main content

Recruitment and retention

The recruitment and retention of motivated, qualified staff is critical to the future success of the business.

Recruitment

We aim to recruit the best candidates to fill all positions by having a rigorous and efficient selection process, ensuring that career routes are clear and will provide the challenge development and progression that the best candidates demand and checking that potential recruits have the values and standards of integrity we expect from all of our employees.

All managers responsible for selection interviewing attend training sessions as well as receiving support from our human resources professionals. This training reinforces our commitment to diversity and ensures our recruitment practices are fair and non-discriminatory.

We supplement interviewing with personality profiling, ability tests and assessment centres for many roles.

We are seeking to improve our process further by introducing a new vacancy and recruitment management system to improve the efficiency and coordination of our recruitment exercises across our different businesses and to ensure that our own people are aware of career opportunities.

We have recruited over 550 graduates over the last five years and have annual recruitment campaigns designed specifically for graduates, placement and vacation students and trainees. This includes attendance at careers fairs, presentations at universities, graduate advertising and sponsorships.

We recruit school leavers to apprenticeship schemes (we have over 400 apprentices in training) and to block release courses leading to BTec or full degree qualifications.

Retention

In 2006 voluntary employee turnover was reduced from 18% the previous year to 16% and the absence rate was also reduced from 2.6% to 2.3%.

We have a formal Organisation and People Review (OPR) process which embraces succession management and focuses on the development and progress of key groups of people.

We regard it as healthy practice to recruit externally to bring fresh thinking and experiences into the Group, but we also aim to retain and develop the people we have and to promote from within, wherever possible. We believe this reduces the risks to our ability to deliver our projects successful and to maintain our high standards of quality and safety.

ˆ back to top