open and inclusive recruitment - allen associates · 2017-10-11 · potential through diverse...

A step-by-step guide for Oxfordshire employers to unlock potential through diverse recruitment

OPEN AND INCLUSIVE RECRUITMENTBEST-PRACTICE HANDBOOK

ASPIRE, RECIPROCATE AND ALLEN ASSOCIATES

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ForewordWe have written this guide to help Oxfordshire organisations to adapt their recruitment practices to reach the widest possible pool of talent. Often overlooked, men and women with lived experience of overcoming real disadvantage and tough times in their lives – such as homelessness, or leaving care or the military – have so much to offer employers. They can help our organisations to fill our skills shortages and boost our productivity.

While we’re lucky Oxfordshire has a strong and growing local economy, this remarkable growth brings its challenges for employers in the county; we already have an extremely tight labour market, with low levels of unemployment alongside a high rate of job creation. Employers are reporting skills shortages that are preventing innovation and growth.

For any business to survive and thrive, it needs to learn faster than the rate of change happening around it – as any entrepreneur will tell you, every challenge presents an opportunity. There are many thousands of local people who could and want to work in Oxfordshire, who are currently out of a job. What these people have in common is untapped potential; with the right level of support, engagement and opportunity, they all have the capacity to be loyal, productive employees for your organisation. They can also help you become more representative of the communities you serve, help strengthen your business, and their employment would have huge benefits to society too.

We hope you seize this opportunity to review your recruitment practices to experience some of the remarkable benefits of giving people a chance in the world of work.

Kate Allen (Managing Director, Allen Associates) and Paul Roberts (CEO, Aspire Oxford)

ABOUT ALLEN ASSOCIATESAllen Associates is one of Oxfordshire’s leading independent recruitment agencies, meeting the employment requirements of candidates and clients, almost exclusively in the Oxfordshire area. They specialise in permanent, contract and temporary jobs in marketing/sales, PA/administration, human resources, finance, and executive-level appointments. They blend together both traditional recruitment methods (still insisting on face-to-face time with all clients and candidates) with modern recruitment methods, making effective use of technology and social media.

Allen Associates has a committed approach to CSR, having sponsored and supported the Oxford Children’s Hospital for eight years in a number of initiatives, specifically the annual OX5Run, which raised over £110,000 in 2016 alone. They are also keen and active supporters of The Ley Community, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre in Oxford, and active members of Oxfordshire Community Foundation’s Reciprocate responsible business group.

www.allen-associates.co.uk

ABOUT ASPIRE OXFORDAspire Oxford is an award-winning employment charity and social enterprise. Founded in 2001, it transforms the lives of over 1,000 highly disadvantaged local people each year, supporting them to overcome difficulties such as homelessness, substance misuse or a history of offending, to move towards and into employment. Aspire achieves this through providing real work experience, training and employment in its own businesses in grounds maintenance, property services and community transport, alongside intensive one-to-one coaching, and by arranging supported work placements with partner organisations.

Aspire is also a responsible recruiter: 48% of its workforce has lived experience of the disadvantages we enable others to tackle every day. Accessing this talent has enabled Aspire to become a vibrant, exciting and successful enterprise with a highly motivated and dynamic workforce, recording a 300% growth in its annual turnover within five years and enjoying high levels of staff motivation and retention.

www.aspireoxford.co.uk

OPEN AND INCLUSIVE RECRUITMENT: BEST-PRACTICE HANDBOOK

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LAING O’ROURKE’S STORY“Laing O’Rourke is always keen to support people into the construction and engineering industry.

The industry has a skills shortage and we are happy to do all we can to reach out to people from all walks of life, including those with challenging backgrounds, and support them to take up the fantastic opportunities our industry can offer.

Our partnership with Aspire, providing work experience to their trainees, is already seeing great results. We look forward to welcoming more Aspire trainees in the future.”—Paul DiMambro, Sustainability Manager at Laing O’Rourke

Other brands Prêt à Manger, Land Securities, Timpson, Greggs and M&S all have proactive, inclusive recruitment practices and/or community employment programmes – could your business join them?

ContentsThe employment context

What are the benefits?

What are open recruitment practices?

