There are some recruitment calls we can see coming.
And there are others that start with…
“Any chance we can have 25 people for tomorrow?”
We get both.
But as food manufacturers start heading towards one of their busiest times of the year, we’d much rather be having the first converation.
Peak is never a surprise. So why the panic?
You probably know when your orders usually start creeping up. You know when production gets busier. You know which shifts become harder to cover and, if you’ve been through it before, you know exactly where the cracks started appearing last time.
So now is a pretty good time to start talking about it.
Before It Gets Manic!
We’re not saying you need to know exactly how many people you’ll need in the coming months.
That’s the nature of food production. Orders change, customers change their minds, volumes jump and what looked manageable on Monday can look incredibly different by Wednesday.
But there are things we can start figuring out.
What does your usual peak look like? Where do you normally need extra people? Which shifts cause you the biggest headaches? What skills do you struggle to find? What happened last year that you’d rather not repeat?
Give us that information and we have something to work with.
So if you do eventually ring us in a panic and say “Right. We need 20 people.”
We’re not sitting there thinking, 20 people to do what?
We already know you. We know your business. We know your site. And we know the kind of people we’re looking for.
That’s a very different starting point.
Yes, We Can Supply Into Food Manufacturing
This is something we probably don’t shout about enough.
Oliver Rae is known heavily for manufacturing and engineering recruitment, but we’re also licensed to supply workers into regulated food production and processing environments.
You’ll probably have heard this referred to as being GLAA licensed. Since April 2026, the licensing function previously carried out by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority has moved to the Fair Worker Agency, so it’s now officially a Fair Work Agency Gangmaster’s licence.
For businesses in food processing and packaging, using an appropriately licensed labour provider matters. The licensing standards cover things such as pay, working conditions, health & safety, recruitment practices, and the treatment of workers.
It’s how we can do our part properly.
And if you’re looking for a food manufacturing recruitment agency, that’s something you should be checking before you start talking numbers.
Sometimes You Really DO Need 20 People Tomorrow
We can plan until we’re blue in the face. But real life happens. Production needs increase. You’ve got absences to cover. A shift needs extra people.
Suddenly the number you thought you needed isn’t the number you need anymore.
That’s where the relationship with you recruitment agency really matters.
We provide high-volume and ad-hoc recruitment support and we’re available to our clients 24/7.
Not 24/7, unless it’s Sunday and we’re having our dinner. Actually 24/7.
We’ve worked with clients where staffing requirements can change quickly, so we understand that sometimes the call really is:
“What can you do for tomorrow?”
And we’ll do everything we can. But there’s a big difference between getting that call from a business we’ve never spoken to before and getting it from a client whose operation we already understand.
We Don’t Want To Just Chuck People Through Your Door
Peak can make recruitment very numbers-focused.
We need 10. We need another 15. We need 30 by next week.
But those numbers are still people.
And sending anyone who’s available just to hit a headcount isn’t how we want to work.
We want candidates to know what they’re walking into.
What are the shifts? What’s the environment like? What will they actually be doing? Where do they need to go? What are you expecting from them?
Our clients have specifically told us that candidates arriving properly briefed makes a difference. And we’d argue it makes a difference for the candidate too!
Nobody benefits from someone turning up on Monday morning and thinking ‘this isn’t what I was told at all.’
That’s how you end up looking for their replacement on the same day they arrive.
Peak Shouldn’t Mean Your Existing Team Carrying Everything
This is another part that can get forgotten.
When you’re short, the work doesn’t disappear. Someone else inevitably picks it up.
Your existing team works longer. Managers start plugging gaps. Overtime creeps up. Everyone starts feeling the pressure.
And during peak, when you’re already asking more from your operation, that pressure can build quickly.
Extra temporary workers are not only another extra pair of hands on the production line. They’re there to give your existing team some breathing room too.
That’s why we’d rather help you think ahead than wait until everyone is already knackered.
So, What Are The Next Few Months Looking Like?
That’s really the conversation we want to have with food manufacturers right now.
Not, “How many temps can we provide for you?”
But, “What’s coming?”
If you know you’re heading into peak, tell us about it.
Tell us what happened last year. Tell us where you’re expecting pressure. Tell us the number you’d like to have and the number you might suddenly need if things go crackers.
Then we can start thinking about candidates, availability, and the skills you’re going to need before the panic button gets pressed. Yes, we’re a food manufacturing recruitment agency that can help when you need people at short notice.
But we’re far more useful when we’re already in the conversation.
And if everything does go sideways and you suddenly find yourself saying…
“Any chance you can get us 20 people for tomorrow?”
Give us a ring, We’ve heard worse!