An in-depth interview with People Group CEO Terry Hillier
Nobody foresaw the events of the past couple of months. We’ve heard the terms unprecedented and unchartered repeatedly since the start of the pandemic, and who could disagree.
But when a crisis hits, who will stand up and lead the way, when this road has never been travelled?
Here at People Group, we have a history of being innovators. Often first to market with new products and services. Always looking to grow and develop. And thanks to our leader Terry Hillier, a true entrepreneur, we are agile and able to move quickly when it is needed most.
Right now, our contractors and agency partners definitely need us to act, and that’s exactly what we’ve done.
Even without absolute clarification, since the 03 April People Group has paid their contractors their full entitlement, rather than 80% of the National Minimum Wage. This has cost over £1M prior to receiving funding from the CJRS grant. People Group has been inundated with positive feedback and thanks from hundreds of their contractors who otherwise would have been left in a terrible financial position.
Terry commented: “We did this because it’s a longer game – we knew we had to help our contractors and our agencies and our hirers. It was as simple as that. It is risk and reward. We do the right thing, even when there are some grey areas, but we help people survive. When we come out the other side, we’ll still have clients wanting to work with us. And the bottom line is I want to ensure our contractors have sufficient finance to survive.”
What’s next?
Would you like to find out more about our range of products? We offer a full suite of products to deliver the very best contractor experience, working with you to maximise efficiencies, grow your business and build contractor engagement. All backed up by the innovative My Wallet benefits package available throughout the range.
“Umbrella companies that don’t do the right thing and try to cut workers adrift without pay, alongside the employment agencies which require workers to be paid in this way and the clients who allow workers to be hired in this way, will be named and shamed.”
Unite Assistant General Secretary, Howard Beckett
