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Sitting Bucks Volleyball Club &ndash; sponsored by Guidant Global &ndash; has won the England Sitting Volleyball championship for the third year in a row following their recent success in the Cup competition for the second year.&nbsp;<span class="EOP SCXW66227073 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;
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Sitting Volleyball is volleyball where the court is smaller, the net is closer to the ground, and rules have been slightly adapted, making it suitable for players both with and without disabilities. The premium competition in England is the Sitting Volleyball Grand Prix.<span class="EOP SCXW66227073 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;
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A battle with close rivals South Hants resulted in a 3-1 outcome; this included a stirring come-back on the third set having been 5-15 down, winning 25-22. All 8 players in the squad contributed fully with Kev Tann being awarded Most Valuable Player.<span class="EOP SCXW66227073 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;
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This builds on the club&rsquo;s first foray into European competition in February when they played in the Bronze League in Slovenia. Led by club manager and founder Steve Smith and assisted by captain Mike Knight, Sitting Bucks have grown from a start-up development club in late 2018 to being the most dominant club in English Sitting Volleyball.&nbsp;<span class="EOP SCXW66227073 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;
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Sitting Volleyball is an inclusive sport where teams have players with and without disabilities; Sitting Bucks have four members who have lost limbs and represent Great Britain in the Men&rsquo;s and Women&rsquo;s teams.<span class="EOP SCXW66227073 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;
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&nbsp;In 2024, the Club gained Guidant Global as headline sponsor and the relationship is starting to blossom due to Guidant Global&rsquo;s strong focus on ED&amp;I. Sitting Bucks are committed to growing the sport within the disabled community and welcome Guidant Global&rsquo;s support in being able to publicize this more widely.<span class="EOP SCXW66227073 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;
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&ldquo;We are thrilled to be involved with such an inclusive sport where athletes with disabilities have the opportunity to compete at the highest level,&rdquo; states Simon Blockley, CEO,&nbsp;Impellam&nbsp;UK and Europe. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re pleased to see them continue to do so incredibly well and look forward to seeing their future successes moving forward.&rdquo;<span class="EOP SCXW66227073 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;
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<span class="EOP SCXW66227073 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;<a class="Hyperlink SCXW66227073 BCX0" href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/about/diversity-and-inclusion/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Find out more about how Guidant Global&rsquo;s are taking the lead within the recruitment industry for diverse and inclusive workforce strategies</a><span class="EOP SCXW66227073 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;
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<a class="Hyperlink SCXW66227073 BCX0" href="https://www.facebook.com/people/Sitting-Bucks-Volleyball-Club/61555582899044/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Follow Sitting Bucks on Facebook.</a><span class="EOP SCXW66227073 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;
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Accessible volleyball team Sitting Bucks win Grand Prix for third year in a row

We marked this year&rsquo;s International Women&rsquo;s Day with events in the UK and North America, where the Guidant Global team and Impellam Group colleagues spoke about the challenges women and other minority groups can encounter at work, and how we can support more fair and inclusive workplaces and opportunities for everyone.&nbsp;
Impellam's IM Womxn Business Resource Group hosted a London event with guest speaker Lauren Neal, author of best-selling book 'Valued at Work'. Lauren shared the stage with Hoa Ngo, Managing Director at Comensura, Hayley Klaff, Director of Projects &ndash; STEM and Laura Browne, Client Services Manager at Guidant Global.&nbsp;
They discussed the question, &lsquo;Why do we need to inspire inclusion?&rsquo;&nbsp;
Lauren spoke about the bias and sexism she&rsquo;s faced in STEM settings while working on engineering projects, and said inclusion is about ensuring that everyone feels appreciated by having their voice and contribution acknowledged in the work environment: &ldquo;If we don&rsquo;t have an ability to have everybody take part and be valued for taking part, we&rsquo;re going to miss everything.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Hoa Ngo believes that fostering inclusion should be a daily practice that we can each embody in how we communicate with our colleagues and express appreciation for others. She stated that there have been men who have been supportive and encouraging to her throughout her career and urged more men to support their female colleagues and &lsquo;open the door.&rsquo;&nbsp;
This was a point of view shared by Hayley Klaff: &ldquo;Everyone has a part to play in this. It&rsquo;s important that people feel they&rsquo;ve got an opportunity to contribute, and their voices will be heard &ndash; this is why we ensure that we&rsquo;ve got an inclusive environment [at Impellam].&rdquo;&nbsp;
The panel also talked about the problems with companies that just check boxes to meet Equality, Diversity and Inclusion recruitment goals, instead of thinking about why they want to hire women and people from other overlooked groups.&nbsp;
Claire Marsh, CEO, Impellam North America, hosted a panel event in Atlanta, Georgia, with Jillian Montgomery, HR Business Partner, Danielle Keane, Senior Director - VMS Implementations, Impellam, Lizzie Verbeek, P&amp;D Business Partner, Impellam, Briana Moglia Boyajian, Principle Mobile Recruiter, Lorien, Jillian Montgomery, HR Business Partner, Impellam and guest Kahlila Alexander, Associate Director and Diversity Advocate, Kimberly Clark.&nbsp;
The panel explored ways to collaborate as coaches, mentors, allies, and sponsors to build more fair workplaces and offer equal opportunities for everyone. They also talked about spreading the word on what you know by telling your story to others to 'put yourself out there.&rsquo;&nbsp;
One idea that resonated with many was 'The Platinum Rule'. This is treating others the way they want to be treated, over and above treating others how you would like to be treated (the &lsquo;Golden Rule&rsquo;). As Claire said: &ldquo;[Adopting] this approach allows us to build more effective relationships and recognize the unique strengths that everyone brings to the table.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Inspiring Women in Leadership&nbsp;
We work with companies across the world with women in leadership inspiring inclusion. For more on some of their thoughts and insights, click on the links below:&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/inspire-inclusion-interviews-clare-lewis/">Clare Lewis - Recruitment Lead, Europe and Global Recruitment Lead Risk &amp; Broking at WTW&nbsp;</a>
<a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/inspire-inclusion-interviews-sharon-doyle/">Sharon Doyle - Chief Product Officer at Deem, Travelport&nbsp;</a>
<a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/inspire-inclusion-interviews-cheri-vander-moren/">Cheri Vander Moren &ndash; Lead Indirect Sourcing Manager at Amway&nbsp;</a>
<a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/inspire-inclusion-interview-laura-loader/">Laura Loader - Services Director at Burberry</a>
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Guidant Global ‘Inspires Inclusion’ for International Women's Day with panel discussions and guest speakers  

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Tell us a little bit about yourself.&nbsp;
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Hi, I&rsquo;m Laura Loader, Services Director at Burberry. I lead a global team responsible for strategic procurement of indirect services. It is my fifth year in role at Burberry and I previously worked at British Gas and John Lewis Partnership.&nbsp;
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What is your proudest achievement?<span class="EOP SCXW177250188 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279,&quot;469777462&quot;:[720],&quot;469777927&quot;:[0],&quot;469777928&quot;:[1]}">&nbsp;
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Not one moment, but most fulfilling is seeing someone you manage or mentor thriving and realizing their potential.&nbsp;<span class="EOP SCXW177250188 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}">&nbsp;
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This year the theme of IWD is #InspireInclusion. What does this mean to you?<span class="EOP SCXW177250188 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279,&quot;469777462&quot;:[720],&quot;469777927&quot;:[0],&quot;469777928&quot;:[1]}">&nbsp;
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As a leader it&rsquo;s about creating space to hear all voices. This makes work and life so much more interesting and provides different perspectives that enrich projects or help solve problems. This is a fundamental part of our team&rsquo;s role as business partners. Our work involves understanding business needs and identifying solutions that can deliver the best possible outcome and value.&nbsp;
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Which women inspire you the most? Or if you could have dinner with one inspirational woman, who would it be and why?<span class="EOP SCXW177250188 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279,&quot;469777462&quot;:[720],&quot;469777927&quot;:[0],&quot;469777928&quot;:[1]}">&nbsp;
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Glennon Doyle, the author of Untamed &ndash; a highly recommended read!&nbsp;
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What is the most valuable piece of advice that you could give other women?&nbsp;
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If you ever hear a little voice in your head that tells you, &ldquo;you&rsquo;re not good enough&rdquo; or &ldquo;you can&rsquo;t do that,&rdquo; remind the little voice it is not paying rent and needs to vacate the property.&nbsp;
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Have you faced any barriers in your career, if so, how did you overcome them?<span class="EOP SCXW177250188 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279,&quot;469777462&quot;:[720],&quot;469777927&quot;:[0],&quot;469777928&quot;:[1]}">&nbsp;
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My mum attended a job interview, one of the interview questions was; &ldquo;Would you be happy to be sterilized before joining our firm?&rdquo; At the time of my birth, my mum wasn&rsquo;t legally allowed to have a bank account in her own name. Reflecting on this and the huge changes I have seen throughout my career, I prefer to think that external barriers no longer exist, that way I can focus on whether I&rsquo;m somehow creating my own barriers.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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If I were ever in a position where I felt that my gender was limiting my career, I would vote with my feet and leave.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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How does Burberry promote inclusion in the workplace?<span class="EOP SCXW177250188 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279,&quot;469777462&quot;:[720],&quot;469777927&quot;:[0],&quot;469777928&quot;:[1]}">&nbsp;
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Burberry offers all colleagues space to express their creativity and opportunities to develop personally and professionally.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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We have codified key behaviors and standards aligned to our values ensuring they are embedded across the organization. We believe diversity, equity and inclusion are essential to fulfilling our purpose and living by our values as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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Attracting and retaining diverse talents and fostering an inclusive culture enables us to be more creative in everything we do and open spaces for our colleagues and communities.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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We take a holistic approach to supporting our colleagues by offering a variety of resources that reinforce their physical, financial, emotional, social, and overall wellbeing.&nbsp;
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Inspire Inclusion Interview: Laura Loader

Inspire Inclusion Interviews: Cheri Vander Moren

Inspire Inclusion Interviews: Sharon Doyle

Inspire Inclusion Interviews: Clare Lewis

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Workforce and STEM talent solutions experts&nbsp;Impellam Group, powered by Guidant Global, have signed the Women in Defence Charter; a pivotal commitment in developing a more diverse workforce within the UK defence sector.<span class="EOP SCXW159380269 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}">&nbsp;
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The Women in Defence Charter, launched in 2017, is a voluntary pledge for organizations in the sector to work towards achieving a better gender balance.&nbsp;<span class="EOP SCXW159380269 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}">&nbsp;
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Creating inclusive workplace cultures in defence<span class="EOP SCXW159380269 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}">&nbsp;
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The Women in Defence Charter emphasizes the need for inclusive workplace cultures and that gender balance requires more than just increasing the number of women in the workforce.&nbsp;<span class="EOP SCXW159380269 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}">&nbsp;
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One of the key aspects of the charter is addressing the barriers that prevent the progression of women in the defence sector, and identifying and dismantling systemic obstacles that may impede the professional growth of female employees.&nbsp;<span class="EOP SCXW159380269 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}">&nbsp;
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By actively working to break down these barriers, organizations can ensure that women have equal opportunities for career advancement, mentorship, and professional development.<span class="EOP SCXW159380269 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}">&nbsp;
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Whilst this charter is aimed at defence companies, it is also highly relevant to companies and organizations that are in the supply chain for defence companies and government departments.<span class="EOP SCXW159380269 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}">&nbsp;
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At Guidant Global we have worked with defence and aerospace companies specifically on increasing gender diversity within their workforce and have plans for 2024 and beyond to build on this work and promote this as a positive step to take for new clients and partners.&nbsp;<span class="EOP SCXW159380269 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}">&nbsp;
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&ldquo;We&rsquo;re excited to be working together with the Women in Defence Charter, taking steps to ensure a more equal gender balance in the defence sector by working with forward thinking companies that can also see the value of this,&rdquo; says Karina Townley, UK Managing Director of Guidant Global.<span class="EOP SCXW159380269 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}">&nbsp;
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&ldquo;Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is central to everything we stand for and as the UK defence industry continues to expand into new areas and develop new technologies, it will be more important than ever.&rdquo;<span class="EOP SCXW159380269 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}">&nbsp;
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Delivering the defence workforce of the future<span class="EOP SCXW159380269 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}">&nbsp;
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Guidant Global&rsquo;s recent report gathered data from across the defence sector for their input into what is affecting and influencing talent in the industry, including attitudes and opportunities to diversify the defence supply chain.<span class="EOP SCXW159380269 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}">&nbsp;
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<a class="Hyperlink SCXW159380269 BCX0" href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/gated-content/read-the-report-delivering-the-defence-workforce-of-the-future-/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Find out more by downloading the report.</a><span class="EOP SCXW159380269 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:-20,&quot;335559737&quot;:-20,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:257}">&nbsp;
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Empowering change: The Women in Defence Charter 

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London, 19th Feb 2024 &ndash; <a class="Hyperlink SCXW132526157 BCX0" href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Guidant Global</a>, powered by Impellam Group, a leading workforce solutions provider and advocate for diversity and inclusivity, proudly announces its sponsorship of the Sitting Bucks Volleyball Club, a dynamic force in the world of sitting volleyball. &nbsp;
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Sitting volleyball, an adaptation of the traditional game, sees competitors engaging in electrifying matches while seated on the floor. Despite the unique format, the sport embodies the same spirit of teamwork, skill, and determination found in its standing counterpart. Originating as a rehabilitation exercise for injured soldiers, sitting volleyball has evolved into a fiercely competitive discipline, gaining recognition on the global stage, including inclusion in the Paralympic Games.&nbsp;
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Founded in 2018, Sitting Bucks Volleyball Club has rapidly ascended the ranks of the national sitting volleyball scene. Through dedication and perseverance, the club has achieved remarkable success, culminating in back-to-back national titles in 2022 and 2023. Led by club chairman and team captain Mike Knight and founder Steve Smith, Sitting Bucks embodies the values of camaraderie, sportsmanship, and resilience. Steve Smith is also the club manager and a volleyball referee who has officiated the standing game for 15 years and sitting volleyball for around 10 years.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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The sponsorship aligns seamlessly with Guidant Global&rsquo;s commitment to promoting diversity and fostering under-represented talent within the workplace. By supporting Sitting Bucks, Guidant Global embraces a sport that welcomes individuals of all abilities, from beginners to elite athletes, promoting an environment of inclusivity and mutual growth. As Sitting Bucks prepares for the ParaVolley Europe Club Championships, Guidant Global stands alongside the team, championing their pursuit of excellence on the international stage.&nbsp;
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"Guidant Global is honoured to partner with Sitting Bucks Volleyball Club," said Simon Blockley, CEO, Impellam UK and Europe. "We believe in the power of sports without barriers to unite communities and celebrate diversity. Sitting volleyball embodies these principles, offering a platform where everyone can thrive and excel. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership and supporting Sitting Bucks in their journey to new heights."&nbsp;
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Steve Smith, of Sitting Bucks comments, &ldquo;Our goal at Sitting Bucks is not just to achieve fantastic results in our domestic league but to contribute meaningfully to the growth of the sport in the UK. Our new partnership with Guidant Global is an exciting milestone and provides us with a platform to drive awareness and bring the sport to a much wider audience. Guidant is a recognised leader in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the workforce solutions space and I cannot think of a better fit for us and the sport!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;
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As Sitting Bucks continues to inspire and empower, Guidant Global stands as a proud ally, championing diversity, passion, and inclusivity in sports and beyond.&nbsp;
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For more information about Sitting Bucks Volleyball Club, visit the club&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/people/Sitting-Bucks-Volleyball-Club/61555582899044/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook page</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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Guidant Global Proudly Sponsors Sitting Bucks Volleyball Club: Championing Passion, Diversity, and Inclusivity in Sports 

AI (Artificial Intelligence) is bringing significant changes to the way we work and live. It might be assumed that as AI is technology-driven, it must be male-dominated, given that <a href="https://www.womenintech.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Women-in-Tech-Survey-2023.pdf">research shows that only 26% of those working in technology are female</a>. In a literal sense, this appears to be true, with an even<a href="https://www.womenintech.co.uk/why-are-there-so-few-women-in-artificial-intelligence-ai#:~:text=However%2C%20currently%20only%2022%25%20of,of%20women%20working%20in%20it."> lower percentage (22%) of workers in AI being female</a>.&nbsp;
However, as a whole, the existence of AI presents significant opportunities for women to excel in careers no matter what industry they work in, overcoming gender barriers and unconscious bias, and increasing gender diversity in areas where there is little.&nbsp;
AI creating equal opportunities&nbsp;
AI has the potential to create equal opportunities for women in the workplace at recruitment stage and throughout their career. By automating certain tasks within the recruitment and workforce management process, AI can help eliminate bias in hiring processes, promotions, and performance evaluations. &nbsp;
This isn&rsquo;t to say that humans will be removed from these processes. AI isn&rsquo;t designed to overtake all tasks currently carried out by people, but merely to provide a starting point for humans in the processes. With that starting point devoid of gender bias, a more balanced and diverse workforce can be nurtured, where women are recognized and rewarded for their contributions. &nbsp;
Eliminating &lsquo;office housework&rsquo;&nbsp;
&lsquo;Office housework&rsquo; - scheduling events and meetings, ordering food, taking notes, organizing leaving presents - are usually thankless tasks that are essential to the smooth operation of a workplace but go unnoticed when it comes to pay rises or promotions.&nbsp;
Studies have shown that women are more likely to be approached to complete these tasks and also more likely than men to accept direct requests to volunteer for them. This isn&rsquo;t because women enjoy them more or are better at them, but because according to long held gender stereotypes, women are expected to be helpful at work and home, and this is something that as a society we have gotten used to, even if this is unconsciously.&nbsp;
It is estimated that <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kimelsesser/2023/06/14/women-do-more-office-housework-heres-how-to-avoid-it/">women do 29% more &lsquo;office housework</a>&rsquo; than white men. This needs to change, but societal expectations and long held preconceptions take time and courage to overcome. AI can dramatically shorten this process.&nbsp;
AI can automate administrative tasks, often a significant part of office housework, enabling women to focus on more meaningful work that will highlight their capabilities and enhance their development opportunities.&nbsp;
For example, if given a list of the people needed in a meeting, an AI program could find a time that suits everyone, send invites, book the right size meeting room for who is in or out of the office, create a link for a virtual meeting for those not in the office, and if the data on allergies and food preferences were available, even order the right food and drink. These are all jobs that would traditionally have to be carried out by a person, and statistics show that this is more likely to be a woman. This means that everyone, regardless of gender, would have the same amount of time to prepare for the meeting, and with AI potentially taking all the notes, participate equally in the meeting. &nbsp;
Greater presence and visibility of women at strategy level &nbsp;
In a similar way, AI has the capability to automate complex and time-consuming administration or data driven tasks, such as in finance, research and development, healthcare, technology, and data processing.&nbsp;
AI can streamline these processes with much less need for human input &ndash; whilst not eliminating the importance of that input. This not only reduces errors and improves efficiency but also opens up opportunities for those carrying out those tasks to take on more strategic roles, where they can leverage their expertise to drive informed decision-making without having to work more hours.&nbsp;
AI takes on the tasks behind ED&amp;I&nbsp;
A <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace">2021 report</a> found that women are taking the lead on employee wellbeing and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, even though DE&amp;I initiatives are presented as organizational successes. This might be because <a href="https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/new-report-shows-dei-is-working-kpkn/">women place more value on ED&amp;I </a>than men in the workplace, however this doesn&rsquo;t mean the burden should fall on them alone, especially as over 50% of men still believe that ED&amp;I is a positive thing and with employers happy to publicize positive outcomes.&nbsp;
Assessing and analyzing existing attitudes to ED&amp;I and what could be improved is a lengthy task, especially in large organizations. This is a task that could be carried out by AI. Other tasks that could be taken on by AI include analyzing diversity in imagery and text throughout an organization, looking for patterns in lack of diversity, communications, and as technology develops the sky is the limit in what could be achieved.&nbsp;
With these manual and monotonous tasks covered, focus can be placed on strategies and initiatives to overcome challenges to gender equality. This will not only free up time, but present ED&amp;I as an enjoyable task to be a part of for all.&nbsp;
AI promoting a more diverse workforce &nbsp;
AI presents a unique and exciting opportunity for women to overcome gender barriers; creating equal opportunities, enhancing diversity, and empowering women in industries currently dominated by men, perhaps even the AI industry itself. &nbsp;
It is unlikely that AI will ever achieve everything a person can or that there will be no place for the human touch at any stage, so by accepting the obvious advantages to AI to diversity, we are not risking jobs. &nbsp;
&nbsp;We&rsquo;re finding new potential pools of talent in not only women, but also other underrepresented groups, which in turn can help organizations reduce talent shortages. &nbsp;
As we embrace AI, let&rsquo;s ensure it paves the way for a more inclusive future for women and all underrepresented groups everywhere.&nbsp;
To read more on &nbsp;ED&amp;I initiatives at Guidant, <a href="../../../../../../about/diversity-and-inclusion/">click here</a>&nbsp;

Why AI is set to create opportunities for women across all industries

The world of work is negatively impacted by employers bypassing underrepresented groups, despite a massive skills shortage. <a href="https://www.cipd.org/uk/knowledge/reports/labour-market-outlook/">42% of employers have hard-to-fill vacancies</a>, with the most prevalent within education and healthcare. Employers have responded by upskilling existing employees, increasing wages, and offering incentives but these underrepresented groups potentially offer a new pool of talent, ready to fill gaps. Ex offenders are one such group. <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unlock-opportunity-employer-information-pack-and-case-studies/employing-prisoners-and-ex-offenders">Only 17% of ex-offenders are in work</a> within 12 months of leaving prison and if this number could be increased, not only could the UK cut reoffending by at least 9%, but labour shortages could also be reduced. Employers are starting to see the possibilities of offering employment for ex-offenders as we work our way through 2023. <a href="https://hrnews.co.uk/almost-two-thirds-of-employers-set-to-hire-ex-offenders-in-2023/">Despite one in three UK businesses in the private sector</a> not currently employing any ex-offenders, nearly two thirds of them would or are planning to employ one in 2023. This is according to a new study commissioned by Sodexo, the facilities management and food services group which runs six UK prisons on behalf of the Ministry of Justice and Scottish Prison Service. Only just over one in five UK businesses say that they would not. When businesses were asked about concerns, leading answers included concern about re-offending, the safety of the rest of their workforce, and if ex-offenders could be trusted to behave appropriately at work. However, giving ex-offenders a second chance at a career can be in everyone&rsquo;s interests. The economic and social cost of reoffending in England and Wales alone is around <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-03-09/137323#:~:text=The%20economic%20and%20social%20cost,ambitious%20plans%20to%20reduce%20reoffending.">&pound;18 billion per year</a> and on a personal level for employers, <a href="https://www.illinoispolicy.org/ex-offenders-less-likely-to-quit-their-jobs-no-more-likely-to-be-fired-than-other-employees/">studies have shown</a> that employees with criminal records were less likely to quit a job, and in general, were no more likely to be fired than employees without records. Promoting employment for ex-offenders to UK businesses Ban the box Most of us have had to tick or not tick a box at the very first stage of the job application process to declare criminal convictions. BITC&rsquo;s Ban the Box campaign calls on UK employers to give people with criminal records an equal and fair chance to compete for jobs by removing this tick box from application forms to avoid stereotyping. It encourages employers to instead ask about criminal convictions later in the recruitment process. Should employers take this step, they will be saving themselves from their own preconceptions and potentially finding an employee perfect for a role that just needs to be given a second chance. Government initiatives to encourage employment for ex-offenders New Futures Network is the specialist part of His Majesty's Prison and Probation service that brokers partnerships between prisons and employers. These partnerships help employers fill skills gaps and provide work for serving prisoners and prison leavers. They aim to create 91 Employment Advisory Boards (EABs), to connect employers with resettlement prisons, driving engagement with events and workshops. Joining Prison Employment Advisory Boards to promote the power of work I am extremely proud to work for an organisation that is committed to driving social value in the communities we serve. In my role as EAB Chair of His Majesty's Prison (HMP) and Young Offenders Institute (YOI) Chelmsford, I drive campaigns to get Chelmsford&rsquo;s prison leavers into stable jobs so they can break the cycle of crime. Prison Employment Advisory Boards play a vital role in our society and economy because prison leavers with a job are much less likely to reoffend. They are crucial in tackling the cost of reoffending, cutting crime and boosting public protection, as ex-offenders in steady jobs within 6 months of leaving prison are nine percentage points less likely to commit further crime. I&rsquo;m looking forward to the challenge and to acting as a link between Chelmsford prison and employers in the region.&rdquo; Looking to get involved in employing ex-offenders in your business? Sign up to attend HMP Chelmsford's Employment Summit on 27th September 2023. You will be able to explore existing opportunities for men upon release, meet with employers, providers and current prisoners, and discover how you can fit into our journey supporting men into sustainable employment to reduce reoffending. <a href="https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=KEeHxuZx_kGp4S6MNndq2CYdgBglxGpBh78TF_-mCsxUQzlVME5NRTVINkxaVVdMR0NJQkhYMU9EOS4u">Register now.</a>

Why more UK businesses are offering employment for ex-offenders in 2023

#TeamGuidant recently joined in on the annual <a href="https://sway.office.com/yR7bNBo3LpC3KGRF?ref=Link" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Corporate Charity Dragon Boat Race</a>, organised by our STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) partners <a href="https://www.lorienglobal.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lorien</a>, <a href="https://www.srgtalent.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SRG</a> and <a href="https://www.carbon60global.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Carbon60</a>, with plenty of clients in attendance.
This was in aid of <a style="font-size: 15px;" href="https://www.lias-wings.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lia&rsquo;s Wings</a>, a charity that offers air transfer services when a transfer by NHS road ambulance or rotary air ambulance would either be impractical or inappropriate for the child. Lia's Wings provides air transfers using airplanes to ensure that children can access the essential care and treatment they need, wherever they are in the UK.
 The event featured three heats in total across 14 teams, who each raced a 200m straight-line course. The best two times across our respective three heats were added together, and the top four went through to the semifinals, and then ultimately, the final. After a rather poor start of 75 seconds, we managed to shave off an incredible 15 seconds in our second and third races, meaning we qualified as the second fastest team into the semis, where we faced the Royal Navy, who were too much for us! In fairness, they are the Royal Navy! The Royal Navy went into the final with Lorien and triumphed, but only by a matter of millimetres, with Lorien scooping silver and the Navy winning Gold. We were the fastest team of the semifinalists, beating KPMG to win bronze. Thank you to all who participated in this incredible event, supporting such a worthy cause. <a href="https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/dragon-boat-race-guidant-boat" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Click here</a> if you would like to donate to support Lia&rsquo;s Wings.

Guidant Global take on the Royal Navy in Charity Dragon Boat Race

<h1>Why is work experience important for school aged students to ensure there is fresh new talent in the pipeline?</h1>
According to a recent survey by UCAS, as many as <a href="https://www.simplyacademy.com/why-do-we-need-work-experience/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">two thirds of employers prioritise job applicants</a> that possess relevant work experience, stating that it is an indication that they are prepared for the role. However, for students just coming out of education &ndash; whether that&rsquo;s at school, college, or university level - they will have spent their time to date in an academic environment. They will potentially possess none of the desired experience in a work environment or relevant role, which is where work experience can be invaluable.
Work experience is a popular way to learn new skills, try out careers a student is interested in, and gain invaluable hands-on experience. Many universities and colleges include it as part of a course, but work experience at school level is equally important.
It is during school that many young people decide on a career path, however vague the direction. Impressions they have of a career second hand or through TV, films or books might be inaccurate and not give them the full picture, which is why work experience is important for school-aged students. Recently, we welcomed Zia, a school-aged work experience student, who joined us for a week to expand her knowledge of the &lsquo;working world&rsquo;. Zia is a GCSE student at a secondary school in Hatfield. She is learning and exploring possible career options for the future but is interested in design and technology. She is passionate about video games as well as reading books. In her spare time, she usually revises/goes over school material that she has learnt and goes out with friends and family. We&rsquo;ve asked her for Zia&rsquo;s input: Question: Why is work experience important for students who are still at school? Zia: Work experience is a fantastic opportunity for students who are still in secondary school as it allows them to have a taste of what life in a workplace is like. Working with others in an unfamiliar environment can help students develop their teamwork skills as well as their confidence. Allowing students to do this before getting a real job prepares them for the expectations they need to meet in the workplace and gives them a chance to explore different fields of work; which will help them decide what they would like to be in the future. Employers will also be more inclined to hire someone who has work experience as they are familiar with the work environment and know what to expect. I believe work experience is a chance for school kids to understand what life is like outside of school, since we will be able to communicate with people who we do not know and get out of our comfort zone. Some people will also experience the commute to their workplace which allows them to experience an even more realistic work life. Question: What have you been hoping to get out of experience in the workplace? Zia: During my time at Guidant Global, I am working in the Marketing department and would love to learn more about what it entails. I have always been interested in Marketing and by doing my work experience here, I am hoping to learn about the several types of skills needed for companies to run successfully. Additionally, I would love to learn about the different software that is used to create websites and all the behind-the-scenes processes of making a successful merchandise, websites, blogs and more! Before coming here, I was not sure what was involved in marketing but as I continue to do tasks I have been set, I have developed my knowledge of what marketing is and the aspects it includes. Some of the tasks include making/editing social media posts for Guidant Global by using different editing apps and tools and writing this very blog! Question: How do you think having work experience students is good for employers? Zia: Employers allowing students to work at their company for work experience gives them the chance to have new, fresh ideas from an outsider's point of view. Having students help with innovative ideas and initiatives for the business can bring diversity to the business, especially if there are no restraints on the student's creativity. Employers are also able to practise their mentoring skills and supervisory skills. Students are able to help with any task you give them - within their ability range - so having an extra pair of hands can help greatly and take some stress off of the employer. Question: How can employers provide the best possible work experience placement? Zia: To provide an amazing, enjoyable work experience placement, employers should be very cheerful and nice to the students as they could be nervous about working there, especially if it is their first day. If the student is struggling on a task they have been given, employers should try to re-explain it, in a different way, so the task becomes clearer for them and while doing so the employer should remain calm/respectful since the student may be finding it challenging. Students should be treated as if they were a regular employee but also understand that they may not be as experienced, which is why they are provided with added supervision.

