Quarter 2 Roundup | Moxie’s mic drop moments

With another quarter behind us, we’re feeling ALL of the emotions 🥹’Cos so much has happened! We say it every quarter, but seriously - this one’s been mega.

We’ve faced some major shifts and some huge wins. A bunch of softer successes and plenty of change. Along the entire journey, one thing has remained constant: the passion and enthusiasm of our epic team for wanting to make a difference.

#TeamMoxie is kind of a big deal. We pride ourselves on having an a-ma-zing team culture, and every day is genuinely a blast in Moxie HQ. Which is why we wanted to turn this quarter’s roundup to them; the people who bring Moxie to life.

Rich’s big moments.

It’s been a fantastic quarter for the team - so many moments that need mentioning. There’s a lot of growth, with the company moving beyond being a social housing recruiter into working with a wide range of purpose-led organisations. As such, this has opened us up to some amazing new team members (such as Yaingy, who’s heading up our Tech for Good Recruitment space). It feels like a huge step for us and aligns perfectly with the Moxie mission - connecting people with meaningful jobs.

As part of this growth, it’s been important to us to recognise the serious hard work of our amazing team. Keeran’s been promoted to Senior Talent Partner, and there’s no doubt that he’s the ultimate guy for the job. We’ve also invested in creating a wellbeing-focused workplace; this has included wellbeing walks around Bute Park, taking part in team challenges and volunteering days, valuable training days (such as our Autism Awareness training) and, of course, some regular coffees, lunches and beers along the way.

There’s been a lot going on with the Moxie Foundation as well; this quarter, we’ve really focused on evaluating and revamping our delivery model. This means that rather than issuing 16+ £250 grants per year, we’re now providing a lower volume of grants but at a far greater value (in 2023, this will be 2 x £5k grants). Our hope is that this will help ensure the charity (and our donations) have a far greater impact on helping people get into employment. These larger grants will also enable us to go on a journey with job seekers, rather than being a single transaction.

We’re also excited to have brought on board our amazingly talented, caring and passionate team to help deliver the Moxie Foundation. The team are currently assessing suitable employability partners to help deliver the grant process and we’re aiming to issue our first two grants by the end of September… So, watch this space!

Of course, I also need to mention our brilliant new HQ. We were in the process of moving last quarter, but now we’ve fully got our feet under the table. The space has Moxie written all over it - not only has it given a huge boost to (an already high) team morale, but it sets the standard for who we are and what we stand for. I’m a little bit in love with it!

Sam’s shout-outs.

I’ve loved watching the team and our impact grow this quarter - for me, some of the most exciting and transformative moments have been within Working Wardrobe. Our Caerphilly hub had the pleasure of meeting a woman called Yulia with a truly special story to tell. Yulia arrived in Wales in the wake of the Ukraine war. Fleeing the country with absolutely nothing, she had to find a way to provide for her two young children. Incredibly, she secured a job with Caerphilly Council (what a woman!). However, since Yulia had arrived with minimal possessions, she was faced with an extra layer of difficulty when it came to attending the job interview. Our Caerphilly hub was on hand to provide her with suitable clothing for the interview. Now, one year on, Yulia is not only smashing that role, but she's also working with Platfform's out of hours service in Gwent, providing access to volunteering, training and employment opportunities for others fleeing Ukraine. Yulia’s story provided us all with a huge reminder of why we do what we do!

Personally, I had the opportunity to attend the launch of our latest Working Wardrobe project in Abergavenny in partnership with the awesome lot at Monmouthshire Housing Association. It was a fantastic celebration, and we even had a guest appearance from Natasha Ashgar, MP for Monmouthshire.

