Introducing Straight Up Recruitment
We’re Oliver Box and Matt Cogan, and we’ve started Straight Up Recruitment.
Between us we have over 30 years in recruitment, most of it at large national agencies. We supply temporary and permanent staff for hospitality, facilities, manufacturing and logistics across the South West and South Coast. This post explains why we started, what we do, and what you can hold us to.
Why we started
At the big agencies we saw the same thing everywhere: good recruiters buried in admin. Chasing timesheets, re-keying details, sending blanket texts and hoping someone replies. The relationships that make recruitment work were always the first thing to suffer.
So we built Straight Up the other way round. Modern tech does the admin: checking availability in the background, keeping compliance up to date and flagging anything outstanding. That leaves us free 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.
Fill the shift. Tell the truth. Every time.
What we do
We work in four sectors:
- Hospitality and catering: chefs at every level, kitchen porters, catering assistants, front of house and managers for restaurants, hotels, schools, care homes and contract caterers.
- Facilities: cleaners, domestics and site support for schools, care homes, offices and public buildings.
- Manufacturing: production operatives, packers, machine operators and quality checkers.
- Logistics: pickers, packers, warehouse operatives, FLT drivers, HGV and van drivers, plus refuse and recycling crews.
That can be one shift tomorrow, a team for a seasonal peak, temp to perm, or a permanent hire.
Where we work
Every area has a named person you can call:
- Bristol, Bath and Somerset, and Devon and Cornwall: Oliver, from our Bristol and Exeter branches.
- Southampton and the South Coast: Matt, from our Southampton branch.
We’re coming to Oxfordshire from spring 2027.
If you need staff
Here’s what you can expect from us:
- Urgent requests answered within 10 minutes in working hours.
- A compliance pack sent to you before every booking, with every check done before the shift.
- If someone doesn’t arrive, we replace them or credit you, in writing.
- A straight answer. If we can fill it, we say how. If we can’t, we say so.
If you’re looking for work
- Paid weekly through PAYE, with no umbrella company deductions.
- Your holiday pay, your choice: added to your weekly pay, or built up to take later.
- A consultant who gets to know you and finds work that fits.
- A route into permanent work if you want one.
You can register in a couple of minutes online, on WhatsApp, or by applying for a job.
What we’re aiming for
We want to be the staffing business operators recommend by name. Not because we were cheapest, and not because we were first to call. Because we did exactly what we said we would.
If you need cover, or you’re looking for your next shift, get in touch and a real person will get straight back to you.