ëLifeWorklifeí enjoys rapid growth in the war for talent

An innovative Bristol-based online business service which matches employers and potential employees has experienced a ten fold increase in business since its beta launch just four months ago and been shortlisted for a prestigious Catalyst Award.

The Catalyst Awards were announced last July when Prime Minister Gordon Brown started the Council on Social Action. He says ìI believe it is time to celebrate the best in Britain, and ñ by celebrating it and enhancing it and by encouraging many more of us to participate in it ñ we can build the good society where each of us asks what we can give and all of us can make a difference.î Their aim is to recognise everyday heroes who use technology to make a positive impact on the world around them.

ëLifeWorklife.co.ukí is an online job matching community for people looking for fulfilling flexible careers and for companies looking for a skilled, motivated workforce.

The website is different from existing job boards in that the people who become members keep a space on LifeWorklife rather like a social networking site - but with employment as its central aim.

Individuals can maintain a list of potential employers or customers, while organisations can grow their list of potential employees or people who work for them on short-term contracts. Also, they may use this space to keep in touch with their independent resources.

Kirsten Hemingway-Arnold, managing director, LifeWorklife says: ìThe take up has been staggering, particularly amongst companies and organisations - around 80% of our accounts are held by organisations.

ìThat indicates to us that this way of recruiting is becoming not just popular but necessary as companies recognise that there is a very talented workforce which does not necessarily want to be in an office nine to five but has a lot to offer employers on a flexible basis.

LifeWorklife says ìA pro-active career involves making the most of the time you have, the skills you want to share, and the place you want to be. We hope that people will use the site to find second jobs - instead of loans - to supplement their incomes, join the working population where that was difficult before and to develop themselves by volunteering. We know that companies using LifeWorklife.co.uk value their workforce, understand the benefits of diversity and care about their peopleís work life balance.î

LifeWorklife Ltd is focussing on developing this excellent base. They are working with international partners to drive traffic to the site and have begun to collaborate with companies providing services that may be useful to their membership. This will allow them to add helpful applications and build value for their community. They are also constantly improving usability in preparation for a full launch later this year.

ìMinimum legislative requirements have raised the bar in terms of minimum standards of flexibility, just as the minimum wage has raised the bar in terms of lower end salaries - flexible working is as important to employees as the value of their ëpackageí.î Says Paul Sellars policy officer at the TUC ìif organisations want to be employers of choice they need to run a little harder.î