Working Wardrobe has seen some serious corporate support this quarter. Not only did we receive a donation of 5,000 suits from a prominent high street retailer, but we were also named charity partner for Blake Morgan (alongside 2B Enterprise and Llamau); a partnership that will open up so many opportunities. There really is nothing better than seeing Working Wardrobe spread its wings to new locations. We’re forever growing, connecting with new communities and giving more people that all-important boost that helps them get ready for their next job interview or to start work. As part of this growth, we’re actually working on a brand new, all singing, all dancing website specifically for Working Wardrobe. We’ll share it as soon as it’s ready - but trust us when we say it’s *chef’s kiss* gorrrrrgeous!’

What Keeran’s been up to.

There really is so much to look back on and be proud of this quarter. We’ve had some big projects, and I’m pleased that I’ve driven forward a lot of them. One of my major jobs this year was helping 14 people find purpose-driven support jobs within a youth homelessness charity on a brand new care leavers project. Our support meant that the service could be opened on time and that the young people were able to get the support they needed. In addition, I helped a new and hugely exciting mental health and wellbeing service launch by recruiting seven of its 12 team members. It’s an amazing feeling to know that your support has allowed such life-changing work to happen.

There have also been some big changes to the team as a whole, and a standout moment has to be Libby joining the team and our Supported Housing recruitment desk. I’ve loved watching her grow within the role - she’s fantastic. Our desk welcomed our first roles within social care as well - children’s residential services, with three new clients coming on board within the sector.

However, I actually find that it’s the individual stories that stay with me the most when I look back at my achievements. Earlier this quarter, I worked with a woman who had no experience in support work; just a little in child-minding. Most of her career had been in marketing. But, after coming back from travelling, she couldn’t face the idea of going back into an office. Inspired by her mother - who’d been a youth and communities worker for decades - she applied for a role in Swansea. Unfortunately, she needed more experience. So, rather than giving up, we spoke about roles in Cardiff with Llamau. Together, we prepared her CV so that it highlighted all of her relevant skills and personal qualities and I spoke directly to the manager of the care leavers programme about her values and passion. She went on to be offered the job in June and started work on 31 July - you can’t get a happier ending than that!

What Caryl’s celebrating.

There’s so much to celebrate this quarter - I think, from the highest level, the most exciting thing for me has been seeing the company expand in such an exciting way. We’ve now shifted into new growth sectors, including HR recruitment in MedTech and financial services. This is an enormous move for Moxie, and one that feels totally in line with our ethos and mission.

Personally, I’ve been heavily involved in CIPD events these past few months, including the CIPD Road Shows across Wales and the CIPD Fair Work conference and SME Conference. But, the biggest thing for me is that I am now a member of the CIPD committee. As an ambassador for the CIPD, I’ll be working collaboratively with the rest of the committee on the strategic and operational running of the brand, as well as its annual programme of activities.

I also had the pleasure of supporting a brilliant charity, Carers Wales, to recruit a Head of Policy role. This is a crucial and impactful role which I know will make an enormous difference to people in Wales, so I felt privileged to work with this client to find the perfect person for the job. Previously, they’d struggled to find the right candidate, but now they have an incredible individual ready to start their new job in September.

This quarter, we also had the fantastic Amy from Creo Medical join us for a week’s work experience. Amy came to the team for a secondment from her current role, with the hope that she would get in-depth experience learning how another business operates and our recruitment practices. We were dead chuffed to offer this opportunity to Amy and give her experience and skills to take back to Creo around how to source and attract clients, adding value to the bottom line and understanding the recruitment journey. It’s something we hope to do more of in the coming quarters.’

Brett’s best bits.

What a quarter! I think the biggest moment for me was launching my new social housing property desk in the south west of England. It’s a huge step for the company, and we’ve already received real appreciation for our work and approach from some of the major housing associations in the region (including Abri, Bristol City Council, Aster and Sanctuary). It can be scary starting something new, but it’s amazing to see the fruits of our labour flourishing already.

The team also outlook part in Autism Awareness training; I found this incredibly helpful and am grateful to have had the experience. I know it will be very useful. We’ve also become members of the Chartered Institute of Housing (I’m actually booked in for the Southwest Conference on the 27 September) and have been making headway on the exciting new grant funding process for the Moxie Foundation.