Student work experience helps refresh the talent pipeline

It is said that space is the final frontier - but there are many challenges in the space industry right here on earth. Where you might think that anyone and everyone would want to work in an industry that launches rockets to space and monitors far off planets, there is actually a concerning skills shortage in the UK space industry, in the same way that there is in the wider UK Aerospace sector and in many STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields. The space industry in the UK is booming. Currently worth &pound;16.4bn per year, it looks set to grow even further following <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/first-dedicated-government-fund-to-build-space-infrastructure-launched-with-50-million#:~:text=The%20UK%20Space%20Agency's%20funding,missions%20and%20innovative%20commercial%20programmes." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a further investment of &pound;1.84bn in partnership with the Europen Space Agency</a>. This will create a greater demand for aerospace engineers, echoing <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/aerospace-engineers.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the current demand seen in the US</a> for 3,800 engineers every year. There are already challenges in the various STEM industries. The UK Commission for Employment and Skills revealed earlier this year that <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-report-shows-stem-workers-twice-as-likely-to-miss-job-opportunities-due-to-lack-of-skills" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">43% of STEM vacancies</a> were hard to fill due to a shortage of applicants, and <a href="https://uktechnews.co.uk/2022/08/10/97-of-uk-government-defence-and-aerospace-organisations-face-barriers-to-achieving-digital-advantage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">97% of decision makers from across aerospace, defence and government admit they are struggling to gain a digital advantage across data, people and technology. </a> This talent is clearly needed, as nearly half of respondents to the UK Commission for Employment and Skill&rsquo;s study added that <a href="https://www.cityam.com/uk-defence-and-aerospace-firms-risk-being-outpaced-in-stem-skills-shortage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">greater access to STEM talent will help them overcome certain barriers in areas such as cybersecurity</a>. So where can the UK aerospace industry find the STEM talent that could resolve so many of their problems both now and in the future, in order to become and remain a contender in the global space arena? The answer might lie in diversity.
<h3>Diversity in the UK space industry</h3>
<ul>
<li>The 2020 Space Census provided the first comprehensive demographic statistics for the UK space sector, and clearly demonstrated key issues.</li>
<li>Women are significantly under-represented (29%), particularly in industry (22%) and the military (17%).</li>
<li>Disabled people are under-represented (8% compared to 13% in the wider workforce)</li>
<li>Ethnic minorities are under-represented (11% compared to 14% in the population at large)</li>
<li>Carers are under-represented (6% compared to 15% in the wider workforce)</li>
<li>People from more advantaged socio-economic backgrounds are over-represented, with twice the national average proportion of privately educated people.</li>
</ul>
There is a distinct lack of diversity within the space industry, driven by a number of socioeconomic factors as well as a perception of how welcoming the space industry might be to some demographics. Attitudes to women, people of colour and people with disabilities may have modernised significantly however, if people within those demographics cannot see themselves being accepted in the space industry, the chances are they will not even apply. Parents and carers may see the space industry as inaccessible due to a need for flexibility, and despite many industries being more open to alternative arrangements, this needs to be communicated in ways that go beyond a paragraph at the bottom of a job advert &ndash; it needs to be part of a targeted recruitment drive, in the same way as it should be for other underrepresented groups. The reasons behind the disproportionate number of privately educated individuals within the space sector are more complex. People from more advantaged backgrounds are often more easily able to take unpaid work experience placements and internships at a young age, always giving them an experience advantage over those with less financial support and in need of an income. This leaves them more likely to apply, in the knowledge that they have desirable industry experience. Ensuring that all work experience and internships are either paid, or work around a paid job, is key to ensuring that this career path advantage is open to interested young people from a range of socio-economic backgrounds, and not limited to those that can afford to take unpaid work. However, there is the same general perception at all stages of education and in the workplace for those from less advanced socio-economic backgrounds &ndash; that entering the aerospace and space industry is competitive and difficult for anyone without connections or experience. Given the demand, this is not in fact the case.
<h3>Encouraging a diverse workforce to attract talent</h3>
There is potentially an exceptional amount of engineering, industrial and military talent out there not currently considering the space industry as a viable career option because it has never occurred to them that it is an industry open to someone with their background, situation, and experience. The UK space industry needs to clearly communicate to these individuals that they are not only equally acceptable candidates, but also actively welcome. In turn, these individuals will provide a greater breadth of life experience and wider perspectives into the industry.
<h3>Case study example: Airbus seeks to drive more female applicants to the aerospace industry</h3>
The number of female workers within the Aircraft Fitter function of the business in Airbus Broughton had typically wavered around 1%, out of an approximate 500 strong workforce during pre-pandemic times. This is significantly below the already male orientated, 10% to 15% female representation seen in the wider UK engineering workforce and means they could potentially be missing out on great talent - who believe that as females, they would not succeed in this area of the industry. Airbus&rsquo;s goal was to go beyond hitting the industry average for female representation in its manufacturing team at Broughton. Guidant Global worked within Airbus in 2022 on an innovative end-to-end attraction strategy and candidate journey, targeting women. <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/resources/customer-success-stories/female-engineers-soar-higher-at-airbus" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Guidant Global created a campaign featuring a female talent attraction initiative</a>, showing them in a rewarding and exciting career where they have the potential to progress. Results were almost immediate.
<ul>
<li>Between Feb 2022 and Dec 2022, Airbus had 229 quality applications from female jobseekers.</li>
<li>Female representation is now at 23%, up from their previous level of 1%, and 8%-13% higher than industry standard.</li>
<li>35% of new hires into the aircraft fitter workforce are now female.</li>
<li>Retention rates are excellent with 59 women taken on during the campaign still in the role as of January 2023.</li>
</ul>
Airbus is still constantly receiving applications through word of mouth and campaign impact within the local community, and they are continuing to create and roll out more blogs spotlighting female talent to maintain momentum. Feedback is also being consistently collected at every stage of the candidate journey with continual improvement in mind.
<h3>Communicate your desire for diversity with Guidant Global</h3>
At Guidant Global we believe that all workplaces can benefit from a more diverse labour pool. We work with clients who might not be sure how to effectively and efficiently go about achieving. Get in touch to find out how a more diverse workforce can help attract untapped talent into your business and create a sustainable workforce. 
&nbsp;
About the author Joel is the UK and European Sales lead for Guidant Global - powered by the Impellam Group. Having enjoyed many years of proven success working closely with clients providing programmes valued between &pound;15m - &pound;190m, he has developed vast knowledge on the intricacies of an in depth RFI, RFP tender process and vital experience in developing key strategic relationships with clients and stakeholders throughout a full sales cycle from prospect to client. <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelforrester/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Follow Joel on LinkedIn</a>

Diversity in Aerospace – the real final frontier is attracting STEM talent

June 3rd, 2023, saw the conclusion of #OperationLastPost, a 9-day event where sportsmen and women played 54 games of hockey and underwent 457 kilometers of endurance challenges, with a goal of raising &pound;100,000 for veteran charity <a href="https://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/">Help for Heroes</a>. Guidant Global is proud to be Hockey for Heroes head tour sponsor.&nbsp; To date, over &pound;75,000 has been raised online, and when including offline fundraising efforts, the initial objective of &pound;100,000 has been surpassed, with a total of &pound;107,000 raised from this tour.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelforrester/">Joel Forrester</a>, Client Solutions Director UK &amp; Europe at Guidant Global and founder of Hockey for Heroes comments:&nbsp;
&ldquo;The sheer logistical madness of this trip was a lot to take on 8 months ago when planning began, however the culture and values that we have created over the last 12 years in Hockey for Heroes ensured this was an inevitable success. Every member of the 59 strong touring party played an integral part in planning and executing this trip, which demonstrates the value of their clearly defined purpose.&rdquo;&nbsp; "Hockey for Heroes was formed 12 years ago, when a group of hockey enthusiasts decided to use their sport to play their part and support military and former military personnel when they needed it. The core and only value of being a part of Hockey for Heroes is fundamentally showing the traits and values of being a good person".&nbsp; Joel continues:&nbsp;&nbsp; &ldquo;There were challenges, broken bones, torn muscles, fatigue, damaged vehicles, tears, smiles and loads and loads of fun along the way, but to sit here looking back with such pride on how the members of Hockey For Heroes represented the fallen heroes and the heroes still in society fighting wars long after they returned from battle, speaks volumes about our passion and why we do what we do.&nbsp; I speak for every Hockey for Heroes member, past and present, soldier, airmen, sailor, marine and veteran when I send an enormous thank you to Guidant Global, Simon Blockley &amp; the Marketing team for their unquestionable support on this trip. Long may this relationship develop and continue.&rdquo;&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-blockley-1264731/">Simon Blockley</a>, CEO of Guidant Global states:&nbsp;&nbsp; &ldquo;Guidant Global has a proud history of supporting the military, which is why we were so delighted to sponsor this tour. To see the team exceed their fundraising targets so confidently is testament to all the hard work they have put into the organisation of this ambitious event, as well as to their enthusiastic sporting efforts! Congratulations to everyone involved.&rdquo;&nbsp; As the dust settles on a remarkably successful #OperationLastPost trip, planning begins for a very exciting Guinness World Record attempt in 2024. *Watch this space*.&nbsp;
<img style="height: 200px; width: 1000px;" src="-/media/1d42cc25b9f2481b8c1bb529993a868e.ashx?h=200&amp;w=1000" alt="">

#OperationLastPost by Hockey for Heroes smashes their fundraising goals

Guidant Global are delighted to announce that Marie France has been appointed Senior Vice President of Guidant Global and BarPellam, promoted from her previous position of Vice President, Programme Management. 
Marie is an industry specialist with a vast range of expertise in contingent workforce management, procurement operations and sourcing, program management, and change management. Her career has crossed multiple verticals including finance, technology, and media, and it is this experience that has enabled her to structure strategic, efficient, and successful global contingent labour programs that have delighted our clients over the last few years. Marie was born in Philadelphia and raised in a small town outside of Pittsburgh; an African American in a predominantly Caucasian area. Marie has used the racist encounters she faced throughout her upbringing as a source of information for others, and in sharing her experiences, she has been able to educate and highlight the fact inequality still exists to business leaders, employers, and educators. She is proud to be a driving force in our employee ambassador group and inclusion council, Unity. In her time at Guidant Global, Marie has established DEI as a critical priority, working closely with clients to bring DEI expertise based on their needs. In working with one major financial firm, Marie&rsquo;s efforts with this specific customer have increased supplier diversity spend from 12% in 2019 to over 30% eligible spend in 2022. Marie also spearheaded DEI with a major manufacturing client to expand wallet share of a small diverse supplier. Since 2020, placements for the agency increased by 767%, and the vendor achieved a Top 5 diversity status in Q3 2021. Most recently, in May 2023 Marie was named in <a href="http://dei.staffingindustry.com/2023-dei-influencers-list-us-and-canada/">Staffing Industry Analysts' 2023 list</a> of &ldquo;Diversity, Equity &amp; Inclusion Influencers &ndash; US and Canada&rdquo;. The elite list is made up of 49 professionals in the workforce solutions ecosystem that stand out in their commitment to advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in their organisations and communities. &ldquo;Since joining Impellam Group in 2019, Marie has consistently demonstrated exceptional dedication, strategic thinking and an unwavering focus on customer success,&rdquo; states Simon Blockley, CEO, Impellam Group, Global Managed Service.
&ldquo;During her tenure, she has made significant contributions to our business growth. Always generous with her time, she has become a trusted partner to clients and colleagues alike. I am especially proud and appreciative of her forward thinking, proactive approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Marie has been an advocate of DEI throughout her entire career and was recently recognised for her extensive work by Staffing Industry Analysts. Congratulations Marie on this well-deserved promotion; I know she will continue to push the boundaries and drive further success for customers and colleagues.&rdquo;
Read more here:&nbsp;<a href="https://www2.staffingindustry.com/About/Media-Center/Press-Releases/SIA-Announces-2023-DE-I-Influencers-List#:~:text=Premier%20sponsors%20of%20the%202023,Consulting%2C%20Rangam%2C%20and%20WorkLLama.&amp;text=SIA%20is%20the%20global%20research,on%20staffing%20and%20workforce%20solutions.">Staffing Industry Analysts' 2023 DEI Influencer list</a>
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Strategic Contingent Workforce Expert and Diversity Champion Marie France promoted to Senior Vice President of Guidant Global

Guidant Global are proud to become head tour sponsor for Hockey for Heroes&rsquo; upcoming tour &lsquo;Operation Last Post&rsquo;, a nine-day hockey and endurance tour set to raise &pound;100,000 for its community partner, Help for Heroes.&nbsp; &lsquo;Operation Last Post&rsquo; will see men and women playing 54 games of hockey, completing 457 kilometres of military and endurance challenges in eight locations from Friday, May 26 until Saturday, June 3. Challenges include rowing, swimming, running, as well as weighted and stretcher-carry marches.&nbsp; &nbsp;
<h3>Why 457km?&nbsp;&nbsp;</h3>
457 represents the number of British military deaths in Afghanistan and in typical heroes' fashion, they will acknowledge each and every life lost to remind people of the sacrifice our service personnel make on our behalf.&nbsp;&nbsp; As a global organisation that empowers businesses to access the best talent, this new partnership reinforces Guidant Global&rsquo;s focus on people with passion, diversity and desire to develop a professional career.&nbsp; Part of Guidant Global&rsquo;s mission is to support the military community by sourcing career opportunities for military veterans and supporting their career development. Supporting the military community further unites the synergy between Guidant Global and Hockey for Heroes, as both organisations strive to connect people from all backgrounds.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Joel Forrester, our Client Solutions Director of UK &amp; Europe at Guidant Global and Head at Hockey for Heroes comments:&nbsp;&nbsp; &ldquo;I am delighted to see these two organisations form a strong partnership that will accelerate the support needed for British military personnel and the families of those who have lost loved ones through conflict.&nbsp;
&ldquo;With its strong network and caring, collaborative nature, Guidant Global is the perfect partner for Hockey for Heroes. The values these organisations share will help to drive diverse thinking, views, styles and approaches while ensuring we retain inclusion and diversity in our businesses.&nbsp;&nbsp; &ldquo;Our upcoming tour &lsquo;Operation Last Post&rsquo; is set to be our biggest and boldest challenge yet; we&rsquo;re combining both our male and female squads for the first time which further reinforces our position as a diverse, inclusive and well-connected group.&rdquo;&nbsp; &nbsp; Speaking upon this partnership, Simon Blockley CEO at Guidant Global, commented:
&ldquo;Through the power of work, we build better businesses and help people lead more fulfilling lives. As part of our commitment to enhancing diversity and inclusion, as well as supporting good causes and giving back to communities, we are delighted to be the lead sponsor of Hockey for Heroes&rsquo; upcoming tour, Operation Last Post. Guidant has a proud heritage of supporting the military and this partnership reinforces our shared values and commitment to serving our communities and to British military personnel.&nbsp; We look forward to building on this collaboration with Hockey for Heroes, and supporting its squad with this intense tour later this month which combines hockey and endurance challenges.&rdquo;&nbsp; &nbsp;
&nbsp;
Associated hosts supporting &lsquo;Operation Last Post&rsquo; include Ben Rhydding Hockey Club, Leeds Hockey Club, Timperley Hockey Club, Leicester Hockey Club, Worcester International Hockey Centre, Southgate Hockey Club, the British Army and Portsmouth Hockey Club. The full schedule for the tour can be found <a href="https://hockeyforheroes.co.uk/">here.</a> To donate, please visit<a href="https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hockey-for-heroes-oplastpost"> &lsquo;Operation Last Post&rsquo; JustGiving page.</a> 
<h3>About Hockey for Heroes&nbsp;</h3>
Founded in 2011, Hockey for Heroes raises funds for the Help for Heroes charity involving hockey and physical endurance challenges.&nbsp; The Hockey for Heroes squad comprises military and ex-military personnel who all rally for this same cause. &nbsp; For more information, visit <a href="https://hockeyforheroes.co.uk/">here.</a> &nbsp;
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Guidant Global partners with Hockey for Heroes for 'Operation Last Post'

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&amp;I) agenda is no new topic for HR teams. There&rsquo;s a general recognition that it&rsquo;s beneficial to businesses, aiding productivity, creativity and supporting talent attraction in a skills short market.&nbsp;
Aside from this, we&rsquo;re also seeing the scale of demand for employers to be more diverse growing at speed. Consumers are demanding it and talent pools are voting with their feet and going elsewhere if they don&rsquo;t experience it.&nbsp;
More to the point, it&rsquo;s simply the right thing to do.&nbsp;
<h3>Focusing on the contingent market</h3>
But, DE&amp;I is often considered as more of a value-add in the permanent workforce than contingent. However, as our own VP of Client Solutions, Arsenio Bell, stated in our recent whitepaper, <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/resources/workforce-management/driving-dei-in-the-contingent-workforce---12-winning-strategies">Driving DE&amp;I in the contingent workforce: 12 winning strategies;&nbsp;</a>
&ldquo;Having a DE&amp;I programme for the contingent workforce opens up possibilities, which opens up capabilities, which opens up new levels of progress growth and outcomes. There&rsquo;s financial links between diversity and with the contingent workforce becoming so critical, having a diversity, equity and inclusion strategy for this segment of talent pools simply makes sense.&rdquo;
<h3>Key steps to success</h3>
Achieving contingent workforce diversity isn&rsquo;t an easy task. Results won&rsquo;t be delivered overnight &ndash; but they are achievable. While it&rsquo;s not a comprehensive list (and certainly doesn&rsquo;t cover all<a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/resources/workforce-management/driving-dei-in-the-contingent-workforce---12-winning-strategies"> 12 tips</a> from our whitepaper), here&rsquo;s a few key steps to take:&nbsp;
- You need the foundations first: Before you implement any new tactics or change your approach, it&rsquo;s important to focus first on the foundations. If diversity is lacking in your contingent workforce there&rsquo;s a blocker that needs to be identified before any further action is taken. Take a step back and review &ndash; in an honest way &ndash; what your corporate visions and values look like today.
- Use diverse suppliers: The providers in your supply chain will be crucial to driving DE&amp;I in your contingent workforce, after all, they are the ones supplying the workers and interacting with them regularly. Partnering with experts that not only align with your firm&rsquo;s diversity values, but also have the experience in diverse hiring practices themselves will naturally bolster DE&amp;I in flexible workforces.
- Take a new look at the flexible workforce: One of the barriers to inclusivity in flexible hiring is how this labour market is perceived. Too often it is viewed as just a temporary &ndash; and unfortunately sometimes even a disposable &ndash; resource. This needs to shift to see the strategic value of the contingent worker. These individuals can be redeployed time and again. Changing mindsets to create a better balance between the value of contingent workers and that of permanent resources is needed.
- Monitoring is crucial: Knowing what needs to change in your resourcing strategy is one step in the process. But being able to track what is and isn&rsquo;t working is an absolute must. There needs to be complete transparency across the contingent workforce. What does the mix of the current workforce look like? Where are there specific demographic gaps? What are the KPIs and are they being met? Remember that this should never be a finger-pointing exercise. Instead, the ability to take action where improvements can be made should be the focus. Technology will certainly underpin how well results can be tracked and it is crucial to have a centralised hub before implementing any DE&amp;I initiatives so you can monitor success.&nbsp;
- Hone your focus: Diversity is a hugely broad topic. It isn&rsquo;t about focusing on attracting more women, engaging with those from an ethnic background or improving hiring across disability groups. The mix is significantly varied, from LGBTQI+, to those with a criminal record and much more. Becoming an inclusive brand to all demographics in one move isn&rsquo;t possible. When starting any action, you need to hone your focus into targeted programmes first and then expand from there. The goal should always be to create a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion that organically grows, rather than push values that don&rsquo;t exist onto the workforce.&nbsp;
<h3>Access your no-obligation guide</h3>
These are just a few of the steps that can help boost contingent worker diversity. If you want to delve into the topic deeper and access more tips to help your firm, <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/resources/workforce-management/driving-dei-in-the-contingent-workforce---12-winning-strategies">download the report today.</a>

The why’s and how’s of contingent worker diversity

Impellam Group are proud to have recently signed the UK Armed Forces Covenant. This covenant is a commitment from the group to support and treat the Armed Forces Community with fairness and respect.
Our CEO Global Managed Services, Simon Blockley said of the signing: &lsquo;At a brand level, Carbon60, Lorien, Comensura and Guidant Global are already signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant. By elevating this support to the Group level, we will be able to have a bigger impact on the Military community through a louder unified Impellam voice. Not only ensuring Impellam supports and treats the Armed Forces Community with fairness and respect but by influencing our extensive client base to do the same.&rsquo;&nbsp;
The signing was organised by IM Military, Impellam&rsquo;s dedicated employee-led Business Resource Group for veterans. The signing allowed Impellam to show their commitment in continuing work towards supporting veterans across all sectors.
Creating an inclusive culture built on trust is at core of what makes us successful here at Impellam; one which embraces diversity both inside and outside our organisation &ndash; whether it be gender identity or military background &ndash; everyone should feel accepted without judgement or bias regardless their circumstances or beliefs so they can reach their full potential in life. We look forward to building on these initiatives by providing greater impact for those who served in defence sector. 
<h3>What is the Armed Force Covenant?</h3>
Put simply, it is a promise from the nation to ensure that those who serve or have served in the armed forces and their families (known generally as the armed forces community), are treated fairly.
Signing the covenant means that a business is committed to supporting the armed forces community by recognising the value that serving personnel, veterans and military families contribute to our businesses and our communities.
The Armed Forces Covenant currently has over 9600 signatories. They represent UK PLC, coving all sectors, and include major corporations, charities, NHS trusts, universities, police forces, and SMEs. From a business perspective, it is a commitment to ensuring that no member of the armed forces community suffers a commercial disadvantage because of their service.
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Impellam signs Armed Forces Covenant

As we celebrate International Women&rsquo;s Day, Client Services Manager, Yasmin Amar, shares her thoughts on this year's theme #EmbraceEquity and how she brings her authentic self to work.
​Empowering my team
I have worked at Guidant for 4&frac12; years across different client accounts. I&rsquo;ve had a great journey, progressing from a Senior Business Partner through to Client Services Manager and have had the pleasure of watching peers progress through the business and further afield.
My core role is to ensure the successful delivery of our MSP service to our clients. Each Guidant client has their own requirements, and as such we pride ourselves in delivering tailored solutions, and for me that means variety, change and empowering my team to lead with solutions and a better way.
​#EmbraceEquity is about inclusivity and actively taking steps to appreciate and support others
While being born in the UK, I am of Caribbean descent and have an appreciation and understanding of the challenges some people may face in day-to-day life as well as in the workplace. This may be in relation to biases (both unconscious and conscious) around cultural differences, customs, identity and more.
​I am proud of my heritage and everything that comes with it &ndash; Caribbean food is the best and our Soca music is guaranteed to get you dancing and the atmosphere buzzing. It would be nice to have some more of the Caribbean weather in the UK though!
Working for Guidant means I can bring my authentic self to work
I see numerous examples of this across Guidant regardless of gender, orientation, background, or religion. It comes in a variety of ways, from our people sharing their unique life experiences in our blogs, recognising specific days to support key causes, to simply establishing ambassador groups to connect like-minded individuals who want to champion DE&amp;I.
I&rsquo;d love to see this ethos mirrored across other companies &ndash; where employees are empowered to make a difference and be the difference. A company that embraces equity will be the company that attracts talent, retains talent and rises above the rest!
Want to be a part of diverse and inclusive working? Join #TeamGuidant today &gt;

International Women's Day: Yasmin's story

As we celebrate International Women&rsquo;s Day, Managing Director, Karina Townley, shares her story and thoughts on her experience as a single working mum.
I joined Guidant in 2004 &ndash; 19 years ago!
As Managing Director (Client Services for EMEA), I am the executive sponsor for our client programmes. Delivering operational excellence in everything we do to our customers, suppliers, candidates and team is my key focus.
Career before Guidant
I&rsquo;ve been fortunate to work across different industry sectors and roles within Guidant mostly focused on customer delivery. As with every business, change is inevitable and I have always embraced and enjoyed that. Every day is a learning day. Be curious, ask questions, broaden your network &ndash; seek your own opportunities to grow and develop.
Juggling work and family life as a single working mum
When I asked my daughter, Orla, how she thinks I do this, she responded with: &ldquo;Err, you put us ahead of work and try to not have too many calls when we are around!&rdquo; This is what she sees, and I&rsquo;ll take that.
For every parent, there are times when it is a challenge. The truth is, for me at least, it is always going to be a bit of a juggle and there is reason I don&rsquo;t work in the circus&hellip; However, my daughters are pretty cool little humans who understand that, at times, Mummy has to do some work. I will always endeavour to put them first, but to do this, I&rsquo;m also very fortunate that Guidant has a culture of trust and flexibility.
Make your culture inclusive by being authentic in everything you do
Treat everyone as an individual and take onboard feedback to continually evolve and change. Also, accept that you can&rsquo;t always get it right, but learn from it and move on.
​
Want to be a part of diverse and inclusive working? Join #TeamGuidant today &gt;
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International Women's Day: Karina's story

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CWS Summit is one of the largest contingent workforce industry events that Guidant Global were excited to be sponsoring again this year.&nbsp;
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It was a fantastic opportunity to meet others looking to optimize their contingent workforce management strategy and help them to address their most pressing concerns, including talent engagement, using technology, risk and compliance, and overcoming skills shortages.&nbsp;
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Another highlight of the event was the opportunity to give back to the underserved student community, with our support and sponsorship of the &ldquo;Ditch the Party&rdquo; session. A group of high school girls joined us in the exhibit hall, taking the opportunity to meet with workforce industry experts, learning all they could about STEM careers, r&eacute;sum&eacute;s, interview techniques and networking. This was a fantastic opportunity for our industry to come together in inspiring the next generation of talent!&nbsp;
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Headed up by LanceSoft and Guidant Global, 'Ditch the Party' was an event to raise funds towards scholarships to support underserved students in the Dallas area, focusing on creating opportunities so these students can find success regardless of their resources or background. Students are able to apply for the scholarships through essays, demonstrating their drive to make an impact as they enter college and pursue their dreams. &nbsp;
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"Going to college is a step for some, but for many, it's a grand leap. Everyone should have the opportunity to achieve their full potential through education,&rdquo; states Robin Sanders, CSO at Impellam Group.&nbsp;&nbsp;
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&ldquo;A huge thanks to Anju Abel at LanceSoft, Inc for affording us the opportunity to co-host this amazing event, and to SIA for supporting such a grand idea during CWS. It is truly one of my highlights of 2023 to be involved in this amazing cause.&rdquo;&nbsp;
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<a href="../../../../../../about/diversity-and-inclusion/">Find out more on how Guidant Global are taking the lead within the industry for diverse and inclusive workforce strategies.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</a>
<img src="https://cdn.sourceflow.co.uk/6p3difzfag4b4n8thvbxe2w0e2oj" alt="" width="800" height="500">
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Guidant Global supports students with “Ditch the Party” at CWS Summit North America 2023 

