Reed (company)
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Reed is one of the largest employment agencies in the United Kingdom.[1] The company was founded in 1960 by Sir Alec Reed CBE, FCMA, FCIM, FCIPD and is currently chaired by his son, James Reed MA, MBA, FCIPD. Reed also offers training and HR consultancy services. The company’s website, reed.co.uk, was established in 1995 and doubles as a job site. reed.co.uk was the UK's most visited commercial job site in 2009 and 2010, according to figures released by online intelligence service, Hitwise.[2]
As of March 2012[update] Reed has about 350 offices worldwide in 15 different countries and 3,000 permanent employees.[3]
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[edit] Reed group companies
The main Reed company sources and places candidates into temporary, contract and permanent positions, and provides a range of outsourced Human Resources services.
The group also includes:[4]
- Reed Learning Ltd, providing learning and training services.
- Reed in Partnership Ltd works in the UK, Australia and Poland with government, employers and key partner organisations to provide recruitment, people development and business support services to help people make the transition from welfare to work.
- Reed Online Ltd, launched in 1995, is responsible for reed.co.uk. Jobs on reed.co.uk come from employers in the private and public sectors, recruitment agencies and Reed's consultants based in the UK, and the rest of the world.
[edit] Reed in society
Reed has a commitment to several social initiatives and charitable concerns.
[edit] Charities
The Reed Foundation is a charitable foundation set up by Sir Alec Reed. The Foundation owns an 18% share of the Reed group of companies. Funds go towards supporting charitable projects and one-off donations.
The Big Give is a Reed Foundation initiative that began in 2007 and aims to introduce donors to charitable projects in their field of interest. The website holds details of over 7,500 charities.
Ethiopiaid, founded by Sir Alec Reed in 1989, is a charity that works in partnership with projects in Ethiopia. Its aim is to create lasting and positive change in Ethiopia by tackling the problems of poverty, ill health and poor education through supporting local community projects.
The third charity supported by Reed is Womankind Worldwide.[4]
[edit] Social initiatives
Reed has a long history of supporting the West London Academy in Ealing.[5]
[edit] Advertising and sponsorship
[edit] Love Mondays
In January 2008, a nationwide advertising campaign was launched promoting reed.co.uk. The advertising introduced a new 'Love Mondays' message, with print and poster ads featuring a handwritten Post-It note-style device. Radio commercials also include 'Love Mondays' as their end-line.
[edit] Short Film Competition
In September 2009, reed.co.uk launched its annual Short Film Competition with a top prize of £10,000. The competition, run via YouTube, invites film makers to submit a short film of no more than three minutes in length based on a specific theme.
In 2010 the winner was Oscar Sharp with the short film 'Sign Language'. The film was shown at several festivals including Hay, Edinburgh and Raindance, and was also nominated for a British Independent Film Award (BIFA).
The theme of 2011's Short Film Competition was 'Mondays'. The winning entry, 'Spread the Word', by Ben Ridolfi was highly praised by the judges for its drama and cinematography.
[edit] Radio ad controversy
In January 2010, a radio advertisement for reed.co.uk was banned by the Advertising Standards Authority. The ad, which was part of a series of popular commercials for reed.co.uk, sparked thirteen complaints and featured an angry boss speaking German. Complaints were upheld, as the ASA "considered that the portrayal suggested that German people were more likely to be unreasonable or aggressive to others".[6]
However, the Radio Advertising Clearance Centre, which approved the ad, said it believed most listeners would have found the advert "humorous and inoffensive". Much of the reaction to the ban suggested that the ASA had acted disproportionately in banning the ad, notably in an article written by George Pitcher, Religion Editor of Telegraph Media, in his Daily Telegraph blog.[7]
[edit] Intern controversy
REED courted controversy when it advertised 46 expenses-only, voluntary internships for positions such as "intern executive assistant" and "secretarial admin internship". However, the adverts were taken down when the company realised that they were not reflective of their internship programme and subsequently implemented more robust procedures to monitor placements advertised by managers.[8]
[edit] References
- ^ Steve McCormack (6 July 2006). "A-Z of Employers: Reed". Independent. 26 September 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-09-26. http://web.archive.org/web/20060926022344/http://education.independent.co.uk/careers_advice/article1162738.ece. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ Online Recruitment: reed.co.uk most visited in 2009 and breaking records in 2010
- ^ "About Reed". reedglobal.com. Reed. http://www.reedglobal.com/about-reed/about-reed.php. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ a b "Reed is fifty in 2010". Reed. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. http://www.webcitation.org/65ryn795u. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
- ^ "Ofsted criticises London academy standards". Guardian. 7 March 2006. http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2006/mar/07/schools.uk1. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
- ^ BBC News: 'Tyrant' German radio advert banned by ASA
- ^ Telegraph.co.uk: Germans must learn to laugh with us at the Nazis
- ^ Guardian:Young, unpaid and angry: interns go online to campaign for a wage - accessed: 22.10.2011
