ORB managing director Stewart Olsen looks back on 12 months that has included a new office, an award and continued expansion.
For virtually all businesses, 2021 has been another turbulent year. There has been the ongoing impact from Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, related supply chain issues and more.
Against that uncertain backdrop, it is even more pleasing that this has been a year of growth for ORB. We have continued to buck the trend and, while many businesses have struggled, we have grown 170% Year-On-Year (YOY) compared to 2020.
This growth has been driven by new and retained business brought in and managed by our fantastic team. Our client list has grown to include more than 80 clients a week, while sole-supply agreements have been secured with four large organisations locally.
A highlight this year was opening a new office in Edinburgh – an important step in our expansion plan. Our Scotland team has already expanded to five, meaning a move into their second office within 12 months to support the growing team. The team have already secured some impressive clients, including a contract with Time for You Care to fill 120 permanent care practitioner roles across Scotland in the coming year.
Our team in Doncaster has also grown and we welcomed seven new members in 2021. We now have 20 staff across the group. In 2022, our Doncaster head office will move to a new, modern premises in Balby. The space prepares us for further growth, with capacity for up to 35 staff.
We don’t do what we do for awards, but it is always satisfying to be recognised for our work. In March, we were awarded SME of the year for 2020 at the Doncaster Business Awards.
As a business, we are proud to support the growing number of communities we serve. This year, for example, we have supported multiple grassroots football teams with sponsorships. We have also raised funds for mental health awareness and suicide awareness, donated to Doncaster Hospital Children’s Ward.
We are passionate about the local business ecosystem as well and just recently sponsored the Business Start Up of the Year category in the Doncaster Business Awards.
Looking ahead to 2022, we expect some of the challenges we’ve seen this year to continue. The current trend of candidate shortages looks likely to remain next year and we are investing heavily in technology and innovative systems to tackle this. At the same time, we will continue to support and upskill candidates and provide access to employment for those who need the help.
In spite of what looks set to be another uncertain year for business, we are confident of continuing to sustain our growth. Our current forecast is to grow 120% YOY in 2022.
By continuing to provide our unique partnerships approach to recruitment, we can become the partner of choice for even more candidates and companies.