HBOS

Recruitment and Retention Initiatives

The Diversity team devised a strategic plan to implement initiatives to help their business avoid skills shortages and to support a more age diverse workforce. The approach was signed off at Board level and championed through their Diversity Leadership Group.

Recruitment and Retention Initiatives include:

• Removing age from their Application Form for Employment
• Having Equal Opportunities statements on all job adverts - including some that positively welcomed applications from older as well as more recently qualified candidates
• Using age diverse images on recruitment adverts
• All applications for both internal and external vacancies being based on a competency framework to ensure all appointments are based on merit
• Producing an 'Age Concerned?' Leaflet that has been distributed to personnel and business managers in support of the Age Code of Practice
• Monitoring their workforce by age and using the data as a catalyst for change and action:


16-25 years - 22.0%
26-35 years - 33.2%
36-45 years - 26.6%
46-55 years - 14.5%
56 years+ - 3.7%



• Analysing the findings of their annual Staff Opinion Survey data to determine any variance by age
• Promoting the business benefits of an age diverse workforce and customer base through their rolling programme of Diversity Roadshows which have exceeded all expectations with over 40 events being attended by 600 key influencers in the business
• Initiating changes to their graduate recruitment selection to avoid potential discrimination of older candidates, which is currently attracting a wider age range of successful applicants
• Briefing/monitoring of recruitment partners and headhunters in our best practice to ensure balanced and representative shortlists of candidates - educate and challenge them.

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