<h2>A practical guide for employers on how to make their online recruitment practices inclusive and open to all.</h2>
&nbsp;
Is digital technology playing a bigger role than ever in your talent acquisition? From company websites and social media channels to video interview and assessment tools, finding and hiring people is becoming an increasingly online process.
But where does this leave disabled candidates who face barriers accessing information and completing forms and assessments online? How can you make your online recruitment experience inclusive and accessible to all?
In this guide, Guidant Global&rsquo;s talent acquisition specialists join forces with Recite Me&rsquo;s web accessibility experts to bring you a comprehensive guide to accessible online recruitment.
What&rsquo;s covered in this guide?
<ul>
<li>Why online access barriers are such a problem</li>
<li>The barriers that employment candidates face</li>
<li>Why inclusivity is so important (and beneficial)</li>
<li>5 ways to provide an inclusive candidate journey</li>
<li>How web accessibility technologies can help</li>
</ul>
<h3>Complete the form to get your copy of the guide</h3>

Guide to accessible online recruitment

<h2>Meaning increases motivation drives productivity and enhances employee engagement. But what can a business do to make work meaningful for its people?</h2>
<h3>&nbsp;</h3>
<h3>Download our guide to find out</h3>
&nbsp;
Today, people spend nearly one-third of their time at work. People&rsquo;s careers form one of the main focal points for bringing meaning and identity to their lives.
While work is significant for almost everyone who is economically active, a 2015 YouGov poll in the UK discovered that only 50% of people with a full-time job were entirely sure their role made any sort of meaningful contribution to the world.
Concerningly, 37% were certain that their job had no meaning at all. This is not a UK-specific problem. A similar study in the Netherlands by Schouten &amp; Nelissen found 40% of people felt their job had no societal value.
This leaves approximately 12 to 13 million working people in the UK, 48 to 52 million full-time workers in the US, and 91 to 98 million economically active adults in the EU believing their work makes no difference &mdash; with a substantial number suspecting this may well be the case.
So what can businesses do to turn the tide? Download our guide to learn:
<ul>
<li>Why pay is no longer the principal motivator for workers</li>
<li>How meaning at work is psychologically tied to our childhood experiences</li>
<li>How more meaningful work improves overall business performance</li>
<li>What your business can do to increase meaning for your employees</li>
</ul>
<h3>Download our guide by completing the form opposite.</h3>

The human connection: why meaning is so important to work

<h2>Equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&amp;I) has been one of the hottest topics in the business world. As well as being the right thing to do, countless studies have shown that implementing an efficient ED&amp;I strategy makes business sense.</h2>
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With the makeup of the workforce changing &ndash; with a greater reliance on contingent and external talent, as well as an increasing use of service providers &ndash; future proofing your ED&amp;I strategy to cover all areas of your workforce is now vital for your competitive stance.
But in these uncertain and constantly evolving times, knowing how to get ED&amp;I right and ensure its future fit can be a challenge.
In our in-depth exploration of the topic, we aim to equip those in the HR, talent acquisition and workforce management arenas with the insight and guidance needed to design and drive a successful ED&amp;I strategy in today&rsquo;s 'better' normal.
As experts in delivering ED&amp;I, we analyse the best practice approaches, focusing on:
<ul>
<li>The many facets of ED&amp;I</li>
<li>The key to a successful ED&amp;I strategy: Trust</li>
<li>Getting it right</li>
<li>The Guidant approach: Introducing INfluence</li>
<li>The future</li>
</ul>
<h3>Fill in the form to access our guide</h3>

How to build an equality, diversity and inclusion strategy for long-term success

<h2>In this report, we look into the how&rsquo;s and why&rsquo;s of contingent workforce Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&amp;I) and offer 12 strategies for success - based on insight from those who have &ldquo;walked the walk&rdquo;.&nbsp;</h2>
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Over the last decade, a great deal of effort went into improving representation among the permanent workforce. Their contingent counterparts, on the other hand, have sometimes been overlooked.
However, with reliance on contingent workers growing, failing to drive diversity in the contingent workforce will be detrimental to innovation, sustainability and the competitiveness of an organisation.
It can&rsquo;t be overlooked that temporary resources have great potential to become permanent employees &ndash; offering a highly-engaged and qualified talent pool. Alienating any portion of the workforce when you&rsquo;re already struggling to recruit makes no sense.&nbsp;
Get your copy to learn:
<ul>
<li>The driving forces behind DE&amp;I</li>
<li>The need for diverse CWM solutions</li>
<li>Why contingent worker diversity matters to Procurement</li>
<li>12 strategies to drive DE&amp;I in the contingent workforce</li>
<li>Moving the CW DE&amp;I dial&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<h3>Complete the form to get your copy</h3>

Driving DE&I in the contingent workforce: 12 winning strategies

&ldquo;The female talent attraction campaign in partnership with Guidant Global has given us the opportunity to reflect on the way Airbus recruits and thinks about its Aircraft Fitter workforce. The increase in female applicants for these roles is helping us to bring about change, and the diversity of backgrounds in the business ensures we continue to challenge the way that we do things.&rdquo;
<h4>Airbus</h4>

Female Engineers Soar Higher at Airbus

"The Adult Apprenticeship is a fantastic program which has for many years given Airbus employees at Broughton an opportunity to enhance their skills. I am delighted that Guidant Global and Airbus Operations Ltd are offering Guidant employees an Adult Apprenticeship. &nbsp; This will nurture the talent we already have within the business by providing them with training, qualifications and everything else they need to develop. This program will help to future-proof the business by upskilling existing employees, which can help to prevent a skills gap appearing in the future"
Kate Holthofer, HR Business Lead, Airbus

Beating Talent Scarcity in Aviation: Guidant Global's Adult Apprenticeship Scheme

There&rsquo;s a wealth of opportunities in the Aerospace and Defence sector. Firms are earning significant investment, with a &pound;15.4 million contract for a cutting-edge crewless submarine just one of the recent <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/154-million-contract-for-first-cutting-edge-navy-crewless-submarine">announcements</a>. But the sector has faced an on-going <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/resources/workforce-management/uk-talent-scarcity-report-2022">talent shortage</a> that could threaten future growth opportunities.&nbsp;&nbsp; So, what are the greatest challenges facing employers in the sector?&nbsp;
<h3>Vetting processes&nbsp;</h3>
One of the most common talent sourcing struggles is driven by the complexity and length of the vetting process. Potential new hires and contingent staff are required to go through a robust screening process that&rsquo;s to be expected given the nature of the work. But this can take upwards of 18 months in some instances.&nbsp;
The longer the process goes on, the greater the chance for an individual to be poached or simply become dis-engaged and exit the process. And once this happens, procurement teams are back to square one.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<h3>Volume hiring&nbsp;</h3>
With huge investment planned across the sector, the need for volume hiring increases. But again, the processes in place aren&rsquo;t set up to handle high-volume recruitment quickly. The impact this has on the contingent worker or candidate experience is potentially damaging. This will only create longer-term challenges when attempting to hire from disengaged talent pools.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<h3>Diversity&nbsp;</h3>
Aerospace and Defence does have a diversity challenge. The sector needs to become more appealing to a broader range of talent, not just in terms of under-represented groups, but also sources of skills. The majority of workers have prior experience in the sector and employers have had a rather narrow view on where they want to source their staff. This limits both the size of the talent pool they can access as well as the diversity of the skills they bring in.&nbsp;
There is a lot of work needed to bring the sector up to speed with diverse representation in the workplace. But what we are seeing is a general reliance on hiring managers to identify transferable skills when they often haven&rsquo;t had the training to achieve this themselves.&nbsp;
<h3>Competition and retention</h3>
The blinkered approach to where talent can be found that I mention above also means that businesses are competing with each other for the same, very narrow, talent pool. What we are seeing now is more competition from outside of the Aerospace and Defence sector.&nbsp;&nbsp; Engineering is engineering, whether that&rsquo;s in Defence, Aerospace or Pharmaceuticals and Life Sciences. With demand for these skills growing across other remits, staff who would have stayed in the sector are being lured to other areas.&nbsp;&nbsp; Again, the sector is behind the curve with retention strategies for permanent and contingent workers largely due to the reliance on out-dated recruitment methods. Many do also rely on under-evolved employer branding messages and diversity policies that don&rsquo;t create the level of loyalty that employers in other sectors command.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<h3>Pay parity&nbsp;</h3>
The competition outside of the Aerospace and Defence sector is also having an impact on pay parity &ndash; particularly in the current economic climate. With staff recognising that they have a range of opportunities elsewhere, they&rsquo;re being enticed by inflated pay packets in sectors that can afford to throw more money at talent challenges.&nbsp;
<h3>Addressing the issues&nbsp;</h3>
As you&rsquo;ll probably have gathered, there&rsquo;s a number of challenges all of which are linked in some way. This means that the solution to the Aerospace and Defence talent scarcity needs to address all of the barriers above in one &ndash; and that&rsquo;s not going to be easy.&nbsp;&nbsp; From my experience, there are five key steps to implement:&nbsp;
<ol>
<li>Build a strong employer value proposition (EVP): If employers are to attract contingent and permanent resources they need an EVP that appeals to the wants of diverse talent. Once people get into the sector they tend to find their passion and if they have a clear career path, they&rsquo;ll stay longer. In order to get them through the door in the first place, they need to see what&rsquo;s in it for them &ndash; behind the financial incentive.&nbsp; &nbsp;</li>
<li>Broaden talent pools: There needs to be a diversity overhaul that&rsquo;s built into EVP strategies. The sector needs to look at where it is lacking in representation and what transferrable skills need to be engaged in order to broaden the workforce it can access and improve diversity of thought.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Train hiring managers: If the above point is to be achieved, there will need to be a change in hiring approaches. Training hiring managers to help them recognise transferable skills, support diverse hiring and ensure the right EVP is coming across in the recruitment process is key.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Rethink veteran hiring: As a veteran myself, I believe this talent pool is under-utilised. Many who leave the armed forces have the direct or transferrable skills the sector needs. From a vetting point of view, an employer will have the security knowing they&rsquo;ve already gone through a thorough screening programme. But how they are engaged requires a tailored approach. The transition into the civvy world can be challenging for some. As such, they are likely to leave within their first year of a post-service role. Steps can be taken to better support them in this transition, but there&rsquo;s also a benefit in engaging with these individuals as they near their first year working in a civilian role.</li>
<li>Utilise MSP and RPO solutions: If a business or its suppliers are not looking after their contingent workers they&rsquo;ll look elsewhere. But with so many suppliers to manage and complex vetting processes to control, procurement teams don&rsquo;t need to shoulder the burden alone. Utilising a strategic <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/what-is-outsourcing/what-is-msp">MSP</a> or <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/what-is-outsourcing/what-is-rpo">RPO</a> provider with the skills and abilities to manage workforce solutions will streamline the process and offer additional, unbiased, information to drive real change in hiring strategies.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
Download our full <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/resources/workforce-management/state-of-the-uk-aerospace-and-defence-labour-market">talent scarcity report </a>to find out more about the UK&rsquo;s skills shortages and how your sector compares to others.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Hiring challenges in Aerospace and Defence

A comprehensive overview of the shortage of talent in key sectors of the US economy, and what employers can do about it.
While predictions suggest that the United States might narrowly avoid the recession that most of Europe is facing, it has a serious challenge on its hands: addressing the shortage of workers.&nbsp; A scarcity of talent has been a big concern for employers across a range of sectors for most of 2022. In order to identify the scale of this challenge, we analysed staff availability across a range of sectors for our <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/resources/workforce-management/us-talent-scarcity-report-2022">Talent Scarcity Report 2022/23: The State of the US Labor Market.&nbsp;&nbsp;</a> Here&rsquo;s an insight into what we found.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<h2>Candidates placing more value on ESG&nbsp;</h2>
During tough economic times it&rsquo;s easy to assume that offering more money will entice more workers. This is both an incorrect assumption and frankly, an unsustainable approach for firms. Our research shows that financial incentives can only go so far in the US war for talent.&nbsp; Instead, people want to progress their career and they want to work for a business that cares.&nbsp; The pandemic put more emphasis than ever before on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) frameworks. The fall out of the Great Resignation saw individuals have greater choice over who they want to work for. Brands with the greatest appeal were those that treated their people well during the difficult months of Covid.&nbsp;&nbsp; Add the climate crisis and movements such as Black Lives Matter and #MeToo to the mix and it&rsquo;s no wonder so many American citizens want to work for an employer that has an environmental and socio-economic commitment.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<h2>Diversity Equality and Inclusion (DEI) still a challenge&nbsp;</h2>
While the workforce is certainly placing more emphasis on working with an employer that has similar cultural and ethical values, there&rsquo;s still more work needed on the diversity agenda. Almost every sector we analysed had a need for greater workforce diversity.&nbsp; This was more obvious in sectors which have long struggled with stereotypes. Oil &amp; Gas and Life Sciences &amp; Pharmaceuticals are prime examples. Both have long been known to be male dominated environments. Progress may have been made, but more clearly still needs to be done.&nbsp;
<h2>Digital skills in short supply&nbsp;</h2>
Digital talent has been in high demand across a range of sectors in the States for some time now, however the scarcity of workers has been more notable in certain specialisms. Finance and banking have seen particularly high demand for FinTech experts, largely driven by the continued need for digitisation of the sector.
However, the recent news that tech giants have laid off large numbers of individuals will likely change the digital talent landscape in the coming months.&nbsp;
<h2 class="Paragraph SCXW267493363 BCX0" style="color: windowtext; background-color: transparent; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding: 0px;">Large scale demand following job losses&nbsp;</h2>
The impact of the Great Rehiring followed by the Great Resignation is still playing out across the US. Throughout 2022, the demand for workers has remained high. <a href="https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2022/employment-up-in-46-states-for-year-ended-october-2022.htm">Data</a> from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicated that employment levels were up across 46 states for the year ending October 2022.&nbsp;&nbsp; In any normal environment, an uplift in those in employment makes hiring difficult, with fewer candidates in the market for a new job. The challenge for businesses today is more acute thanks to the Great Resignation, which has seen people move jobs on a greater scale than most of us are used to.&nbsp;&nbsp; This trend may have come to light in the first half of the year, but it&rsquo;s by no means disappeared. According to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (<a href="https://equitablegrowth.org/jolts-day-graphs-september-2022-edition/#:~:text=Below%20are%20a%20few%20key,hires%20decreased%20to%206.1%20million.">JOLTS</a>) from the BLS, almost 4.1 million workers quit in September 2022. That&rsquo;s a lot of movement in the market for employers to contend with.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<h2>How to address the US Labour Market Talent Scarcity&nbsp;</h2>
There&rsquo;s no simple way of addressing the talent scarcity across the US, but there are ways to help move this issue towards a resolution:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>DEI: It goes without saying that more needs to be done to improve diverse recruitment across the entire talent supply chain. Limiting the pool of candidates is never advisable (after all, a <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/resources/workforce-management/build-equality-diversity-and-inclusion-strategy-for-better-normal">diverse workforce</a> is more productive, innovative and motivated). Doing so when there&rsquo;s not enough workers makes even less sense.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Be a caring employer: People have more choice over the brands they want to work with. As a result, if your company doesn&rsquo;t make the cut for talent pools, you&rsquo;re going to struggle to recruit. <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/complete-guide-to-building-a-unique-evp">Demonstrating where you stand</a> on the ESG agenda will be a game changer for 2023.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Use data and technology: <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/harnessing-the-power-of-automation-in-recruitment">Data can be hugely valuable</a> in streamlining workforce management. Knowing which suppliers are most effective, where talent can be utilised from other areas of the business and how much spend is being channelled into certain routes is a must.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Support skills development: More immediate solutions might be needed, but the ultimate challenge is that some skills are simply in increasingly short supply. Being involved in growing skills should always be on your agenda. </li>
<li>Use your partnerships: Every business is struggling with a scarcity of talent. Work with your partners to get the external advice on where improvements can be made to broaden your talent pools.&nbsp;&nbsp;
<div>&nbsp;</div>
</li>
</ul>
Find out more about the talent scarcity in the US by downloading our <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/resources/workforce-management/us-talent-scarcity-report-2022">Talent Scarcity Report 2022 / 23: State of the US Labor Market.&nbsp;&nbsp;</a>
&nbsp;

US Talent Shortages 2023: A Talent Scarcity Report

Talent shortages across the US, UK and beyond have now reached unprecedented levels. An aging population, rapid shifts in skills demand and a &lsquo;great reassessment&rsquo; of workers&rsquo; priorities since the pandemic have created a perfect storm. The simple fact is that organisations can no longer readily get their hands on the people they need to achieve their business goals.
&nbsp;
Recruiting quality talent into your business is what an MSP does best. But that&rsquo;s not all. Your managed service provider should be more than just a purveyor of people &ndash; it should help shape your entire workforce strategy.
&nbsp;
At a time when supply of talent continues to fall far short of demand, and businesses report regretting <a href="https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1754516/businesses-regret-half-new-hires-amid-skills-shortage-poll-finds">almost half</a> of their recent hires, the value that your MSP can add to your <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/resources/workforce-management/advanced-guide-to-workforce-planning">strategic workforce planning</a> strategy can&rsquo;t be underestimated.
&nbsp;
Here are five ways that your MSP can help transform your strategic workforce planning strategy. 
&nbsp;
<h2>1. Enabling you to become a DE&amp;I champion</h2>
Diversity-specialist MSP partners can help you to reach under-represented talent pools, enabling you to tap into fresh candidate pipelines while also becoming a DE&amp;I champion. They&rsquo;ll also tackle the challenge of tracking and reporting on progress in this area.
While businesses across the globe grapple with severe skills shortages, there are also a significant number of individuals who have dropped out and are consequently &lsquo;missing&rsquo; from the workforce. In fact, a recent <a href="https://www.hbs.edu/managing-the-future-of-work/Documents/research/hiddenworkers09032021.pdf">analysis</a> by Harvard Business School and Accenture suggests there are currently around 27 million &lsquo;hidden&rsquo; workers in the US alone &ndash; with &lsquo;similar proportions&rsquo; in markets like the UK and Germany. The report recommends how leaders can improve hiring practices to uncover missed talent pools, close skills gaps, and improve diversity.
There are candidates out there in the market who, for one reason or another, are being overlooked or screened out of recruitment processes. For example, ex-offenders, military veterans, neurodiverse individuals, and older workers. According to the <a title="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2020/65-older-population-grows.html" href="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2020/65-older-population-grows.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">US Census Bureau&rsquo;s report in June 2020</a>, the over 65yr population in the US grew by a third (34.6%) during the preceding 10 year period.
By looking in new places to fill established roles, businesses can quickly bridge talent gaps. For example, here at Guidant Global we worked with Shop Direct on its &lsquo;<a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/resources/customer-success-stories/shop-direct">All we need is you!</a>&rsquo; recruitment campaign, which was centred on candidate personas. We researched our previous peak workforce to establish four key target audiences. Three of these reflected existing worker trends: Daytime Dave, Nightshift Nick, and Weekend Wasim. The fourth persona, Female Farah, was designed to target a potential gap in applicant demographics and increase the number of female workers by challenging stereotype perceptions of a warehouse environment &ndash; and in turn, increase diversity.
Companies such as waste, recycling and facilities management firm, Biffa, and high street stalwart, Marks &amp; Spencer, meanwhile, have expanded candidate pools by inviting applications from those with previous criminal convictions.
You MSP should review how you can widen <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/widening-traditional-criteria-to-open-up-talent-pools">traditional criteria</a> to open up talent pools exponentially. So much has changed since 2019, and if you are not actively pursuing groups that are under-represented in your business, your sector, or wider workforce, then you&rsquo;re missing a huge opportunity.
<h2>2. Boosting candidate engagement and experience</h2>
Great <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/the-ultimate-guide-to-candidate-engagement">candidate engagement</a> has always been a smart strategy to ensure access to top talent. But in today&rsquo;s hyper-competitive market, successfully building relationships with potential recruits has never been more vital.
Today, offering anything less than a &lsquo;consumer-grade&rsquo; experience throughout the recruitment process and beyond will result in losing talent to the competition. Consider how engaging your advertising or assessment tactics are, and how you are keeping silver and bronze medallists engaged with your business.
Candidate engagement is the practice of building relationships with candidates across every single touchpoint throughout the recruitment journey. This encompasses everything from <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/employer-branding-grow-your-business">employer branding</a> through to application and assessment, job offer and onboarding. It also means keeping unsuccessful candidates engaged so that they may consider joining you in the future if the opportunity presents itself. In short, it&rsquo;s every communication a person experiences while looking to get a job with a particular employer - and this starts before any application is made.
While many mistakenly consider candidate experience to be most important where permanent hires are concerned, it&rsquo;s vital that businesses do not side-line contingent workforces. In many organisations, <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/retaining-temporary-workers">temporary workers</a> play a crucial role in filling skills gaps and are rehired and redeployed time and again for future assignments. As such, keeping this pool of talented workers engaged and loyal to your brand is crucial.
By approaching candidate engagement in a better way, hiring managers can ensure that active and potential candidates are left with a favourable impression of their brand, which should last way beyond a single recruitment cycle.
<h2>3. Building and nurturing your EVP</h2>
The proposition you&rsquo;re offering potential recruits matters now more than ever. However, internal hiring managers and talent management teams don&rsquo;t have the advantage of an objective perspective when it comes to things like average pay rates and the benefits and perks that top talent want. Formulating a winning <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/complete-guide-to-building-a-unique-evp">employer value proposition</a> (EVP) should be within your MSP&rsquo;s skillset.
Effectively communicating what new recruits can expect from your organisation, not only in terms of remuneration, but also how you are providing meaningful work and development opportunities, is key. The starting point for your EVP, is one simple question: &ldquo;why should an in-demand candidate choose to work for us instead of the competition?&rdquo;.
Most organisations feel they&rsquo;re a great place to work, and it can be hard for leaders to set themselves out of their current world and get an accurate picture of what&rsquo;s going on in the wider market. An MSP can draw on its extensive experience and market intelligence to have honest conversations about what will make you a more attractive employer to potential recruits.
For example, post-pandemic, flexibility is a key driver of applications. A recent survey by LinkedIn <a href="https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/resources/talent-management/remote-work/how-work-flexibility-can-help-small-business">found</a> that a massive 98% of professionals would like to work remotely at least some of the time for the rest of their careers. The same report notes that almost all employers (94%) report that productivity is the same or higher than before the pandemic. It&rsquo;s no surprise, then, that research from the UK government&rsquo;s Behavioural Insights Team has <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/flexible-part-time-working-30-more-applicants-20-increase-carl-clarke/?trk=public_profile_article_view">identified</a> that job adverts offering flexible working attracted 30% more applications than those which didn&rsquo;t. What&rsquo;s more, agile working also aids retention. A <a href="https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/talent-leadership/2019/flexible-work-not-a-perk">study</a> by Stanford Graduate School of Business found that work flexibility can reduce resignations by 50%.
According to research by <a href="https://www.gartner.com/en/human-resources/insights/employee-engagement-performance/employee-value-proposition" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gartner</a>, organisations that effectively deliver on their EVP can reduce the compensation premium by 50%, and reach 50% deeper into the labour market when candidates view an EVP as attractive.
In summary, by defining a clear, compelling and attractive EVP, a business can attract more highly skilled workers, without needing to break the bank to do so. The same Gartner study also reveals that organisations that effectively deliver on their EVP can decrease annual staff turnover by 69% and increase the commitment of new hires by almost 30%.
<h2>4. Making full use of data and analytics</h2>
Data and the ability to analyse and utilise it, are key to workforce programmes that are strategic and future focused. Data-driven hiring is not a new concept, but in recent years the quality and availability of workforce insight has improved exponentially. Recruitment data analytics are helping businesses drive informed decision-making to achieve superior outcomes when it comes to strategic workforce planning.
The best MSPs will have the ability to provide you with data about your workforce, your suppliers, and your spending. Most importantly, though, they&rsquo;ll have the expertise and experience to consult with you about what it all means, and where you should go next with your strategic workforce planning strategy.
Data and analytics can be harnessed to identify where productivity is being lost and who you are missing in the marketplace. Here at Guidant Global, we&rsquo;ve the advantage of being able to learn from data from each of our clients&rsquo; programmes, as well as insight into 100s of brands across the globe through our <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/guidant-global-strengthens-partnership-with-brightfield">partnership with leading-edge talent analytics platform</a> Brightfield&rsquo;s Talent Data Exchange (TDX).
<h2>5. Harnessing the power of automation </h2>
<a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/harnessing-the-power-of-automation-in-recruitment">Automation in recruitment</a> is transforming workforce management. Automation can reduce time to hire by transforming inefficient manual processes, while also helping to eliminate human bias. Advanced machine learning technology also means that organisations can now more easily learn from the past to predict the future. However, few businesses have the tech in house to benefit from these advancements &ndash; or the people they need to make full use of their existing technology. Here&rsquo;s where your MSP can add real value.
&nbsp;
Advanced applicant tracking systems (ATS) can be used during the recruitment process to not only record and monitor the progress of potential recruits, but also &ndash; thanks to the power of artificial intelligence &ndash;complete the initial screening of applicants, manage communications, schedule interviews, and handle background checks &ndash; all in real time. And bespoke chatbots and video interviewing can help reduce thousands of applications to a few hundred without losing the human touch.
&nbsp;
However, technology does have its limitations. The above study by <a href="https://www.hbs.edu/managing-the-future-of-work/Documents/research/hiddenworkers09032021.pdf">Harvard Business School</a> and Accenture finds a major reason that so many individuals are missing from the workforce is the near-ubiquitous use of automated hiring platforms, which systematically screen out large numbers of job seekers. These potential recruits might be great employees but, for one reason or another, they are automatically discounted from shortlists due to not meeting so-called &lsquo;essential&rsquo; criteria in the job spec or even because of biases learned by machines. This is why automation technology should be handled with care by true experts.
&nbsp;
<h2 style="background: white; margin-top: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0cm;">A catalyst for effective strategic workforce planning</h2>
&nbsp;
As the examples above details, a great MSP is perfectly placed to not only ensure that vacancies are continually filled with quality candidates &ndash; but also help actively shape your strategic workforce planning strategy.
&nbsp;
Best-in-class technology and human intelligence must work together to shape an effective talent management strategy. No algorithm or data set, no matter how complete or advanced, will capture the entire complexity of work. To be truly game-changing, people throughout the business must use these platforms correctly and unpick and understand what the data is telling them. Make no mistake: in today&rsquo;s tight labour market, the value-add services that an MSP offers are invaluable for organisations seeking to enhance their talent management strategies for the benefit of their businesses.&nbsp;

Beyond resourcing: 5 ways your MSP should help shape your strategic workforce planning strategy

All of us at Guidant Global are saddened by the events in Ukraine. As part of Impellam Group, we want to support Ukrainian refugees arriving in the UK in the best way we know how &ndash; by helping to find good jobs for people and people for good jobs.
We understand it may take time for Ukrainian refugees to settle into their new life in the UK. When they&rsquo;re ready to take their first steps towards getting a new job, we&rsquo;ll be here to support them. We&rsquo;ll help them find a job that reflects their experience and expertise and best suits their needs.
We believe we need to do our bit in this difficult time, and we&rsquo;ll be donating 100% of the profits made from job placements to the International Red Cross.
If you know of a Ukrainian national now residing in the UK who is looking for a job, please share our designated &lsquo;<a href="https://www.impellam.com/jobs-for-ukraine-en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jobs for Ukraine</a>&rsquo; page, part of our Impellam website, to help us spread the word.&nbsp;
These are cost-neutral activities (beyond the time taken to achieve them) that will help to cement the initiative&rsquo;s importance and demonstrate a singular, cooperative response to this situation. Усі ми в Guidant Global засмучені подіями в Україні.
Як частина Impellam Group, ми хочемо підтримати українських біженців, які прибувають до Великої Британії, найкращим способом, який ми знаємо &ndash; допомагаючи знайти хорошу роботу для людей і людей для хорошої роботи.
Ми розуміємо, що українським біженцям може знадобитися час, щоб освоїти своє нове життя у Великобританії. Коли вони будуть готові зробити перші кроки до отримання нової роботи, ми будемо тут, щоб підтримати їх. Ми допоможемо їм знайти роботу, яка відображає їх досвід та знання та найкраще відповідає їхнім потребам.
Ми вважаємо, що нам потрібно зробити свій внесок у цей важкий час, і тому 100% нашого прибутку отриманого від працевлаштування, ми передамо Міжнародному Червоному Хресту.
Якщо ви знаєте громадян України, які зараз проживають у Великобританії, і які шукають роботу, будь ласка, поділіться нашою спеціальною сторінкою <a href="https://www.impellam.com/jobs-for-ukraine-ua" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Вакансії для України</a>, частиною нашого веб-сайту Impellam, щоб допомогти нам поширити інформацію.
Це нейтральні щодо витрат заходи (за межами часу, витраченого на їх виконання), які допоможуть закріпити важливість ініціативи та продемонструють єдину, спільну відповідь на цю ситуацію.
&nbsp;

