In our Life At Randstad series, we have shared insights from BOLT through our interviews with Randstad UK’s COO, Owen Goodhead, as well as some of our successful and long standing Senior Operations Directors. Considering the size of the brand, this is only one business unit within Randstad UK. We are now exploring other areas of our business, which should support you in understanding our business and where you could add value as you drive your future career forward.
In today’s article, we uncover the world of Randstad Inhouse Services, which is commonly known as “RIS” internally. RIS is managed by Sally Cleary, Managing Director and currently has 30 large Enterprise clients within it’s portfolio. RIS provides on-site Master Vend solutions. We met with one of RIS’ Regional Directors, Andrew Thursfield, to find out more.
Andrew is a senior account manager in Randstad Inhouse Services and has been with the business since 2009. Andrew started his RIS career as an account specialist working on the Caterpillar account. Due to his ongoing success in RIS, Andrew’s career accelerated into a Site Lead, then land a role as Account Manager, Senior Account Manager and then to his current role as Regional Director. Today Andrew leads a team of 15 people, and manages between 2,000 and 3,000 contingency workers across the 8 Caterpillar sites.
Andrew, tell us more about RIS and how it differs from other business units in Randstad
The best way to describe RIS is to think of us as an extension of our clients’ HR or Internal Talent Acquisition function. We specialise in providing bespoke onsite workforce management solutions aligned to our clients needs and objectives. The main differentiating factor between our business and the rest of Randstad UK is that we work onsite with our clients, rather than being based in Randstad offices. This means we can really embed ourselves in our clients’ businesses and cultures; we can learn what makes them tick and provide bespoke solutions based on our expert knowledge of their business.
We take a collaborative and open approach when working with our clients onsite. This means we can work through any complex challenges together and, of course, share in all of our successes with our clients! For all of us working onsite with our clients, we also get to enjoy the experience of essentially working for two great companies and across different industries at the same time. No two days are usually the same at RIS, which keeps it exciting.
What type of clients do you work with?
We work with a huge variety of sectors and roles across our client portfolio; including temporary and permanent placements, office based opportunities, delivery couriers and all types of manufacturing, production and warehouse roles. The variety is endless! We work with huge names like Caterpillar, Jaguar Land Rover, Ford, Kraft Heinz, Adidas and Mondelez to name just a few. We have to adapt our solutions to provide a bespoke service to each client, which makes the work really interesting and provides so much opportunity for learning new skills.
What would a day look like for someone who is just joining RIS?
To begin with, you will be supported every step of the way from day one. There’s a very comprehensive induction phase, as well as an informal buddy system which partners you with someone very experienced in the team to answer any questions you have and make sure you’re settling in.
Then comes the day to day work, which is always different and keeps things exciting. Each day at RIS can be hugely varied and will expose you to lots of the different elements of a global recruitment business, as well as experiencing the culture and teams of our clients’ businesses too! There’s opportunities to learn from colleagues across the country, as well as around the world using our learning platforms and intranet.
Our flexible working approach, flex@randstad, has been introduced this year. How has this been adopted at RIS and has it benefited the teams in RIS?
As a team that has always been spread across the country, introducing flex@randstad has been a seamless transition. We’re a close-knit team and balance valuable face-to-face time with the use of technology for when we can’t get together. Flex@randstad has enabled us to do just that, while also giving us the flexibility we need to find a work/life harmony. Of course, being onsite with clients, we have to ensure that we work with their schedules and procedures, but having the flex@randstad option available is fantastic.
How would you describe the culture within RIS?
Working within RIS is like working within a huge family - we have a fantastic team and the support that is surrounding us is fantastic. Pre-Covid, the whole of RIS would come together twice a year to celebrate our success and share our strategies. We also meet once a month in a virtual meeting which is hosted by our MD, Sally Cleary where she provides business updates, financials and key messages. We hope to plan the face-to-face events again in 2022 when it is safe to do so.
What are the top three attributes someone looking to join RIS should have?
It’s hard to pin down three attributes! We recognise talent comes from many backgrounds and that diversity makes a team much stronger. Our teams all bring different qualities to the table and as a result we’re stronger and better equipped to work with our clients. We learn from each other, develop our skills and build on our existing strengths. For someone joining the team, I would say that you need to have curiosity, drive and a genuine desire to continuously learn. If you display these traits, you will definitely succeed in RIS! We are also an equal opportunities employer, so we welcome applications from anyone; regardless of their race, gender, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.
Want to know what it’s like as part of the RIS team? Click the button below to search our careers with RIS!