Nel tastes life as a temp

Nel (left) and Vivien

Nel (left) and Vivien

A PETERBOROUGH recruitment consultant spent a day as a temp this week to mark National Temporary Workers’ Week.

Nel Woolcott, who works at Anne Corder Recuitment, swapped her desk at the agency’s Park Road office for the work station of Vivien Jean-Paul, one of the independent agency’s temps. Vivien has been working in the Management Suite at Edith Cavell Hospital as a temp since February, covering maternity leave for the chief operating officer and company secretary’s PA.

“It was a very valuable and worthwhile reminder of just how challenging a temp’s job can be,” said Nel. “Many of them walk into new, unfamiliar environments very regularly and have to think on their feet. I was thrown in at the deep end, just like our temps are.”

While Nel was working hard, Vivien made the most of her bonus day off and, on a beautiful summer’s day, headed off to Hunstanton with her family. “It was lovely to have a bonus day off and I hear Nel did a great job in my absence,” said Vivien.

Nel’s temporary boss was full of praise for her efforts. “Nel worked with us on what proved to be a very frantic day,” said Vivien’s line manager Rebekah Pickles, executive assistant to the chief executive and chairman. “The team were slightly nervous about having someone who wasn’t familiar with the work in the office but they were full of praise for Nel’s efforts. She threw herself into the job and exceeded everyone’s expectations.

“We use Anne Corder Recruitment for most of our senior PA roles so it was a pleasure to be involved in National Temporary Workers’ Week and be able to help highlight the contribution temps make.”

Nel volunteered for the day’s work as a way of saying thank you for the essential role performed by Vivien and the hundred-plus temps ACR places every week in businesses in and around Peterborough.

National Temporary Workers’ Week is organised by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation in recognition of the contribution temps make to industry. Every week around 1.2 million temps are used by companies across every sector and industry, worth £24 billion to the gross domestic product.