvenience, is a service people will value greatly and pay for willingly. The fact is, the more difficult it is for the end-user to find the product they want, the more willing they are to pay a specialist to find it and bring it to them.
However, the world is changing. It is not time to talk of killing off the middle man, as for now they are alive and well in this expanding global market. Yet they are having to face up to the more challenging tasks in meeting the desires of their customers.
Over recent years we have seen the growth of the internet which, while serving a considerable advantage in terms of communication and efficiency to the go-between, has equally empowered the end-user. Suddenly, the end-user has the potential to break down the barrier between them and their required product or service. They can access information and details that allow an informed buyer decision and then actually contact them directly and do the whole process without the use of anyone else. No showroom to visit, no distributor, no adviser or salesman, no misleading or diluted information, no unmet promises, just straight and direct, unadulterated commerce.
The middle-man has learnt to live and survive amongst these threats but now a new challenge is facing the middle-man, the environment. Globally people are beginning to face the realities of climate change. In business, whether for genuine reasons or commercial edge, companies are driving the agenda. They are facing up to their environmental responsibilities and also the importance of sharing the philosophies and beliefs of their employees. They are moving to reduce their carbon emissions and go beyond merely ‘off-setting’. The greener we become in our personal lives, the more we will demand this of our employers and so this becomes an important issue for recruitment and employee retention.
So how does the middle-man, in particular recruitment companies, keep pace with this? Most companies select their suppliers on a number of criteria. These can range from expertise, infrastructure, back-up and support through to shared business philosophies. As an example, a company who has a strong equal opportunities policy is unlikely to select a recruitment vendor to supply people unless they know the vendor shared that approach or their pledge is in any way disingenuous.
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