Manchester-based recruitment company Amoria Bond is one of the fastest-growing businesses in Europe, and for good reason.
The business, which has been named one of the best recruitment companies to work for by several major industry bodies, is leading the way when it comes to STEM recruitment while also offering incredible benefits to its employees.
Its team members have access to perks like lunch clubs and book clubs as well as career-progressing benefits like grants for external training, not to mention the team trips to destinations like Las Vegas and Dubai.
Amoria Bond prides itself on its expertise and relationships with its clients and candidates but colleagues are well looked-after too – as per its mission statement of ‘Progressing Lives Everywhere’.
Credit: Amoria Bond
Anyone who goes to work for Amoria Bond is placed on a 10-steps-to-the-top progression programme, so everyone knows where they sit and where they’re headed within the business.
Even those who join at trainee level know they’re only 10 steps away from being a member of the executive board, and four members on the current executive board actually joined as trainees.
But despite the clear route to career progression for all employees, each individual is given a personalised progression plan to help them reach that next step.
It works, too – half of all the recruiters who work at Amoria Bond have been promoted in the last year, with some even getting promoted twice.
The team at Amoria Bond. Credit: Supplied
Amoria Bond specialises in pioneering sectors like advanced engineering, technology and energy, matching people and businesses who are building a cleaner future for the world.
Those who work for the business have access to award-winning training and development, including the Amoria Bond Academy, which has thousands of expert-led videos.
The company’s learning and development team also runs in-person training sessions and one-on-one Zoom sessions.
It’s also committed to diversity and inclusion, believing that everyone deserves respect and equal opportunity regardless of background.
Amoria Bond says: “Diversity and Inclusion is an ongoing journey and we’re in it for the long haul.
“We don’t pretend to be perfect, but we are 100% committed and hold ourselves fully accountable to delivering sustainable, meaningful action-led change internally, within the recruitment industry we love, and across the STEM sectors we serve.”
As well as internal diversity and inclusion committees in each office, and annual reports published publicly, Amoria Bond is one of the founding signatories of the Diversity and Inclusion Charter and founding members of Programme One, a collaborative initiative that aims to remove barriers to black talent.
ASCEND is an internal initiative too, which is designed to attract, retain and progress women across the Amoria Bond Group and wider recruitment industry.
The perks keep coming too, including daily benefits like flexible and remote working, uncapped earnings, company cars and mobiles, and 24/7 access to a wellness hub.
Amoria Bond offers a lunch club to its employees. Credit: Supplied
Employees are given a £500 development allowance to spend on external training every year, and are offered activities and prizes for hitting targets.
Top performers are treated to a Lunch Club at some of Manchester’s best restaurants as well as being able to get a book or audiobook of their choice every month through the company Book Club.
Amoria Bond team members are able to take a day off to spend time volunteering for charity without it coming out of their annual leave, and can swap time off for different religious holidays.
Everyone finishes for the week at 4pm on a Friday, but those who hit their TFI targets are able to finish at 1.30pm.
And then the whole team has the chance to travel the world with global sales conferences, with 2022 destinations including Dubai and Las Vegas.
You can find out more about Amoria Bond on the company’s website here.
Featured image: Supplied
Business
A new coffee shop by a familiar Manc influencer with an ‘Oasis-inspired’ name is opening in town
Danny Jones
We’re never short of cafés here in Manchester, especially in the city centre, and there are a fair few great ones in the Northern Quarter alone, but this new coffee shop from a famous local influencer is one to keep an eye on – especially as it’s a bit of an Oasis pun.
‘What’s the story?’, we hear you ask: Morning Glory, that’s what.
That’s right, NQ’s latest coffee spot is not only a fun little nod to the Britpop classic but a little bit of innuendo by an equally cheeky chappy and familiar content creator, Zack Hipps.
With the Oasis puns and double-entendre boxes ticked off, it already ticks a couple of boxes, but there are still plenty more reasons to think this will be a success.
Morning Glory is opening in the Northern Quarter at the end of the month. (Credit: Morning Glory)
To start with, the jokes don’t stop as sandwich lovers will be glad to hear that there will be ‘Glory Holes’ on the menu…
Calm down, it’s not that kind of gaff. These are bagels that are sliced, stuffed with whipped cream, brushed with garlic butter, before being rebaked to golden perfection and finished with a drizzle of honey thyme. That admittedly does sound rather naughty.
Bagels are the main foodstuff on the menu, with a lineup of stacked fillings such as grilled peach with goat’s cheese and chilli jam; roast chicken thigh with smoked garlic mayo, iceberg lettuce and red onion and a ‘next-level’ ham and cheese stack.
Oh yeah, and it’s not only a coffee shop but promises to be a great and affordable spot for grab-and-go joe, specifically, too.
Morning Glory will be helping kickstart Manc mornings in the best way: with a banging coffee and bagel brekkie deal for just £5, making it perfect for those early risers and rushes to the commuter trams – OR, indeed, the ideal hangover cure after a night out in the city.
