How Stafforce Successfully Navigates Port Recruitment Challenges - Article by Jenny Begley
Stafforce Ports is a major UK port labour provider in the Maritime sector, exclusively specialising in skilled, bespoke flexible labour solutions to the industry for over 17 years. The company has grown organically to become one of the largest providers of port labour within the UK. Boasting over 50 clients across seven locations and working within five of the Freeport custom sites, we leverage our position to provide unparalleled industry knowledge and labour insight for our port clients.
Whilst we have built and retained a high calibre labour pool with the essential skill requirements of our clients, recruiting temporary labour for the sector presents several challenges:
Health and Safety
Dock work involves physical labour, heavy machinery and often hazardous conditions. Ensuring proper safety training and compliance is crucial to prevent accidents and injuries. At Stafforce, we maintain a zero-tolerance policy regarding port operatives being assigned without proper training and induction. Our dedicated training division, staffed by RTITB, ITSSAR, and/or NPORS-appointed trainers, ensures that operatives receive customised learning plans. These trainers have first-hand experience in port environments, allowing them to address specific needs and skill development. Safety is paramount, with trainers adhering to dynamic risk assessments and Safe Systems of Work (SSoW) protocols during training sessions. Our Safety Toolbox Talks, aligned with HSE recommendations, foster a ‘safety first, home safe’ culture. Additionally, port operatives benefit from regular operational and refresher training via our innovative e-learning platform, Erango.
To safeguard the health of our port operatives, before assignment commencement, they undergo a medical screening questionnaire to assess their physical and mental fitness. These assessments, administered by qualified Occupational Health nurses, cover lung function, musculoskeletal health and urinalysis. Health surveillance is case-specific, considering cargo handling, age and assessment outcomes, with a maximum recall period of three years.
Additionally, our Service Delivery team administers drug and alcohol (D&A) tests before assignment, post-incident, and randomly. Only non-positive results allow continued work. We also randomly test 10% of the labour pool quarterly to ensure D&A policy compliance.
Our port delivery teams are responsible for administering the correct provisions of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) as defined by the role risk assessments and client requirements. Operatives are not permitted to enter an operational site or offered assignments before receiving appropriate PPE/RPE according to Risk Assessments (RAs) and SSOW.
Finally, we provide emergency first-aid training, emphasising cardiac arrest and major illnesses. Our port delivery teams are familiar with emergency response plans, drills and grab bags containing essential supplies. Dynamic risk assessments help identify hazards, and our vigilant workforce is well-prepared for emergencies.
Seasonal Demand
Most ports experience fluctuating demand based on shipping schedules, seasons and economic factors. Balancing workforce levels during peak and off-peak times can be challenging. At Stafforce, we use our labour pool methodology to create a pool of port-specific operatives who are assigned to meet our clients’ variable demands. Candidates are sourced and vetted in line with factors such as skills, experience, background, availability and flexibility. They are entered into our database and categorised based on their expertise, preferences and geographic location, with regular communication allowing us to maintain real-time availability data including preferred working hours, days and any constraints.
The number of active workers in the labour pool is always commensurate with the demand labour plan, and as such accurate forecasting is essential. We maintain regular communication with each client’s hiring managers through weekly onsite meetings where we review current and projected staffing needs and adapt the roster accordingly, prioritising flexibility and adaptability. This process allows us to monitor and identify any trends to assist with workforce planning.
Our scheduling software allows us to create dynamic rosters that can accommodate changing demands, whilst data analytics helps us to identify any skills gaps and address them proactively. Based on weekly meetings, we inform our existing workforce and labour pool by phone call/SMS notification of any changes in demand and request their availability for the upcoming week. This agile approach ensures our roster remains up to date with confirmed operatives.
Skill Requirements
Port work requires specific skills (e.g. cargo handling, crane operation). Finding workers with relevant experience can be difficult, especially for specialised tasks. Our strategic, targeted recruitment plans are designed to ensure a dominant presence within the local labour market, tapping into a widespread, diverse audience whilst positioning and promoting our port clients as destination employers of choice.
Using both modern technology and traditional high-touch recruitment methods, we target every corner of the labour market via measured campaigns to access the best workers and generate the desired application response rates. Our advertising encompasses several job boards including the Stafforce website, Total Jobs, CV-Library, LinkedIn, Adzuna and Indeed. All platforms, media and introductory channels are aligned to each client’s bespoke requirements. We also maintain a loyal database of returners within existing areas of market presence. Our recruitment campaigns aim to recruit for attitude towards health and safety and work, with the ability to train for success.