Support for Ukrainian jobseekers in the UK

Those operating in talent acquisition and management have long understood the benefits of building diverse teams and fostering an inclusive culture. However, since the beginning of the pandemic the world of work has changed significantly &ndash; and this has created both fresh opportunities and new challenges around diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&amp;I).
A global boom in demand for talent, international travel restrictions, and a wholesale shift to hybrid working have all impacted how businesses find, engage, and manage their people. Add to the mix the &lsquo;Great Resignation&rsquo; as workers around the world reassess their priorities and ambitions, and it is clear that businesses must urgently reassess their DE&amp;I efforts to keep pace with the rapidly changing landscape.
I spoke to Ann Bookout, Impellam&rsquo;s Head of Culture &amp; Fulfilment, about the actions needed to improve workforce DE&amp;I in 2022. Here&rsquo;s what she had to say.
<h3>Beth Armesto (BA): Ann, how would you describe the state of workforce DE&amp;I today?</h3>
Ann Bookout (AB): While we are now witnessing greater diversity at entry and mid-career level, we continue to see a lack of representation on executive leadership teams. That&rsquo;s not to say businesses are not working to address this, particularly where racial and gender representation at board level are concerned.
However, we desperately need to expand our efforts to ensure we are attracting, retaining, and growing other underrepresented groups such as disabled talent, veterans, and those with varied sexual orientations across all levels.
<blockquote>&ldquo;Of course, it is important to measure success where workforce DE&amp;I is concerned. However, I must confess I have a love-hate relationship with data capture.&rdquo;</blockquote>
The goal for inclusion is often beyond what can be measured on paper. Moving a figure from 23% to 24% is great, but what does it really mean? We need to tie data into the programmes and initiatives of organisations. Do employees feel engaged and connected? Do people feel a sense of belonging? These are the questions we need to be asking if we want to get a true idea of employee experience on the ground.&nbsp;
There&rsquo;s also a current issue that has the potential to impact true diversity: attrition rates are so high that companies are just trying to get people in the door. I am concerned that decision makers are not doing the appropriate due diligence to ensure they are finding diverse talent and creating and sourcing from diverse <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=0A64FC831B814E948B940D1F1AAED1E6&amp;_z=z">talent pools</a>.
I fear that businesses may be missing opportunities to strengthen DE&amp;I as they are, understandably, trying to react so rapidly. However, in some ways, attrition is helping as people are having to look &lsquo;outside the box&rsquo;, so there is a real opportunity here if action is compromised by necessity.
<h3>BA: What will it take to create true board-level diversity?</h3>
AB: Board-level diversity is now being demanded by customers and employees. But I don&rsquo;t see many companies doing it really well. Over the last 20 years we have seen investment in gender diversity, with organisations actively growing, identifying and promoting female talent to increase numbers at senior level. We now need the same investment in other areas such as LGBTQ+ and people of colour.
There was a very dedicated push to get women on boards and we need to replicate that for all elements of diversity: when you make a targeted investment like that, you do see the needle move. We need to take what we know about women in leadership and apply similar thinking to other elements of diversity.
<h3>BA: What else do you think is driving DE&amp;I workforce trends?</h3>
AB: Of course, there is still a need to focus on diversity officers and chief diversity officers. But, honestly, I think the issue is bigger than that today. Now is the time to reframe what work means to people and how we work. Covid has caused a lot of people to think, &lsquo;What do I even want to do with my life?&rsquo;
Everybody needs a pay cheque, but there is a whole group of people who are taking a step back and talking about culture and purpose and finding meaning.
<blockquote>&ldquo;How do we equip people, so they feel the job they do is meaningful?&rdquo;</blockquote>
If you are going to spend time away from your family or the people and things that you love, what you&rsquo;re doing has to have meaning &ndash; and this is what we need to communicate to all existing and potential employees. That is why we are witnessing the rise of the chief purpose officer; businesses are investing in drivers for retention in the new world of work.
<h3>BA: How should organisations be rewarding DE&amp;I success?</h3>
AB: When it comes to DE&amp;I success, the biggest barrier is people&rsquo;s time and resources. So, you have to make it part of everything you do. You can&rsquo;t just reward people for hitting their financial targets. You have to also recognise them for their contribution to culture and bringing diverse talent to the business.
<blockquote>&ldquo;Focusing on financials alone can contribute to a culture of rewarding &lsquo;toxic rockstars&rsquo;.&rdquo;</blockquote>
My job is to constantly challenge and change the questions we are asking of our workforce. You need people who are willing to question the status quo and the time and resources to make change happen. There is no one-size-fits-all solution and not everyone has the time, or the interest, or the capability to make that happen. There needs to be willingness to invest and ask some of the harder questions to achieve impactful DE&amp;I.
<h3>BA: Is there a role for greater storytelling in DE&amp;I action?</h3>
AB: When it comes to an effective DE&amp;I initiative or programme, data is only part of the solution. Uncovering and telling people&rsquo;s stories is also vital.
Focusing on the individual brings data to life. I&rsquo;ve personally witnessed the transformative power of storytelling, seeing hearts and minds change in a few moments. The cultural impact cannot be measured but it is felt more than any data on a PowerPoint slide. Creating an organisation where people can share themselves and their identities will have a much greater impact.
<blockquote>&ldquo;People crave authenticity, texture, and transparency.&rdquo;</blockquote>
We need to hear people, in leadership roles in particular, stripped back and being more vulnerable to inspire the people employed underneath them. The message should be: &lsquo;There is not a perfect path to success, but build your career here and we will help you navigate that&rsquo;.
<h3>BA: Finally, how do you think we should be measuring DE&amp;I success?</h3>
AB: Ultimately, to realise the full advantages of any DE&amp;I programme, enterprises need to:
<ul>
<li>clearly define their vision</li>
<li>develop strategic plans and a formalised framework</li>
<li>measure key metrics tracking the impact of the programme based on employee feedback, and continue to improve.</li>
</ul>
It&rsquo;s a clich&eacute;, but what gets measured gets done. You have to tie diversity to reward and compensation and hold people accountable. There is a column A and a column B: delivering on your business objectives in one column, and contributing to your culture through creating a diverse and inclusive environment in the other. They have to be balanced; they go hand in hand and can&rsquo;t be siloed. When that is done well, and supported by leadership, it will start to trickle down.
<blockquote>&ldquo;The idea of purpose over profit is big at the moment, but the reality is that businesses must focus on purpose and profit &ndash; they are not mutually exclusive.&rdquo;</blockquote>
We all want to make money and have stability and I truly believe that companies ultimately generate profits through finding purpose. I don&rsquo;t think there is a complete business case there yet to prove that, but I want to be part of making one.
Amid the new world of work we need to do things in a better way to attract and retain the best people and build robust, diverse, equitable, and inclusive businesses.
<h3>Need a workforce diversity and inclusion partner?</h3>
Thanks to our award-winning inclusive recruitment practices and network of diversity-specialist recruiters, our customers are building workforces and workplaces where everyone can thrive.&nbsp;<a href="~/link.aspx?_id=1FAEA3D2C35148F7B4871AC1CACC454D&amp;_z=z">Access our D&amp;I guide here</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="~/link.aspx?_id=4B869BD5E834489390D7CFB82F3F3DD6&amp;_z=z">get in touch</a>&nbsp;to learn how we can support you.

What does workforce DE&I action look like in 2022?

Guidant Global has received a SAP&reg; Global Intelligent Spend and Business Network Award for Partner Excellence 2022 for SAP Fieldglass&reg; Managed Service Provider Award. Awards were presented by SAP (NYSE: SAP) to top-performing partners for outstanding contributions related to Intelligent Spend and Business Network solutions. Award winners &ndash; in partnership with SAP &ndash; help customers innovate, gain rapid results, grow sustainably, and run more simply.
Brian Salkowski, COO Guidant Global said: &ldquo;We&rsquo;re deeply honoured by the award. This recognition is a direct reflection of the principals and commitments that we share with SAP toward improving customer&rsquo;s experiences and outcomes with SAP Fieldglass solutions. Our partnership has helped enable us to produce innovative solutions that have set a new bar for the sourcing, engagement, and management of the contingent workforce. We continue to work with SAP to hone and develop strategies that bridge talent supply and demand while concurrently expanding enterprise control and visibility.&rdquo; Nominations are based on internal SAP sales data. A steering committee then determines winning partners in each category according to numerous criteria such as sales achievement and performance.&nbsp; &ldquo;Partners are critical to the SAP ecosystem and this award recognizes their contributions and hard-earned success,&rdquo; says Claus Gruenewald, SAP&rsquo;s Global Head &ndash; Partner Business, Intelligent Spend and Business Network. &ldquo;I want to congratulate Guidant Global on what they&rsquo;ve helped both our organisations achieve over the past year and wish them a good time celebrating this win.&rdquo; Guidant Global has built up nearly two-decade&rsquo;s experience of designing, deploying and managing customer services procurement and contingent workforce solutions. We continue to deliver new values that helps customers solve complex challenges and ensure value creation through the management of costs, mitigation of risk, quality improvement.
Guidant Global received the award during SAP Spend Connect Live 2022, SAP&rsquo;s premier spend management user conference, bringing together procurement, external workforce, supply chain, and travel and expense solutions.

Guidant Global Receives SAP Global Intelligent Spend and Business Network Partner Excellence Award

So, you&rsquo;ve decided to manage your contingent workforce through an <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/what-is-outsourcing/what-is-msp">MSP</a>. What&rsquo;s next? For those who haven&rsquo;t issued a Request for Information (RFI) or a Request for Proposals (RFP) for an MSP specifically, it&rsquo;s important to know the nuances of <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/the-power-of-contingent-workforce-visibility-through-data-analytics">contingent workforce</a> information requests. And for those of you who manage these tenders regularly, it&rsquo;s always useful to have a handy checklist to work from. Here&rsquo;s our RFI and RFP checklist for procurement and HR teams.
<h2>What&rsquo;s an RFI and what should it include?</h2>
At request for information, or RFI stage you may still be working with a relatively large shortlist but want to whittle it down to only those with the right credentials, capabilities and experience. Some businesses decide to skip this phase altogether if they are confident in the abilities of their shortlist.
<h4>The top things to have on your RFI checklist are simple:</h4>
1. Company size
2. Reach 3. Headcount.
<h4>At this stage you could also ask suppliers to share:</h4>
4. Case studies that align with your company situation (ie by industry, scope, problem, or&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;objectives) 5. Examples of delivery models and available talent channels 6. The workforce management technologies they partner with 7. Supplier partnership methodology 8. How they recruit people 9.&nbsp;Why are they a good fit for us? How they go to market
10. Their approach to DEI. These questions won&rsquo;t provide any detail around how the MSP will work with your business specifically. Instead, they help you shape a picture of who you will be working with both an operational and cultural perspective. You can start understanding if they are your type of people and can you see yourself or your team working with them. 
<h2>Red flags</h2>
At RFI stage, unsuitable suppliers can be removed from the selection process if there are any red flags. Some organisations, like those in the public sector, need to ask questions to eliminate risky businesses.
<h4>For example:</h4>
11. Is the organisation under investigation for environmental offences? 12. Are there any legal activities or violations that the business is currently facing? 
<h2>What&rsquo;s an RFP and what should it include?</h2>
A request for proposals, or RFP, should be carefully designed so that the answers provided help you make the best buying decision. At this stage, you are no longer asking &lsquo;what can you do&rsquo; but &lsquo;what will you do?&rsquo; and &lsquo;how is that going to work?&rsquo; It&rsquo;s important at this stage to tailor your RFP. Suppliers can only work with what you give them. Too little information and the supplier won&rsquo;t be able to demonstrate their real value.
<h4>Questions need to cover:</h4>
13. What solution (including any technology or VMS) are you recommending and why?? &nbsp; 14. What&rsquo;s the delivery model? 15. What&rsquo;s its differentiator? 16. How will it benefit our business? 17. How will it be implemented and how long will that take? 18. How will the technology work? 19. What insights and analytics will be provided and on what frequency? 20. How will you manage talent attraction and the recruitment process? Through direct sourcing or supply chain management, for example. 21. How will you champion and monitor DEI? 22. How will you ensure continuous improvement and innovation? 23. How will the account be managed from a governance and compliance perspective? 24. Can you share customer references? These should ideally come from firms in the same sector or of a similar size and organisational structure as your own or deal with similar pain points. 25. What will it cost? 
<h2>Set expectations</h2>
It&rsquo;s important you include a detailed project scope as the more information and guidance you give the more prescriptive solution. It&rsquo;s also good practice to outline any internal restrictions or non-negotiables. Share your goals, objectives and any historic or live worker data. The more background information, insight and data you provide, the better the quality of the proposals will be &ndash; and the more likely it is that the RFP will be priced correctly. To get an accurately costed proposal, make clear and stipulate the type of commercial pricing model you need. 
<h2>Beware generic RFPs</h2>
If you&rsquo;re looking for a quality MSP partner, it helps if you use your RFP to really set the scene and illustrate what you are trying to achieve.
Don&rsquo;t worry about being &lsquo;right&rsquo; or having all the answers. Be clear on the challenges and problems and what you want to achieve. It&rsquo;s the bidder&rsquo;s job to fill these blanks. Share your vision of how you see a managed service programme creating a meaningful difference for you. Potential MSPs should read an RFP and think &lsquo;I get it&rsquo; and &lsquo;I want to be a part of it&rsquo;. This is unlikely to be the case if you use a generic &lsquo;off the shelf&rsquo; template. A copy and paste of a 100+ question RFP doesn&rsquo;t get the best out of the market. If you ask for responses to a list of stock questions. Surprise! You&rsquo;ll receive stock answers. Instead, share a condensed document of what you really need to capture the imagination of the bidder so that you get back a tailored and suitable solutions that works for you. Be realistic in your timeframes for response. Allow at least a three-week from issue to response deadline. A short timescale will only mean poorly researched, prepared and vanilla proposal. 
<h2>Content and clarity</h2>
We&rsquo;ve responded to thousands of RFPs across all industries. We&rsquo;ve seen some incredibly well thought-out, clear-minded RFPs. We&rsquo;ve also seen many that lack content, clarity and a clear understanding of what success looks like. The carefully thought-out questions in your RFP should be designed to ascertain the quality, speed, cost and risk of the propositions from each provider. If your brief doesn&rsquo;t meet this criteria, it&rsquo;ll be difficult for partners to propose a solution that brings the benefits you need for your business. A tailored request lets us demonstrate that we understand your issues and concerns and detail how we&rsquo;ll address them in a personalised way. Now that you've been wowed by the "best for you providers" a thorough discussion will help you really drill down to the best fit based potential cultural, commercial and solution alignment. Download our in-depth guide to create and RFP for outsource workforce solution <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/resources/outsourcing-guides-and-insights/creating-an-rfp-for-outsourced-workforce-solutions-part-1">Part 1</a> and <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/resources/outsourcing-guides-and-insights/creating-an-rfp-for-outsourced-workforce-solutions-part-2">Part 2.</a>

What are the top 25 questions to ask in your RFIs and RFPs?

We&rsquo;re delighted to have been ranked as the top EMEA talent solutions provider for diversity and inclusion (D&amp;I) in the TALiNT Partners Talent Solutions Power List 2021/22.
Comparing the effectiveness of our client services to those of our peers, TALiNT Partners ranked us first for our D&amp;I capabilities, an area it said had seen &lsquo;the development of best practice and innovative thinking&hellip; which has gained value as DE&amp;I has become more strategically important to employers.&rsquo; TALiNT Partners also ranked us first for employment flexibility in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, and second in a further three categories:
<ul>
<li>Candidate experience</li>
<li>Retention and internal mobility</li>
<li>Onboarding.</li>
</ul>
Assessing our overall operational focus within the EMEA region, TALiNT Partners characterised us as a &lsquo;Pacesetter&rsquo; with a focus on providing &lsquo;best in class&rsquo; solutions. The Talent Solutions Power List helps employers looking to engage with talent solutions firms make the best decision, based on independent, transparent and rigorous evaluation of the reach, expertise and service capabilities of RPO, MSP and talent solutions providers. This recognition builds on our success at the TALiNT Partners TIARA Talent Solutions Awards Europe 2021, when we were named <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=8F063CB87D1B43FC88DEB71345D6C946&amp;_z=z">winners of the Best Use of Technology award</a>.&nbsp; Karina Townley, our Managing Director for Client Services EMEA, commented:
&ldquo;Here at Guidant, we have always been incredibly proud to offer flexibility and an inclusive culture for our employees. People are at the heart of everything we do and our &lsquo;A Better Way&rsquo; ethos. In an ever-changing world, I&rsquo;m delighted that we&rsquo;ve been recognised for living and breathing these values in the service we provide to our clients.&rdquo;
<a href="https://www.talentsolutionspl.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Visit the Talent Solutions Power List website</a> to find out more.
<h4>Need a workforce diversity and inclusion partner?</h4>
Thanks to our award-winning inclusive recruitment practices and network of diversity-specialist recruiters, our customers are building workforces and workplaces where everyone can thrive. Access our D&amp;I guide below, and get in touch to learn how we can support you.
<a class="turtl-embed" style="width: 340px;" title="How to build an equality, diversity and inclusion strategy for long-term success" href="https://guidantglobal.turtl.co/story/how-to-build-an-equality-diversity-and-inclusion-strategy-for-long-term-success/?teaser=yes" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-turtl-embed-type="animation" data-turtl-link-text="Click to read" data-turtl-width="340" data-turtl-display-mode="lightbox" data-turtl-animation-mode="hover" data-turtl-color="#1eb1c7" data-turtl-story-id="620bacb52859d53e828b713b">Click to read How to build an equality, diversity and inclusion strategy for long-term success</a>

Guidant Global ranked top talent solutions provider for D&I capability

We&rsquo;re very proud and pleased to announce that Guidant Global has been shortlisted in the &lsquo;Recruiting Back Better&rsquo; category at the 2021 Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI) Awards.
Held annually and awarded by a judging panel of industry experts, <a href="https://ridi.org.uk/ridi-awards/">the RIDI awards</a> bring together leading changemakers in the recruitment sector to celebrate the very best of disability confident recruitment.
This year, we&rsquo;ve been shortlisted in the &lsquo;Recruiting Back Better&rsquo; category. This is a new category that recognises the changes required in recruitment practices during the pandemic, and identifies practices that have worked as well as what can be taken forward in a sustainable way. Our fellow nominees in this category are
<ul>
<li>Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust</li>
<li>myInterview</li>
<li>BartsAbility - Barts Health NHS Trust</li>
</ul>
We&rsquo;re delighted to have made the shortlist for this award, a year after <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=8A7685D99682459EB5EC3D47DDC45339&amp;_z=z">we received the &lsquo;Highly Commended&rsquo; award</a>&nbsp;in the &lsquo;Most Inclusive Recruitment Campaign&rsquo; at the 2020 RIDIs.
Congratulations and good luck to all of this year&rsquo;s shortlisted entrants, and we look forward to seeing the worthy winners crowned at the awards ceremony in December.
<div>&nbsp;</div>

Guidant Global shortlisted for ‘Recruiting Back Better’ RIDI Award

Ongoing skills shortages, along with a desire to build more diverse workforces, are arguably the two of the biggest challenges facing in-house talent acquisition teams today.
According to the Future Workplace 2021 <a href="https://futureworkplace.com/ebooks/2021-hr-sentiment-survey/">HR Sentiment Survey</a>, more than half of leaders say talent acquisition is a top strategic priority this year, while 67% cite diversity, equality and inclusion (DE&amp;I) as a main concern. Meanwhile, Mercer&rsquo;s latest <a href="https://www.mercer.com/our-thinking/career/global-talent-hr-trends.html">Global Talent Trends</a> report paints a similar picture, with DE&amp;I analytics and &lsquo;defining future workforce needs&rsquo; highlighted as top priorities.
However, while these distinct issues are often tackled separately, taking a joined-up approach could hold the key to success in both areas.
<h3>Acute skills shortages</h3>
It is no secret that employers across the UK are grappling with unprecedented talent shortages. Official <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/job-vacancies-top-1-million-as-economy-rebounds-from-crisis-12383497">figures</a> released in August 2021 show that unfilled job vacancies have now topped one million for the first time ever. In July alone, the number of permanent vacancies advertised by recruitment agencies rose by 43%, while contract roles increased by 53%, compared with the previous year, according to <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/532cdbc2-b86f-4944-9fac-ec8d99654446">data</a>&nbsp;released by the Association of Professional Staffing Companies.
Beyond these headline numbers, skills gaps are having a tangible impact on both our everyday lives and the wider UK economy. Small businesses are limiting operations because of staff shortages, hospitality venues are restricting opening hours, and a shortfall of HGV drivers is leaving gaps on supermarket shelves.
The reasons behind this evident lack of candidates are, unsurprisingly, complex. Insufficient talent pipelines, an exodus of EU workers post-Brexit, and the fact that many professionals retrained or switched sectors to find work during the pandemic have all helped to contribute to the current situation.
But many businesses are also struggling to source staff because they are fishing for talent in the same small pond as their competitors. There simply aren&rsquo;t enough people to go around. In order to do things in a better way, organisations must explore the potential of untapped <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=0A64FC831B814E948B940D1F1AAED1E6&amp;_z=z">talent pools</a>.
<h3>Untapped talent pools</h3>
While businesses across the UK scramble for talent in skills-scarce silos, there are entire groups of people who, for one reason or another, completely rule out certain career paths or find it difficult to access employment altogether. Archaic recruitment processes, outdated job specs, and even the channels used to communicate opportunities can all act as a barrier to applicants.
Specific sectors can unintentionally deter jobseekers depending on their gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Meanwhile, disabled talent, former military personnel, ex-offenders, individuals returning to work after a career break, older professionals, and care leavers are just some of the groups who statistically find it more challenging to secure a role. What&rsquo;s more, the individuals most likely to be inadvertently sidelined by legacy hiring practices are also most likely to be able to bring new and valuable skills and perspectives to teams.
<h3>Engaging a diverse workforce</h3>
Actively seeking out individuals from these underrepresented groups will not only have a positive impact on the volume of jobseekers available, but also on the breadth, depth, and quality of your talent pools.
There is a wealth of evidence that supports the fact that companies with diverse workforces outperform the competition. Make no mistake, even in times when talent is plentiful, <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=1FAEA3D2C35148F7B4871AC1CACC454D&amp;_z=z">DE&amp;I initiatives</a>&nbsp;aren&rsquo;t just &lsquo;nice to have&rsquo; &ndash; they have a positive and measurable impact on a business&rsquo;s bottom line.
Diversity breeds innovation. People with a wide range of backgrounds, skills, and experiences will all approach challenges in dynamic ways, see different opportunities, and bring unique insights. Plus, only companies with a diverse range of talent can honestly claim to be truly representative of the customers and communities they serve.
However, in order to tap into new or underutilised talent pools, engage with a wide range of jobseekers, and take advantage of the benefits that diverse workforces bring, talent acquisition teams and hiring managers must identify why they are not reaching these people already. Unnecessary role requirements, your ability to upskill and retrain applicants, use of language or imagery, and job ad placement all need to be reviewed and reconsidered. Get it right, and your reward will be access to a whole new world of quality candidates.
An experienced <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=7BBDEF02CA3042E8BA27F0A1892A63DE&amp;_z=z">MSP</a>&nbsp;or <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=3247651558BE4168A49D96245C7137E2&amp;_z=z">RPO</a>&nbsp;provider is perfectly placed to support businesses in exploring and engaging with the whole array of talent available as they reach beyond their conventional &lsquo;go to&rsquo; candidate personas - particularly when hiring in volume.
<h3>Lessons from The Very Group</h3>
The Very Group is the parent company of big-name brands Littlewoods and Very. During their peak recruiting period, which runs from late August to the end of November each year, the business requires additional workers to cope with the demands of Black Friday, Christmas, and the January sales.
In 2017, when the company was known as Shop Direct, Guidant was responsible for its &lsquo;All we need is you!&rsquo; <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=D655A4AEE6FF4166AD5DE5028D3146FB&amp;_z=z">recruitment campaign</a>, which was centred on candidate personas. We researched our previous peak workforce to establish four key target audiences. Three of these reflected existing worker trends: Daytime Dave, Nightshift Nick, and Weekend Wasim. The fourth persona, Female Farah, was designed to target a potential gap in applicant demographics and increase the number of female workers through challenging stereotype perceptions of a warehouse environment &ndash; and, in turn, increase diversity.
Both the design and messaging of job adverts were tailored to each persona rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach. Communications included persona-focussed imagery and targeted social media posts. As a result, we filled 1,500 roles &ndash; at a total cost of just &pound;10 per head. What&rsquo;s more, 69% of all temporary female hires at Shop Direct in 2017 were placed in the three months our campaign was live. The project <a href="https://recruiterawards.co.uk/most-effective-recruitment-marketing-campaign-2018/">went on to win</a> the 'Most Effective Recruitment Marketing Campaign' category at the 2018 Recruiter Awards.
<h3>Seize the opportunity to build a diverse workforce</h3>
By doing things in a better way, we are able to reach previously overlooked segments of the workforce. Today, we work closely with our clients to make the best use of Apprenticeship Levy funds to create programmes that give individuals from all walks of life equal opportunities. At the other end of the spectrum, we partner with the Fuller Working Lives team to support longer careers.
We are the only recruitment provider that has achieved a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader status and are founding members of the Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI). We have also pledged to ban the box on asking for criminal convictions in the early stages of the application process, so that everyone has an equal opportunity to find work.
We know that while the skills shortages employers are facing are less than ideal, they provide a perfect opportunity to build a more diverse workforce. By joining the dots, and seeking help from the experts, talent acquisition professionals can take a fresh look at recruitment practices and build better processes to boost not only applications, but also inclusion.
<h3>Need a workforce diversity and inclusion partner?</h3>
Thanks to our award-winning inclusive recruitment practices and network of diversity-specialist recruiters, our customers are building workforces and workplaces where everyone can thrive.&nbsp;<a href="~/link.aspx?_id=1FAEA3D2C35148F7B4871AC1CACC454D&amp;_z=z">Access our D&amp;I guide here</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="~/link.aspx?_id=4B869BD5E834489390D7CFB82F3F3DD6&amp;_z=z">get in touch</a>&nbsp;to learn how we can support you.
<div>&nbsp;</div>

Skills shortages: the perfect opportunity to build a more diverse workforce

We&rsquo;re proud to announce that Guidant Global has been awarded the Silver Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) award by the Ministry of Defence&rsquo;s London Employer Engagement Board.
Each year, the ERS gives bronze, silver, and gold awards to employers that support defence and the armed forces community, and that align their values with the <a href="https://www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Armed Forces Covenant</a>. As signatories to the Armed Forces Covenant, which is a pledge to treat the armed forces and their families with fairness and respect in the society they serve, we&rsquo;re thrilled to receive this recognition - and to build on the bronze award we received in 2019. To achieve a silver award, employers must be able to demonstrate armed forces-friendly policies and practices, and must employ at least one member of the armed forces community - as well as meeting a number of other stringent criteria. From our interview guarantee to our flexible working policies and our extra day&rsquo;s holiday for reservists, we strive to ensure that no member of the armed forces community is disadvantaged in the world of work. Reservists and veterans have often developed a calmness under pressure, a methodical and organised approach to work, and progressive problem solving abilities - all highly relevant and transferable skills that we actively seek to recruit into our business. Guidant&rsquo;s Talent Attraction and Acquisition Manager, Emma Buckley, commented:
&ldquo;Providing opportunities to veterans, reservists and their spouses has been really important to Guidant Global and its leadership team for a long time. I&rsquo;m absolutely delighted we&rsquo;ve been recognised with a silver ERS award for our commitment to diverse and inclusive recruitment, a commitment that will be further enhanced by this award. &ldquo;As a military spouse, the flexibility I was afforded by Guidant Global was vital in my decision to join the business. Uprooting your life every two years can really affect your chances of finding job stability, but Guidant gave me the full support and flexibility I needed. I&rsquo;m proud to work for a business that values applicants&rsquo; skills and motivation above all else, and I&rsquo;m excited to keep pushing the envelope for socially responsible recruitment.&rdquo;
You can <a href="https://jobs.guidantglobal.com/blog/2019/11/remembrance-day-emmas-story" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">read about Emma&rsquo;s experience as a military spouse at our jobs website</a>.

