LEADING recruitment agency SF Recruitment has launched a special event to brighten up the start of the week for Nottingham workers with a free coffee giveaway in the city centre. 

Colleagues from the agency - which recently moved into new offices in Park Row in the city - wanted to give passers-by a boost with their ‘Brighten Up Your Monday’ message.   

The Nottingham team distributed 200 Degrees coffees and other hot beverages for two hours from a specially converted vintage Land Rover which was set up in Smithy Row. Each person given a drink can enter a prize draw to win a £150 Airbnb voucher, by scanning a QR code on the coffee cup sleeve.    

Dominic Syalon, SF Recruitment’s managing director in the East Midlands, said: “Starting your week in a positive mindset is so important to people’s overall wellbeing at work and has a direct impact on their ability to be successful in what they do. 

“Our team is all about putting people into jobs they love and as a company we have worked very hard to make that the case with our own people too. 

“We just wanted to share a little bit of happiness by handing out free coffees to passers-by and hopefully get their working week off to a great start. It was a real success - we enjoyed meeting lots of different people and had some very positive feedback.”   

The event follows national Mental Health Awareness Week, which this year looked at the impact of loneliness and its links to mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. And according to the latest statistics from the Health and Safety Executive, in the year 2020/21 work-related depression, anxiety and stress were together the leading cause of illness over the year, representing 50% of all workplace illness.  

SF Recruitment has embraced a fully flexible working culture, part of a new package of policies and employee benefits introduced in a three-year £1.2m transformation.  

It means staff are trusted to choose when and where they work, in roles that fit around their lifestyles. The company was named third in the best small companies category in the UK’s 2022 Best Companies to Work For national league table.     

“We don’t shy away from talking about mental health and we believe our 100% flexibility has been an important factor in ensuring our staff feel well looked after,” said Dominic. “We’re really passionate about creating a supportive atmosphere and we also offer a number of benefits and perks to help our staff get the most out of their working day.” 

SF Recruitment’s tips for employees and staff to help brighten up their Mondays include: 

• Look after your colleagues: Ensure you stay in regular contact, especially with those working from home, with informal meetings or through group WhatsApp chats. Choose a representative at each office to act as a point of contact for employees to raise concerns or issues with. 
• Consider more flexible working: Your teams can flourish through being able to work at times that suit them and can feel empowered to be trusted. 
• Plan your week ahead: Try to plan out the following week as much as you can each Friday - that could help you avoid any Monday morning stress about the tasks you need to do. Also tackle jobs you might enjoy less early in your day - and spread your meetings throughout the week. 

Dominic said it was important to discuss mental health policies for those looking for a job or a new recruit. 

He added: “We are aware of the conversations about the importance of mental wellbeing in the workplace - I think it’s one of the top issues being discussed at the moment, particularly in regards to flexible working and the correlation with wellbeing. We have a good working culture here and we want that for the candidates and businesses we work with too.”