Posted on

Oak Furrows Donations

We had a lovely morning visiting Oak Furrows in Wiltshire today to drop off donations which the Direct Staff have been collecting over the last couple of weeks.

Oak Furrows do some fantastic work with animals and wildlife within the Wiltshire area and to see the care they give injured animals and work they do to release animals safely back to the wild is amazing.

As a local business we know how important it is to support the community and help where we can and its been an absolute pleasure in able to help such a lovely charitable organisation.

If you would like to check out what this fantastic charity does and donate to them, then head on over to their website.

https://rspcaoandf.org.uk

Posted on

RSPCA – We are supporting with Donations.

Here at Direct Response we love to give back and regularly support local charities around the Wiltshire and Somerset areas.

Being massive animal lovers within the office, we have decided to raise some donations for Oak and Furrows wild life centre, which rescue and care for domestic animals such as cats and dogs along with those in the wild such as foxes and hedgehogs.

They do amazing work and have many animals they are caring for on a daily basis, making them in need of the animal basics below such as food.

As a team we are on the hunt for such items and collecting any donations within the office to drop off to the centre at the end of the month.

Our team will be busy buying items over the next couple of weeks and If anyone would like to donate, anything big or small would be hugely appreciated.

Posted on

Labour Market overview

  • 4% or 1.37 million people were unemployed; an increase of 77,000 on the quarter and just 6,000 up on pre-pandemic numbers
  • Employment rate increased slightly to 76%
  • 8.66 million people are economically inactive, 141,000 lower than the last quarter driven by those aged 25 and over
  • Economically inactive is still 281,000 higher than pre-pandemic levels, largely driven bybstudents and the long-term sick
  • Vacancies fell again to 1.03 million, the 12th consecutive quarterly fall
  • The estimate of payrolled employees for June 2023 shows a monthly decrease, down 9,000 on the revised May figure to 30 million, but a staggering 1.027 million up on pre-pandemic levels
  • Growth in total pay rose to 6.9% and regular pay was 7.3% and both fell in real terms by 1.2% and 0.8% respectively
  • Redundancies remained at 3.3 per thousand employees, lower than pre-pandemic levels
Posted on

The latest ONS Labour Market Overview reported:

1.33 million people were unemployed; 23.5% have been unemployed for more than 12 months and a 0.1% increase on previous quarter

  • Employment rate increased slightly to 75.9%
  • 8.73 million people are economically inactive, 156,000 lower than the last quarter, driven by part time and self-employed workers.
  • Economic inactivity is still 361,000 higher than pre-pandemic levels, and 586,000 are classified as long term sick but want to have a job
  • Record high movement of people out of economic inactivity into employment
  • Vacancies fell again to 1.08 million, the tenth consecutive quarterly fall.  The number of unemployed people per vacancy was 1.2
  • The number of payrolled employees fell for the first time since February 2021 down 136,000 to at 29.8 million
  • Growth in total pay was 5.8% and regular pay was 6.7% and they fell in real terms by 3% and 2% respectively.
  • 5.9 million people were claiming Universal Credit, of which 1.44 million were searching for work
  • Redundancies fell to 2.8 per thousand employees and is lower than pre-pandemic levels
Posted on

We are celebrating our 25th Business Anniversary

We are proud to be celebrating 25 years within the recruitment industry this week on Friday 5th May, and wanted to take this opportunity to say a big THANK YOU to all our past and present work colleagues, candidates, and clients.

Throughout these 25 years, we have been through recessions, and a pandemic and seen the recruitment industry change rapidly over the years. However, we are pleased to say one thing that has not changed is commitment and focus in finding the right candidates for the right job and that has been our mission for over a quarter of a century.

It has been hard work, working long hours, ensuring we are available out of hours 24/7 to give our clients and candidates the service they deserve but would not change it for the world.

We have laughed, we have had fun and we have met some great characters and we look forward to continuing to provide a quality service to our clients and candidates.

So once again THANK YOU for all your support and here is to the next 25 years.

Posted on

Celebrating The Coronation of His Majesty The King

The Coronation of His Majesty The King will take place on Saturday 6th May 2023.

The Coronation Ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey, London, and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Ceremony will see His Majesty King Charles III crowned alongside The Queen Consort.

The Coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.

About The King

King Charles III, formerly known as The Prince of Wales, became King on the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022.

In addition to his official and ceremonial duties in the United Kingdom and overseas as The Prince of Wales, His Majesty has taken a keen and active interest in all areas of public life for decades. The King has been instrumental in establishing more than 20 charities over 40 years, including The Prince’s TrustThe Prince’s Foundation and The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund (PWCF).

His Majesty has worked closely with many organisations, publicly supporting a wide variety of causes relating to the environment, rural communities, the built environment, the arts, healthcare and education.

As Their Majesties’ Coronation draws closer, read on for 25 fun facts about The King.

