RECRUITMENT
Happy – AM Recruitment managing director Ian Morrison is keen to foster a healthy lifestyle at the thriving Billingham firm .
IN GOOD
A
happy and healthy workforce where talent and effort are rewarded is what you ’ ll find at AM Recruitment .
These are the values that the firm ’ s managing director Ian Morrison has lived by as he has taken the company from Low Grange Billingham to securing new contracts in America and many other countries across the globe .
Ian started at AM recruitment after being made redundant in 2016 .
In his new role as finance manager for the firm , it wasn ’ t long before he found himself clocking up 60 and 70-hour weeks , which saw his health and fitness deteriorate .
Because of the amount of work he was putting into the business , he was made a shareholder – but that didn ’ t help the fact he became , in his words , “ a heart attack waiting to happen ”.
After becoming a shareholder , he was able to build a finance team to support him in what had become too big a role for one person .
This enabled Ian to concentrate on strategy and leadership , things he describes himself as “ naturally good at ” rather than the day-to-day role of a finance manager .
Six years ago , the company was given a Godsend , when Andrea Willey joined the business and gradually took over more and more of the finance manager role , until she made it her own .
This coincided with the firm landing a big
HEALTH
A happy , healthy workforce is key for thriving recruitment firm
job in Ireland and setting up a base over there .
The firm has also benefited from having 25-year-old Lucy Gladstone in a HR and administrative role , having been with the company from the age of 17 .
Ian is keen to continue developing young talent across the business and says : “ I like to give people the opportunity and if they show the talent and the aptitude for what they are doing , we give them a place where they can grow and flourish .”
Lorraine Hanson has also been at AM three years . Ian says : “ She came in with next to no experience of finance and is doing a really good job of managing the blue-collar side , which includes the timesheets of 180 different people every week .”
Andrea has also played another crucial role – encouraging Ian to address his health and fitness and foster a healthy work environment .
“ She got hold of me by the scruff of the neck a couple of years ago and had a word with me about looking after myself ,” Ian says .
“ Now , I ’ m training five or six days a week and we try to encourage staff to adopt a healthy lifestyle and good work life balance , too .
“ We also sponsor Cleveland Boxing Club and encourage staff to attend classes there as much as possible .”
The firm has good quality shower
WORDS : SARAH WALKER PICTURE : CHRIS BOOTH
facilities for staff who want to work out around work and also adopts an 8am to 4pm flexible working pattern , with regular finishes at 2pm on Fridays . “ Happy , healthy people sell ,” Ian says . “ If you ’ re head ’ s not in the game because you haven ’ t got the energy due to living the wrong lifestyle , you ’ re not going to sell because people want to buy off happy , healthy people – and that ’ s also the culture we want to work in .
“ Andrea and Lucy go to pilates together and we ’ ve had yoga classes in here .
“ Some people are not interested and that ’ s fine , but we like to give people the opportunity to be as fit and healthy as they wish .”
Speaking of the positive impact Ian has on the team and the encouragement he gives , Jamie Pell , managing director of AM Training , says : “ Ian is inspirational .
“ He ’ s gone from being a lad from Low Grange in Billingham to securing contracts in America , Arab countries , South America and Africa , the Philippines and Sweden , as well as government defence contracts and work with blue chip companies .
“ We ’ re looking forward to an exciting future as the recruitment side of the business continues to grow and we hope to have some exciting announcements on training in the near future .”
Find out more at amrecruitmentltd . com
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