18.09.2025
When Severn Trent needed to hire 40 Water Specialists in just four weeks, most would break a sweat. But not us.
At Morson, we place thousands of diverse candidates each year, partnering with some of the UK’s most recognised organisations, including the Post Office, Manchester Airport Group and AECOM. For Severn Trent, UK’s second-largest water company, serving over 8 million homes and businesses, this wasn’t the first recruitment challenge we’ve tackled together but the scale and speed of this one demanded something special.
Leading the charge were Coral Hale, Senior Recruitment Consultant, and Jessica Winterbottom, Recruitment Consultant. Together, they call themselves ‘Team Uncomplicated’ by making high-volume onboarding look effortless. In just four weeks, they screened, hired, and onboarded talent across Leicester and Shrewsbury without missing a beat.
This is a proof that with the right team, even the tightest timeframes can be met with seamless recruitment. Discover how the team handled challenges and delivered for Severn Trent.
How Morson made mass onboarding for Severn Trent look simple
Recently, Severn Trent needed to hire 40 Water Specialists in just four weeks across its Leicester and Shrewsbury offices. A tall order. But for Coral and Jess, the team uncomplicated, it was a challenge they were ready to take on.
As part of Morson’s delivery team, the task was to supply contracts and temporary workforce across the Professional Services sector for Severn Trent. And they made the process look effortless. How did they do it?
Hiring at speed, done right
Meeting the deadline for this project meant working through a series of comprehensive stages, all at pace:
1. Redeployment.
Reaching out to candidates already on contracts with Severn Trent and matching them to new opportunities.
2. Advertising.
Posting across job boards to attract fresh talent.
3. Proactive sourcing.
Searching job boards directly and approaching potential candidates.
4. Compliance checks.
Right to work verification, DBS checks, references, and all essential pre-employment screening.
5. Onboarding.
Guiding each candidate through the process and preparing them to start on day one.
Completing all of this in just a few weeks for such a large number of people required not only a proper plan but a great teamwork, experience, and trust.
With Morson’s brilliant team driving the process, what was challenging became solvable.
As Coral explains:
When a client says they need 40 people, knowing we can deliver is crucial. We stick to the plan, speak up if support is needed, and ensure we cover for one another. Openness and teamwork are what make it possible – I couldn’t ask for a better teammate than Jess to do it with.
Challenges faced… and overcome
As explained by the team, the biggest challenge was the tight timeframe. Forty people in four weeks is no small task, especially when recruitment fell in August, a peak holiday season. Candidates needed to be available for the full period, with no time off booked.
To make things more complex, every candidate had to start on the same day to access training. That meant making sure everyone could commute to the sites, arrive on time, and feel supported. For some recruits, this was their first-ever job, so Jess and Coral went that extra mile – helping with travel cards, giving detailed directions, and checking everyone was ready for day one.
Then came the compliance hurdles: DBS checks, right-to-work documentation, chasing references, and dealing with the inevitable hiccups. “Some candidates sent the wrong proof of right to work, for instance a photo of their passport instead of the share code required to prove UK work eligibility,” Jessica recalls. “It was little things like that which added back-and-forth, but we had to make sure everything was correct and delivered on time”.
With Morson’s brilliant team on the case, the obstacles were overcome and all 40 roles were filled and onboarded on time. What could have been a logistical nightmare turned into a case study in how, with the right team, even the toughest recruitment challenges can be made… uncomplicated.
Severn Trent’s recruitment success with Morson
Severn Trent has trusted Morson as a recruitment partner since September 2023, when we won a 3+2 year contract, making us the MSP supplier of all the temporary and contract roles at Severn Trent. Our team continues to support the company’s needs across Coventry, Birmingham, Derby, Hinkley, North Wales, Tamworth and Wrexham, recruiting for a wide variety of roles, from corporate and IT to specialist engineering and technical positions.
As Severn Trent’s appointed MSP, we’re always recruiting, always proactive, and always ready to deliver. Coral sums it up best:
“What makes our partnership with Severn Trent so seamless is how closely our values align. They are committed to making a positive impact in the community, creating opportunities for people from all backgrounds and fostering a diverse and supportive workplace. These are principles we hold dear at Morson as well.”
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