Paul (Evans) McCallum is passionate about being the blueprint for supporting staff in hospitality.
Originally from South Wales, Paul moved to Leeds over 15 years ago where he founded his company P.J Staffing – a recruitment agency specialising in hospitality, catering, and temporary jobs.
YorkMix chatted with Paul at York Racecourse, where he employs hundreds of members of staff.
Paul has lived and breathed hospitality his entire professional life – from beginning in a local hotel, where he worked up the ranks to duty manager. “That’s how I got into the industry,” Paul explained.
He then went on to work for EasyJet as cabin crew, a fundraising manager for St John Ambulance, before settling in Leeds where he was headhunted to work for recruitment agency Blue Arrow – where he went from consultant to principal manger consultant.
“Then I left to start my own business.”
After talking to Paul, it quickly became clear how passionate he is about people. “For me, it’s being people first,” said Paul. “I think because I’ve been in the industry, I know what’s expected from a customer’s perspective, but also as a member of staff as well.
“If you’re treated well within a hotel or restaurant or bar, then you’re more likely to be happy when you’re working.
“I’ve always had a passion for customer service. Setting up the business with PJ Staffing, the people that work with us – we get to know them. They’re not just a number for us.
“If you look after your people, then they’ll look after your business.”
It’s not just about business though, as support staff and their personal welfare is of huge importance to Paul.
“You are there to support your staff, no matter what it is. I’ve got an open door so if people want to speak to me privately, they can get in touch with me.”
Ethan, who’s 23 years-old, has been with P.J Staffing for five years, and has worked all over the country but works mainly at York Racecourse as a supervisor. After going through a close family bereavement, Ethan explained the support he received from P.J Staffing was invaluable.
“[Paul] understands you when it comes to your mental health, physical health – he understands if you’ve got stuff going on,” said Ethan. “A lot has changed for me personally so I wasn’t able to work as much, but Paul and all the staff were completely understanding.
“I was able to come back at my own pace and still do the shifts I wanted to do.”
Saul, who’s head bar at Roberto Village at York Racecourse, has also been with P.J Staffing for five years.
“I started off as a table clearer, and now I’ve worked my way up to bar supervisor,” said Saul. “I’ve always liked working under Paul and under P.J and all the people I work with here, because I feel like I’m very looked after.”
Saleem has also been with P.J Staffing for several years, and similarly echoes the support from the company. “One of the best things about the company is Paul,” said Saleem. “To be able to speak to the person who runs the company is quite rare, and the approach and the way he manages teams and difficult situations is one of the best I’ve seen.
“He’s a very fair manager, and he puts on some great events to reward the staff at the end of the year.”
For Paul, longevity matters. “Quick wins are not really my thing.
“I like to work with clients on a long-term basis, because then you get your stability, your staff get familiar with the sites that you go to, and then you get consistency.”
Paul’s biggest ambition now is “growing my business. We’ve got a strong summer season, but our winter can fluctuate quite a lot.”
Six years in, Paul is keen to still be as hands-on as possible and to get stuck in. “I’ll still pull a pint now, I’ll still serve tables, I’ll still clean bogs, it doesn’t matter to me.
“I wanted to make sure that if the teams are doing the jobs that I’m expecting them to do, they see me do it too – you would never ask somebody to do something you wouldn’t do.”
Paul has recently been recognised as Temporary Staffing Solutions MD of the Year 2025, and P.J Staffing has received several other awards including Best Temporary Staffing Agency in the 2024 SME News Northern Enterprise Awards, Client Service Excellence Award in the 2024 Yorkshire SME News Awards, and Leading Temporary Staffing Agency of the Year UK in the 2025 Corporate Vision HR & Employment Awards.
Find out more about P.J Staffing and the work that they do at their website here.
