As Axal Leine comes to the end of our first full year in operation, Renny and I have taken some time to reflect on 2021, as many people do at this time of year. It’s been another roller coaster of a year, ok perhaps not as bad as 2020, but let’s not talk about that! We started 2021 after a quiet Christmas, in lockdown. Which was ok for us, because we still hadn’t committed to an office, so it was normal for us to be working from home. However, when the restrictions started to lift at the end of February, we were keen for the team to work in the same place for our sanity, the banter, and treats! We were able to find a fantastic office and moved in, in April which coincided with Axal Leine’s 1st birthday, a great milestone on both counts.
Recruitment was off to a slow-ish start compared to previous years, but we quickly got busier and started to attract new and exciting clients. As a result of which we decided to grow the team and start the search for a new recruitment consultant, to ensure our service delivery could be maintained.
The Recruitment market then really picked up and things were moving faster than ever before. Traditionally in recruitment, you can track trends and understand your busy and quieter periods. This year it was unpredictable, to say the least. Candidates have most definitely been in the driving seat. With all our clients looking for the same type of people and the pool of those candidates smaller, partly because companies weren’t able to carry out their annual Graduate intake in 2020, and also because people wanted to look at a change of career path within the industry.
Salaries have also become blurred and unpredictable, meaning clients have had to come up with some innovative ways to attract and retain staff. One option was to continue to allow employees to work from home, whether on a full-time or hybrid option. We have found that candidates are more likely to apply for a role if they know there is the ability to have that flexibility available to them. They generally understand it might not be possible to wfh straight away, but knowing it’s an option on offer can make all the difference.
In September the lovely Lucinda joined us as a consultant, following a successful career in the Trust industry, and we are truly delighted. Lucinda has brought her positive, bubbly, can do attitude to the team and has swiftly become an integral part of the team, the same positive outcome we experienced when Lian joined us. We’re very grateful for our dedicated, hardworking team, who help shape Axal Leine into the business we are today.
We had a great year overall, despite the challenges. We’re now in full Christmas mode (well I have been since September!!!) and thinking about 2022 and what that will bring. Will we start to see the market calm down? We don’t think it’s likely in the short term, but you never know.
We hope to continue our success and grow the team further, keeping our moto “Recruitment, Personalised” at the forefront of everything we do.
We would like to thank all of our clients, candidates, family and friends for their continued support throughout the years. We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you in 2022!
