RfO Recruitment Case Studies

Diversity remains a central initiative in DWP’s current and future attraction and retention strategy. The Department’s 2011 targets aim to increase the representation of ethnic minority staff at grades where representation currently falls below the Economically Active Rate. DWP has adopted a staged approach, with year-on-year targets.

When recruiting to the most senior posts DWP use recruitment consultants from the Cabinet Office Executive Framework. Each company is asked to submit a written proposal which includes their track record on diversity and details of how they will approach the search and selection exercise to ensure that they attract diverse applicants.

DWP set up a series of workshops on “Recruiting Diversity within the Senior Civil Service” to ensure all employees involved in senior level selection exercises are skilled in both recruitment and selecting diverse candidates.

DWP recognises the importance of supporting and developing all its employees.  Reach is a 12 month positive action talent development programme designed for people from ethnic minority groups, and/or who have a disability.  Applications are sought from across the whole organisation, from high potential individuals.
The aims of the programme are to:

• Equip participants with the tools and techniques to overcome barriers constructively and compete on equal terms for progression;
• Maximise the potential of diverse staff by identifying and developing people who have potential to progress but who may not previously have had the opportunity to do so;
• Address under-representation at senior levels. Reach is an integral part of our wider Talent Management Strategy
• Enable the Department to identify the barriers that can prevent ethnic minority staff from progressing and enable the Department to develop strategies that deal with these barriers.

The highlights of the programme are tailored innovative learning interventions. The opportunities offered to participants do not feature in the mainstream learning and development catalogues. Participants are given exposure to senior leaders and some have had the opportunity to job shadow Government Ministers.

BIS recognises that there is a strong case for supporting apprenticeships. Research from the University of Warwick  shows that the benefits to employers are great - increased productivity and quality of work; a more innovative workforce; reduced staff turnover; and developing a pool of potential future managers.

Apprenticeships in BIS are open to all staff across the UK – with the only criteria that staff do not already have a degree. Subjects include Business Administration, Customer Service, IT, Accountancy, Team Leadership and Management. BIS are also involved in the pilot of a new apprenticeship programme designed for personal assistants and secretaries.

BIS is currently promoting its second round of apprenticeships due to start in autumn 2009. In an effort to reach all staff across the department, the campaign has made use of the following communication channels:

• Briefing sessions for the diversity groups.
• Road shows and drop in sessions in the staff restaurant and at the BIS Learning at Work Day.
• Print media such as the all staff magazine, staff newsletters/bulletins and weekly staff briefs, posters and handouts.
• Comprehensive intranet material covering the apprenticeship offering, frequently asked questions and information for managers.
• Advertisement on the BIS TV.
• Engagement of communities and networks, including the BIS Learning and Development Network and Trade Union Learning Representatives.
• Liaison with senior managers to encourage staff take-up.

Feedback from senior managers has been very positive. Sir Jon Shortridge (former Permanent Secretary in DIUS and Interim Permanent Secretary for BIS) supported an apprentice in his private office. He said: “I would describe her as an ‘exemplar apprentice’. She is careful not to let the time she rightly has to dedicate to her studies intrude on her work responsibilities. She conducts herself with the professionalism and maturity that her responsibilities require. [She is] a credit to BIS and to the civil service more widely.”

Impact

• The first intake of apprentices resulted in 43 apprentices in London and 94 in Cardiff Human Resources and Companies House. The majority of apprentices are aged over 25.
• 65% of apprentices, where their ethnicity is known, are from BAME backgrounds.

The ‘Journalism Talent Pool’ is one example of where the BBC has sought to improve the diversity of its workforce in an area that traditionally has been particularly difficult for black and ethnic minority people to thrive in. The scheme was designed to attract individuals into the BBC who may not have thought of applying to the organisation and who demonstrate the potential to be a Broadcast Journalist or an Assistant Producer for the BBC. The scheme was advertised in 2008 via a wide range of sources; on ethnic minority websites, in the press and through databases and networks. The BBC also targeted black and ethnic minority publications and sources, including the Islam Expo, as well as over 300 community groups from a wide range of backgrounds. The scheme was also promoted internally through the BBC Black and Asian Forum for staff.

