Talent Centric
lessons learned along the way,
Walker is keen to demonstrate
LUCY WOOD,
the positive potential of
ex-military personnel and
Insight days for veterans are also arranged.
GLOBAL CLIENT
the variety of skills they
“We’ve held these with Deloitte to encourage ex-
ENGAGEMENT,
may possess.
servicemen and women to see what a career there
ALEXANDER
This echoes the Royal British
looks like and we’ve done the same at Zurich and
Legion’s report, in reference to
Santander,” Wood explains.
MANN SOLUTIONS
“We’ve also done a number of networking
the Armed Forces Covenant,
events for our HR community to understand why
which is a promise, by the
n 2016, following three years working with we believe so passionately that ex-servicemen
nation, that those who have
Deloitte as part of its Military Transition and and women are great talent to have within
served in the armed forces, and
Talent Programme, Alexander Mann Solutions organisations,” she adds.
their families, are treated fairly.
Partnering with military charity Walking With The
signed
the Armed Forces Covenant, pledging to
Organisations can sign up to be
support ex-servicemen and women into civilian Wounded, Alexander Mann Solutions recently ran
a ‘forces-friendly employer’,
employment. As CEO Rosaleen Blair commented: a skills workshop with veterans, sending in a
deciding for themselves how
“Our experience shows that the biggest team to talk to them about interviewing and CV
they want to frame their
challenge for many service leaders when seeking skills. This followed participation in a fundraising
support through the wording
employment is in marketing themselves and their event in December known as “walking home for
of their covenant promise.
Christmas”, where staff walked with veterans from
transferable skills.”
For example, companies
Helping to coordinate the company’s initiatives their offices to Chelsea Pensioners.
may offer guaranteed
“We picked up all the people that work on site
is Head of Client Services, Lucy Wood (pictured),
interviews to veterans if they
a former officer in the Royal Artillery. From her at our different accounts and walked as a band of
meet the selection criteria
experience running an ex-services recruitment 120-plus people for mince pies and carols with
laid out in a job advert, or
company, she notes that “the people who struggle the Chelsea Pensioners,” says Wood. “We raised
recognise military skills
most are those who’ve been in the services more a lot of money for the charity. I thoroughly
and qualifications when
recommend anyone to take part in that event
than 20 years.
interviewing for new positions.
“Its also those who leave within three years, who again next year.
While the Legion sees the
To anyone considering hiring veterans,
perhaps have been infantry soldiers; the perception
is that they haven’t gained any skills,” she adds. “But Wood is keen to emphasise the significant return
Covenant as a positive initiative,
actually, they’ve learned discipline, a work ethic and on investment.
it warns that “it is vital that all
“Once you hire an ex-serviceperson, in the
how to operate within a large organisation.”
sectors of society do all that they
To help address the former issue, Alexander right role, you will end up with a loyal, engaged
can to ensure veterans are not
Mann Solutions plans to conduct research into employee, a person with a strong work ethnic
seen as a liability, or ‘damaged
hiring ex-servicepeople who are over the age of 50. and strong discipline, able to move through
goods’ in need of charity by
Meanwhile, working with colleagues, including Sir the business.”
potential employers”.
David Walker (see main article) and Client Services [email protected]
Alexander Mann Solutions
Manager and Royal Navy Reservist Oliver Holland, [email protected]
signed up to the Covenant in
Wood helps “send out a message to hire and look For more about Walking With The Wounded
2016, and is developing its own
visit: www.walkingwiththewounded.org.uk
after the ex-military, internally and with clients”.
initiatives (see box, right). “All
organisations, private or public,
was director of personal plans for the air
Ultimately, he argues, there’s a
need to be alive to the needs of
servicemen,” says Walker. “But it isn’t force, I was our diversity champion,” he significant business case around social
a zero-sum game. If you’re prepared to adds, explaining why he believes inclusion mobility – as well as a moral and legislative
case – so whether or not organisations
embrace ex-servicepeople, you’re going is more important than diversity.
“While any healthy organisation feel inclined to give back to society, they
to get a lot of rewards for it.
“Where we can really help is should be properly represented in terms will need to embrace social mobility to
supporting clients to fulfil what they of the make-up of society, it’s ‘cognitive attract talent.
“It’s made more acute by Brexit,”
want to do around the Covenant. diversity’ that’s really important,” he says.
Social mobility is “engineered into he concludes. “We need a talented
We’re in a good position to extract
best practice from the organisations the DNA of the RAF”, he believes, workforce and we know productivity
we’re serving, so we hope to stating that “how you got on would in the UK is less than some of our
share that, within our client base or be determined by your contribution European counterparts, and that there
to the organisation and by your is disparity in productivity around
more broadly.”
the UK. So as a nation, we need to
All this feeds into Walker’s overall personal qualities”.
But elsewhere, he feels social mobility remove the postcode lotteries around
emphasis on workplace inclusion, and his
education and social mobility.”
strong belief in social mobility. “When I is “a late arrival in the D&I agenda”.
I
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