Now more than ever, it’s so important that we stay as healthy as possible. Lifeplus is a local Cambridgeshire based business whose vision is to help everyone around the world live well.

In this article, Pure’s Director, Caroline Bachelor,  spoke to Toni Jones, Recruitment Manager and Lee Murray, Induction Trainer at Lifeplus, about how they are coping with the challenges of recruiting and onboarding during the COVID-19 pandemic.

About Lifeplus

Lifeplus started in 1992 in the USA, when Bob Lemon, a pharmacist became interested in nutritional science and the important role it plays in supporting overall health and well-being. He decided to formulate and manufacture his own nutritional supplements. His approach and exceptional products caught the attention of Dr Dwight Mckee, a young doctor who was pioneering treatments based holistic well-being, a partnership was soon formed and 28 years later, the two owners are still actively involved in helping people live more healthily.

Employing around 350 people, across 3 sites in St Neots and Bedford, the business has grown from strength to strength. 

Toni Jones said, “We have around 180 people working in our contact centre in St Neots and within a few days we had to ensure that everyone was set up to work from home and had the right technology to allow them to keep speaking to customers. We sell our products worldwide speaking to thousands of customers a week. Our management team were quick to ensure that everyone had the right equipment in place at home whether that be a headset or an office chair.  We have weekly team calls with everyone working from home to check on their well-being and to make sure they feel connected to the business, especially as they have come from a lively and fun contact centre sitting next to their colleagues, It has been a period of adjustment for everyone.”

Recruiting in lockdown

Recruitment is a key priority for the business right now, as the demand for nutritional supplements is high and the logistics team are working around the clock to fulfil customer orders. For those working on-site, Lifeplus ensure that social distancing is in place and all employees have the right PPE and regular temperature checks. Toni said ‘we have recruited 3 people during lockdown for our HQ in St Neots and the whole process was conducted virtually using video technology.’ The interview took place over 2 stages where the applicant gets to meet their line managers and others from their future team. 

Customer service is key to the success of Lifeplus and this is the same for their internal employees. New recruits receive a welcome goody bag on day one, these have been sent to their home along with all the kit they need to work from home. Toni said, “we make sure everyone receives a pre-start call before their first day and then regular calls with their line manager once they have started.”

When asked about how Lifeplus onboard new starters during this time, Induction Trainer, Lee Murray, said, “We have been delivering our 7-day induction via zoom and it’s been going well. I have inducted 2 employees based in Europe who were due to relocate to the UK to start their new role in the contact centre and due to the travel restrictions, they have not been able to leave their countries. We start each day with a coffee and a chat so we can get to know each other rather than diving straight into the training. I also record the induction so they can watch it again in case they miss anything on the screen. A number of people get involved so the new starters can meet a variety of people from across the business, they also speak to their own Team Leader each day and we assign them a buddy to work, i.e. shadowing calls.   We really have been learning as we go however the feedback has been good and we are still evolving. The key is that new people feel connected to Lifeplus from day one.”

Pure supports

During the lockdown period, Pure has recruited three roles for Lifeplus and we discussed how we have supported their process.  Toni said, "Pure and Lifeplus have a lot in common, not only are we values-driven businesses based on quality, integrity, generosity and transformation, we both put customer service at the forefront of everything we do.  I enjoy partnering with your team as you really take the time to get to know us and you deliver a personalised recruitment service.”

If you would like to find out more about career opportunities at Lifeplus, please get in touch with Caroline Batchelor.