  1. Prince Charles Philip Arthur George was born at Buckingham Palace on 14th November 1948 at 9.14pm, weighing 7lbs 6oz. The Prince was christened on 15th December 1948 at Buckingham Palace.
  2. The former Prince Charles became heir apparent (next in line to the throne) at the age of three years old in 1952, and went onto become the longest serving Prince of Wales in 2017. His Majesty was the first heir to see his mother crowned as Sovereign.
  3. The King has three siblings, two sons, two step-children, five grandchildren and five step-grandchildren.
  4. The first formal photograph of The King was taken by Cecil Beaton in December 1948.
  5. His Majesty’s first visit abroad was to Malta, when he was five years old. Since 1969, he has visited 48 Commonwealth countries, many of them on several occasions.
  6. The King was the first heir to the throne to earn a university degree. The King studied archaeology and anthropology in his first year at the University of Cambridge, switching to history for the remainder of his degree. His Majesty also spent a term at the University College of Wales at Aberystwyth (April to June 1969) learning Welsh.
  7. While at school, The King played the piano, trumpet and cello. He continued to play the cello while an undergraduate at Cambridge, performing in a symphony concert by the Trinity College Orchestra on 4th December 1967.
  8. His Majesty obtained his RAF wings as Flight Lieutenant Wales in August 1971.
  9. The King commanded HMS Bronington in 1976, while serving in the Royal Navy.
  10. His Majesty started charity The Prince’s Trust with his Navy severance pay of just over £7000 in 1976. The charity has now supported over one million young people.
  11. His Majesty was the first member of The Royal Family to successfully complete the Parachute Regiment’s training course, before he was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiment in 1977.
  12. The King, as Prince of Wales, was given the title, ‘Keeper of the Cows’, by the Masai in Tanzania in 2011 to recognise his work as a farmer.
  13. In the Pacific Island of Vanuatu, His Majesty was given the title Mal Menaringmanu (High Chief) in 2018.
  14. The King also had a frog named after him: Hyloscirtus Princecherlesi or Prince Charles Magnificent Tree Frog.
  15. As Prince of Wales, His Majesty became President or Patron of over 800 charities and initiatives in total.
  16. A champion of environmental issues for over 50 years, The King first spoke publicly about his concerns on pollution and plastics and their impact on the natural world in 1970.
  17. At the age of 16 years, The King undertook his first official Royal duty in June 1965, attending a student garden party at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
  18. His Majesty is an author. He wrote The Old Man of Lochnagar, based on stories he told his younger brothers growing up. The King has also written books on the natural world and the environment including ‘Harmony’; and ‘Climate Change, a Ladybird Expert Book’.
  19. The King is a keen painter and had a watercolour displayed in the Royal Academy’s 1987 summer exhibition, after it was submitted anonymously.
  20. In 1975, His Majesty became a member of the Magic Circle, a society of stage magicians founded in London in 1905, after passing his audition with a magic trick.
  21. In 1980, The King rode in the Ludlow steeplechase and finished second. His Majesty has been a keen equestrian throughout his life and played polo until 2005.
  22. The King made a cameo appearance on Coronation Street in 2000, and on EastEnders in 2022 in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.
  23. His Majesty has presented the weather forecast on the BBC. This took place during a visit to BBC Scotland’s studios in 2012.
  24. The King purchased an Aston Martin DB6 Mark 2 Volante in November 1970, which has since been converted to run on E85 bioethanol made from by-products of the wine and cheese industries. The Prince and Princess of Wales left Buckingham Palace in His Majesty’s Aston Martin following their wedding in April 2011.
  25. The King often carries out tree planting ceremonies during engagements. After planting each tree, His Majesty gives a branch a friendly shake to wish them well.
Posted on

Holiday Pay April 2022/2023 April

Just a reminder to all of our temporary workers that we are coming up to the end of the financial year, so all holidays need to be taken before April 6th, 2023. This would have been explained to you at registration and detailed in the application and induction process.

  • If you look at your payslips it will tell you how many holidays you have accrued.
  • You must give at least one week’s notice of any holiday requests.
  • Holidays cannot be carried over into the next financial after April 6th, 2023
  • You cannot work and be paid holiday.
  • You cannot take holiday whilst on sick leave.

It is your responsibility to ensure that all holiday is taken before the end of the Financial Year 6th April.

Posted on

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day on the 11th January.

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day on January 11 raises awareness of the persistent issue of human trafficking. Though the entire month of January has already been recognized as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, this day is specifically dedicated to awareness and prevention of the illegal practice. This holiday is also separate from the World Day Against Trafficking Persons, as established by the United Nations. Since the Senate established this day of observance in 2007, it has drawn massive public support from individual donations to government-organized events. The horrific injustice of human trafficking can affect people of any race and background, and on this day we are all called to fight human trafficking wherever it exists.