Three simple steps to open recruitment

Step-by-step guidanceEx-offenders

Young people NEET (including care leavers)

Homeless people

Single parents

Military veterans

Refugees

Other disadvantaged groups

Taking action

Useful links

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Former Aspire trainee, Matt Tatton, working on the Westgate Centre build for Laing O’Rourke

IntroductionThis guide is designed to support you to adapt your organisation’s recruitment practices in order to access talented and motivated candidates from disadvantaged groups – to help you reach the widest possible pool of talent. These include ex-offenders; young people who are ‘NEET’ (Not in Education, Employment or Training) and those leaving the care system; homeless people; single parents; military veterans; and refugees.

Drawing on the latest advice and guidance from the national ‘See Potential’ recruitment campaign and from Business in the Community (BITC), this guide sets out expert advice on reviewing staffing practices, and a step-by-step guide for how to introduce ‘open recruitment’ for each of these disadvantaged groups to your workplace. It also provides information on the local recruitment context in Oxfordshire, and useful links to the organisations working with these disadvantaged groups locally and nationally.


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What are the benefits?Aside from the very real, positive impact of changing individuals’ lives, employing a more diverse workforce can benefit your business in the following ways:

Resolve skills shortages Be cost-effective Increase staff retention Reduce staff absence

The positive effects are not limited to the individual or your business; society benefits greatly from reduced re-offending, a reduced burden on our benefits system and less need for expensive criminal justice and health and social care interventions. The National Audit Office has estimated that the social and economic costs of re-offending by those released from short sentences alone are between seven and ten billion pounds a year, and evidence shows that having a job reduces re-offending by 25–33%.

The employment context Oxfordshire has an extremely tight labour market, with low levels of unemployment and high job density – there are 95 jobs available for every 100 residents of ‘working age’. However, with the working-age population expected to decrease in the years to come, and with increased uncertainty over the future availability of migrant labour from Europe, businesses are likely to face multiple employment challenges and skills shortages.

Source: ‘Business Benefits of Work Inclusion’, Business in the Community, January 2015

Improve client relationships Upskill the existing workforce and boost morale Demonstrate a social conscience Boost corporate reputation

Evidence suggests that people from disadvantaged groups can become some of your best employees. They go the extra mile to secure results, tend to stay in a job for longer, and have a strong commitment to their employer and lower rates of absenteeism.

What inclusive businesses say about a more diverse workforce:

90% It is

advantageous

92% It has advanced our reputation

²∕₃It has boosted

skills levels

50% It has benefited

us financially

Oxfordshire working age population

443,900

Economically active371,200

Economically inactive72,700

Employed357,100

Unemployed14,100

Want a job15,400

Don’t want a job

57,300

Source: ‘Oxfordshire Labour Market Information’ Issue 5: Winter 2016, Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership

Yet there is also a significant proportion of the population not in work; whilst there are 14,100 registered unemployed, an additional 15,400 people would like to enter into employment but are classed as ‘economically inactive’ – that is, they have been unable to find employment for a range of reasons, and are not claiming anything from the state. Within this group are talented, motivated candidates working hard to overcome their disadvantage, who – with the right support and opportunity – can fill the county’s pressing skills shortages, boost our productivity, and become some of our best employees.


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What are open recruitment practices?Open recruitment means removing unfair and unnecessary barriers to appointing talented staff from disadvantaged groups that could be contributing to your organisation. It’s about opening doors and welcoming people to job interviews – and ultimately to your workforce.

Having an open recruitment policy covers everything from the job advert you publish and questions you ask (or don’t ask), through to the people you invite to interview. It includes the way you ask about criminal convictions and peoples’ addresses, and how you set out the working hours of the job. It could also mean offering training programmes such as apprenticeships, internships and work placements to those furthest from the labour market, whose skills might otherwise be overlooked.

Three simple steps to open recruitmentThe following guide is from HM Government’s ‘See Potential’ campaign.

1. MAKE THE DECISION TO CHANGEThe first step is to focus on the business case for developing more open recruitment practices, and to make a collective decision, as a senior management team, to tap into the widest possible talent pool.

