Recruitment Matters April 2019

THE VIEW AND THE INTELLIGENC E

Focusing on the bigger picture P2 BIG TALKING PO INT

What does good recruitment look like? P4 LEGAL UPDATE

RECRUITMENT MATTERS

Understanding how Brexit affects EU workers P6 Issue 72 April 2019

TR AINING

Why finding the right trainer matters P8

G E N D E R D I V E R SI T Y

Working with Parliament to better support more inclusive workplaces D

iversity in the workplace has been proven to lead to better performance for organisations, and reducing the pay gap could add billions of pounds to the UK economy. The REC knows just how important it is to share how recruiters can help drive change. Last year, it sponsored the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Women and Work, providing support for the group’s ‘How to Recruit Women for the 21st Century’ toolkit – launched in January. Within the toolkit, the APPG takes up the REC’s recommendation to broaden the Apprenticeship Levy to be used as a training and skills levy. Making the levy more flexible will allow many thousands more temporary workers to benefit from training. To improve fairness in recruiting and selecting candidates – allowing women more opportunities in the jobs market – the APPG has also recommended the importance of using recruitment agencies affiliated with trade associations like the REC.

@RECPress RM_April_2019.indd 1

“Recruitment members all adhere to a code of professional conduct in which diversity is a core principle,” explains Sophie Wingfield, the REC’s head of policy. “Recruitment professionals are well placed to advise employers on how best they can make change happen.”

“Recruitment members all adhere to a code of professional conduct in which diversity is a core principle”

This year, the REC is again getting involved in the APPG’s work. The theme for 2019 is ‘inclusivity and intersectionality’, recognising that women are not a homogenous group. It is seeking to shine a spotlight on how different aspects of identity such as age, race, disability or income – together with gender – can affect an individual’s experience of recruitment and employment. And it will explore how a better understanding of this intersectionality can support a more inclusive workplace. Tom Hadley, the REC’s director of policy and campaigns, plans to give evidence on the business case for diversity at the first meeting of this new programme, due to take place as Recruitment Matters went to press. The REC will also continue to champion the role its members can play in helping to challenge established practices and access new pools of candidates, particularly through its Good Recruitment Campaign. Ornella Nsio, REC stakeholder engagement manager

www.rec.uk.com 04/03/2019 10:37