FINAL GPSJ Summer edition 2024 ONLINE VERSION.2pdf - Flipbook - Page 21
LOCAL AUTHORITY & COUNCIL
GPSJ
Building a framework for staffing success
with Barnet Council
By Matthew Richards, Head of Resourcing and Recruitment, Barnet Council
Introduction:
How Matrix Workforce Management Solutions used its unique service-line portfolio to offer an end-to-end workforce solution for the Greater London local
authority helping to streamline temporary and permanent recruitment processes, saving them time and money, while increasing candidate quality.
The Problem:
The Solution:
Like most local authorities across
the UK, Barnet Council is facing
an increasingly competitive
public sector staff marketplace
with a shrinking talent pool and
tightening budgets. As a result,
it’s Hiring Managers required
support to better understand
their evolving recruitment needs
to ensure they were taking
the best possible approach
to finding and onboarding the
right talent at minimum cost. In
trying to address these needs
with an already overwhelming
expectation on their in-house
Hiring Managers, it became
clear that going it alone for
each temporary and permanent
vacancy wasn’t a viable option.
Instead, Barnet Council needed a
more coordinated and consistent
process that would increase
staffing agency and candidate
reach as well as the overall quality
of their talent pool.
Rather than Hiring Managers
dealing with multiple recruitment
agencies for each hire, Barnet
Council ideally wanted a onestop-shop for both interim and
permanent recruitment. Matrix
was brought on board, uniquely
able to deliver a self-service
platform that consolidates the
offerings of multiple agencies, and
is quickly and easily accessible
through a single online portal;
Matrix Prism. Tailored to the local
authority’s specific hiring needs,
Matrix Prism provides all reporting
requirements in one place.
Specific solutions include:
• Matrix Talent Pool, where
Barnet can store contact details
for its known temporary public
sector workers to quickly fill one-off
placements when required, saving
time and avoiding hefty agency
charges for each placement.
• Matrix Milestone, a
procurement and supply chain
platform where subject matter
experts for specialist projects
like town planning and transport
infrastructure can be sourced in
line with IR35 legislation, improving
outcomes, giving greater control and
reducing spending.
• Matrix Security Watchdog
Pre-employment and background
screening, which vets and validates
all candidates chosen through
the Matrix platform in line with the
stringent demands of the public
sector. Barnet has also launched
electronic ID pre-employment
checks for permanent hires, further
tightening recruitment security.
The Outcome: Barnet Council’s
partnership with Matrix has opened
the door to a highly accessible,
larger and more varied talent pool,
made up of validated and betterquality candidates. Costs are
also being reduced through the
negotiating and buying power Matrix
can leverage across its network of
recruitment agencies. Meanwhile,
Barnet Council benefits from a single
line of authority for all recruitment
needs, which means only one
regular meeting is needed to
address any issues and policy shifts.
This streamlining results in increased
efficiencies, boosts transparency,
saves time and accelerates the
response to the local authority’s
rapidly changing needs, while also
enabling better, more efficient and
effective future planning.
Matthew Richards,
Head of Resourcing and
Recruitment,
Barnet Council
The Results:
• £200k savings in
agencycharges achieved
through Matrix Talent Pool
• Through Matrix Talent
Pool, the London Borough
of Barnet has seen an
increase in accessibility
to a diverse and skilled
workforce that covers
16 job categories and
across 64 job titles, via
the Matrix platform
• £800k of supply chain
savings through using
Matrix Workforce as a
managed service provider
• 99% Fulfilment Rate for
Orders in FY23/24
Conclusion: In partnership with
Matrix, Barnet Council now enjoys
a streamlined, end-to-end process
that addresses its recruitment needs,
transforming and future-proofing its
staffing process. As a result, hiring is
faster, and more consistent, efficient,
effective and transparent, saving
time for hiring managers and costs
for the local authority.
What the customer says: “The
strong agency partnerships that
Matrix has forged increase its buying
and negotiating power and drives
deeper engagement. This brings
down commission costs for Barnet,
gives us access to a much wider
pool of talent, and makes it easier
for us to find the right candidates
for our more difficult-to-fill roles. We
now have a variety of recruitment
solutions in one basket, with all
reporting in one place, enabling
better, more efficient and effective
future staffing planning.”
GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR JOURNAL SUMMER 2024
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