Assess your existing recruitment policy

Identify your business objectives

Consider inclusive policies, partnerships and

initiatives that will work for your business

Gain internal buy-in from senior managers

Select your target group(s)

Agree your success measures

2. ADAPT YOUR RECRUITMENT PRACTICESOnce you’ve committed to open recruitment and secured internal buy-in from senior management, it’s time to make real alterations to your recruitment practices.

Select and approach partner organisationsto advise and guide you

Amend your standard recruitmentprocesses and checks

Set up a mentoring programme fordisadvantaged recruits

Consider appointing a project leader toensure changes are implemented at every level

3. EVALUATE OUTCOMES AND SHARE BEST PRACTICEHaving implemented an open recruitment policy and made strides towards appointing more candidates from disadvantaged groups, you could set a time frame for evaluating how it’s working. And make sure you don’t miss an opportunity to tell people about what you’re doing.

Measure business and social benefit using quantitative and qualitative data Put your diversity initiative at the heart of your communications strategy Share best practice with your industry via Reciprocate and other networks


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Step-by-step guidanceIn the section that follows, you will find step-by-step best-practice guidance for employing people from a series of different disadvantaged groups. At the end of this guide, there is a comprehensive list of organisations in Oxfordshire and nationally that can help you adopt inclusive and open recruitment policies, connect you with potential candidates and advise you on how exactly to recruit people from these groups.

Nationally, Business in the Community also offers programmes and support for employers to become more inclusive and benefit from access to a wider talent pool. Jobcentre Plus also has a range of recruitment services that can help you. They have offices in Oxford and in market towns across the county. They offer recruitment advice, including specialist support for businesses in setting up work trials to give you the opportunity to try out potential recruits. Locally, Aspire Oxford is an award-winning employment charity that has over 15 years’ experience in engaging with the disadvantaged groups listed here.

Ex-offendersSome employers worry that the public may not respond well to them hiring people who have broken the law in the past. However, evidence actually shows that the public warm to the idea of employers being socially responsible. There are more than 10 million people in the UK with a criminal record, so this isn’t a niche issue. It’s also a complete myth that your business’ insurance will automatically prevent you from employing ex-offenders.

When it comes to the way you deal with recruitment and criminal records, follow these steps:

Consider whether you need to ask candidates about criminal records. In most cases, there’s no legal obligation on you to enquire, unless you’re recruiting for a role that requires you to do a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Have a clear and accessible policy linked to from your online vacancies, setting out how you deal with applicants who have a criminal record. In order to manage applicants’ expectations, the policy should be clear on whether you will ask about it and, if so, when and how this will happen for each role.

‘Ban the Box’: only ask about criminal convictions on your application form once a candidate has been shortlisted or a conditional offer is made. This helps you to focus on the candidate’s skills and experience.

Written information about a conviction, whether official or provided by an individual, can be difficult to put into context. So if you do have concerns and feel you might have to refuse an individual because of their criminal record, give them an opportunity to explain the surrounding circumstances in person.

If you do ask about convictions, make sure that you ask the right question. For most jobs, you’re not allowed to consider convictions that are ‘spent’ under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (ROA). You would also be acting unlawfully if you were to carry out a criminal record check at a level inappropriate to the role. Employers who do this could be charged for unlawfully processing data of a sensitive nature.

Make sure you also make a written record of verbal disclosures of criminal convictions. This avoids unfair dismissals caused by misunderstandings surrounding non-disclosure.

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ARCHIE’S STORYArchie came to Oxford in 2015 after serving a short term in prison. He was living in a bail hostel and was very depressed, coping by relying on anti-depressants. He had very little confidence and said he “felt like no-one would employ him” as he had been unemployed for so long. In October Archie was introduced to Aspire; he was supported to get back on track with three days’ work experience and training on their grounds maintenance and painting and decorating teams each week. Archie says: “No matter what the situation, they were always laughing and smiling, which increased my confidence – and I so enjoyed the work.”

In January 2016, Aspire supported Archie to secure a paid part-time job delivering leaflets. By March Archie was off the anti-depressants, and was ready to go back to work full-time. He now works as a chef in a luxury hotel in Oxford.