Guidant Global receives Silver Award for its support of the Armed Forces

We&rsquo;re delighted to announce that Guidant Global are finalists in two categories at the 2021 TIARA Talent Solutions Awards Europe. The TIARAs are run by <a href="https://www.talint.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TALiNT Partners</a> and set a new standard of excellence for our sector, celebrating the best RPO, MSP and talent solutions providers in Europe. We are thrilled to have been named as finalists in the following categories: The eTeam Client Service Award The Cornerstone OnDemand Best Use of Technology Award We were <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/tiara-2020-winners" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">proud to win</a> the awards for Best RPO/MSP to Work For and Diversity &amp; Inclusion last year, and to have <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/news/tiara-us-2021-winners" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">won the award</a> for client service at this year&rsquo;s US TIARA Awards. Winners will be announced at a gala dinner in September, and we&rsquo;d like to say congratulations and best of luck to our fellow finalists! You can view the full list of finalists at the <a href="https://rpo.tiara.talint.co.uk/finalists/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TIARA Talent Solutions Awards website</a>.

Guidant Global are finalists at the TIARA Talent Solutions Awards Europe

One effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the rapid and widespread digitalisation of work. But when it comes to recruitment, the recent shift to remote working simply accelerated an existing trend. As well as making full use of company websites and social media channels, recruiters and hiring managers are always looking for innovative <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=13998AC942694EAE814E162115D7FA85&amp;_z=z">talent technologies</a>&nbsp;to attract, assess, interview and hire people. But how do we ensure this doesn&rsquo;t exclude disabled candidates who face barriers accessing information and completing forms and assessments online? In our <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=CD15FFE40F3341CA8FCB8EC7D71BE6ED&amp;_z=z">Guide to accessible online recruitment</a>, we&rsquo;ve partnered with web accessibility experts <a href="https://reciteme.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Recite Me</a> to provide practical advice for employers on how to make their online recruitment practices inclusive and open to all. Get your copy of the guide to find out:
<ul>
<li>Why online access barriers are such a problem</li>
<li>The barriers that employment candidates face</li>
<li>Why inclusivity is so important (and beneficial)</li>
<li>5 ways to provide an inclusive candidate journey</li>
<li>How web accessibility technologies can help</li>
</ul>
Download your copy of <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=CD15FFE40F3341CA8FCB8EC7D71BE6ED&amp;_z=z">Guide to accessible online recruitment</a>.
&nbsp;

How to provide an accessible online recruitment experience – get the guide

We&rsquo;re delighted to announce that Beth Armesto, Guidant Global&rsquo;s Senior Director for Supplier Relationship Management, has been named on the inaugural SIA Diversity, Equity &amp; Inclusion (DE&amp;I) Influencers list for the US and Canada. Beth is recognised for her instrumental roles in nurturing under-represented suppliers to prominence in our supply chain by leading our INfluence Supplier Diversity Program, and in Unity, Impellam NA&rsquo;s internal employee community for DE&amp;I action and education. Beth&rsquo;s recognition comes just a few months after <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=BBDF6FC62504487097067D23E6919062&amp;_z=z">multiple Guidant Global and Impellam Group colleagues</a>&nbsp;were named by SIA as global talent marketplace influencers.
<h3>Recognition for our INfluence Workforce Consortium members</h3>
We&rsquo;re also thrilled to see representatives from all <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=52B2E54275C34634853E781ED2B18EF9&amp;_z=z">three of our INfluence Workforce Consortium</a>&nbsp;members recognised on the list, which is the first of its kind for our industry. These individuals are:
<ul>
<li><a href="http://dei.staffingindustry.com/honoree/allison-robinson-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Allison Robinson</a>, Founder and CEO at The MOM Project</li>
<li><a href="http://dei.staffingindustry.com/honoree/tinisha-bookhart-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tinisha Bookhart</a>, Founding Partner, Director of IT Practice at Primary Talent Partners</li>
<li><a href="http://dei.staffingindustry.com/honoree/chad-douglas-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chad Douglas</a>, Founding Partner and Chief Revenue Officer at Primary Talent Partners</li>
<li><a href="http://dei.staffingindustry.com/honoree/namita-tirath-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Namita Tirath</a>, Chief Customer Officer at Pyramid Consulting.</li>
</ul>
I&rsquo;d like to say a huge congratulations to Beth and to Allison, Tinisha, Chad and Namita for this incredible recognition of their great work.
<h3>About the SIA DE&amp;I Influencers list</h3>
The <a href="http://dei.staffingindustry.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SIA DE&amp;I Influencers list</a> recognises leaders in organisations who are making diversity, equity and inclusion a focus, and creating real change - whether they work for staffing firms, buyers of staffing services, VMS/MSP/RPO providers, talent platform firms or vendors. The list isn&rsquo;t a ranking. Instead, it&rsquo;s a celebration of those who have made a demonstrable influence on the workforce solutions ecosystem, are having tough conversations about race, gender and equality, and challenging others to think differently. Commenting on the announcement, SIA editor and publisher, media products, Subadhra R. Sriram, said the 2021 DE&amp;I Influencers:
&ldquo;... are examining their every action through a diversity lens. They are being featured because for years they have been working tirelessly behind the scenes drawing the industry&rsquo;s attention to the gaps in our hiring process both within staffing firms and in the workforce at large. Their work is the conduit, drawing attention while providing opportunities to those who fall through the cracks. They have inspired us by their dedication, commitment to a cause and effecting change at a time when diversity was not at the forefront of people&rsquo;s minds.&rdquo;

Guidant Global leader and partners recognised as DE&I influencers by Staffing Industry Analysts

In one of our recent blog posts we talked about the importance of making <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=FB628EEF21EE4671ABA60D0BE37FE947&amp;_z=z">recruitment supply chains more diverse</a>, equal and inclusive. But what about contingent worker diversity?
It&rsquo;s common to hear of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&amp;I) initiatives for permanent talent pools. However, historically this hasn&rsquo;t been as commonplace for the flexible workforce. The conversation is changing now though, as the impact of the pandemic on the world of work begins to unfold.
<h3>The importance of worker diversity</h3>
DE&amp;I has arguably never been so topical. Global movements such as Black Lives Matter and #MeToo have brought inequality to the fore in our personal and professional lives. For HR and procurement teams, there are multiple challenges to overcome when driving the diversity agenda - particularly when looking at the flexible workforce.
Often, contingent workers are chosen to fill specific skills gaps, or the specifications of a role dictate certain criteria that are not conducive to diversity. As a result, talent pools are themselves becoming limited in variety. While there will always be a need to source specific skills across contingent workforces, there is the argument that progressive employers will be looking at encouraging diversity in talent pools themselves, as well as auditing hiring and workforce management processes to ensure they are inclusive.
We&rsquo;re already beginning to see this action implemented in some areas. In the US in particular, there are a number of initiatives to increase the representation of wider demographics in talent pools. Scholarship schemes for historically black colleges and universities is one such example. But more action is needed on this front.
So how can we improve contingent worker diversity?
<h3>Improving contingent worker diversity: 5 top tips</h3>
&nbsp;
<ol>
<li>Even small changes can make an impact: Tackling the DE&amp;I agenda doesn&rsquo;t necessarily require a complete overhaul of existing processes. In fact, quite often a small or simple change can have a significant impact. At Guidant Global, for example, we&rsquo;ve recently layered <a href="https://reciteme.com/product/assistive-toolbar" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ReciteMe&rsquo;s assistive toolbar</a> onto our candidate site so that those who are neurodiverse, visually impaired, speak English as a second language or are of old age aren&rsquo;t excluded from roles we recruit for.</li>
<li>Get talking: DE&amp;I&nbsp;is something that needs to be talked about across a business in relation to both the permanent and non-employed workforce. Have the conversation internally with hiring managers, DE&amp;I&nbsp;leaders and senior management teams. Bring in people from different backgrounds to help you look at any problems and challenges through a different lens.</li>
<li>Measurement is key: While contingent worker diversity is difficult to measure and track, it is important to record any data you can. There are global nuances in what data you can request from individuals that you will need to be mindful of, but having access to any information can really help inform where there may be a need for change.</li>
<li>Pick your partners: There are a wealth of tools and suppliers with solutions that can help improve diversity in the recruitment process. Choosing to work with one of these experts or invest in technology that can help drive contingent worker diversity is certainly worth considering. As a case in point, Guidant announced recently that it had <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=FCA7CE46A58048F199C51A8E614C5A63&amp;_z=z">partnered with Get-Optimal</a>, a UK-based global technology company whose core product is job ad optimisation &ndash; to remove gender bias from job adverts, for example.</li>
<li>Consider the role of your employer brand: There&rsquo;s no doubt that a solid employer brand is considered a valuable tool in talent acquisition, but it&rsquo;s also a critical part of the DE&amp;I solution. Strengthening your position as a business that values contingent workforce diversity will only help build a culture of inclusion and, perhaps more importantly, support talent attraction efforts for flexible workers.</li>
</ol>
<h3>The Guidant INfluence Workforce Consortium</h3>
Contingent worker diversity &ndash; and equality and inclusion in general &ndash; is critically important to us at Guidant Global. In fact, we were pleased to have recently announced the<a href="~/link.aspx?_id=52B2E54275C34634853E781ED2B18EF9&amp;_z=z"> launch of our new INfluence Workforce Consortium</a>.
This new initiative brings together specialist partners to help employers take action and tackle the lack of diversity across contingent workforces. The founding members of this Consortium include The Mom Project, Primary Talent Partners and Pyramid Consulting.
<h3>Tackling diversity: it&rsquo;s time to take action</h3>
While it&rsquo;s fantastic to see the conversations around diversity, equality and inclusion becoming wide-spread, what&rsquo;s really needed is action. We&rsquo;re facing a period where unemployment levels have been exacerbated by the pandemic and this has the potential to have a detrimental impact on worker diversity and inclusion progress.
By taking small steps now, <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=E42DD96B3C99450FB888CD411AD0EF68&amp;_z=z">partnering with external experts</a>&nbsp;and utilising innovative tools, we can really make a difference and increase worker diversity across the globe.
<a href="~/link.aspx?_id=1FAEA3D2C35148F7B4871AC1CACC454D&amp;_z=z">To find out how you can build a DE&amp;I strategy for the 'new normal', download our guide here</a>.&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Improving contingent worker diversity: 5 top tips for employers

Despite all the rhetoric and good intentions, diversity, and inclusion (D&amp;I) strategies developed more than 10 years ago are still being repackaged and passed off as innovative - regardless of their limited impact in driving real results.&nbsp; &nbsp; The pandemic has affected the D&amp;I landscape too, so how will employers drive change and inclusivity in 2021?&nbsp; &nbsp; On 28 April 2021 Guidant Global&rsquo;s Karina Townley, Managing Director for EMEA, took part in an online conference hosted by <a href="https://www.talint.co.uk/">TALiNT Partners </a>- joining DE&amp;I specialists from leading public and private sector organisations to discuss the present and future of D&amp;I.&nbsp; &nbsp; In the report of this UK-based event, we summarise the panel&rsquo;s discussion on the key themes:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>The impact of the pandemic on gender equality</li>
<li>The power of detail in D&amp;I transformation</li>
<li>Does flexibility create better access for all?</li>
<li>What comes next for D&amp;I initiatives?&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<a href="https://cdn.sourceflow.co.uk/d0ipq673acdy2wneidfwbtnspfd7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Download your copy of Shaking up D&amp;I in talent acquisition for all the insights.&nbsp;</a>
&nbsp;

Shaking up D&I in talent acquisition 

We're delighted to announce the&nbsp;launch of our new <a href="https://guidantglobal.pagetiger.com/Influence-Workforce-Consortium">INfluence Workforce Consortium</a>, bringing together specialist partners to help employers put diversity into action across contingent workforces. This new initiative will drive proactive strategic partnerships with experts in diversity, equality and inclusion (DE&amp;I) across contingent recruitment. Guidant will work with members of the Consortium to drive further inclusion across non-employee workforces and expand members&rsquo; reach to increase the volume of diverse talent across our client MSP programs. This latest move will build on the firm&rsquo;s success across its INfluence Supplier Diversity Program &ndash; an initiative which nurtured more Diverse-Certified and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) to become approved vendors supplying talent into Guidant programs &ndash; which saw 10 strategic suppliers completing a two-year diverse supplier program in December 2020, with 27 new program additions and $6.8 million net new spend made through the INfluence Supplier Diversity program. Members of our new Influence Workforce Consortium include:
<ul>
<li><a href="http://https//themomproject.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The MOM Project</a>: the largest digital marketplace dedicated to building a better workplace for women, families and the businesses they support.</li>
<li><a href="http://https//www.primarytalentpartners.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Primary Talent Partners</a>: a women-owned staffing and executive firm dedicated to helping top companies find quality employees in IT, engineering, corporate professional and life sciences utilizing programs designed to support Black STEM students into employment.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.pyramidci.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pyramid Consulting</a>: a Minority Business Enterprise that promotes being intentionally inclusive and supports the next generation of tech talent by uncovering hidden talent within diverse, female and veteran candidates.</li>
</ul>
Beth Armesto, Sr. Director, Supplier Relationship Management at Guidant Global, commented:
&ldquo;The diversity, equality and inclusion agenda has truly taken center stage in the last year but driving this in the flexible workforce has proven particularly challenging for some organizations. By partnering with the most innovative and experienced DE&amp;I suppliers in our network, we are paving the way for positive change and increasing diverse representation in our clients&rsquo; workforces. We have selected these firms as part of our Influence Workforce Consortium because they are driving positive meaningful change and together we can open more doors for under-represented talent across our clients&rsquo; contingent workforce.&rdquo;
Allison Robinson, CEO &amp; Founder of The Mom Project, commented on the news:
&ldquo;Guidant Global and The Mom Project have been partners since 2019 and being part of the INfluence Workforce Consortium is an exciting evolution of our partnership. Our mission is to see more of the talented moms, dads, and allies across the US remain in the workforce and thrive in opportunities that work best for them. Guidant is playing a proactive role in supporting that mission while helping clients meet their DE&amp;I goals."
Tinisha Bookhart, Founding Partner of Primary Talent Partners added:
&ldquo;We help solve the problem by removing financial barriers faced by Black STEM students and by helping them overcome the &lsquo;feeling of not belonging&rsquo; in STEM related fields.&rdquo;
Namita Tirath, Co-founder and COO at Pyramid Consulting commented:
&ldquo;Investing time and money in being more welcoming, opening the door wider for more people to enter and screening &lsquo;in&rsquo; rather that screening &lsquo;out&rsquo; is foundational to our commitment to building a more diverse workforce.&rdquo;

Driving the contingent diversity agenda with our new INfluence Workforce Consortium

On 14 April, I was privileged to attend a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) book reading organised by one of Guidant&rsquo;s most trusted diversity suppliers, <a href="https://www.primarytalentpartners.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Primary Talent Partners</a>. We were also joined at the event by our client, a large electric utility, and representatives of their supplier diversity team.
Given our collective interest in supporting diverse talent into STEM careers, we all jumped at the chance to be part of this grassroots community outreach initiative. Proactive events like this one provide much needed inspiration for young minds and play a vital role in creating the next generation of engineers and scientists from a wide variety of backgrounds.
Thank you to Primary Talent Partners and everyone involved in the event for inviting us to be part of it. We are extremely proud to be supporting your work to drive diverse and inclusive careers in STEM.
<h3>About the diversity in STEM event</h3>
Primary Talent Partners teamed up with STEM author Dr. Natoshia Anderson and <a href="http://www.aboveandbeyondstudents.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Above and Beyond Students (ABS)</a> to host this fantastic event for ABS students, ranging from Kindergarten through to 5th grade, at a school that caters for Title 1 students.
Following a reading from Dr. Anderson, every child received a copy of her book ABC Engineering as well as a new pair of tennis shoes donated by Primary Talent Partners. With plenty of pizza thrown in for good measure, the reading event was a resounding success and received a huge thumbs up from the audience.
<h3>Feedback from our grassroots audience sponsor</h3>
&ldquo;I have been talking non-stop about the wonderful event we had today. On the way home on the bus, the students held their shoeboxes very close to their hearts. This small act of holding the boxes tightly said to me they were grateful and loved the shoes they received.
Everyone went above and beyond today. I hope the invited guests were also inspired to see the students get excited about engineering and learning new terminology. I truly believe there were engineers in the making in the audience.
I can't say thank you enough, and I hope this is the beginning of a lasting relationship as we endeavour to educate and inspire more minds to pursue STEM careers.&rdquo;
&nbsp;Carmen Blackmon, Executive Director, Above and Beyond Students
<h3>How Primary Talent Partners is driving diversity in STEM</h3>
&ldquo;There is a severe lack of minority representation in STEM degrees and related careers across the US. Studies show that over 40% of Black STEM students drop out of school or change majors compared to just over 20% of their white peers. Two main factors contributing to this are a lack of funding to complete their degree, and a lack of &lsquo;feeling of belonging&rsquo;.
Since we were founded, we&rsquo;ve worked methodically to effect change for diverse groups looking to enter the STEM field. From scholarships and housing/clothing stipends to internships and executive mentoring, our team is committed to doing our part to level the playing field and help foster a growing and sustainable diverse STEM applicant pool. Educating, inspiring and equipping our nation&rsquo;s youth is one of the most effective ways to overcome these obstacles and make a difference in the future. Today&rsquo;s book reading was a huge success. It was highly interactive and engaging. Crucially it&rsquo;s just one example of the work we are doing to improve prospects specifically for Black STEM students.&rdquo;
Tinisha Bookhart, Founding Partner, Primary Talent Partners
<h3>What&rsquo;s next?</h3>
Guidant Global has exciting plans to further our partnerships with trusted diversity suppliers like Primary Talent Partners, and others in the staffing industry who are stepping up to drive positive, meaningful change. Together we know that we can open even more doors for under-represented talent.
Details will be announced shortly so please sign up to our newsletter by completing the form on this page to receive the latest Guidant Global updates.

Driving diversity in STEM at a grassroots level

<a href="~/link.aspx?_id=E42DD96B3C99450FB888CD411AD0EF68&amp;_z=z">Diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&amp;I)</a> in the workplace has been an important issue for businesses for some time. But the conversation became more urgent last year as movements such as Black Lives Matter and #MeToo led to public pressure boiling over. For employers, the need to have a diverse workforce is now driven by this wider demand, bolstered by the recognition that a more inclusive business is likely to be a more successful business.
A wealth of research has shown just how successful diverse companies can be. With the right culture and approach to inclusion, organisations can reap the rewards of a productive, motivated, highly-collaborative and creative workforce. This sentiment is expressed in boardrooms around the world, and has led to widespread initiatives to improve the representation of minority groups in permanent workforces.
The question now is, how can employers apply this DE&amp;I focus to their supply chains?
Let&rsquo;s take a look.
<h3>Translating DE&amp;I efforts across the temporary workforce</h3>
While this corporate buy-in to the need for diversity is leading to changes across many permanent talent strategies, the challenge is far greater when it comes to <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=C8A7465C524D4B57B952B53424389856&amp;_z=z">DE&amp;I in the temporary workforce</a>.
In many instances, a firm won&rsquo;t have complete oversight of its temporary workforce, which makes monitoring DE&amp;I within this flexible segment of the workforce highly difficult. This in turn makes it hard to identify areas in need of improvement.
Although there are means of <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=F45D82F591CA43FA9AF13B9F362DBE92&amp;_z=z">gaining visibility and transparency of your workforce</a>, in order to really drive step-changes on this issue HR and procurement teams need the reassurance that their recruitment supply chain is diverse itself.
With multiple suppliers acting on behalf of your brand and engaging with or deploying the flexible workforce for your company, the need to ensure their approach to DE&amp;I is in line with yours is key to delivering on corporate diversity promises. The challenge, however, stems from the word &lsquo;multiple&rsquo;.
The recruitment supply chain can be vast, and managing the key performance metrics of so many suppliers can become incredibly time consuming. If we add in additional diversity metrics of both the workforce supplied and managed by the supplier, and the internal DE&amp;I viewpoints of the supplier itself, it&rsquo;s clear that employers face a significant administration headache.
But the diversity of the recruitment supply chain is not a topic that can be ignored. So, what can HR and procurement teams do to address this?
Here are our top tips for driving and improving diversity in recruitment supply chains:
<ol>
<li>
<h4>Choose suppliers that can really perform</h4>
Having the right partnerships in place in the first instance will lay the foundations for success. In the US for example, working with a supplier that is diversity certified provides some confidence that they meet basic DE&amp;I criteria. But it&rsquo;s important to ensure that suppliers aren&rsquo;t relying on this certification alone if you want to guarantee that diversity is truly being adopted across the recruitment supply chain. Ask the supplier to demonstrate the tangible actions they&rsquo;ve delivered and what diversity targets they are working towards. This will provide a clear picture of their commitment to delivering on any DE&amp;I promises. </li>
<li>
<h4>Look for suppliers with a diverse culture</h4>
You can tell a lot about how a recruitment supplier will deliver diversity, equity and inclusion results for your firm by looking at its own employee DNA and company culture. Delve into the business itself and identify how inclusive it is before they become a preferred supplier. </li>
<li>
<h4>Have measurement processes in place</h4>
In order to really know that your recruitment supply chain is consistently delivering against any diversity and inclusion promises, there needs to be some performance metrics in place. While these will be different for each business, it really is important to commit to a review and evaluation of how things are going. Without this information, there could be gaps across the supply chain that are impeding your firm&rsquo;s own diversity targets. </li>
<li>
<h4>Speak to your MSP</h4>
Of course, the above does require a significant time investment from a business. However, a good Managed Services Provider (MSP) will be able to have these conversations and provide the right metrics for you. So, if you haven&rsquo;t done so already, <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=4B869BD5E834489390D7CFB82F3F3DD6&amp;_z=z">speak to your MSP</a>&nbsp;to find out what more they can do to support you and the recruitment supply chain your firm needs.
</li>
</ol>
<h3>Guidant Global&rsquo;s INfluence programme</h3>
At Guidant, DE&amp;I is built into everything we do. In fact, we run a diversity, equality and inclusion programme to support diversity improvements across our business, the suppliers we work with and, ultimately, the end client. The aim of everything we deliver through INfluence is to create equal and fair opportunities for all.
In the US, our INfluence program has a vital role to play in nurturing more diverse suppliers into our supply chain. Working in true partnership, we provide selected diversity suppliers with multiple tools to help them achieve greater success. Throughout the programme, our teams mentor suppliers and offer extensive guidance, performance reviews and a unique opportunity to build long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with our leading clients - to help inform and support their diversity and inclusion goals.
In the UK, our commitment to building DE&amp;I into the recruitment supply chain has led to us becoming the only recruitment provider to achieve the UK Government&rsquo;s Disability Confident Employer Scheme, level 3 status as a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disability-confident-guidance-for-levels-1-2-and-3/level-3-disability-confident-leader" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Disability Confident Leader</a>. We have also supported 13 of our suppliers to achieve level 2 status and continue to work with others to help them reach this goal as well. We also have <a href="http://www.theclearcompany.co.uk/p/clear-assured" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Clear Assured</a> status and are founding members of the <a href="https://ridi.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI)</a>. &nbsp;
<h3>Adding value for the future of work</h3>
It&rsquo;s becoming clear that the world will no longer tolerate the gaps in diversity and inclusion that we&rsquo;ve historically witnessed. For organisations to be truly representative, DE&amp;I needs to be nurtured across every element of the business, from the permanent workforce to the recruitment supply chain.

Making recruitment supply chains more diverse, equal and inclusive

To increase and build on the in-house expertise in diversity recruitment of our team, and remove gender bias from job adverts, Guidant Global are delighted to announce our partnership with <a href="https://www.get-optimal.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Get-Optimal</a>. Our collaboration enables us to licence Get-Optimal's job ad optimisation technology to ensure our end-clients&rsquo; job adverts are optimised for diversity, equality and inclusion (DE&amp;I) as and when needed.
Get-Optimal is a UK-based global technology company whose core product is job ad optimisation. Its core technology optimises adverts using artificial intelligence and machine learning for diversity, inclusion and SEO.
<h4>Global Marketing Director of Guidant Global Alexa Bradbury commented on our new partnership:</h4>
"Improving DE&amp;I is at the top of the corporate agenda for so many organisations right now, and Get-Optimal is a fantastic example of innovative recruitment tech that is helping to make the world of work fairer and more inclusive. We're excited to take the solution to our clients and to open the door to more talented people from all backgrounds. At Guidant Global, we love what we do. We love making a positive difference to our clients and colleagues alike. We're passionate about instigating change within our industry and helping our clients lead the way within theirs by having an open and flexible approach to recruiting from a wide and inclusive talent pool. By collaborating with our clients, suppliers and industry partners, we're opening doors for people who the recruitment sector has historically overlooked. We're experts in delivering diversity and inclusion initiatives across many disadvantaged groups and have actively taken the lead within the recruitment industry when it comes to disability inclusion."
<h4>Get-Optimal founder and CEO Daniel Fellows added:</h4>
"We're thrilled to work with one of the leading workforce solutions providers in the UK and a team universally respected and renowned for their innovative, creative and technology-led approach to talent management. Their passion and commitment to diversity, inclusion and accessibility is leading the UK staffing solutions industry right now, and they will be a perfect partner as we roll out our SaaS product across the UK and North America."