All line managers and staff who sit on interview panels are required to have undertaken Fair Selection Training which is available as an e-learning package and via face-to-face training. More specifically, the Journalism Talent Pool has considered carefully the effect of diverse selection panels and assessors on the success rate of all diverse groups and therefore the scheme ensures that there are senior black and ethnic minority assessors involved in the assessment, recruitment and selection process.

Impact:

• From a total of 583 applications received in 2008, 117 (20.1%) were from black and minority ethnic applicants. The selection rate for further assessment was 10.3% for BAME applicants compared to 8.2% for the majority population.
• 44 individuals were assessed at an assessment centre of which 20.5% were from a BAME background. The selection rate from the assessment centre was 37.1% for BAME people by comparison to 66.7% for the majority population.
• 6 out of the total 19 candidates appointed were from a BAME background.
  

BT has a proven track record in attracting and recruiting BAME candidates at all levels of their organisation. Whilst general recruitment has been curbed this past year due to the economic situation, BT has continued its designated programmes for apprentices and graduates.

In collaboration and partnership with Fair Cities in Bradford, BT worked on a trial to improve the perception of their Openreach apprenticeship scheme and to ideally increase the number of BAME apprentices. An open day was held to enable those who were interested to hear more about the apprenticeships and meet members of the team they would be joining. The day also involved advice and information on how to apply and what the recruitment process included. There were also some observed group activities for those wanting to apply to help sift candidates for the next stage. The project was supported by the Regional Development Agency, Yorkshire Forward and Bradford Fair Cities and 10 potential vacancies were ring fenced.

Impact:

• As a result of this trial, 7 joined the BT foundation apprenticeship in September 2008.
• 4 were from a BAME background (57%), well above usual levels with typical recruitment processes.

As part of its commitment to diversity, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is keen to reflect the local communities and actively monitor demographic information to compare its workforce with the local communities in which it operates. Ensuring they reflect local communities is one of their Key Performance Indicators to ensure that they attract and recruit a diverse range of candidates. Statistics show that BAME employees are choosing to work and stay within RBS; between 2003 and 2006 the percentage of BAME employees doubled at the junior levels, increased by 33% at the middle management level and by 50% at the Senior Manager levels.

Volume roles support diverse businesses such as Retail and Insurance. In 2008, 23% of new recruits into these roles were from ethnic minority backgrounds, significantly ahead of national averages. The volume recruitment campaign began with a three-pronged strategy sourcing and attraction  strategy, comprising:

1. Online media such as job boards and search engines
2. Outreach programmes such as work with Job Centre Plus and Connexions
3. Offline mediums such as press insertions in local newspapers, e.g.: The Leicester Mercury and job fairs in cities such as Leeds and Bristol (where there are high ethnic minority populations).

Focus groups called Insight Panels were completed with customers – prospective employees – to gather their thoughts about recruitment materials. People external to RBS who reflect their key demographics in terms of salary, gender, ethnicity, age, socio-economic status were invited. A series of focus groups to test all advertising was run in four key UK locations.

Recruitment materials such as press and bus advertisements also included positive images of a diverse range of individuals to emphasise their commitment to recruiting a diverse workforce.

To support sourcing and attraction, RBS worked in partnership with Job Centre Plus (JCP) via the Local Employment Partnership Scheme

Impact:

• Applications were tracked across 12 different geographic regions in the UK. On average, the average local ethnic minority demographic in these regions was 11%. 27% of volume applications were from ethnic minority candidates which is far higher than the local demographics.
• 23% of total hires were also from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Supplier diversity is a strategic business policy and a critical part of Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s commitment to sustainability. Providing diverse suppliers with an equal opportunity to do business with the company promotes economic development in local communities, and strengthens Enterprise’s brand amongst the fastest growing sector in business. Enterprise Rent-A-Car encourages all of its operations to purchase a variety of goods and services locally - including printing and promotional services, cleaning products and services and stationery. This relies on relationships with over 200,000 suppliers.  As a result of the magnitude of suppliers and diversity of the population in regions in which Enterprise operates, we see no reason why we cannot match our procurement strategy to the diversity demographics of the communities we serve and have set this as our goal.
 
Enterprise’s supplier diversity policy for the company is set on a worldwide basis but is implemented on a local level. On a global level, since 2006, Enterprise Rent-A-Car has seen an increase in the percentage of minority suppliers. Also, 34% of their 2007 fiscal year purchases were made from small and minority run businesses.
 