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Young people NEET (including care leavers)NEET stands for ‘Not in Education, Employment or Training’ and refers to a group of young people who are often not fulfilling their potential due to poverty, family breakdown or disengagement with education. Often this can include young people who have been in the care system for large parts of their childhood, and on leaving the system struggle to find their way when much of the support they were afforded when younger disappears.

Follow these steps to engage these valuable young people:

Some jobs or apprenticeships require minimum education and experience requirements, which can sometimes unfairly filter out young people NEET, who will have had fewer opportunities. Consider offering short-term traineeships as a way of sampling their talents and helping them acquire experience in the field.

Make the application process as accessible as possible. That includes making sure your application forms are in plain English. Some young people NEET may struggle with the application process, having received little or no career support from their families. Lots of employers are using creative application procedures outside of the workplace, assessing personal aptitude and capacity to develop in a particular industry rather than more formal processes.

Consider offering greater discretion on leave entitlement for young people NEET to attend any necessary appointments with organisations that help them get on their feet. Local authorities offer care leavers support up to the age of 21 (24 if still in education). Consider offering a buddying scheme to help them grow in their roles.

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KIERAN’S STORYKieran was drinking and taking drugs, and his mental health was at an all-time low. Kieran’s parents had had enough of the way he was acting, so he decided to go to Turning Point where he met an Aspire support worker. He advised Kieran to start attending Aspire’s boxercise and bootcamp classes, and after a couple of weeks Kieran’s mental health started to improve.

Kieran says: “I started to feel physically stronger and I was getting into a routine. I was making friends and I found myself spending my time with these people rather than on the streets taking drugs and drinking. My self-confidence grew so much that just after Christmas I got myself a full-time job. My parents are now proud of me, I’m happy and enjoying life, and a lot of this is down to the self-belief I got from doing the boxercise.”

Homeless peopleIn its broadest sense, homelessness is the problem faced by people who lack a place to live that is supportive, affordable, decent and secure. For every rough sleeper, there are around 100 people in hostels, and 1,100 households in overcrowded accommodation. This means that there are many unseen individuals affected by homelessness who will struggle to access employment and bring themselves out of their predicament.


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MARK’S STORYMark had been unemployed for 10 years, had very poor mental and physical wellbeing, and had found himself living in a local homeless shelter. He joined Aspire as a trainee in April 2014, completed his Health and Safety training, and got months of real work experience on the Painting & Decorating and Grounds Care teams. Mark was also supported to get ID for employment and to complete an Employment Development Workshop with Capita’s HR team.

With Aspire’s support, Mark progressed to undertake external work placements, first with the Oxford University’s Pembroke College, and then with the facilities management team at The Oxford Castle Quarter. Mark impressed and was offered a paid, full-time caretaker role by Interserve in June 2016.

Mark says: “When I started at Aspire I was mentally and physically very low. My caseworker, Christine, was very good with me – she helped build my confidence and supported me to get my own accommodation. Joining Aspire was the best thing that could have happened to me.”

Remember that homeless people will come from a variety of professional backgrounds. Lots of homeless people will have previously been in highly skilled jobs.

Don’t sift out candidates just because they have gaps in their work histories. Gaps on CVs can be for a variety of reasons, including periods of homelessness.

Train line managers to understand the impact of homelessness. Understanding the effect on a candidate’s self-esteem, and having strong support networks in place, can help candidates with histories of homelessness give you their best as employees.

Offer secure contracts wherever possible. Homelessness is characterised by instability, so it is important for those who are rebuilding their lives to have enough security to plan for the future – and subsequently thrive at work.

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Single parentsSingle parents often need to overcome a number of factors when moving into employment. For example it can be a struggle to find reliable, affordable childcare; they may be lacking in confidence and relevant skills and experience due to having been out of work whilst caring for their children for a number of years; and they will continue to have care responsibilities for their children which will affect their flexibility of working hours.

Follow these steps when making allowances for single parents:

Broaden your appeal as an employer by advertising jobs on a compressed hours or job share basis. Promote the fact you offer flexible working practices in your job adverts.

All employees have the legal right to request flexible working. Although employers aren’t legally obliged to offer this to employees that have been working with them for less than 26 weeks, it’s good practice to be as flexible as you can and consider what you can do to help employees who are single parents.