Apart from the obvious Manchester music reference, the coffee bar is a fitting honey-yellow.The bagels are looking big and beautiful.The diagonal floor stripes are a nod to The Hacienda nightclub. (Credit: Supplied)
Now, with the space itself spanning just 50sqm and featuring just 12 seats, not to mention fast, value-for-money food and drink, everyone can admit this isn’t necessarily the spot to sit for hours chatting with your mates over a brew.
Although Zack describes the room as “casual, cosy and full of personality” and “proper good vibes”, assuring quality at all times, they also state it is about “no faff” and the menu is made for being on the move, which is absolutely fine with us.
For instance, indie suppliers Kyoto Matcha will be chipping in with drinks and local bakery Vainllis over in Ancoats will be delivering a fresh twist on the Manchester tart, both of which are easy to order takeout and enjoy on the go.
Best of all, to mark the launch, the first 100 people through the doors on from 8am on opening Saturday, 30 August. August will not only bag a free drink, but three lucky customers will be randomly chosen to win a golden ticket, entitling them to free coffee every single day for A WHOLE YEAR.
Speaking on the impending opening just weeks after Oasis left the city, Hipps says, “Morning Glory Coffee is my love letter to Manchester. We’ve grafted for months building the space, and it’s mad to think we’re finally opening the doors.
“It’s a warm, welcoming spot with proper Manc charm, and I’m buzzing to be working alongside some of my favourite local makers. Manchester’s got one of the best food scenes in the country, and we can’t wait to shine a light on all the incredible talent out there, whilst fuelling up Manc’s one brew at a time.”
See you in the queue on Oldham Street come launch day for great coffee, Oasis in the headphones and hopefully some rare but glorious Manchester morning sun.
The Spirit of Manchester confirms bar closure as Manc hospitality takes another hit
Danny Jones
Manchester has been hit by yet another gutting hospitality closure as The Bar at The Spirit of Manchester Distillery, formerly known as Three Little Words, has confirmed they have shut down effective immediately.
The stunning spot set up as The Spirit of Manchester Distillery’s dedicated, customer-facing city centre venue and second home under the arches, opened back in 2019, offering a cocktail, gin-making and tasting experience, as well as a restaurant.
But fast forward six years, and now the once-beloved Three Little Words bar has sadly closed, largely citing the same economic pressures everyone has faced post-pandemic.
Writing an emotional farewell post on LinkedIn, Spirit of Manchester co-founder and master distiller Seb Heeley said: “This is a post I never thought I’d have to write. 9 years ago, we set out with a dream to build something that would represent the spirit of Manchester from the humble beginning in our dining room.
“We were fortunate enough that people embraced our vision, and 6 years ago we embarked on an over million pound project to bring 6 forgotten, abandoned arches beneath the iconic Manchester Central back to life to show the best the city has to offer.
“Unfortunately, COVID changed the playing field 5 years ago, and over the last 2 years, running a city centre hospitality business, we have been hit with a perfect storm of rising costs, taxes and pressure on customer wallets that has ultimately led to an unsustainable business model.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we have to close our customer-facing operation on Watson Street today. It’s the amazing team that I feel most sorry for, as it’s their commitment over the last 6 years that has made this building feel like our forever home.”
Heeley goes on to say: “If anyone on my network is looking for new recruits, I couldn’t speak highly enough of our whole team. Please get in touch with me about any opening you may have.”
Writing a further statement on the bar’s Instagram page, they described the moment as ‘heartbreaking’, adding that they “couldn’t be prouder of [their] team” and the accolades achieved over the bar’s lifespan, both as Three Little Words and in its most recent iteration.
Seb and his wife, Jen Heeley-Wiggins, say they saw the stunning Watson Street site archway as the “forever home” for the business – it’s not hard to see why.
Having also housed local culinary offerings like Etana, too, it’s sad to see such an eye-catching part of the city’s dining scene fall victim to the ongoing industry pressures and cost-of-living crisis.
Even if you’ve never been, you’ll have passed a bottle of Manchester Gin countless times. (Credit: The Manc Eats)
The pair signed off by saying: “While this is the end for our experience centre site, Manchester Gin will continue to be made in the city and hopefully enjoyed for years to come.
“Obviously, this is a difficult time for all of us, so please bear with us while we go through this transition. Thank you.” Online orders have also been briefly paused as they look to lay out clearer plans for the future, and we can only hope they come through the other side more stable.
In what has been a heartbreaking start to the week, this marks the third high-profile food and drink casualty in central Manchester alone in the space of just the last two days, with the news of Salvi’s shutting their Deansgate Square location being followed up by another NQ closure barely hours later.
Safe to say it’s more apparent than ever that our hospitality sector needs better support and fast.
Daisy Jackson -
27th April 2022 
