Recruitment & Sales in 2026
A lot of recruitment companies are going to struggle in 2026. Fact.
2025 hasn't been easy. Several businesses have lost key individuals, reduced headcount and shelved plans for new investment. The recruitment industry ALWAYS bounces back, and I have no doubt that it will do so again.
But...you HAVE to look after your people.
Relying on the resilience of your employees is only going to take you so far.
Yes, there is an argument that the people who have survived 2025 will continue to rebuild in 2026 - but it is important to remember that every person on the team is a human being.
Everyone is trying to manage:
➡️ Relationships
➡️ Family
➡️ Health worries
➡️ Money troubles
➡️ Social life
➡️ and their own personal struggles that you don't know about
What kind of support do you provide to your people, that gives them real, meaningful help?
I believe strongly that next year will be a make-or-break year for many. Perhaps now is the time to really think hard about whether you are providing the kind of environment that recognises and respects your people as individuals, and will, in turn, get the best from them.
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If you have someone on your team who is underperforming, what do you do?
In a target-based environment such as Recruitment or Sales, if someone is underperforming then they are not going last the year.
One of these things WILL happen:
➡️ You go through a formal process (perhaps a "PIP), which will hopefully lead to improvement...but if the underlying issues aren't resolved then their performance will slip again after a while.
➡️ They disrupt others, either deliberately or accidentially.
➡️ Other team members start to see that underperformance will be tolerated, which can lead to overall standards starting to slip.
➡️ They leave.
If you DO have people in your team, right now, who are underperforming, can you pinpoint why? Is it a knowledge gap? A lack of motivation? A mindset issue? Or perhaps it is due to external factors - difficulties at home, health issues, grief, mental health challenges, or other things you don't know about.
The worst thing you can do is nothing.
Remember that this person is still choosing to come to work. Motivation levels may be down, but they are still here - which gives you something to work with.
Sometimes, having a private conversation with someone who is completely separate from work can be so helpful.
As a qualified counsellor who has worked in recruitment for over 17 years, I help people who are trying to balance a high-pressure job alongside challenges at home.
I conduct private video sessions, typically weekly, that give people a safe space to explore what is going on for them. This could support personal & professional development programmes that someone is going through already, or it could be a way to help them process difficulties at home, or mental health struggles, that are preventing them from staying focused.
You are very welcome to contact me for a private discussion, with no obligations beyond this, if you have someone you are concerned about.
Steve Twinley is a BACP-registered Psychodynamic Counsellor who worked previously for over 17 years in the pressurised world of recruitment, and managed a leading international life science recruitment agency. Steve Twinley formed Purpose Mentoring in November 2023 and now works full-time as a Therapist, providing online counselling and mentoring to people in stressful jobs. If you are trying your best to manage the pressures of work alongside different personal challenges at home, perhaps it could help you to have a safe, confidential space, away from colleagues, family and friends, where you can talk through different things you are facing, as well as moving forward from difficult times in your past. You can learn more about Purpose Mentoring sessions here and can engage with Steve Twinley either at steve.twinley@purposementoring.com or on his LinkedIn profile here.