Guidant Global partners with Get-Optimal to remove gender bias from job adverts

As regular readers of our blog will know, we&rsquo;ve highlighted before <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=94FECB40170240C58BA0018B23364179&amp;_z=z">how important equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&amp;I)</a>&nbsp;is to building a &lsquo;better normal&rsquo;. And while most HR teams have built an ED&amp;I strategy into their permanent hiring strategies, few have given their contingent and external workforce the same focus. But with reliance on this segment of the workforce growing in today&rsquo;s COVID-hit environment, ensuring diversity is built into the contingent workforce is key.
<h3>Driving diversity in contingent workforces: adapt planning needs</h3>
If we look back at how <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=740C911D0EB94025A7F2789DD0D4A8D3&amp;_z=z">contingent workers</a>&nbsp;were engaged last year, it&rsquo;s clear that many businesses took a &lsquo;fire-fighting&rsquo; approach, scaling resources up and down according to economic trends. While we certainly don&rsquo;t see this as a viable long-term approach, we also don&rsquo;t think a return to more rigid ways of working would be good for many employers.
Why? It&rsquo;s simple: strategies that are future proof will need to make better use of external workforces. And to make best use of this segment of the workforce and ensure ED&amp;I strategies are being fully embedded into the attraction process, pre-pandemic ways of working must be reviewed and improved.
<h3>Using recent learnings to work smarter in 2021 and beyond</h3>
Decision-makers must assess the lessons learned over the last year and feed this into strategic resource planning. Crucially though, businesses must do more than simply recruit more contingent staff in order to really make this segment work.
Instead, they will need to establish a framework and governance for the effective management of their full range of people resources. Also, engaging more closely with the recruitment supply chain will drive success, as well as the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda. Which leads quite nicely into our next key tip.
<h3>Finding the right partners</h3>
Effective management of the external and contingent workforce involves partnerships with multiple vendors, suppliers, Managed Services Providers and Vendor Management Systems. To achieve better diversity in your contingent workforce, the external partners you work with need to be aligned with your firm&rsquo;s own ED&amp;I strategy.
At Guidant Global, we strive to create change within our industry and help our clients lead the way within theirs by having an open and <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=E13A3E0A557949BEA5A17E532A3410E6&amp;_z=z">flexible approach</a>&nbsp;to recruiting from a wide talent pool. We work with our clients, suppliers and industry partners to open doors for people historically overlooked by the recruitment sector. We&rsquo;re experts in delivering diversity and inclusion initiatives across many disadvantaged groups and have taken the lead on disability inclusion within the recruitment industry. Partnering with external vendors, suppliers and MSPs that act in line with their ED&amp;I agendas will help employers nurture diversity in their contingent workforces.
<h3>A global approach</h3>
Pre-pandemic, location was one of the most critical factors affecting staffing strategies. The general acceptance of remote working practices has broken down many geographical barriers and &lsquo;globalised&rsquo; contingent talent pools, which should be a boost for equality and inclusion. Employers now recognise that staff don&rsquo;t need to sit together in the same physical structure to deliver great results.
If HR teams are to capitalise on these positive changes in attitudes towards remote working, both now and in the longer term, plans need to have a global focus sooner rather than later.
<h3>Skills-based hiring</h3>
In another barrier-breaking move, this shift toward more flexible working has changed how employers view contingent workforce management (CWM). We&rsquo;ve seen a move towards skills based contingent-sourcing, without the geographical caveats, as well as a shift towards output-based CWM.
Businesses are now less focused on the number of hours or days contingent workers will be engaged for. Instead, they&rsquo;re looking to outsource results &ndash; often under a <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=D609E35615E84C6B807D64164812C85C&amp;_z=z">statement of work (SOW)</a>. Under an SOW, how and when the work is carried out is less important than simply achieving the result itself. This shift in mindsets will undoubtedly bolster equality, diversity and inclusion, as limitations around how individuals deliver work are lifted.
<h3>Employer branding implications</h3>
As the workforce evolves, the corporate culture that supports it will have to evolve too. This means there&rsquo;s a growing need to establish a credible employer brand identity. Truly savvy employers are already adapting and leveraging their employer brand to attract higher quality, flexible non-employee talent. This trend will only strengthen as competition for top contingent expertise grows.
<h3>A diverse future</h3>
The value of the contingent workforce will only continue to increase as we emerge from the global pandemic. For HR teams, now really is the time to ensure diversity strategies capture external workforces. Those that do will be best placed to thrive in the future, and position their business as a leader in its field.
<h4>To find out more about Guidant Global, <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=4B869BD5E834489390D7CFB82F3F3DD6&amp;_z=z">contact the team</a>&nbsp;today.</h4>

Diversity in contingent workforce management: developing a successful ED&I strategy

To celebrate International Women&rsquo;s Day 2021 and acknowledge this year&rsquo;s #ChooseToChallenge theme, we at Guidant Global are celebrating our public sector team. We&rsquo;re also recognising some of the clients and suppliers they work with in leading the way for gender equality in the industry.
Women make up almost two thirds of the public sector workforce, yet they occupy only a third of leadership roles across the sector. This shows there&rsquo;s a significant gap in terms of progression opportunities available to men and women in the sector.
Women occupy 90% of Guidant Global&rsquo;s public sector senior and middle leadership roles, and they are working with our client and supplier partners to redress this leadership imbalance and create meaningful opportunities for women in the industry.
Here&rsquo;s how some of our team members, clients and suppliers are choosing to challenge gender bias in their working lives:
"I'm very proud to work for a company and in a sector that has a high percentage of women in the workforce. However, I #ChooseToChallenge more women to take their place as confident leaders within the public and third sector arena, as we really do have some exceptionally talented ladies out there with a great capacity to change the world!"
Selena Ayling, Client Services Director, Guidant Global
"It is hugely important that women have a strong voice in the public sector and across senior management roles. Even though women are still under-represented in senior roles, the balance is starting to shift as it is becoming more widely recognised that an organisation&rsquo;s success depends on the diversity of its workforce. As a result, recruitment processes are becoming more transparent and competency based, creating a level playing field for women, and work/life balance policies are improving too. Having women in senior roles creates a more balanced culture and diversity of thought. It is also really important for younger women starting their careers to see women in senior roles who they can aspire to emulate."
Elouise Wilson, Resourcing Manager, Bristol City Council
"I #ChooseToChallenge women to champion themselves as strong leaders in the workplace, recognise how much value their voices can bring to the table and to always strive for equality in their teams and departments."
Daniella Pye, Sellick Partnership Limited, a Guidant Global supplier
"I #ChooseToChallenge all women who have a managerial role within the public sector to empower their teams by providing meaningful coaching and support, enabling them to be the best version of themselves and giving them the autonomy to develop and progress in their careers."
Michele Jackson, Talent Delivery Manager, Guidant Global
"#ChooseToChallenge is definitely my personal driver. I always strive to challenge the status quo and I am driven to help break the glass ceiling for aspiring women. From a personal perspective, I have always felt the need to work harder than my male counterparts to be heard. Women in leadership roles can often bring a different and fresh perspective that uses a fine balance of emotional intelligence and business focus, championing the architects in the business that help deliver, engage and support staff through business growth and change. A gender balanced approach can be hugely influential on the organisation&rsquo;s culture, employee attitudes, loyalty and reputation that lasts well beyond the immediate challenge."
Stella Jinks, HR Shared Service Manager, Corby Borough Council
"I #ChooseToChallenge women to continue to be positive role models, contribute to the innovation of our industry and to keep standing for excellence in the public sector."
Katy Oliver, Director, Caritas Recruitment, a Guidant Global supplier
"When I took over the very large male trade workforce as Head of Responsive Repairs, decision making was not resident centric. My aim was to see the service through the eyes of the resident, book an appointment to suit lifestyle, expect a repair to the standard you would want in your home and to fully communicate throughout the repair from order to completion. I have also championed women, as well as black and ethnic minority candidates, joining the service to ensure we better represent the diverse city that we serve."
Zara Naylor, Head of Service, Responsive Repairs, Bristol City Council
"I&rsquo;ve always been fortunate enough not to feel the effects of the glass ceiling where I have worked but I cannot get away from the fact that in some organisations this remains prevalent. I&rsquo;m really proud of the work Nacro does to ensure we are transparent with our recruitment and hiring policy regardless of gender. A male manager once told me in my early career that I wasn&rsquo;t invited to meetings to sit and be silent - I was there because I had a voice and my voice was valued. I #ChooseToChallenge other women in the Public sector to know that we have a valuable voice and we should never feel like imposters."
Leigh Victoria Jones, HR Operations Manager, Nacro
We all have an important role to play in challenging gender inequality. How can your business seek out and celebrate the achievements of your talented women?

Celebrating International Women’s Day: the public sector chooses to challenge gender bias

We&rsquo;re delighted to announce that Guidant Global have won the Recruiting Back Better award at the Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI) Awards 2021.
The Recruiting Back Better award was <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=AABC2F09B4B44EEC894661D2C2C3D3B7&amp;_z=z">a new category for 2021</a>, introduced to recognise the changes required in recruitment practices during the pandemic, and identify practices that have worked well and can be taken forward in a sustainable way. Our Managing Director, Karina Townley, commented on our win:
&ldquo;I'm absolutely delighted that we've received this recognition for our ongoing commitment to inclusive recruitment. #TeamGuidant have refused to allow a global pandemic to get in the way of doing what's right, or to allow anybody to be disadvantaged by the pandemic&rsquo;s effects on the world of work. We&rsquo;ve continued to share our experiences and knowledge, strengthen our partnerships and establish new ones, to help employers and recruiters build a better and fairer world of work. I couldn&rsquo;t be more proud of the team!&rdquo;
We&rsquo;re thrilled to have won this award a year after <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=8A7685D99682459EB5EC3D47DDC45339&amp;_z=z">we were Highly Commended</a>&nbsp;in the &lsquo;Most Inclusive Recruitment Campaign&rsquo; category at the 2020 RIDIs. We&rsquo;d like to say a huge thank you to the RIDI awards judging panel for this incredible recognition, and a big congratulations to the Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation trust for being Highly Commended in this category. Congratulations also to all the other 2021 RIDI award winners and nominees for their inspiring disability confident recruitment efforts, and their important work in removing barriers for disabled people.

Guidant Global wins Recruiting Back Better RIDI Award 2021

With limited resources available, employers must start to look beyond their usual talent pools to source the people they need. In fact, part of the talent challenge facing many UK employers right now is that the competition for top skills extends beyond their own sectors. Demand for digital skills and tech talent, for example, extends to almost every industry &ndash; whether that&rsquo;s aerospace, defence, logistics or retail.
Broadening horizons isn&rsquo;t just limited to sectors, though. Geography and skill sets should also be re-evaluated and reshaped. With remote working now the norm for so many, widening the geographical search for talent could yield great results where remote or hybrid working is an option. And given that there is such a dearth of critical skills, it is now more important than ever to be more flexible around what is an absolute must, and what can perhaps be developed. Here are just a few ways employers can take a more flexible approach to hiring right now.
<h3>Broadening role requirements</h3>
Where individuals meet only some of the requirements of a role, considering how they can be developed to fill the rest of the needs rather than instantly removing them from the equation will be beneficial. The benefits of taking this approach could be increased hiring options as well as greater retention rates, as individuals feel greater loyalty to your firm for supporting their career progression. The same can be said for internal mobility. Where there are skills that are in short supply, reviewing where these attributes can be developed within the business will aid longer-term resilience to talent scarcity. While this may create resourcing needs elsewhere in the organisation, it will help funnel emerging talent into the company and <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=F07F304D94E64B1D934DD6B4552061DC&amp;_z=z">retain them on a longer-term basis</a>.
<h3>Opening up to previously underutilised talent</h3>
Actively seeking out individuals from previously overlooked segments of the workforce will increase the volume of jobseekers available to you, as well as the breadth, depth, and quality of your talent pools. There is a wealth of evidence to support the fact that companies with diverse workforces outperform the competition. Make no mistake, even in times when talent is plentiful, <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=6309BF74CDFC45FC8AA816614E576E0C&amp;_z=z">diverse, equal and inclusive recruitment</a>&nbsp;practices have been shown to have a positive and measurable impact on a business&rsquo;s bottom line. However, in order to tap into historically underutilised <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=0A64FC831B814E948B940D1F1AAED1E6&amp;_z=z">talent pools</a>, engage with a wide range of jobseekers, and take advantage of the benefits that diverse workforces bring, hiring managers must identify why they are not reaching these people already. Unnecessary role requirements, your ability to upskill and retrain applicants, accessibility, use of language and imagery, and job ad placement all need to be reviewed and reconsidered. Get it right, and your reward will be access to a whole new world of quality candidates.
<h3>Engaging the entire workforce, including the external</h3>
In addition to permanent employees, organisations must also direct resources towards engaging with temps, contractors, <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=D609E35615E84C6B807D64164812C85C&amp;_z=z">statement of work</a>&nbsp;services providers, and freelancers - particularly in today&rsquo;s talent-scarce market. At a time when demand continues to flex - and sought-after skills may be hard to secure on a permanent basis - exploring the potential of these groups is crucial. In many businesses, contingent workers play a crucial role in filling skills gaps, and are rehired and redeployed time and again for future assignments. Keeping this pool of talented contingent workers loyal to your <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=6F970ED9CF4445C5AE1CDF8DE359B5E4&amp;_z=z">employer brand</a>&nbsp;ensures these individuals stick around for as long as they are required - and perform to the best of their ability while they are in situ. Through efficient onboarding, team inclusion and effective post-project communication, businesses can ensure their contingent workers are engaged, productive and open to returning at short notice in the future. Of course, when utilising non-permanent resources, employers must ensure that off-payroll determinations are correct and may need to rethink their approaches to IR35. Those businesses that have been reticent to consider independent professionals in the past because of potential legislative challenges should seek expert guidance to ensure they can compliantly tap into this talent pool.
<h3>The power of partnerships: getting specialist staffing help</h3>
The situation that employers face today is unprecedented: talent shortages exist on a grand scale, across almost all sectors. Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet solution to these challenges; no &lsquo;one size fits all&rsquo; approach. However, an experienced <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=7BBDEF02CA3042E8BA27F0A1892A63DE&amp;_z=z">MSP</a>&nbsp;or <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=3247651558BE4168A49D96245C7137E2&amp;_z=z">RPO</a>&nbsp;provider is perfectly placed to support businesses to explore and engage with the whole array of available talent, as they seek skills in talent-short markets and reach beyond their conventional, &lsquo;go to&rsquo; candidate personas. The ongoing fear of getting an individual&rsquo;s off-payroll classification wrong, for example, is still preventing some employers from engaging legitimate contractors - and this is a fear that can be easily overcome with the help of an expert staffing partner that has experience and specialists in <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=27582C4220D84EF0B0FE06B15C1C928C&amp;_z=z">contingent workforce compliance</a>. The bottom line is that talent scarcity issues are not going away anytime soon, so it&rsquo;s important that employers take every possible step to broaden their skills attraction strategies if they are to navigate the next few months. Partnering with an expert who can help you engage with talent effectively and take advantage of the entire spectrum of talent at your disposal, is the smart way through the current challenge. <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=595FC1D2A5F2410E857ED3C8F4C999E3&amp;_z=z">Download our UK talent scarcity report</a>&nbsp;for a deeper dive into the skills challenges the UK is facing right now. And <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=4B869BD5E834489390D7CFB82F3F3DD6&amp;_z=z">contact us</a>&nbsp;to see how we can help your organisation face its resourcing challenges head on.

Coping with talent scarcity: what UK employers need to know

The skills crisis the UK is currently facing needs no introduction: never before have there been so few candidates available across so many sectors. The reasons behind today&rsquo;s talent drought are complex. An exodus of EU workers post-Brexit, and the fact that many professionals retrained or switched sectors to find work during the pandemic, and insufficient talent pipelines have all helped to contribute to the current crisis.
However, many businesses are also struggling to source staff because they are fishing for talent in the same small pond as their competitors.
We&rsquo;re playing a zero-sum game: there are simply not enough quality candidates to go around and, unless we think creatively, accessing sufficient skills will become increasingly challenging. There is an acute need to broaden our horizons to find resources in this environment.
In order to do things in a better way, organisations must explore the potential of untapped <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=0A64FC831B814E948B940D1F1AAED1E6&amp;_z=z">talent pools</a>&nbsp;and relax traditional selection criteria to open themselves up to a wealth of previously unexplored talent.
But how?
<h3>1) Widen talent pools by embracing diverse talent</h3>
While businesses across the UK scramble for talent in skills-scarce silos, there are entire groups of people who, for one reason or another, completely rule out certain career paths or find it difficult to access employment altogether. Archaic recruitment processes, outdated job specs, and even the channels used to communicate opportunities can all act as a barrier to applicants.
Specific sectors can unintentionally deter jobseekers depending on their gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Meanwhile, disabled talent, former military personnel, ex-offenders, individuals returning to work after a career break, older professionals, and care leavers are just some of the groups who, statistically, find it more challenging to secure a role.
Actively seeking out individuals from these underrepresented groups will not only have a positive impact on the volume of jobseekers available, but also on the breadth, depth, and quality of your talent pools.
Unnecessary role requirements, your ability to upskill and retrain applicants, use of language and imagery on your landing page, and job ad placement all need to be reviewed and reconsidered. Get it right, and your reward will be access to a whole new world of quality candidates.
An experienced <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=7BBDEF02CA3042E8BA27F0A1892A63DE&amp;_z=z">MSP</a>&nbsp;or <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=3247651558BE4168A49D96245C7137E2&amp;_z=z">RPO</a>&nbsp;provider is perfectly placed to support businesses in exploring and engaging with the whole array of diverse talent available as they reach beyond their conventional, &lsquo;go to&rsquo; candidate personas.
<h3>2) Forget go-to candidate personas</h3>
It&rsquo;s all too easy to become wedded to the idea of an &lsquo;ideal&rsquo; candidate, and then relentlessly pursue individuals who fit this mould. However, this practice always brings the risk of discounting great talent, while simultaneously limiting inclusion &ndash; and that is before the national skills crisis is taken into account.
Back in 2017, when the Very Group was known as Shop Direct, Guidant was responsible for its <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=D655A4AEE6FF4166AD5DE5028D3146FB&amp;_z=z">&lsquo;All we need is you!&rsquo; recruitment campaign</a>, which was centred on candidate personas. We researched the previous peak workforce to establish four key target audiences. Three of these reflected existing worker trends: Daytime Dave, Nightshift Nick, and Weekend Wasim.
The fourth persona, Female Farah, was designed to target a potential gap in applicant demographic and increase the number of female workers by challenging stereotype perceptions of a warehouse environment &ndash; and in turn, increase diversity. It worked: applications, and applications from females specifically, increased significantly.
<h3>3) Relax non-essential criteria</h3>
Relaxing non-essential criteria is just one way that hirers can engage diverse talent and create opportunities for individuals who would otherwise face unnecessary barriers to work. For example, depending on the role, it may be suitable and practical to remove pre-employment screening for drug, education and employment checks; or a search for criminal convictions if it does not apply to the work being performed.
Similarly, many job ads still require applicants to have a &lsquo;full, clean, UK driving licence&rsquo; as standard &ndash; but this may automatically discount individuals with certain disabilities, or those who have moved from overseas.
Reviewing &ndash; and potentially removing &ndash; standard screening processes doesn&rsquo;t just widen talent pools, it also provides a more succinct screening and onboarding process for all applicants, improving <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=E13B7CA86EF04CBB9EC6DA043D02F667&amp;_z=z">the candidate experience</a>&nbsp;in the process.
Similarly, during the recruitment process, a stronger focus on transferable skills and traits can pay dividends. When people who can prove they have done the job are in short supply, why not search instead for those whose adaptability, proactivity, curiosity, or empathy suggests they could do the job?
<h3>Talent pipeline building for the future</h3>
Beyond filling gaps in the short term, talent acquisition professionals should also use the current skills crisis as an impetus to explore how their organisation will access and develop talent in the long term. It is important to ask, &lsquo;who would be interested in working for us?&rsquo; rather than &lsquo;who&rsquo;s &lsquo;perfectly&rsquo; qualified right now?&rsquo; as the need to move beyond job-ready hiring increases.
<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/industries/public%20and%20social%20sector/our%20insights/what%20the%20future%20of%20work%20will%20mean%20for%20jobs%20skills%20and%20wages/mgi-jobs-lost-jobs-gained-executive-summary-december-6-2017.pdf">A recent McKinsey survey</a> of approximately 300 global executives found a majority of respondents said they&rsquo;ll need to retrain or replace more than a quarter of their workforce by 2023. Separate <a href="https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2020-08-19-gartner-hr-research-finds-employees-are-only-applying-54-percent-of-newly-learned-skills">research</a> by Gartner, meanwhile, found that a third of the skills that were sought by employers in 2017 aren&rsquo;t required now. With this in mind, talent leaders would be wise to consider hiring for core competencies such as resilience and innovation &ndash; and then upskilling their people accordingly &ndash; in order to be prepared for future shortages.
As Henry Ford famously said, &ldquo;If you always do what you&rsquo;ve always done, you&rsquo;ll always get what you&rsquo;ve always got.&rdquo; With a finite number of quality candidates in the talent pool, chasing the same individuals as your competitors is unlikely to be an effective way to secure much-needed skills.
However, by taking a fresh look at what you really need from your people &ndash; and widening talent pools as a result &ndash; you will be able to access a rich source of previously untapped talent.
<div>&nbsp;</div>
.

Widening traditional criteria to open up talent pools

Guidant Global attended the annual <a href="https://ridi.org.uk/ridi-awards/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI) Awards</a>, celebrating the very best of disability inclusion. The virtual ceremony, hosted by Liz Johnson &ndash; Paralympic Gold Medallist, and Managing Director &amp; Co-founder of The Ability People, also coincided with International Day of People with Disabilities and showcased some of the most inspiring stories from organisations making a difference and leading change within the recruitment industry.
We&rsquo;re delighted to receive the &lsquo;Highly Commended&rsquo; award for &lsquo;Most Inclusive Recruitment Campaign&rsquo;, which recognises a unique campaign that has been carefully and cleverly implemented to attract disabled talent.
At Guidant, we proactively encourage applications from disabled talent and have introduced an interview guarantee policy for anyone with a disability who meets the minimum criteria for the role. Our end-to-end inclusive recruitment campaign means that thanks to Recite technology, our careers site can be accessed in the way that works best for the user.&nbsp;
Furthermore, we&rsquo;ve stripped out lengthy application processes, use inclusive language and imagery in our job ads, and use strengths-based interviews that focus on a candidate&rsquo;s potential, rather than their experience.
Most importantly, we&rsquo;ve worked hard to showcase real-life experiences of disabled talent already working within our organisation &ndash; including our work with third parties such as <a href="http://www.whizz-kidz.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Whizz-Kidz</a>. This gives disabled candidates the reassurance they need when applying for a role with us.
We&rsquo;re incredibly proud of how far we&rsquo;ve come and are committed to evolving both our talent attraction campaigns and internal processes to drive disability inclusion across our organisation. As a RIDI gold partner, Guidant is at the forefront of collaborating with them to drive ongoing inclusion for talented people with disabilities across our industry now and in the future.
Congratulations to all winners and finalists who are leading the way in removing barriers for disabled jobseekers. We&rsquo;d also like to extend our congratulations to our client Heathrow, who are the deserving winners of the &lsquo;Disability Confident&rsquo; award.
<a href="https://ridi.org.uk/ridi-awards-2020-winners-announced/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">You can view the full list of winners here</a>.

Guidant Global receives ‘Highly commended’ award at the RIDI Awards 2020

We&rsquo;re delighted that four Guidant Global leadership team members have been included in Staffing Industry Analysts&rsquo; (SIA) lists of recognition for 2020!
<h3>SIA&rsquo;s Global Power 150 &ndash; Women in Staffing 2020</h3>
Three Guidant Global female leaders have been included in SIA's&nbsp;<a href="http://si100women.staffingindustry.com/2020-global-power-150-at-a-glance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Global Power 150 &ndash; Women in Staffing 2020</a> list: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinatownley/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Karina Townley &ndash; Managing Director EMEA</a>, <a href="https://uk.linkedin.com/in/alexabradbury" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Alexa Bradbury &ndash; Global Marketing Director</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-beard-149475/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pam Beard &ndash;SVP Technology &amp; Project Management</a>.
We would also like to congratulate fellow Impellam Group leaders, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairemarshlorien/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Claire Marsh &ndash; CEO of Global Technology Portfolio &amp; North America Corporate of Lorien</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-robertson-73739616/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Julia Robertson &ndash; CEO of Impellam Group</a>, for their inclusion on this prestigious list.
In its sixth year, the list highlights 100 women from the Americas and 50 globally who have made significant contributions to the success of their companies and the ecosystem.
&ldquo;As we grapple with a pandemic that has disproportionately impacted women and minorities, these women in our industry are working to stop the dramatic backslide on workplace equality COVID-19 has wrought,&rdquo; wrote Subadhra Sriram, Editor and Publisher &ndash; Media Products at SIA. &ldquo;Our honorees are building new companies, products, divisions and creating a future of work where women and men can thrive.&rdquo;
<h3>SIA&rsquo;s Staffing 100 Europe 2020</h3>
In addition to this, SIA has also unveiled its <a href="http://si100europe.staffingindustry.com/2020/10/simon-blockley-4/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2020 Staffing 100 Europe</a> list and named <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-blockley-1264731/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Guidant CEO Simon Blockley</a> as a standout leader.
The Staffing 100 Europe list is not a ranking but rather a way to celebrate a set of individuals whose accomplishments, dedication and drive are making a difference to work today, and to what work will look like in the future. Now it in its seventh year, the list is based on the impact and influence individuals have had on the workforce solutions ecosystem over the past twelve months.
&ldquo;The 2020 Staffing 100 Europe leaders stand out in an unprecedented year, going above and beyond in navigating the &lsquo;new normal&rsquo; as the world faces a global pandemic and a climate of intense uncertainty,&rdquo; said Sriram. &ldquo;We congratulate this year&rsquo;s honourees as they continue to lead theirs teams in a significantly changed world, staying ahead of the trends, meeting the disruption head on, and doing so with courage, compassion, creativity and commitment.&rdquo;
These recognitions celebrate the significant contributions and influence of Guidant&rsquo;s leaders within the staffing industry and are testament to their commitment to #ABetterWay for our people, client, suppliers and candidates. We&rsquo;re incredibly proud to have such inspiring leaders to guide and empower our people, especially during these challenging times.

Multiple Guidant Global leaders recognised as influencers in the global talent marketplace by Staffing Industry Analysts

Equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&amp;I) has certainly been a hot topic in the HR field of late. Shocking world events during 2020 have triggered developments in the world of work to better embrace diversity and attract wider talent (though there is, of course, always room for improvement). But ED&amp;I has been widely accepted as a key attribute of a successful business.
Indeed, there&rsquo;s been a wealth of research reports showing why equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace is so important. And unconscious biases are now widely recognised as a trait that we all have. But recognising that it exists is the first step in helping address the ED&amp;I agenda. This has, in part, led to more forward-thinking employers investing in the development inclusive workplaces which naturally result in more diverse workforces. And the benefits have been widely documented.
In fact, earlier this year, McKinsey launched its latest inclusion and diversity (I&amp;D) report, the third in a series of research showing the business case for diversity. And according to the '<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Featured Insights/Diversity and Inclusion/Diversity wins How inclusion matters/Diversity-wins-How-inclusion-matters-vF.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Diversity wins</a>' paper, the corporate value of these initiatives is greater than ever, even in a pandemic-hit environment:
&ldquo;The business case for inclusion and diversity (I&amp;D) is stronger than ever. For diverse companies, the likelihood of outperforming industry peers on profitability has increased over time, while the penalties are getting steeper for those lacking diversity.&rdquo;
The research revealed some highly interesting trends:
<ul>
<li>There is a 48 percent performance differential between the most and least gender-diverse companies.</li>
<li>In the case of ethnic and cultural diversity, companies in the top quartile of diverse leaders outperformed those in the fourth by 36 percent in terms of profitability.</li>
<li>There continues to be a higher likelihood of outperformance difference with ethnicity than with gender diversity.</li>
</ul>
This is just one recent example of data that shows why implementing an efficient equality, diversity and inclusion strategy is so important. But in these uncertain and constantly evolving times, knowing how to get ED&amp;I right and ensure its future fit is a challenge.&nbsp;
In this in-depth exploration of the topic, we aim to equip those in the HR, talent acquisition and <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=B4A5825D2F37481EB5F011558B639EF8&amp;_z=z">workforce management</a>&nbsp;arenas with the insight they need to design and drive successful equality, diversity and inclusion strategies in today&rsquo;s new, better, normal.
<h3>The many facets of ED&amp;I</h3>
Before we go into our best practice advice for successful ED&amp;I initiatives, it&rsquo;s important to begin with a look at the many levels of diverse talent. When many businesses look at building a diverse workforce there are common characteristics or demographics that are considered. The more widely recognised &lsquo;areas&rsquo; or &lsquo;projected characteristics&rsquo; (age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership and pregnancy and maternity) already make executive discussions. But there are so many more strands to diversity:
<ul>
<li>Disability inclusion: According to the ONS, the unemployment rate for disabled people was 6.5% in April-June 2020. This compared to an unemployment rate of 3.5% for people who are not disabled, a gap that Guidant Global hopes to continue to help close. We are the only recruitment provider to achieve the UK Government&rsquo;s Disability Confident Employer Scheme, level 3 status as a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disability-confident-guidance-for-levels-1-2-and-3/level-3-disability-confident-leader" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Disability Confident Leader</a> and to have supported many of our suppliers to achieve level 2 status.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Ex-offenders: In the UK, roughly 11 million people have a criminal conviction. This shows that a large portion of society is vulnerable to unfair recruitment practices. In partnership with social enterprise Offploy, we are signed up to Business in the Community&rsquo;s (BITC) &lsquo;<a href="https://www.bitc.org.uk/campaigns-programmes/employment-diversity/employment/exoffenders/whybanthebox" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ban the Box</a>&rsquo; scheme, to ensure that those with criminal convictions have a fair chance to compete for jobs at Guidant Global.</li>
<li>Social mobility: This segment often gets overlooked, and the impact of this is certainly being noted. In fact, in 2019, the Social Mobility Commission reported that over the previous five years, social mobility in the UK had virtually stagnated and may have even regressed.</li>
<li>Neurodiversity: According to <a href="https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=e490c7d3-acda-4ec3-82df-df20204b70a3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">recent estimates</a>, around 15% of the UK population are neurodiverse. That means a significant proportion of the workforce also fall into this category. While there&rsquo;s been an encouraging move towards better inclusion initiatives to support neurodiverse talent, creating an environment that is appropriate and appealing for this audience remains a challenge for those businesses that are yet to fully understand and appreciate the adjustments that are needed.</li>
<li>And much more!</li>
</ul>
A truly inclusive workplace, then, isn&rsquo;t one that focuses on a particular segment, but rather creates a work environment that welcomes and nurtures all talent. One where employees feel valued and empowered by equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives. But how can you achieve this in your firm?
<h3>The key to a successful diversity and inclusion strategy: Trust</h3>
As experts in delivering equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives across many disadvantaged groups, Guidant Global has experience in driving ED&amp;I in the recruitment industry and our business. From our own experience we know that one of the biggest success factors in achieving this is trust.
Indeed, diversity and inclusion specialist, the Clear Company, outlined in its '<a href="https://theclearcompany.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/A-Guide-to-Flexible-Working.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Guide to flexible working</a>' at the beginning of lockdown that trust is a key trait of an inclusive leader. The presenteeism culture that has long existed in too many workplaces has certainly been removed for many, and we&rsquo;ll only continue to see this shift as remote working remains in place. But to make it work and to ensure that an inclusive company culture is truly nurtured, there needs to be trust in your employees. It&rsquo;s important to add that this extends to the equality, diversity and inclusion strategy that&rsquo;s built for your business as well. As seasoned talent experts know, you can&rsquo;t simply force a business culture on your <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=BBBAF613931F4D22BFFF2FD0498B1C56&amp;_z=z">workforce</a>&nbsp;and assume everyone will fall in line.
A company&rsquo;s culture &ndash; and in turn, its ability to be diverse and inclusive &ndash; is driven by the talent the business engages. And it needs to be defined by them, not by the executive team. Senior leaders need to create an inclusive environment and to do this, they need to trust their staff to drive ED&amp;I themselves.
<h3>Getting it right</h3>
Beyond the need for trust, there are many other ways that those involved in talent acquisition and management can create a meaningful equality, diversity and inclusion strategy:
<ul>
<li>Involve managers from the start: If you&rsquo;re to get buy-in from the whole company, ED&amp;I needs to be welcomed and adopted at the top and filtered down to the business, from the CEO to the most junior employee. By <a href="https://hbr.org/2020/05/diversity-and-inclusion-efforts-that-really-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">involving managers from the start</a>, it is much easier to get their support for any initiatives.</li>
<li>Make it natural: As mentioned above, truly inclusive cultures can&rsquo;t be designed, they evolve. Forcing views and initiatives on the workforce won&rsquo;t have the desired impact.</li>
<li>Consistency is needed: While ED&amp;I is constantly evolving as the world of work shifts and adapts, consistency in terms of the message and stance of the business is needed. The communication to the entire workplace &ndash; whether that&rsquo;s permanent, temporary, contingent or external &ndash; needs to be aligned to avoid conflicting messages.</li>
<li>Passion is a key driver: Diversity and inclusion efforts will be wasted if they are not driven by those who are truly passionate about the subject. It&rsquo;s important to add that this doesn&rsquo;t have to be someone at management level or in the talent team. Instead, look at the resources in your business and identify who has a personal desire to create an inclusive workplace.</li>
</ul>
<h3>The Guidant approach: Introducing INfluence</h3>
Perhaps the best way to demonstrate how the above advice can work for a business is to outline how it worked for Guidant Global. ED&amp;I has always been a key part of our business objectives but back in 2017 we took part in a client&rsquo;s Inclusion Week event that inspired us to do more. We set up an internal taskforce to plan and launch our own internal inclusion initiative, INfluence. This initiative was designed to allow our employees to upskill each other and deliver the knowledge, tools, and opportunities to enable everyone to build confidence in every area of diversity and inclusion. INfluence was set up based on the insights from our teams. It began with our employees telling us what they wanted from the initiative and we survey staff (anonymously) each year to identify any areas of ED&amp;I that our people want to know more about. In the spirit of having a workforce-driven diversity and inclusion strategy, we invited all of our employees to become an INfluence ambassador to represent and support one of the key areas of diversity and inclusion. Each team of ambassadors is self-sufficient. They have their own agenda that they drive. Together, they share their knowledge, research and experience to guide and develop their peers. We have a collaborative platform that allows groups to share webinars, run interviews and post information to engage the entire business and encourage a two-way dialogue. As Nicky Hale, Head of Talent Engagement at Guidant Global explained, INfluence has had a real impact on our business:
&ldquo;We take a people-first approach as a business, so it made complete sense that we empower our people to lead the company&rsquo;s diversity and inclusion initiatives. INfluence is about educating ourselves, each other and the business. As the initiative grew, we recognised that we needed wider involvement beyond the talent team and it was evident that those who were passionate about D&amp;I would have the motivation and desire to really make it work. That&rsquo;s why we identified ambassadors across the business &ndash; and the globe &ndash; to drive and own INfluence.&rdquo; &ldquo;What was particularly interesting as we developed INfluence was the wealth of knowledge that already existed in our business. As we called for ambassadors, we found more and more people who had experience or a personal interest in supporting under-represented groups that we wouldn&rsquo;t have known of without INfluence.&rdquo;
And this initiative really works. Not only have we received positive feedback from across the business, but we also won the &lsquo;Diversity &amp; inclusion&rsquo; award at the 2020 TIARA Talent Solutions Awards in September 2020. INfluence is part of our DNA as a company now, and our diverse teams are proud to be involved in it. And it works for our clients too. By developing our people, they are in a better position to pass this knowledge and experience on to the employers Guidant Global works with.&nbsp;
<h3>The future</h3>
While equality, diversity and inclusion has certainly moved up the corporate agenda recently , the business environment we find ourselves working in now could see ED&amp;I continue to change rapidly in the near future. On a positive note, the pandemic has created a level of equality that has long been battled for by some audiences. With travel requirements and geographical borders now irrelevant for many in a remote working environment, it will be interesting to see how the disabled community will benefit, having always required a degree of flexibility from employers for remote work environments. It is also encouraging to see mental health becoming a much greater consideration by employers. However, the economic climate does present some concern. With cost-cutting a priority for many businesses and budgets tightening, ED&amp;I could be impacted. However, it&rsquo;s crucial that employers keep diversity on the executive agenda. In the short term, letting inclusion drop off the priority list could impact productivity among existing teams. In the longer term, it&rsquo;s likely to impact your employer brand. People will remember how your business handled this crisis. If your company is to be in the best position to compete for top talent in the future, its actions on D&amp;I now need to be strategic (note that this doesn&rsquo;t have to be costly, though). In fact, McKinsey&rsquo;s '<a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Featured Insights/Diversity and Inclusion/Diversity wins How inclusion matters/Diversity-wins-How-inclusion-matters-vF.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Diversity wins</a>' report, echoed this sentiment:
&ldquo;Some of the companies we have spoken to are viewing I&amp;D as a &ldquo;luxury we cannot afford&rdquo; during the crisis. We believe that these companies risk tarnishing their license to operate in the long term and could lose out on very real opportunities to innovate their business model and strengthen their business recovery.&rdquo;
And with the makeup of the workforce changing &ndash; with a greater reliance on contingent and external talent, as well as an increasing use of service providers &ndash; future proofing your equality, diversity and inclusion strategy to cover all areas of your workforce is now vital for your competitive stance.
<h4>To find out more about our approach to equality, diversity and inclusion, <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=E42DD96B3C99450FB888CD411AD0EF68&amp;_z=z">click here</a>.</h4>
<h3>Need a workforce diversity and inclusion partner?</h3>
Thanks to our award-winning inclusive recruitment practices and network of diversity-specialist recruiters, our customers are building workforces and workplaces where everyone can thrive. <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=1FAEA3D2C35148F7B4871AC1CACC454D&amp;_z=z">Access our D&amp;I guide here</a>, and <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=4B869BD5E834489390D7CFB82F3F3DD6&amp;_z=z">get in touch</a>&nbsp;to learn how we can support you.
<div>&nbsp;</div>

