Ajilon is launching its first full year of flexible benefits after running a six-month long mini-scheme.

The recruitment consultancy, which includes brands such as Adecco and Office Angels, was unable to introduce a full scheme when it launched the plan in July because it wanted to allow staff to flex their holiday entitlement.

Anne Robson, group HR and training director, said: "It's due to the way our holiday year falls. Our holiday year runs from January to December and we wanted to include buying and selling a proportion of holidays in our flexible benefits [scheme]. For administrative reasons, it was easier to [offer the] election part way through the year for the balance of the year."

Staff can buy or sell two days holiday for a full year and Ajilon allowed them to take one day for half a year."

The firm moved to flex in order to offer a standard benefits package across all of its brands.

Robson said: "We have got a lot of different brands on various benefit packages and a lot of them were working alongside each other in the same offices. It became apparent that people were comparing and contrasting."