Going back to work after time out to look after children isn’t always easy. Consider introducing a family-friendly induction period. Perhaps start with reduced working hours of 9.30am to 3.00pm, to help single parents settle into the workplace, build their confidence and support them in realising they can manage work and looking after a family on their own. After an initial induction period, gradually introduce the shift pattern to help parents adjust.

It would help your single parent colleagues to let them know of Ofsted-registered local childcare providers, which offer tax-free childcare and the new 30 hours of free childcare for three- and four-year-olds.

A buddy scheme during the first few months, ideally with another parent, can also prove effective in supporting single parent colleagues to settle in.

Follow these steps when recruiting homeless people:

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TAMMY’S STORYTammy was a lone parent of a four-year-old child, had left school with no qualifications and had never been in employment. Tammy was keen to look into learning opportunities, but was very anxious. Aspire supported Tammy to attend an English course run by Ruskin College, and gave her coaching sessions to overcome her anxiety. At the start of the course, Tammy admits she was “shaking like a leaf”, but was determined to overcome her fears. She attended an introduction to working in schools, and then volunteered at her daughter’s school.

After growing in confidence, Tammy felt able to apply for employment vacancies. She met with Greggs, and was assured enough to negotiate her working hours. She began her new job in December 2015, and continues to thrive.

Military veteransEx-military personnel have a unique set of skills and abilities, such as leadership, resilience and discipline – all of which are transferable to the civilian workplace. However, veterans can sometimes struggle in the initial recruitment stages to translate their skills and experience in a way that resonates with employers.

Follow these steps when recruiting military veterans:

Work with military organisations to identify talented veterans, or hire someone with military experience to help you become better at spotting talent.

It’s difficult for some veterans to know where to start their job search. Try to make your business known by attending job fairs and advertise your vacancies through the Career Transition Partnership and other military charities.

Military culture can affect how veterans approach job interviews. They are trained to emphasise their teams and not take credit for their achievements. Try to help them ‘sell themselves’ during the interview process.

The majority of military veterans have not engaged in combat and will not have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Nevertheless, experience shows that people with PTSD can perform well in jobs with the right help and support.

Adjusting from the military to the business world can be a challenging process for some veterans. Offering a buddying or mentoring scheme can help them feel welcome and settle into the business quicker. Veterans can also benefit from a community of fellow veterans, so consider setting up an internal military network at your company.

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RefugeesThe majority of refugees were working before they arrived in the UK, and have backgrounds in a wide variety of roles, from skilled trades to managers and senior officials. Research shows that refugees are highly motivated to find employment in the UK and to make a positive contribution at work.

Follow these steps when recruiting refugees:

Refugees have the same protection against discrimination in the workplace on the grounds of protected characteristics as everyone else in the UK. But they can also experience particular problems because there is confusion about their rights and entitlements. It is important to ensure that all job selections are made on the basis of suitability for the post. You should not make assumptions about a person’s right to work or immigration status on the basis of their colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, accent or the length of time they have been resident in the UK.

Refugees are not part of the points-based system, where migrants are required to meet particular skill and experience levels and employers are given sponsorship duties. They are able to work in the UK without any restrictions and, in common with other employees in the UK, are covered by the Equality Act 2010 and the Human Rights Act 1998.

There are documents that refugees, and some asylum seekers, have that demonstrate their entitlement to work in the UK, which you can check as an employer to ensure that you are employing them legally.

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Other disadvantaged groups This guide is by no means comprehensive, and has been put together based on the expertise of Aspire Oxford. There are a number of fantastic organisations supporting people towards and into employment in Oxfordshire with the following barriers:

Learning disabilities and autism: Mencap runs the excellent ‘Employ Me’ programme, and Yellow Submarine have a great track record of supporting young people with learning disabilities into employment.

Mental health: Restore offers employment coaching for people who are unemployed due to poor mental health.

Taking actionIf you have been inspired by the contents of this handbook and wish to do more to promote open and inclusive recruitment practices in your business, here’s what you can do:

Join the Reciprocate responsible business group to have contact with other like-minded businesses, including those that are already working with disadvantaged groups.

Contact Aspire Oxford for expert local support.