How to build an equality, diversity and inclusion strategy for the ‘better normal’

It&rsquo;s no secret that over the past few years there has been an increased focus on driving better diversity and inclusion in UK businesses.
At Guidant Global, disability equality and inclusion is particularly close to our hearts. We&rsquo;ve been gold partners of RIDI (the Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative) for the past five years and during that time we&rsquo;ve seen a tidal wave of change when it comes to employers welcoming and actively seeking more applications from disabled candidates.
We are proud to have played a small role in this shift, through both our own journey to Disability Confidence and by using our influence to drive change in the wider recruitment sector around disability. You can read more about our approach on the <a href="https://blog.evenbreak.co.uk/2019/07/01/inclusion-at/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Evenbreak</a> website.
RIDI has been a huge part of our journey. We&rsquo;ve become part of this supportive community led by disability inclusion experts. We&rsquo;ve asked the right questions, answered difficult questions, hosted events, won awards, shown up, shared, learnt, laughed, cried and made countless friends. We know that attitudes towards disability equality and inclusion are changing but there is still a lot more work to be done.&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re calling for other inclusive recruiters to join us on the RIDI 100. By joining forces to put disability inclusion high on the agenda, together we can and will drive further change.
<a href="-/media/ecee26d4f53f4155895cbeb8ba69ab6c.ashx">Become a RIDI 100 Partner for just &pound;895</a>
<h3>Disability inclusion &ndash; the current outlook in the UK</h3>
Latest <a href="https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-7540" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">UK government statistics</a> show that 7.6 million people of working age (16-64) reported that they had a disability in January-March 2019, which is 18% of the working-age population. Of these, an estimated 3.9 million were in employment, an increase of 150,000 from a year previously.
51.7% of people with disabilities were in employment, up from 50.7% a year previously. The employment rate for people without disabilities was 81.7%, up from 81.1%.&nbsp;
While these marginal gains in disability employment exhibit signs of progress, as a country, we are still some way off achieving genuine disability inclusion. According to <a href="https://www.scope.org.uk/media/disability-facts-figures/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Scope research</a>, a third of all disabled people feel there&rsquo;s a lot of disability prejudice, with one in three people seeing disabled people as less productive than their able-bodied peers.
If people with disabilities are to have long, fruitful careers, working for companies that are inclusive to their needs, as a recruitment industry, we must work together to alter these damaging perceptions. While individually, businesses can play their part, the reality is, there also needs to be more disability representation within businesses.
That&rsquo;s why <a href="-/media/ecee26d4f53f4155895cbeb8ba69ab6c.ashx">becoming a RIDI 100 partner</a>&nbsp;is essential for progressive recruitment businesses. By accelerating your business&rsquo; disability confidence via RIDI&rsquo;s network of industry experts and inclusive recruiters, we can create a world of work that&rsquo;s a more inclusive place for disabled people. As a collective, we are collaborating to help people with disabilities find meaningful work.&nbsp;
This isn&rsquo;t just about placing disabled people into entry-level jobs as a tick-box diversity operation, this is about having the ambition to ensure that there is a true understanding, knowledge and representation at every level &ndash; from intern to board level. Without the drive to accomplish this goal, disabled voices will never truly be represented in business decisions.
Ultimately, to create a better world for disabled people, we need to collaborate to create more inclusive, representative workplaces.
<h4>Start your journey towards disability inclusion | <a href="-/media/ecee26d4f53f4155895cbeb8ba69ab6c.ashx">Become a RIDI 100 Partner for just &pound;895</a></h4>
For more information, <a href="-/media/ecee26d4f53f4155895cbeb8ba69ab6c.ashx">download the RIDI 100 fact sheet</a>

Join us as a RIDI 100 partner and help drive disability inclusion in recruitment

In the past few years, the topic of diversity and inclusion has been at the forefront of an increasing number of minds in the business community. But thoughtful consideration has not always led to action.
Expanding talent pools, a more desirable employer brand, greater innovation. A diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace are not only the right things to do, but they are also good for business. Diversity matters. Still, despite the research and statistical analyses which demonstrate this, not every business is actively prioritising diversity and inclusion. First, let&rsquo;s take a look at the situation. We know that creating a more inclusive environment and hiring more diverse candidates is, morally speaking, right. But we also know that businesses are under increasing pressure to reduce costs, optimise workflows, and ensure every investment counts.&nbsp; For this reason, business leaders and shareholders need to know that promoting diversity in the workforce and creating a more inclusive working environment will lead to better financial outcomes.
<h2>The business case for diversity and inclusion (D&amp;I)</h2>
<div>The good news is that studies suggest that a D&amp;I strategy is one of the greatest investments a business can make.&nbsp; According to a <a href="https://www.glassdoor.com/employers/blog/diversity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Glassdoor</a> survey, 67% of candidates said that they want to join a diverse team. Furthermore, 57% of existing employees want their company to do more to increase diversity. From a candidate attraction perspective, having more diverse teams enables a business to attract top talent from a wider range of sources. Those that don&rsquo;t are essentially chalking off over two-thirds of the market. With existing employees requesting a push towards greater diversity, businesses who fail to invest in D&amp;I programs could also accelerate the loss of existing talent. Though people are one of the greatest, if not the greatest driver of a businesses success, the impact of diversity and inclusion stretches beyond the workforce.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/why-diversity-matters" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">McKinsey</a> research suggests that companies with greater ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to outperform those that are less ethnically diverse. A recently published <a href="https://hbr.org/2013/12/how-diversity-can-drive-innovation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Harvard Business Review</a> report suggests that greater diversity leads to faster and greater innovation. Meanwhile, a study from the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/000312240907400203" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">American Sociological Review</a> shows that greater gender diversity leads to more customers. Diversity wins.</div>
&nbsp;
<div>
<h3>Diversity or inclusion: which is more important?</h3>
&ldquo;Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance&rdquo;&nbsp; - Vernā Myers
<div>So how should companies prioritise diversity and inclusion? Should they focus on attracting more diverse candidates, or should they ready their place of work to become a more inclusive environment? These are tough questions that need to be answered, especially if businesses want to both attract and retain the very best people in an increasingly competitive market. But the answer is simple. Businesses need to address both simultaneously. A business can make great strides to build a diverse workforce by attracting candidates from underrepresented groups (such as people with disabilities or ex-offenders), but if the workplace isn&rsquo;t inclusive, people arriving into the business are unlikely to feel at home. Diverse employees that aren&rsquo;t fully integrated within a business are not only less productive (which could exacerbate existing prejudices if they already exist) but also less likely to stay.&nbsp; On the other hand, creating an inclusive place to work, without diversity efforts, will not harbour the advantages that come with a diverse workforce: an increase in productivity, greater innovation, and better financial outcomes. In this scenario, though retention may develop amongst the current workforce, there&rsquo;s little chance of it making that big of a difference. For a diversity and inclusion program to work, businesses need to place equal focus on both diversity and inclusion. Without such an approach, metaphorically speaking, you&rsquo;ll be stockpiling fresh food for a restaurant yet to rent a building or buy plates, pans and cutlery.&nbsp;
<div>&nbsp;</div>
</div>
<h3>Building a diverse and inclusive workforce culture</h3>
<div>One of the most important aspects of embedding diversity and inclusion within an organisation is to get leadership to live and breathe D&amp;I. With a large percentage of the working population craving a more inclusive workplace, getting buy-in from staff is seldom a problem. But for D&amp;I to work, everyone from the CEO down to managers needs to set the example by faithfully committing to creating an inclusive environment. To attract a more diverse pool of candidates, hiring requirements also need assessing. Job descriptions, for example, often list requirements that aren&rsquo;t really necessary for the role. Job websites need to be accessible for all. For HR teams, it is important to assess whether a university education is really going to have an impact. Likewise, does the ideal candidate actually need ten years experience for a mid-level role? Often, marginalised groups have not had the chance to prove themselves. Overstating a role can lead to these people feeling like they aren&rsquo;t up to the job, even though they are often the best-suited candidate. The vocabulary used in job adverts also needs to be assessed. In 2016, the tech platform <a href="https://textio.ai/gendered-language-in-your-job-post-predicts-the-gender-of-the-person-youll-hire-cd150452407d?gi=5e24a44c5098" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Textio</a> published research analysing how language patterns influence the chances of women applying for, and been accepted for jobs. Words such as &lsquo;exhaustive&rsquo;, &lsquo;enforcement&rsquo; and &lsquo;fearless&rsquo; reduce the number of female applicants. In a study with tech company Atlassian, removing male-centric language from their job ads increased the number of women applying for roles by 80%.&nbsp; Internally, it&rsquo;s also important to really listen to your people. While there&rsquo;s nothing inherently wrong with implementing an inclusion policy from the top down, if your people aren&rsquo;t actively engaged with the changes necessary to create a truly inclusive workplace, there&rsquo;s less chance of change sticking. At <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Guidant Global</a>, for example, we spoke to our people to ask what matters to them. From this, we learnt that flexible working was the key change our people wanted.&nbsp; Through addressing this, 82% of our workforce now works flexibly. Not only has this gone some way to shattering the glass ceiling, but it has also given people with disabilities and people who are neurodivergent the chance to work in an environment that is more akin to their needs than the traditional office environment.</div>
&nbsp;
</div>
<h3>The bottom line</h3>
Ultimately, creating a diverse, inclusive business demands considerable time and effort. It&rsquo;s by no means an easy endeavour, but the benefits to business are huge. By prioritising diversity and inclusion today, a business can ensure that it is fit for the future. From creating teams that are more innovative, to standing a better chance of success when expanding into foreign markets, diversity and inclusion facilitate company growth. Likewise, setting yourself apart from industry competition as a company that truly embraces diversity and inclusion increases staff retention while also strengthening your employer brand &ndash; increasing the chances of attracting the best talent. Diversity and inclusion may be a topic on the lips of every HR professional, but it&rsquo;s time for businesses to plunge headfirst into meaningful diversity and inclusion. Yes, it&rsquo;s the right thing to do from a moral standpoint, but it&rsquo;s also good for business. Failing to authentically embrace D&amp;I increases the risk of hindering a business&rsquo; long-term success.

How should companies prioritise diversity and inclusion?

Diversity and Inclusion terminology: a guide to inclusive language

Employee engagement is a HR and recruitment subject that attracts an enormous amount of buzz. As a result, it is a subject rife with confusion, misinterpretation and speculation. &nbsp;
<a href="https://guidantglobal.pagetiger.com/Employee-engagement/1">Click here to access our in-depth guide to employee engagement.&nbsp;</a>
Engaged organisations have strong, authentic values, with clear evidence of trust and fairness, based on mutual respect. &nbsp;
There are a number of benefits for both employees and employers to being engaged. But it&rsquo;s not something that can be imposed, it needs to be developed and requires constant nurturing. &nbsp;
To achieve high employee engagement, it&rsquo;s important to properly define the term, as well as how you can measure it within the workplace. &nbsp;
What does employee engagement mean? &nbsp;
Employee engagement is more than about keeping your employees happy so they&rsquo;ll do a better job and project a positive image of your company to their friends, family and the market as a whole.&nbsp;
&nbsp; Motivational and engagement speaker David MacLeod describes employee engagement as &lsquo;a workplace approach designed to ensure employees are committed to their organisation&rsquo;s goals and values, motivated to contribute to organisational success and are able at the same time to enhance their own sense of well-being&rsquo;. &nbsp;
In many ways, employee engagement is just as much about the organisation as it is its people. It&rsquo;s mutually-inclusive and mutually-beneficial. &nbsp;
Why does engagement matter?&nbsp;
Research convincingly suggests employee engagement is vital for business success and employee&rsquo;s job satisfaction. It benefits both business and employees. &nbsp;
According to <a href="https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236441/employee-recognition-low-cost-high-impact.aspx">Gallup</a>, employees who aren&rsquo;t recognised are twice as likely to quit, while the CLC reports highly engaged businesses have the potential to reduce staff turnover by 87%.&nbsp;
This is just a single illustration that proves the positive impact of employee engagement &mdash; our guide demonstrates many more positive benefits to businesses and employers alike. &nbsp;
Measuring engagement &nbsp;
There&rsquo;s merit in having a business with an engaged workforce, but establishing the levels of engagement of your organisation is tricky. &nbsp;
For most businesses surveys remain the best means of analysing engagement levels. However, research suggests engagement surveys frequently produce skewed results as typically companies tend to overlook key factors. &nbsp;
When determining the level of employee engagement in your organisation, the following points are important to consider: &nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Is once a year enough?</li>
<li>Do you ask everyone?</li>
<li>Do you give feedback&nbsp;</li>
<li>Do you offer incentives?&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Our guide, available for free download, will help you gain a clearer understanding of the level of employee engagement within your business. &nbsp;
How to increase employee engagement &nbsp;
HR can lead the charge to create an effective employee engagement strategy, but it needs to be embraced by the entire organisation. &nbsp;
Team leaders and line managers have a vital role to motivate and inspire those they manage, to set direction for the team and provide a working environment which enables people to work productively together. &nbsp;
<a href="https://www.biworldwide.com/globalassets/us-en/research-landing/thought-leadership/2015/engagement-trends-2016/employee-engagement-trends-2016.pdf">Research </a>by leadership development experts Dr. Brad Shuck and Maryanne Honeycutt-Elliott shows &lsquo;higher levels of engagement comes from employees who work for a compassionate leader&rsquo;. &nbsp;
Having pooled the research, we have clarified the most proven and effective ways of getting your employees engaged. By downloading our guide, you will gain a clear understanding of this often confusing but influential issue, as well as how to improve employee engagement. &nbsp;
<a href="https://guidantglobal.pagetiger.com/Employee-engagement/1">Download our guide to employee engagement here.&nbsp;</a>
&nbsp;

Employee engagement: why it matters and how to fix it 

On 12th June 2019, Guidant Global had the opportunity to host a diversity and inclusion (D&amp;I) workshop at our client <a href="https://www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">John Lewis Partnership</a>&rsquo;s office in Bracknell.
The workshop was attended by thirty John Lewis employees based in several functions across various offices, and featured speakers including #TeamGuidant&rsquo;s very own <a href="https://uk.linkedin.com/in/emma-buckley-assoc-cipd-9260b81" target="_self">Emma Buckley</a>, <a href="https://uk.linkedin.com/in/adam-tobias-a15788a" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Adam Tobias</a> and <a href="https://uk.linkedin.com/in/joe-wells-78603211" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Joe Wells</a> of <a href="http://www.inventumsearch.com/page/consulting" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Inventum Consulting</a>, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachael-latham" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rachael Latham</a> of <a href="https://www.theabilitypeople.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Ability People</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-ludlow-taylor-78708614/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sam Ludlow Taylor</a> of <a href="https://www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">John Lewis Partnership</a>.
Throughout all of the talks ran a common theme: diversity and inclusion isn&rsquo;t just the right thing to do, it makes business sense and needs to become the norm.
In this article, we&rsquo;ll outline the key takeaways from all the speakers during the session. Read on to find out more.
<h3>Using our INfluence</h3>
The session was opened by myself, to introduce our D&amp;I initiative, INfluence, and explain that &ldquo;building change into the fabric of our organisation will help us to influence our clients and networks.&rdquo; INfluence &ndash; a programme designed to up-skill and educate our team on all things related to diversity and inclusivity is run by our employees from various backgrounds working at different levels within the business.&nbsp;
At Guidant, we&rsquo;ve experienced leaders driving inclusivity. But what we found through INfluence was when we created ambassador groups within the programme, it created a momentum of its own, driven by the passion and commitment of our people who want to make a change.
<h3>Recruiting a diverse workforce for Guidant</h3>
Emma Buckley, Talent Attraction &amp; Acquisition Manager at Guidant shared our journey in becoming a more inclusive employer and what we&rsquo;ve done to create a diverse workforce. Our two-angled approach of finding a diverse workforce and being an employer people want to work for is evident through various mediums.
For example, we&rsquo;ve worked to raise awareness of our inclusive employer brand through a fully accessible website and sharing our D&amp;I activity on social media. To encourage more people to apply for our roles and position Guidant an approachable employer, we guarantee interviews to candidates who have a disability or long-term health condition and meet the minimum skillset criteria for the role.
We also work with specialist job boards to tap into diverse talent pools including <a href="https://timewise.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Timewise</a> (flexibility), <a href="https://www.evenbreak.co.uk/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Evenbreak</a> (disability), <a href="https://equalapproach.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Equal Approach</a> (disability) and <a href="https://www.offploy.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Offploy</a> (ex-offenders). Because of our ongoing commitment to D&amp;I, 70% of our workforce is female and 80% of our employees have a flexible working arrangement.
<h3>Diversity in retail</h3>
Adam Tobias, Co-founder of Inventum Consultancy discussed the benefits of diversity within the retail sector specifically, but these benefits can also apply to many other industries. Diversity exists across every environment even if they&rsquo;re not visible and the commercial benefits to an inclusive environment include:
<ul>
<li>35% more likely to outperform non-inclusive competitors</li>
<li>200% more likely to be innovation leaders in their market</li>
</ul>
Adam also provided valuable tips for inclusive candidate attraction and employer branding including:
<ul>
<li>Build partnerships with networks that support underrepresented groups</li>
<li>Utilise referrals &ndash; good people know good people and therefore we need to use the resource we have already</li>
<li>Work with your talent supply chain to access diverse group</li>
</ul>
<h3>Focusing on abilities</h3>
We were then joined by Rachael Latham, Paralympic swimmer and Consultant at The Ability People (TAP) who shared her story of living with a disability, achieving her goals and using her personal experiences to consult businesses in inclusivity through TAP.
Rachael&rsquo;s limited use of her left arm means her disability isn&rsquo;t always visible and so she has experienced unconscious bias when telling people she is a Paralympian or has a disability &ndash; often being looked at in search of the &lsquo;visible&rsquo; disability.
However, this did not stop her from pursuing her passion for swimming from the age of three, becoming a Paralympic swimmer and a Paralympics presenter, despite discrimination.
Like everyone who works for TAP, Rachael&rsquo;s lived through experiences that enable her to educate businesses and staff on the best approach to hiring people from diverse backgrounds and the benefits of inclusivity which include:
<ul>
<li>Everyone feels valued and people bring something new to your business</li>
<li>If you have a diverse representation within your business, you will see people who relate to your employees buying your products/services</li>
</ul>
<h3>Modern slavery risk in the UK</h3>
The importance of inclusivity should not overshadow ethics. Sam Ludlow Taylor, Ethical Trade Manager at John Lewis Partnership gave valuable insight to what slavery looks like in modern society.
The Global Slavery Index estimates there are 24.9 million people living in modern slavery globally and the UK is one of the main destinations for trafficked persons in Europe with an estimated 136,000 victims of modern slavery in the UK.&nbsp;
We still have an archaic perception of slavery e.g. chains and shackles. Slavery is defined as being forced to work against one&rsquo;s will or using labour to pay off debts and still exists today. What we see on the surface isn&rsquo;t always how it is in reality &ndash; quite similar to non-visible disabilities and more awareness and education is needed to better understand the world around us, both in work and out of work.
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
In a nutshell, organisations that offer an inclusive environment for a diverse mix of employees are better positioned to innovate, grow and outperform the competition. When employees feel involved and effectively are more engaged, employers can tap into a greater depth of ideas and insights. This enables companies to respond effectively to customers, attract and retain employees, increase productivity, future-proof their businesses and ultimately, deliver sustainable growth.