To optimise our labour pools and to preserve specific skills, we have implemented a multi-skilling programme which trains all workers to specialise in at least three different areas. This allows us to redeploy personnel when needed, instead of restarting the recruitment cycle, in case of unexpected absence or peak demand. By utilising workers who have proven their skills and received our training, we ensure optimal performance and efficiency.
Shift Work and Irregular Hours
Dock operations run 24/7, involving shift work and irregular hours. Recruiting workers willing to adapt to these schedules can be tough. We pride ourselves on being transparent when advertising for port workers, explicitly stating when a role requires shift work or irregular hours and highlighting the flexibility of the roles and the benefits of adapting to irregular schedules.
We have successfully introduced and delivered guaranteed hour contracts to supervisors, trainers and pre-agreed skills within our workforce. Contracts are based on a points system that evaluates safety etiquette, skills, work ethic, flexibility and reliability. A guaranteed hour contract enables us, as a strategic labour provider, to remain adaptable to our clients’ differing schedules. It provides investment in our workforce and a pathway to permanent opportunities. The retention rate of workers on these contracts is currently 92% which enhances productivity, efficiency and worker engagement.
Background Checks and Security
Due to port security regulations, thorough background checks for all candidates are necessary. Ensuring compliance without delays is crucial for smooth client operations. Our comprehensive screening process complies with employment legislation, keeping our clients legal and safe.
To verify prospective employees’ right to work (RTW) and safeguard against human trafficking issues, applicants undergo a telephone pre-screening process. Those meeting suitability criteria gain access to our registration platform, where they provide industry-standard details, including name, address, contact information, three-year work history, referee details and qualifications. The platform automates referencing requests from previous employers.
After registration, applicants participate in a pre-scheduled electronic validation and vetting session with a member of our Service Delivery team. During this session, we verify suitability for the role and conduct thorough checks on identification, address, National Insurance (NI) number, qualifications, and right-to-work (RTW) status following current legislation. We only accept original documentation and, if necessary, perform a share code check. This information is meticulously recorded on the application form, which also includes a declaration of criminal record. Additionally, we conduct further checks, including a medical screening questionnaire, medical assessments with an Occupational Health Nurse, and drug and alcohol tests.
We operate within a highly compliant framework of processes and procedures to ensure our employees remain compliant with our internal processes as well as those of the GLAA, ALP and Sedex. We conduct regular monthly internal audits on our port operations to ensure compliance with each client’s pre-employment vetting requirements. Our compliance score is frequently 100%, demonstrating our ability to provide legal, safe operatives.
Retention and Turnover
Temporary workers may seek permanent roles elsewhere. Retaining skilled workers and minimising turnover are ongoing concerns within the port industry. We invest heavily in active retention initiatives in partnership with each of our port clients. We request operatives share their onboarding experiences through surveys sent after their first payday. To obtain as much feedback as possible, we encourage feedback from new starters about their first-week experience and feedback to the client. We send quarterly satisfaction surveys to operatives to assist in collecting data and analysing trends. When an operative leaves, we send them a leaver survey after their final payment, to help us learn from their experiences working with Stafforce and our clients.
Reward and recognition are also important factors in promoting a positive relationship with our flexible workforce; we aim to make every operative feel valued for their contribution. We celebrate success on social media, promoting our clients in the local community. We demonstrate this through ‘Colleague of the Month’ awards which are based on our clients’ feedback, worker engagement and feedback sessions, monthly newsletters, briefings and updates. Additional components of our candidate care/retention programme include the option of guaranteed hours contracts, our multiskilling programme and an efficient off-boarding process.
In summary, Stafforce delivers customised solutions to address port recruitment challenges and deliver top-quality flexible operatives. This involves safety protocols, targeted recruitment, skill development and effective management practices. If your business requires our expert recruitment team’s support, get in touch with our Head of Ports Tim Platt who will happily help with all queries.
Jenny is an accomplished Bid Manager with 24 years of experience supporting national and global sales teams in the recruitment industry. Recently, her responsibilities expanded to include managing client tenders for new and existing businesses within our Stafforce Ports division. Jenny collaborates closely with our Ports team to understand our offerings and devise solutions for our client’s most significant challenges.