Check over the list of organisations on the next page willing to help you with specific groups.


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EX-OFFENDERSOxfordshireThames Valley Probation Community Rehabilitation Company’s probation officers support offenders with a wide range of rehabilitation activities

Spring Hill and Bullingdon Prisons have dedicated staff in their teams organising work experience, training and employment for serving offenders

NationalBusiness in the Community’s Ban the Box campaign guides employers on when and how to ask about criminal convictions

Nacro provides free expert advice to help employers considering recruiting someone with a criminal record

The St Giles Trust has a dedicated employment service, helping place ex-offenders

Blue Sky helps companies recruit committed workers

Unlock supports fair treatment of people with criminal records

YOUNG PEOPLE NEET (INCLUDING CARE LEAVERS)OxfordshireTRAX delivers services and training to young people in Oxford, including mechanical bicycle building and catering

Base 33 is based in Witney and supports young people to develop their self-confidence, skills and work readiness

ACE Training provides quality apprenticeship in brickwork, bench joinery, groundworks and site carpentry

South Oxfordshire Food and Education Alliance trains deprived young people in logistics-related work, redistributing food donated by supermarkets to local charities

Oxfordshire County Council’s Education, Employment & Training Team operates from the eight Children and Family Centres across the county

Further education colleges, including Activate Learning and Abingdon and Witney College, have employer engagement programmes

NationalThe Prince’s Trust works with young people who need practical, financial and emotional support and places them with employers looking for fresh talent

The School of Hard Knocks is a sports charity that prepares people from disadvantaged groups, including those who grew up in care, to become work-ready

Street League provides work-ready, enthusiastic young people for employment

Catch 22 supports those who have grown up in care begin their career journey

Barnardo’s provides employment, training and skills for young people, to equip them to find work and pursue a career

Become offers affordable training and consultancy to organisations that hire those who have grown up in care

HOMELESS PEOPLEOxfordshireCrisis Skylight is a café in Oxford that trains homeless people in the hospitality industry

Banbury Young Homeless Project (BYHP) supports young people through employment coaching and engagement programmes with local employers

NationalCrisis supports homeless people into meaningful, sustainable employment through its recruitment service

SINGLE PARENTSOxfordshireActivate Learning is an FE college operating the ‘Building Better Opportunities’ programme, designed to support long-term unemployed Oxfordshire residents into employment

NationalGingerbread is England and Wales’ leading single parent charity and can help match employers with skilled and passionate workers

MILITARY VETERANSOxfordshireThe Royal British Legion has branches across Oxfordshire, and a website to support service leavers, www.civvystreet.org

Regular Forces Employment Association (RFEA) has an Oxfordshire advisor and provides support, jobs and training opportunities to service leavers and veterans

NationalThe Career Transition Partnership (CTP) is the official provider of Armed Forces resettlement

The Forces Employment Charity offers companies a no-cost, high-quality recruitment service through which they can access highly qualified Service leavers

Veterans Employment Transition Support brings together charities, businesses and the MOD to improve employment outcomes for veterans

REFUGEESOxfordshireAsylum Welcome provides advice and practical help to asylum seekers and refugees on employment

NationalThe Refugee Council provides guidance for employers on recruiting refugees

Useful linksLocally, Aspire Oxford is a key port of call for advice about employing all of the groups listed. In addition, the following organisations can help.

This Open and Inclusive Recruitment Handbook has been created by Aspire with the support of Reciprocate member and recruitment firm Allen Associates. It draws on the latest advice and guidance from HM Government’s ‘See Potential’ recruitment campaign and from Business in the Community (BITC).

Reciprocate is a responsible business group that aims to help Oxfordshire’s business community become more strategic in their thinking about community engagement, and realise their good intentions through the power of many. Reciprocate is led by local companies and hosted by Oxfordshire Community Foundation.

OXFORDSHIRE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION3 Woodin’s Way, Oxford, OX1 [email protected] 798666www.reciprocateox.org

ASPIRE OXFORDSt. Thomas School, Osney Lane, Oxford, OX1 [email protected] 01865 204450www.aspireoxford.co.uk

open and inclusive recruitment - allen associates · 2017-10-11 · potential through diverse...

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