Oh, and I received my first reviews on Google; marvellous, eager to help, incredible and full of dedication… I’ll put the trumpet down now!

Yaingy’s top moments.

Where do I start?! I had the pleasure of attending some fantastics events this quarter, including Breaking Barriers (Women in Tech and Business) and a ‘Lunch and Learn’ on apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships with FinTech Wales. Both were so inspiring and left me with plenty of food for thought that I’ve already started to implement into my work. The team also took part in Autism Awareness training - as an Auntie to a niece who has recently been diagnosed with autism, this training meant a lot to me. It will help me not only in a work capacity, but I now feel better able to understand the challenges that my sister and niece face and how I can help.

Professionally, I had some awesome wins that I feel really proud of. From truly thoughtful shoutouts on LinkedIn (imagine having someone thank you for ‘being a beacon of hope and a role model to women aspiring to be recruiting professionals in Fintech and technology’ - just wow!) to client feedback praising my honesty and openness, I have felt so appreciated. I’ve also been working with Lucy Heskins from Oh Blimey - our marketing guru - on a new business development and marketing strategy. Once up and running, the hope is to implement this across the rest of the team!

Other standout moments include connecting with the HR and recruitment team at Creo Medical HQ and learning more about how they are transforming patient lives through innovative technology, hiring Amy (our new Marketing Assistant) and starting my hunt for a personal branding coach. Watch this space!

Libby’s success stories.

This quarter has been a big one for stepping further into my role; I really feel as if I’ve made huge strides, progressing in a way that means I am taking briefs with some incredible and inspiring charities, managing the recruitment process from start to finish. This has included helping to recruit an entire time for a really important service for young people in Cardiff at risk of homelessness.

However, my proudest achievement was getting a lovely lady into a role she has always wanted with Women’s Aid. It felt amazing to make that dream a reality for her! The perfect reminder of why I wanted to build a career in this industry.

As a team, we’ve also been expanding conversations surrounding the Moxie Foundation; as part of this, we’ve started to build connections with organisations such as the Open University, People Plus and Pride Cymru around helping more adults get into meaningful, long term employment. I’d also love to second everyone’s appreciation of our Autism Awareness training. It opened up loads of important discussions around how we can be more inclusive and understand the needs of those with autism far more.

Rachel’s Working Wardrobe reflections.

There’s been loads going on with Working Wardrobe this quarter. If I had to narrow down our biggest achievements, it’d have to start off with our new partnership with Cardiff and Vale College. This partnership will see Working Wardrobe launch its first hub within an educational setting, specifically helping people from diverse backgrounds. We also secured further funding from the Moon Dance charity and ran a super successful, super fun ‘Sift and Sort’ day at Tramshed with an awesome team of volunteers: a huge thank you to Principality, United Welsh, Wales and West Housing Association and so many other epic companies for letting your staff join us.

We’ve seen a lot of growth and support as well, including from local, national and even global businesses. These have included Blake Morgan, Admiral and Zara. An enormous thank you as well to Natasha Asghar MS who opened our new hub with Monmouthshire Housing Association and Cwtch Angel in Abergavenny - such an exciting step for us!

When I look back, there are two standout moments that I can’t help but smile about! This quarter, we started a partnership with John Lewis and Cardiff Council. As part of the project, we provided workwear to four young people who were offered work experience in John Lewis’ Cardiff store as part of the Happier Futures project. The young people completed their work experience last week and will now be offered interviews for longer-term/permanent jobs – so let’s keep our fingers crossed for them!

We also created a new ‘wardrobe’ in the Hapi Hub, Rhydyfelin. Newydd Housing had a vacancy within their maintenance team, but the young man who came to us had nothing to wear to the interview. He not only accessed the hub and chose an interview outfit, but also secured the role! This is truly what it’s all about.