Enterprise Rent-A-Car has also established ongoing collaborative relationships with a number of business support agencies and councils both in the US and the UK to help identify and build relationships with ethnic minority suppliers. As a founding member of MSDUK, Enterprise Rent-A-Car has been key to promoting procurement opportunities between corporate members and ethnic minority businesses with 30 corporates now in membership. The company also frequently sponsors, and attends, a range of activities including ‘Meet the Buyer’ events, procurement fairs, workshops and seminars which allow minority businesses to present their organisation to Enterprise Rent-A-Car and hundreds of other prospective procurers.

This case study profiles a scheme devised by Addleshaw Goddard, in collaboration with  BPP Law School, to offer students from less conventional backgrounds the opportunity of taking part in the law firm’s summer placement scheme. The scheme - known as the “Diversity Access Scheme” - is open to students who do not meet Addleshaw Goddard’s usual A-Level criteria but have demonstrated excellent academic ability at university.  Launched in 2007, the scheme attracts on average around 150 applications each year and to date 20 students have taken part.     

Impact:

• Eight students who have taken part in the scheme have gone on to secure training contracts with the firm.
• Participating students gain an invaluable opportunity by taking part in such a scheme and are able to use the experience to enhance their CV irrespective of whether or not they go on to secure a training contract.
• The Law Society's goal of widening access to the profession for underrepresented groups is supported through this scheme.

This is a leadership case study in which Ernst & Young addressed race diversity through partnerships with three of their BAME networks, leading to a key change to their strategy - to set targets to double BAME representation at Board level by 2011 and openly talk about this action. 

Highlights included repositioning their Accelerated Leadership Programme to be more accessible to BAME employees and hosting a reception for over 300 black parents and children to market career opportunities in the sector. Recently the firm has also rolled out unconscious bias training for all those involved in people decisions, launched a BAME leadership programme, hosted events on business issues to aid networking with key external contacts and participated in the national REACH role model campaign.

Impact:

• Increased BAME representation on Accelerated Leadership Programme from 13% to 16% in the last two years.
• Decreased turnover of BAME people in comparison to white people in the last two years.
• Increased awareness of the potential for unconscious bias leading to more equitable performance ratings.
• 20 network members now in formal mentoring/buddying schemes and over 400 staff attend business and personal skills sessions on average each year.
• Over 150 people attend external community and business network events each year and E&Y BAME networks host ten events for staff and external guests on average every year.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has two tailored development schemes (Band B Development Scheme and Leaders UnLtd) for high potential Band B staff with Senior Civil Service (SCS) potential. Both schemes are championed by the MOD’s Permanent Under Secretary who is the Civil Service-wide Diversity Champion and the MOD has the largest representation of any department on the Leaders UnLtd programme.
Leaders UnLtd forms part of a basket of initiatives to increase BAME representation across the MOD workforce. It is the result of a partnership between the Cabinet Office and the National School of Government. MOD played a major part in the design of the programme.

The overall aim of the scheme is to build the future leadership capacity and diversity of the SCS. To achieve this, the scheme provides a variety of learning opportunities including the development of a Learning Compact, which is a leadership development agreement between a participant of the scheme, their line manager and the sponsoring department; a host of interrelated activities comprising large and small groups and 1:1 interventions, such as coaching and mentoring, to stretch and support participants; the creation and implementation of a personalised Leadership Development Plan; and a bursary to support the individual’s learning needs.

Every year the Environment Agency runs a national campaign to recruit Environment Officers into the organisation. However, it was highlighted that although there was a good response from the BAME community, very few candidates were actually short-listed for the assessment centre. The Environment Agency decided to run a positive action campaign which was for a four month traineeship. The aim of this scheme was to provide the trainees with experience, learning and development to enable them to be strong candidates for recruitment to an Environment Officer role.

Impact:

• 26 people were recruited onto the programme which was an investment of £4,000 per trainee
• To date, 9 have been appointed to permanent Environment Officer posts
• Environment Agency have now embarked on another trainee scheme and will be working with a further 15 individuals over the next four months

To ensure continued best practice, all trainees, whether successful or not, are asked for their feedback on the scheme to inform future campaigns.