There’s a lot of responsibility involved in being an employer, including (yep, you guessed it) employing people.
If you’re a business owner, then you’d know that there often aren’t enough hours in a day and that your business is only as good as your team.
No one knows this better than multiple franchisee owner, Shimon Bohbout.
In December 2015, he successfully opened a Schnitz restaurant in the heart of Ballarat, which was great for the town as they employed around 35 local people.
Initially, Shimon was fully hands-on in the business. However, as time went on and things settled, he needed an assistant manager to start taking over his duties.
Thinking of what would be best for his schedule, and what would be best for the business, Shimon gave PeoplePlus Ballarat a call and asked for a candidate that would meet the requirements of the role.
Meeting with Recruitment Consultant, Jennyfer, she listened to Shimon’s needs and sought out an eligible jobseeker.
Not long after, Shimon hired his new employee, Kitt.
After having such a positive experience, he continued to hire team members through our pool of job-ready candidates, as it saved him time and money. But most importantly, because it allowed him to build a diverse team.
Since that first consultation in 2017, Shimon has taken on 15 of our jobseekers.
Through our services of the jobactive program, some candidates completed an internship with Shimon. The internship we provide allows jobseekers to develop their skills, as they move through each station of the kitchen and are trained in OH&S compliance. And most importantly, gain the experience they need.
Although there are a lot of pre and post-employment benefits of our recruitment services, the most important benefit our services have offered Shimon is the knowledge that he is helping build peoples futures.
Several of our candidates came from difficult circumstances within the community, and they needed understanding and good-hearted employers to give them a chance and bring out the best in them – which is what he's known for.
Shimon proudly points out that he tries to educate all the employees to understand the value of hard work.
“The effort and personal time that you invest in someone will be evident in their overall outcome and performance. With each employee, our ultimate goal is for them to be able to transition into the team after their given period.”
“We guide them on how to do the right thing, on responsibilities and being reliable both at work and socially. For many of the candidates, they take on this job as having another chance, and it motivates them to do better.”
Shimon has always been willing to give everyone and anyone a chance – and it’s paid off both professionally and personally.
He mentions that working with us and our candidates, has given him and his team, the unique opportunity to understand people on a much deeper level, which has helped him build a cohesive work environment.
“I think going through an agency like PeoplePlus or any other agency; it really assists you in giving them the support that they need.
"Sometimes candidates don’t reveal everything to their employer initially, in fear of not getting the job and not being able to express that message correctly. Whereas via the agency, they feel a lot more comfortable, and we work together to find the best way to support them."
Our partnership with Shimon has only gotten stronger over the past three years, alongside the growth of his business.
Thanks to his trust and leadership, our participants in the community have joined the workforce, thus earning an income and striving to reach their goals.
Not only has he taken on jobseekers but, he's nurtured and developed them to progress into a variety of roles and opportunities across the Schnitz business.
Some staff are still in the company, some have transferred to other stores, while others have learnt the life skills needed to pursue work in their chosen field after their studies.
Overall, Shimon has, without a doubt, given our jobseekers the steppingstones they needed to become their best and brightest selves.
“It really does give me pleasure to see that we can have a positive influence. I’ve had a candidate who came here at rock bottom, and if they weren’t given this opportunity, I’m not sure which direction they would have gone in.
“Even for our existing team, it has taught them how to be patient, tolerant and more inclusive, which is a great outcome for all”, described Shimon.
Many of our former jobseekers have been extremely grateful to Shimon and have credited his management and work environment as the best they’ve ever had.
We’re looking forward to continuing working with Shimon, as he proceeds to give our Ballarat jobseekers, the opportunities they deserve.