Hiring near you?Start with a visit.
Phonim connects employers in England with skilled people who live nearby. Candidates visit your site for up to two hours before you make an offer, so they see the real job and you see how they fit.
Phonim is launching in the UK soon.
How it works
Visits · then hiring- 01
Set up your workplace
Create your workplace profile and choose the roles you’re hiring for.
- 02
Get visit requests
Qualified people who live nearby request a visit to your workplace.
- 03
Host a visit
Show them around for up to two hours. Introduce the team and answer their questions.
- 04
Hire
If it’s a fit on both sides, make an offer.
The law
Trial shifts in the UK: the short version
Thinking about a trial shift before you hire? Here’s what official guidance says.
Read the full guide →- 01
Hours, not days
Government guidance says a few hours unpaid can be reasonable, but a trial longer than a day is likely to need paying at minimum wage except in very exceptional circumstances.
- 02
Observe and assess
Acas suggests, for example, two hours or one shift. Unobserved work, work outside the role or trials that save you staff costs point towards paid work.
- 03
Right to work first
You must check a person’s right to work before you employ them. A paid trial shift is employment.
Sources: Eligibility for the minimum wage (DBT/HMRC, GOV.UK, 2025); Interviewing job applicants (Acas, 2026); Checking a job applicant’s right to work (GOV.UK, 2026). General information, not legal advice.
Roles
Who you can hire through Phonim
Phonim is starting in England: England. Scotland and Wales will follow later.
- HGV drivers
- Vehicle technicians
- Construction & site managers
- Manufacturing technicians
- Skilled production operatives
- Mechanical & electrical engineers
- Quality engineers
- Production planners & buyers
Start with a visit.
Show local candidates what makes your workplace worth joining, before anyone commits.
Phonim is launching in the UK soon.