Recruitment run by people who’ve done it for over 30 years.
Straight Up Recruitment was founded in 2026 by Oliver Box and Matt Cogan, two recruiters with over 30 years’ experience between them, recruiting across a variety of industries. We supply temporary and permanent staff for hospitality, facilities, manufacturing and logistics across the South West and South Coast.
Meet the teamWhy we started Straight Up.
We’ve spent our careers working at large national agencies and we saw the same thing everywhere: great recruiters buried in admin. Chasing timesheets, re-keying details, sending blanket texts and keeping on top of compliance fill up a recruiter’s day. The relationships were always the first thing to suffer and that’s a problem, because relationships are what make a recruiter great.
So we built Straight Up the other way round. Modern tech and automation do the administrative heavy lifting: checking availability in the background, keeping compliance up to date and flagging anything outstanding. That frees us to do the part that matters. We get to know our clients and candidates properly, understand how each business really works and make sure every placement is the right fit.
What we stand for.
The staffing business operators recommend by name. Not because we were cheapest or first to call, but because we did what we said we would.
Straight answers.
If we can fill it, we say how. If we can’t, we say so.
Paperwork right first time.
Every check done and sent before the shift.
People who answer.
Every area has a named person, and there’s always someone reachable while staff are on shift.
Fair to workers.
Paid weekly through PAYE, on time, with no surprises.
Over 30 years in recruitment.
Between them, Oliver and Matt have spent over 30 years recruiting across a variety of industries, from hospitality and catering to facilities, manufacturing and logistics. We started Straight Up to do things differently. Our tech does the administrative heavy lifting, so we have the time to build a real relationship with you, understand what your business needs, and send people who are the right fit and arrive on time.
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Phone, email or WhatsApp.
Call, email or WhatsApp us, whichever suits you. Messages about a problem or a last-minute booking reach our desktops and phones at the same time.
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Compliance you can see.
References and checks are made before anyone starts with you, and our system keeps them up to date. Every booking comes with one branded pack: confirmation details plus your KCSIE letter of assurance with the latest compliance.
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Straight Up availability.
Our system checks candidate availability in the background all the time, so we know almost straight away whether we can help. We don’t send out a blanket text and hope for the best.
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Personal out-of-hours cover.
Out of hours is covered by us on a rota, so you get people who know your site and our candidates, not a call centre.
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Modern tech, not legacy systems.
Many large agencies still run on old systems because upgrading is expensive and difficult. We’re small and agile, and always looking for the latest advances.
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More time with you.
Because the system handles the paperwork, we spend our time getting to know your sites, your needs and the right people for them.
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Nothing slips through the net.
An AI assistant monitors our emails, messages and CRM and flags anything outstanding, so we do what we say we’ll do.
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Independent and committed.
It’s our own business, so we work relentlessly to give you the service you deserve, and everyone works to the same high standards.
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Experienced team.
Over 30 years of recruitment experience across a variety of industries, gained at large national agencies.
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Straight up, as the name says.
Honest, transparent and no surprises. We do what it says on the tin.
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IDDSI-trained chefs for care homes.
Our care home chefs are trained in IDDSI texture-modified diets as standard, so residents with swallowing difficulties are catered for safely.
The deal, both ways.
If you work a shift for us, this is the deal. It works both ways.
If you work a shift for us, you get pay that’s right and on time every week, the real picture of the job, a straight answer on work, and a named person who answers. In return we need you on time, honest about what you can do, and to tell us early if you can’t make it.
What you get from us
- The rate, before you accept. Hourly rate, hours, and anything extra, in writing. No deductions you were not told about.
- Paid right, paid on time. Your pay is correct and on schedule every week, without exception. If we get it wrong we fix it that day, not next payroll. We will not charge a client until they have confirmed your hours, and we will not leave you unpaid while we wait for them.
- The real picture of the shift. Address, start, expected finish, uniform, and what the job actually involves. If it is a hard site or a long day, we say so before you say yes.
- A straight answer on work. If we have nothing for you this week, we tell you. We will not keep you hanging on a maybe.
- A named person who answers. You know who your consultant is, and there is someone reachable while you are on shift.
- A route forward. Reliable people get first call on the best shifts, and if you want a permanent role we will put you forward for one.
What we need from you
- Arrive on time, ready to work. Correct kit, correct uniform, correct site.
- Tell us early if you cannot make it. Life happens and we would rather know today than at 5am. Cancelling early is fine. Going quiet is not.
- Be honest about what you can do. Your experience, your tickets, your right to work. We would rather place you in the right job than lose you from the wrong one.
- Represent us on site. Client’s rules, client’s standards, phone away.
- Tell us when something goes wrong. An accident, a problem with the client, a mistake you made. We can only sort what we know about.
- Not arriving without contact.
- Arriving unfit for work.
- Not being truthful about your experience or capability.
- Mistreating a client’s staff or customers.