A few weeks ago we lost some contractors and didn’t know where to find them.
Under the iSafe Program we assess safety at the site of host clients and submit reports to the recruitment agency. On this day we had 3 sites to attend, all with the one government agency, so the WHS Officer kindly offered to accompany me to each site.
But at each site we encountered the same problem - we couldn’t find the contractors. When we arrived at the first site in the city, we found that the first contractor had left the project months ago, and no-one had heard of the second contractor at all. The third contractor was eventually located, but on a different floor from that which had been advised.
The second site was about half an hour out of the CBD. The contractor’s name didn’t appear anywhere on the telephone list. The WHS Officer was able to eventually track down the contractor to a different building.
On our way to the final site in Paramatta, we discovered that no-one had heard of the contractor or was familiar with the office address we had been given.
Eventually, we found out that there the contractor was actually not at that address, and not even in Paramatta – they were actually located in Chatswood, 2-3 train trips back on the other side of the city - and to make matters worse, that contractor was currently on leave.
By this stage, I was feeling very concerned we had been given wrong information at every stage. In front of the host client I was also seriously embarrassed that it was very clear that the recruiters didn’t know where their contractors are placed!
Unfortunately, this is not the first time we have been sent to the wrong client or address for a safety assessment. It does happen quite often. But this was the first time with the client there with us.
It is so important for recruiters to always know where their contractors are, and to have accurate information and contact records – for many reasons:
Firstly, it is not a professional look for iSafe to be turning up at the client site with information that’s incomplete, out of date, or simply wrong. The information given to us is sourced from your recruitment databases, so this where the problem starts.
Secondly, this is not an efficient use of the iSafe resources. Friday could have been better spent at other client sites for other recruitment agencies.
Finally, and most importantly, these are your clients and they are your contractors. It is so important for commercial, safety and relationship reasons that you maintain regular contact.
Too often the candidates turn up at another location, in another role, or even with another client. So keep in touch and keep your records up to date.
If you have any questions about this article or the iSafe Program please don’t hesitate to call Dianne Gibert, Managing Director, Service Excellence Consulting, on 03 9555 3877, or email to isafe@seconsulting.com.au.