Employment is more than just recruitment
Asquith Workforce is a recruitment firm with a difference.
In 2015, Jillian Asquith, a proud Awabakal woman, opened the consultancy with the aim of it becoming the state’s leading culturally diverse employment provider for recruitment solutions.
After running the business from her bedroom in its early days as a sole trader, it’s safe to say Jillian’s come a long way. Not only does Asquith Workforce now employ seven staff members, it operates out of two offices, one based in the Hunter, the other in Redfern.
And in a promising sign of growth, not only has Asquith Workforce placed thousands of people in positions of employment, it currently has close to 8000 candidates on the books.
The company offers professional assistance in permanent and temporary staffing solutions and labour hire. But little do many know, it also provides expert advice through its safety arm.
These services extend far beyond compliance within recruiting. Asquith Workforce provides safety training (WHS, bullying and harassment), onsite workplace audits, remote systems audits, IMS systems design and management, return to work coordination and management plus much more.
“We have integrated safety into all levels of management and into the Recruitment Consultant roles. By doing this, we have increased our safety reach” Jillian said.
“Our safety manager acts as a conduit between all levels of the organisation, integrating themselves into practical workplace audits and keeping abreast of workplace standards and best practice.”
It’s this approach that’s led to Asquith Workforce thriving in just its third year of operation.
The company has secured a number of labour hire contracts with top tier organisations across Newcastle, Sydney and Regional New South Wales. Currently, 582 businesses are seeking its advice.
“Never did I expect the business to grow so rapidly,” Jill said.
“But when you combine demand with the versatile range of services we provide, it’s wonderfully fulfilling to see things progress.”
At Asquith Workforce, safety is a value that’s never taken for granted. It has a fundamental belief that all workers and management should return home to their loved ones in the same condition as they came to work.
“We believe in management visibility and imparting information to not only our candidates but all associated workers onsite.”
Asquith Workforce does this though regular site visits to all of its clients.
“Asquith Workforce’s employees, candidates and contract partners are our best assets and it’s our mantra to support them, not only through the recruitment process, but through the career journey with regards to providing ongoing support and safety management,” Jillian said.
“Site visits are essential to see where things could potentially go wrong,” Jillian said.
“Examples of hazards we see most regularly include less than adequate First Aid provision onsite and fire extinguishers being past their inspection date. On some occassions, there’s been no extinguishers at all!”
Asquith Workforce’s system audits underpin its workplace inspections and safety management, allowing it to provide the whole package.
“Not only are audits essential for compliance with ISO standards, they allow Asquth Workforce to review its system from a continuous improvement point of view,” Jillian said.
“Our clients get quite excited when they learn we can offer this service and are eager to find out more on how we can help them improve their own workplaces and systems,” Jillian said.
When it comes to how you can improve your business, Jillian says there are four typical mistakes most companies make.
“The first is incomplete induction processes. This is vitally important so new employees start off on the right foot and know the company’s expectations when it comes to safety.”
“The second is gaps around internal auditing of systems and processes. This is followed by policies not being made available to interested parties or simply not existing or being signed by workers,” Jillian said.
