Lidl

HOW IT STARTED

After conducting a market intelligence exercise, we realised that Lidl were experiencing problems with their incumbent recruitment supplier. So we decided to contact the Warehouse Manager to arrange a time to meet and see if we could provide a solution.

We know that there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution for recruitment and workforce management. So when we met with Lidl, we were keen to understand more about their areas of concern, so we could design a bespoke solution that would overcome them.

The problem areas highlighted were:

• High attrition
• Low quality of workers
• Cultural mismatch between Lidl and temporary worker

FIRST THINGS FIRST

After a competitive tendering process, we were proud to be awarded the contract to supply temporary and permanent staff to Lidl at their site in Newton Aycliffe, starting with supplying within a month.

We moved swiftly to implement our best-in-class recruitment methodology to improve Lidl's current service. We ensured the skills and qualities of their temporary workers were aligned to their operational requirements; we implemented clear KPIs for staff and monitored that they were being met; and we visited their site regularly to ensure that we became embedded within Lidl, and could speak their language throughout the recruitment process.

A FOUR-STAGE HIRING PROCESS

It didn't take long for us to become embedded in the Lidl community, and as their trust in us continued to grow, we began to influence and improve their recruitment process. We've now introduced a robust four-stage process which we completely own - removing this onus away from Lidl's in-house hiring community.

Firstly, we pre-screen all candidates who apply to the role, before inviting the most suitable to a face-to-face interview at Lidl. If they demonstrate the right skills and attributes for the roles, we take them for a tour of the site and we introduce them to the section leader who they would be reporting to. This allows them to see the working environment and helps them to understand what the expectations are of them if they're successful. And finally, we manage the offer and rejection management process too.

WHERE WE ARE TODAY

We were initially asked to recruit 30 Warehouse Selectors in a month - we actually recruited 80 Warehouse Selectors within three weeks. At the same time, we were recruiting for a range of permanent management roles across various departments. On top of this, we're now also supplying to their site in North Fleet.

After working with Lidl for some time, we recognised that the warehouse was under immense administrative pressure. So we introduced the idea of recruiting a temp who would solely focus on rotas, holidays and payroll for their permanent staff. This resulted in us recruiting two full-time administrators, who Lidl recruited on a permanent basis after a 12-week probationary period.

Not only have we addressed the issues highlighted by Lidl in our initial meeting, but we've been able to recruit staff that are more productive too.