Yodel prepares for Black Friday and Christmas rush with creation of 7,000 jobs

The firm highlighted that it’s doing its part to support the increasing number of British people that are out of work, following an increase of 25,000 unemployed people between June and April to hit 1.85m.

A variety of posts have been created by Yodel, which will take on 800 directly employed drivers who will receive branded uniforms and vans, while 3,000 owner drivers will have the opportunity to work with their own vehicles.

The groups will work at local service centres and be equipped with handheld devices to plan routes and scan parcels during delivery and collection rounds.

Elsewhere, 3,000 self-employed couriers will be hired and their roles will see them use their cars to deliver and pick up smaller parcels from customers. Given the flexible nature of the position, they will essentially work from home and carry out jobs in local neighbourhoods.

Of course, flexible working is increasingly desired by Brits in keeping with those wanting a better work-life balance and changing lifestyles, so Yodel is pitching the courier role as “the ideal choice” for people that want a job to fit around other commitments like childcare and hobbies.

The posts are for the seasonal period, especially with Black Friday is due in November, but the company expects many of these will become permanent as the client base grows. Furthermore, workers will undertake a training programme that will allow them to deal with the peak season and beyond that, should they end up staying on.

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Positions are available nationwide, but Aberdeen, Basildon, Bristol, Cambridge, Carlisle, Dartford, Edinburgh, Enfield, Gateshead, Gatwick, Glasgow, Gloucester, Ipswich, Leeds and Northampton are among the many areas that will have a special focus on recruitment.

Deliveries have become increasingly important for businesses as they look to compete with rivals, while consumers seek more convenience. This much was demonstrated in September when 550 store-strong Poundland finally introduced a transactional website complete with home delivery.

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“Our recent research has shown that the 2015 Christmas period is set to break the mould once again, with nearly four times as many people planning to take advantage of the Black Friday online promotions,” said Dick Stead, executive chairman of Yodel.

“Our recruitment and training will support this increased demand and ensure that both our retail clients and shoppers have an enjoyable Christmas. 

“Many of the vacancies are flexible and perfect for those who want to fit work around families, or who have retired but want to remain active and earn some extra cash. Others are full-time and we expect many people to stay on beyond peak season. Whatever the job, we’ll be giving everyone working for us the tools they need to deliver a top service.”

In addition to mass hiring spree, Yodel also spent the first half of the year introducing “super” service centres, investing in IT infrastructures, equipment and training to ensure optimum efficiency over the festive period.

By Zen Terrelonge

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