John Lewis Partnership: Diversity and Inclusion Workshop

Offploy supports Guidant Global to become a 'Ban the Box' employer

2019 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, an important milestone for the gay rights movement, led by drag queens, trans women of colour and other marginalised members of LGBT community. June also marks the annual Pride Month celebrations around the globe; a time for people from the community and their allies to acknowledge the hard-won efforts of those who fought for their freedom and dignity.
We&rsquo;ve come a long way over the past fifty years and significant progress has been made. However, the annual Pride Marches also serve to remind us how much work there still is to be done.
In recognition of this historic year of LGBT history, we have updated our Guidant Global logo to include the iconic rainbow colours of the Pride flag. It&rsquo;s a nod to the hard work of activists and the contributions they made to the fight for equality, but it&rsquo;s also a signal to the world that Guidant is an employer that embraces and celebrates people from different backgrounds and communities.
At Guidant, we champion #ABetterWay of working, and part of this is ensuring that our people reflect the diversity of the modern world. We encourage people to bring their authentic selves to work and this includes a commitment to creating safe, inclusive and welcoming spaces for the LGBT members of our staff to work in.
There will be Pride events all around the UK and Ireland between June and September, below we have listed just some of the key dates.
Upcoming Pride Events
<ul>
<li>Dublin Pride &ndash; 20th June</li>
<li>Edinburgh Pride &ndash; 22nd June</li>
<li>London Pride &ndash; 6th July</li>
<li>Bristol Pride &ndash; 13th July</li>
<li>Brighton Pride &ndash; 3rd August</li>
<li>Manchester Pride &ndash; 23rd August</li>
</ul>
<img style="width: 913px; height: 445px;" src="-/media/ef6c2f6d4a184618930c012d768b48e6.ashx" alt="Guidant Global Pride Logo Gif" width="1024" height="512">

#Pride50 – Guidant Celebrates 50 Years of LGBT Pride

June 18th each year marks an important date in the calendar - Autistic Pride Day. Founded in 2005, this day celebrates neurodiversity and raises awareness amongst those who are not on the autistic spectrum, so they do not see autistic people as requiring treatment, but as unique individuals.
Here at Guidant Global, we would like to raise awareness of this day as part of Guidant Global&rsquo;s diversity and inclusion initiative &lsquo;INfluence&rsquo; and embrace diversity across our business.
We have been privileged to speak to one of our colleagues, Vikki Palin who is diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum. Vikki has kindly has taken time out to explain the impact and her experiences of Autism within the working environment.
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- Vikki Palin, Guidant Global
Tell&nbsp;us a little bit&nbsp;about yourself Vikki, how you joined Guidant and the role that you play?
I joined Guidant in September 2018 after I saw the position being advertised through a friend on Facebook who worked at and recommended Guidant.&nbsp; I started in a temporary position and became a permanent member of the team in January this year.
I work within the on-boarding team working across 8 of our MSP customers, where I ensure that candidates have completed the required pre-employment checks when they join Guidant as part of one of our programmes.
I was diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum whilst being tested for dyslexia in my late teens. This is unusual as it tends to be the case where it is identified in earlier years - I was about 16!
I am fairly low on the spectrum, but do have aspects that pop up at work. It&rsquo;s funny, as I actually applied for the job before I went on holiday and I was worried that I would be uncontactable whilst out of the country. I got the call from Guidant whilst on holiday, but it did really worry me that I was talking about work whilst on holiday &ndash; not logical I know, but that&rsquo;s all part of living with Autism.
Do you think many people are aware of Autism and the impact that it has on individuals in the workplace?
It sometimes feels that people have no idea of non-visible disabilities in general. Of course people know about Autism, however, they tend to think about it only on the high level of the spectrum where there is usually a physical indication. Whereas people of the lower end of the spectrum may not show any visible signs - it can be completely invisible!
It isn&rsquo;t something I necessarily enjoy talking about, as I am worried that once people know they will look at me differently and start to make judgments before they know and understand my capabilities. I feel I am more capable in the role that I do because I am so meticulous and naturally focus in on the details that others would overlook.
What are the biggest day to day challenges that you face?
One of the hardest things I have to deal with is the fact that I really care about what I do. I am having to constantly manage how to handle situations that arise from this in the best way. In these scenarios I have to pay close attention to my communication, making sure I re-read emails, check and then check again before I send a reply! This attention to communication is actually good advice to everyone really when you think about it.
Dealing with other people and understanding their emotions can be really difficult at times. Some days I can have a really good day where everything goes according to plan. But then there are other days where there are problems that arise which I have to fix, and rationale can go out the window. To someone on the Autistic spectrum, these aren&rsquo;t just &lsquo;bad days&rsquo;, it feels like the end of the world.
On these days I need support from my colleagues, manager and friends at work. I am lucky as I work with Chelsea (Williams) who is my absolute rock! She supports me by listening, giving me space when I need it and happily reading some of my emails before I send them, to ensure I have interpreted emails correctly and my response comes across the way in which I intend.
How can colleagues help to support and empower you/other people with autism to do your best every day?
By having more awareness and understanding of disabilities that are invisible to the eye. Once people are aware they can start to notice tell-tale signs and act accordingly. For example, Chelsea (Williams) is great at this, she can tell when something crops up and supports me to work through it.
Being conscious of language and how to position things would also be extremely useful. By positioning situations (even when challenging) in a positive light rather than an issue, it helps me better understand, work through the situation and makes a huge difference.
We spend a huge proportion of our lives at work and if people were more aware and understanding of each other, it would make for a happier workplace for everyone, let alone for people who are neurodivergent.
What are the key areas that you would like to raise awareness of, in connection to Autism?
That not all disabilities are visible and situations impact people in many different ways.
For example, I struggle with reading emotions and sometime misinterpret a situation. Someone could send something over email which is meant with the best intentions, but I interpret it differently and think they are extremely unhappy.
Emails can be interpreted in many ways so I prefer a phone call - this is a better method to explain and not get any crossed wires! On the flip side, I am sometimes completely oblivious to awkward situations or negative reactions that arise.&nbsp;
It would be great to raise awareness for neurodiversity on Autistic Pride Day across Guidant, so that everyone can get a better understanding of Autism in the workplace and how we can all support individuals in the best possible way.&nbsp;

An interview with Vikki to celebrate Autistic Pride Day

Guidant Global has become the first business to attain Clear Assured Silver status. This significant and exciting step is only achievable through a passion for diversity and inclusion (D&amp;I) and a determination to instigate change and challenge current thinking.
Clear Assured is a national accredited standard owned and developed by the Clear Company, recognised leaders of diversity and inclusion insight, training and technology in the UK. Easily accessible, the HR software platform provides busy HR and D&amp;I teams with the expertise and direction needed to support their appetite for fundamental change to behaviour and culture. Containing all of the Clear Company&rsquo;s knowledge, rigorous processes and understanding of what works, the online toolkit is regularly updated with the latest thinking and directs users to activity with proven benefits.
Head of Talent Engagement at Guidant Global, Nicky Hale commented &ldquo;Clear Assured has given us complete clarity on what a best in class D&amp;I approach really looks like. We finally feel we really know which areas in our business require focus in order to make the biggest impact and continually improve. Its full 360 approach has provided us with the full gap analysis that we needed to support us in reviewing many of our own policies and a huge number of our teams are already benefiting from the system. It is clear to see that it is increasing awareness and empowering everybody across our business.&rdquo;
The achievement of Silver status is considerable, by working at this level Guidant Global are building inclusion into everyday behaviour; actively reinforcing their core philosophy of shifting the focus to people, recognising that diverse motivated workforces drive thriving businesses and create long term energy and success.
Managing Consultant and Clear Assured lead Jen Davidson notes &ldquo;Clear Assured Silver status is a real mark of achievement representing a consistent and ambitious approach to inclusion. By incorporating Clear Assured into their inclusion journey Guidant Global are setting a high standard in their sector and marketplace.&rdquo;
The impact also extends into Guidant&rsquo;s marketplace. With a long standing commitment to instigating change within their industry and opening doors to people traditionally overlooked by the recruitment industry the change in processes is also felt more widely by their network of job seekers, suppliers and clients.

Guidant Global the first to achieve Clear Assured Silver status

In this insightful piece, Charlotte Woodward, Guidant Global&rsquo;s Director of People Services, looks at why we need to take mental health in the workplace more seriously &mdash; and how it is incumbent on businesses to lay the groundwork for a more inclusive and tolerant working environment.
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Business culture is slowly changing for the better. Data from Business in the Community 2018 found that 71% of respondents feel confident enough to recognise the signs of poor mental health &mdash; up 7% since 2016. Meanwhile, 5% more respondents than in 2016 feel their manager has a genuine concern for their wellbeing (up from 55% to 60%). And last year, KPMG launched new online training on how to support staff with mental wellbeing and mental health concerns. Given the stigma that still surrounds mental health in the workplace, these trends are encouraging. Despite gradual progress on these issues, businesses are often slow to respond to cultural change. According to the Department of Work and Pensions, poor mental health is said to cost the UK economy between &pound;74bn and &pound;99bn a year. The direct cost to employers stands at an estimated at between &pound;33bn and &pound;42bn. Not prioritising the wellbeing of employees evidently has a negative financial impact. The business world&rsquo;s reputation for being unsympathetic towards mental health issues not only continues to persist but has even had the knock-on effect of creating apprehension among those yet to enter the workforce. As research from City Mental Health Alliance (CMHA) shows, 62% of recent graduates are worried about the potential impact of a new role on their mental health. Such concerns are justified. In many businesses today, employees who manage a huge workload are deemed to be performing positively, regardless of the impact it may be having on their mental health or work-life balance. But as the workforce becomes increasingly mindful of the importance of wellbeing, outdated models of measuring performance are being called into question.
Promoting a more holistic understanding of performance &mdash; one which allows employees to develop in areas other than task completion &mdash; can help mould a healthier and more motivated workforce. By moving performance reviews away from output alone, firms can create a more sustainable method of working and boost staff retention in the process. To achieve this, businesses need to create a mental health policy that provides awareness, education and support for all staff. In a recent survey, graduates said they are 83% more likely to apply for a company that is open about its commitment to mental health. When it comes to hiring, such a crystal-clear commitment can often represent the difference between good candidates and exceptional ones. Of course, businesses with a more traditional view of workplace culture may be sceptical about such an idea, especially if placing a focus on mental wellbeing detracts from the company&rsquo;s strategic goals. Many businesses fear adopting such a model would lead to a short-term drop in productivity. In the traditional view, less time spent working means fewer tasks are completed. However, employers would be better served by considering the medium and long-term benefits of improving the wellbeing of employees. Focusing on wellbeing enables firms to promote positive working habits among employees over a longer timeframe and helps avoid risks such as burnout or high staff turnover. Regardless of a company&rsquo;s sector or size, initiating an open conversation around employee mental health is a vital step towards forging a business culture in which staff feel comfortable to seek support and take time for themselves. For employers, there can be few more pressing priorities than having a happier, healthier and more engaged workforce. There&rsquo;s still much to be done. With data from Business in the Community 2018 showing that 49% of respondents indicating that no resulting changes or actions were taken after they reported a mental health issue, it&rsquo;s clear that businesses have a duty to take the implementation of a mental health policy seriously. In doing so, leaders can foster a real sense of inclusion, purpose, fulfilment, and autonomy in their company culture.
<h3>The future of talent management</h3>
Information and statistics in the above article is largely drawn from <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=DDACF9F95F844F3EBA77350C76D5DAC0&amp;_z=z">The Future of Talent Management report</a>, in which expert contributors from the world of HR, tech and talent management &mdash; including Guidant Global &mdash; explore how today&rsquo;s organisations are evolving their approach to talent management. The report was produced by Raconteur and published by The Times. 
<h4>For more on how performance management can impact mental health, complete the form below to get access to the full report.</h4>
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How traditional views of 'performance' are impacting employee mental health

Lucy Caruso Head of Client Services at Guidant Global talks to us about her new leadership role and how she got here
Tell us about your new leadership role?
As a Head of Client Services I am responsible for leading a division of customer programs for our business, which includes managing very talented, driven teams, along with managing the customer relationship, ensuring excellent service and providing strategic direction.
And your career journey that led you here?
I left University with a Business Studies degree, and just began working in recruitment, after several years of working within managed services, I joined Guidant in 2005, as an Account Manager. As Guidant grew, along with our customers and market conditions, I was promoted to an Account Director in 2011, responsible for a portfolio of customers. In 2012, I became a mum, and had Henry, and began a new and exciting chapter in my life as a mummy. In 2016, I had my little girl Lily, and since having both my children, I have worked part time, 3 days per week and balanced work and home. I returned from maternity leave after Lily in 2017, as a Client Services Director, responsible for a large region of customers within Guidant, across the UK and ROI, and I have continued to work part time, as the flexibility I have with Guidant has made this possible . I have recently been promoted to the role of Head of Client Services, part of the UK Senior Leadership and for now will continue to work part time until Henry and Lily are a little older.
Are there any career definingmoments or people that helped shape your career in recruitment?
Over the last 20 years I have worked with and for some really inspirational people, and leaders, which make and shape a business. I have also seen the impact of some less impressive leadership during my career and witnessed the detrimental impact poor management can have on a business. These experiences have taught me a great deal over the years. Leadership and good managers are absolutely vital to a business&rsquo; success.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Your career is shaped over a very long time. Don&rsquo;t feel that you need to do it all and know everything right now. Enjoy the journey and don&rsquo;t put too much pressure on yourself too soon. Equally, don&rsquo;t be afraid to ask for help from more experienced managers and colleagues, that&rsquo;s how everyone learns and it&rsquo;s what they are there for. I ask for help now all the time!
What drives / inspires you?
I am really driven by the Guidant Global culture, and the value we place on having good people in the business and the importance of wellbeing. It inspires me every day to be my best, and my colleagues and fabulous teams keep me happy, motivated and driven

International Women's Day: Lucy's story

Guidant Global&rsquo;s Diversity Delivers programs graduates five diverse suppliers from the two year program. We&rsquo;ve celebrated suppliers who consistently deliver at our 2019 Diversity supplier breakfast event and would like to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone that attended and contributed to making it a success.
<h3>Guidant Global 2019 diverse suppliers</h3>
<h4>Strategic partner award: Integrated Resources</h4>
<ul>
<li>Integrated Resources supports 3 programs for Guidant Global.</li>
</ul>
Congratulations to&nbsp;Integrated Resources!
<h4>Strategic partner award: Ronin Staffing</h4>
<ul>
<li>Ronin Staffing supports 3 programs for Guidant Global.</li>
</ul>
Congratulations to&nbsp;Ronin Staffing!
<h4>Strategic partner award: VIVA USA</h4>
<ul>
<li>VIVA USA supports 2 programs for Guidant Global.</li>
</ul>
Congratulations to&nbsp;VIVA USA!
<h4>Strategic partner award: Swoon Staffing</h4>
<ul>
<li>Swoon Staffing supports 3 programs for Guidant Global.</li>
</ul>
Congratulations to Swoon!
<h4>Strategic partner award: Meridian Technologies</h4>
<ul>
<li>Meridian Technologies supports 3 programs for Guidant Global.</li>
<li>"The partnership and guidance in the two-year program allowed us to provide stronger support of what we knew we were capable of supporting. Based on the mentorship and development we were able to capitalize with a lucrative acquisition of selling our organization."</li>
</ul>
Congratulations to&nbsp;Meridian Technologies!

Diversity Delivers Graduating Strategic Partner Award Recipients

At Guidant Global, we have significant experience working with our supply chain to find the right candidates with the right skills for our clients.
As part of our drive to strengthen our supplier and strategic partner relationships &mdash; leveraging their knowledge within the recruitment industry &mdash; we recently invited Adam Tobias from our long-standing strategic partner, <a href="https://www.wellstobias.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wells Tobias</a>, to share their diversity and inclusion (D&amp;I) expertise.
The session was, as expected, well-received by #TeamGuidant. It produced some great takeaways to share with our clients to support their own D&amp;I initiatives. Here are some of them&hellip;
<h3>Why does inclusion matter?</h3>
<h4>It allows businesses to outperform the competition</h4>
Businesses with a healthy gender balance are 15% more likely to outperform their competitors &mdash;those with employees from a good mix of ethnic backgrounds are 35% more likely.
<h4>Businesses can better relate to a changing customer base</h4>
Minority ethnics in the UK will become the majority in the UK by 2060 (by 2050 for the US) and having an ethnically diverse workforce enables businesses to understand their customer base.
<h4>Inclusion drives innovation</h4>
With new technologies and digital transformation driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution, diversity is a key driver of innovation and a critical component of being successful on a global scale. A diverse set of experiences, perspectives and backgrounds is crucial to innovation and the development of new ideas.
<h3>How can we drive inclusion?</h3>
To reap the benefits of a diverse workforce it&rsquo;s vital to have an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome and is able achieve their potential. So how do we do we do this?
<h4>Employee resource groups (ERGs)</h4>
These groups create a safe space and an inclusive open forum for employees who share common interests/concerns to meet and support one another, giving them an opportunity to be heard and valued.
Additionally, ERGs can assist organisations in reaching customers by tapping into new markets by providing further intelligence and insight &mdash; ultimately giving businesses a competitive advantage.
<h4>Get leadership/management teams on board</h4>
Inclusive leaders not only embrace, value, and provide a sense of belonging to individuals, but they also act as role models and can help drive a more inclusive culture.
<h4>Mentoring</h4>
Senior leaders can mentor junior employees to help them navigate the corporate world. Conversely, through reverse mentoring employees from diverse backgrounds can also mentor senior leaders on diversity and share their experiences.
<h3>Recruiting diverse talent</h3>
Diverse and inclusive recruitment starts at the attraction stage. To appeal to the broadest audience and drive diverse applications, businesses need to focus on their employer branding and position themselves as an inclusive employer using the following methods:
<ul>
<li>Use company website and social media channels to their full potential &mdash; extending reach and communicating company values and D&amp;I activities.</li>
<li>Utilise employee resource groups &ndash; the power of personal recommendation should not be underestimated, and potential candidates gain a first-hand insight on what it&rsquo;s like to work for the business.</li>
<li>Write inclusive job ads and descriptions &ndash; the language used subtly sends candidates underlying messages about the company culture and its outlook on the workforce and could deter them from applying. Fortunately, there are online tools available to help &lsquo;decode&rsquo; any non-inclusive language such as <a href="https://textio.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Textio</a> which analyses job descriptions and suggests improvements to make language more inclusive to all applicants.</li>
<li>Consider various application methods &ndash; one application method doesn&rsquo;t fit all and giving candidates a different way to engage with a business and demonstrate their skills is impactful. For example, neurodiverse candidates can help solve a problem that an organisation has been struggling with for years and gamification could be great way for them to demonstrate their problem-solving skills.</li>
<li>Monitor applications &ndash; encourage disclosure for diversity and be honest about the reason why &mdash; e.g. to help improve the recruitment process.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Making recruitment processes fairer</h3>
Unconscious bias can hinder recruitment decisions, employee engagement and limit diversity. Often, employers can overlook talented people and instead favour those who share their own characteristics or views.
Equipping your business with the right tools and processes can significantly reduce the impact of unconscious bias on your recruitment process and develop and maintain an inclusive workforce.
As a starting point, unconscious bias training can make employees aware of their own unconscious bias and provide steps to reshape their thoughts and decisions. However, for it to be effective, unconscious bias training needs to be ongoing and not a one-off. 
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
Businesses with diverse workforces perform better. Diversity can help companies evolve, innovate and problem-solve. Furthermore, diverse organisations offer employees a better sense of belonging, increasing engagement and creating a more positive workplace. Diversity isn&rsquo;t something that can be achieved easily. But an amalgamation of small changes can make a huge difference and, ultimately, give businesses a competitive edge.

Diverse and inclusive recruitment: why it matters, and how to make it work for your business

Guidant Global are delighted to announce that our Managing Director of Client Services, EMEA, Karina Townley, has been featured in SIA&rsquo;s highly-renowned <a href="https://www2.staffingindustry.com/Editorial/Daily-News/The-Global-Power-150-Women-in-Staffing-List-now-online-51933" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Global Power 150 &mdash; Women in Staffing 2019 list</a>.
Now in its fifth year, the list includes 100 of the staffing industry&rsquo;s most influential women in the Americas and 50 in the global staffing industry. As Managing Director of Client Services, EMEA at Guidant Global, Karina Townley leads a 200-plus strong team and is responsible for the delivery and growth of Guidant&rsquo;s MSP/RPO business across Europe.&nbsp; &nbsp;Subadhra Sriram, editor and publisher, media products, at SIA, said: &ldquo;The women named to this year&rsquo;s Global Power 150 list play an important role in bringing value to the workforce solutions ecosystem, elevating not only the bottom line for their organizations but lifting up their teams through a passionate focus on employee development and creation of positive and inclusive cultures in which talent thrives.&rdquo;&nbsp; Karina joined Guidant Global in 2004 in an on-site role. She has been instrumental in leading and growing nearly 75% of Guidant&rsquo;s MSP and RPO client base and under her stewardship, client programs have won awards at the <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=053206475CBD45F5819A45C2EB8EEEFC&amp;_z=z" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In-House Recruitment Awards</a>, <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=D655A4AEE6FF4166AD5DE5028D3146FB&amp;_z=z" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Recruiter Awards</a>&nbsp;and <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=610872E4D19047E898AAF4E008731B59&amp;_z=z" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IRP Awards</a>. Townley is an executive committee member of the <a href="https://ridi.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative</a> (RIDI) and also sits on the APSCo Representative Committee. Guidant Global would also like to congratulate fellow <a href="https://www.impellam.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Impellam Group</a> leaders, Claire Marsh, CEO of Lorien, Kelly Morton, Managing Director of SRG and Julia Robertson, CEO of Impellam Group for their inclusion on the Global Power 150 &mdash; Women in Staffing 2019 list.

Guidant Global’s Karina Townley included on SIA’s Global Power 150 – Women in Staffing 2019 List

&ldquo;Society says being disabled is a bad thing. We&rsquo;re here to prove that wrong. It&rsquo;s the world&rsquo;s idea of what normal should be that creates negative perceptions of disability.&rdquo;&nbsp;
We spoke to Liz Johnson, gold medal-winning Paralympian and founder of <a href="https://www.theabilitypeople.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Ability People</a>, to find out about her work educating businesses on disability and to understand why disability inclusion languishes at the bottom of most corporate agendas.
<h6>Q: How did the idea to create The Ability People (TAP) come about?</h6>
The idea was sparked when I was watching the news one night and saw a feature on the disability employment gap. The first staggering thing was that the gap is enormous. There are <a href="https://www.scope.org.uk/media/disability-facts-figures/">13.9 million people in the UK with disabilities but barely half are employed</a>, compared to over 80% of non-disabled people. Secondly, and perhaps more shockingly, this gap hasn&rsquo;t improved in over a decade.&nbsp; Once I&rsquo;d seen these figures, I couldn&rsquo;t get them out of my mind. As a disabled person, I knew the bias that exists in society towards those who look and act differently yet seeing the overall effect of this was chilling. I was determined to do something about this bias and the disability employment gap. Around this time I also met my current business partner, Steve Carter, who has been a recruiter for over thirty years. He had similar interests and concerns to me, albeit for slightly different reasons. Steve was tired of being presented with the same talent pool, and instinctively knew that there was untapped talent out there.&nbsp; After some discussion, we decided to set up <a href="https://www.theabilitypeople.com/">The Ability People</a>, with a goal to improve disability awareness within businesses and the wider recruitment industry and make workplaces truly accessible to disabled people
<h6>Q: How has your own experience shaped TAP?</h6>
One of the reasons reason I have been as successful in my career, both as an athlete and as co-founder of TAP, is that I&rsquo;ve had a great deal of freedom and control over my work. I have been in control of the parameters of when and how I work and this has made a massive difference to my personal wellbeing and my motivation. This level of freedom was something I wanted to translate to TAP&rsquo;s structure and our consultants are able to flexibly work in the way that best suits them.&nbsp; Indeed, flexible working is a major way businesses can be inclusive to disabled people. Being able to work remotely or around different core hours has massively increased in popularity for non-disabled people, yet when a disabled employee is involved, it becomes an unreasonable adjustment for many managers.&nbsp; I also was supported throughout my swimming career by an amazing team of people in my corner - from my coach to my physiotherapists and team mates. Everyone needs a support network of people believing in them and empowering them to achieve their goals. This is completely lacking for disabled people and the aim of TAP is to make employers become that support network for their employers, disabled or non-disabled.
<h6>Q: How is the candidate experience different for disabled people?</h6>
If a non-disabled person applies for a job, neither the recruiter nor the person interviewing the candidate makes a judgement on whether or not the person is physically able to do the job. They assume the candidate can be a success because they&rsquo;ve submitted their application and their CV is up to scratch.&nbsp; But for a person of difference, hiring managers make subconscious judgements about what the candidate can and can&rsquo;t do and assume that different will negatively impact their work. While they often don&rsquo;t realise it's happening, more often than not, hiring managers end up employing non-disabled people who align with their inherent biases.
<h6>Q: As part of TAPs consultancy work, what recurring challenges have you found in organisations and recruitment businesses that are adapting to become more inclusive for people with disabilities?</h6>
In terms of the recruitment industry, we know there&rsquo;s plenty of brilliant recruiters out there that don&rsquo;t need help finding candidates or building talent pools. But what they do need help with is discovering more diverse talent, and, more importantly, understanding their needs. Recruiters also need help getting their clients to understand disability inclusion. Conventional processes aren&rsquo;t designed to enable recruiters to put forward diverse talent, nor are they set up to enable diverse talent to showcase their abilities.&nbsp; In many cases, making it through the recruitment process is particularly difficult for disabled people. But by ignoring diverse talent, businesses often end up settling for round pegs in square holes, especially in such a competitive talent market. For recruitment companies and their clients, the biggest impact we can have is to enable recruiters and clients to change their processes to allow diverse talent to travel through the recruitment journey without stigma, and with processes that empower them to shine. At TAP, we have access to thousands of highly talented, disabled candidates. But putting them through existing recruitment processes gives them a slim chance of actually landing a role. The reasonable adjustments that need to be made are believed to slow the recruitment process down. In the majority of cases, they don&rsquo;t to any great degree. But because hiring disabled people is often new to the hiring managers, disabled candidates are usually overlooked.&nbsp; For recruiters, it&rsquo;s easier to use a tried-and-tested approach. Engaging disabled talent can, at first, add a few more days to establish what reasonable adjustments need to be made, and then implement these changes. In the mind of the recruiter, those extra few days could mean losing out to a rival. This, without a doubt, is the biggest hurdle for recruitment businesses. For businesses, the situation is slightly different. Hiring disabled people is seen as something that is not only a bold step, but a step that is extremely difficult. This is where TAP can help.&nbsp; Despite what many people assume, not everyone within our organisation was born with a disability. Not everyone was a Paralympian &mdash; we have real equality throughout our business. Within our team, we have a healthy gender mix and diverse age range. There&rsquo;s a mix of cultural backgrounds, a mix of people who went to university and people that didn&rsquo;t, people who have got children and people that haven&rsquo;t. We&rsquo;re a very diverse group of individuals.&nbsp; &nbsp; We present real-life, authentic experiences to businesses. You don&rsquo;t know what you don&rsquo;t know, and you can&rsquo;t be blamed for not knowing &ndash; especially if you&rsquo;ve never previously needed such knowledge. Our team normalises difference. At TAP, we act as a medium for businesses to ask the questions they&rsquo;re worried about asking disabled candidates.&nbsp; As disabled people, we are constantly problem-solving, constantly adapting, and constantly having to think outside of the box, so any big problem within an organisation (or at least what most people perceive to be a big problem) isn&rsquo;t such a big hurdle for a disabled person. It&rsquo;s just another problem that needs to be solved, that needs looking at differently. In this way, it massively strengthens a team to have diversity. Businesses need to realise this. Businesses also benefit from a diverse workforce by gaining new perspectives and voices. Different backgrounds and experiences bring with them different ways of looking at the world and new ideas. These things are crucial for innovation in any industry. The biggest challenge for organisations is actually setting the wheels in motion. It&rsquo;s relatively easy to have that initial chat and get excited about diversity and inclusion, but to actually move forward companies need to find the right people within their organisation who can actually make the necessary changes. Businesses often view inclusion as a &lsquo;nice&rsquo; thing to do, inspired by morality or the culture of increasing corporate social responsibility. In addition to this &lsquo;tickbox&rsquo; approach to inclusion being entirely ineffective, they completely miss the fact that their business directly benefits through employing disabled talent.
<h6>Q: Businesses increasingly talk about their diversity and inclusion efforts, but often these are related to gender equality and racial diversity. Why do you think disability inclusion is sometimes forgotten in these conversations?</h6>
Out of all the diversity groupings, disability is viewed as the biggest challenge. I quite often sit on panels and give talks. The fact that I&rsquo;m disabled is a far bigger deal for audiences than the fact I&rsquo;m a woman.&nbsp; There&rsquo;s the mentality of &lsquo;if a disabled person can do the job then a non-disabled woman can definitely do it&rsquo;. This is because there&rsquo;s misunderstanding about what disability is, what it represents, and how people should look and act if they&rsquo;ve got a disability.&nbsp; The common expectations of society and within the workplace are that any non-disabled person is more capable than a disabled person, in every situation. This bias is constantly being reinforced in society&nbsp; It was only very recently that the treatment of disabled children in schools has changed. People that I swam with on the swimming team earlier in my career at the Paralympics who were a generation above me had a very different experience of the education system than I had.&nbsp;They either went to a &ldquo;special school&rdquo;, where they were hidden away from most kids, or if they did go to a regular school, they sat at the back of classrooms, and left to their own devices &ndash; given menial tasks to perform by teachers, like colouring in. Inevitably, this has led to the widespread assumption that people with disabilities are intellectually inferior to able-bodied people. Because of this, when a disabled person achieves anything, it is seen as inspirational and awe-inspiring. People don&rsquo;t understand that disabled people just do things differently. Within society, there&rsquo;s an in-built, destructive ideal that everyone prescribes to. That ideal person has two functioning arms, two functioning legs, two good eyes, two good ears, no neurodiversity, no mental health issues.&nbsp; But the reality is, at a personal level, I love my life. There&rsquo;s nothing to say I would be better off if I had two &lsquo;normal&rsquo; arms and two &lsquo;normal&rsquo; legs. The same can be said for many disabled people. It&rsquo;s the world&rsquo;s idea of what normal should be that creates negative perceptions of disability. It&rsquo;s like when people say &ldquo;what&rsquo;s wrong with you?&rdquo;. There&rsquo;s nothing wrong with me, I&rsquo;m just different. If someone says &ldquo;what happened to you?&rdquo; that&rsquo;s a reasonably valid question, but to say &ldquo;what&rsquo;s wrong with you?&rdquo; &ndash; who is to say there&rsquo;s anything wrong with me? I&rsquo;m fine. It&rsquo;s the destructive societal ideal of what a human being should look and act like which makes people ask this question.&nbsp; To some extent, we&rsquo;ve moved away from the white alpha male being seen as the optimal human form. Gradually, thanks to increased social awareness and education, we are moving towards a widespread understanding that the world shouldn&rsquo;t be like that &ndash; though there are, of course, still hurdles to overcome.&nbsp; But when it comes to disability, both the stats and personal experience suggests that disability equality is not gathering the same widespread awareness as race or gender equality.&nbsp;
<h6>Q: How does this situation influence a disabled person&rsquo;s ability to get a job in the current market?</h6>
Society has constructed this seemingly impenetrable myth about disabled people so non-disabled people make automatic, negative assumptions about a disabled person&rsquo;s capabilities. So, if a non-disabled person is&nbsp; presented with a disabled candidate they instinctively think &ldquo;how could they possibly do this?&rdquo;, overly focusing on the way someone does something, not how it&rsquo;s done At The Ability People, we&rsquo;re on a mission to challenge and eradicate these assumptions and help people understand that a one-size-fits-all approach won&rsquo;t work. Just because someone does something differently to another that doesn&rsquo;t mean they don&rsquo;t get to the same outcome or goal.&nbsp;
<h6>Q: We are witnessing some progressive businesses taking action to increase female representation and racial diversity at senior and board level (which are, of course, very necessary), but discussions about senior representation of disabled people seem some way off. Why do you think this is?</h6>
There are some organisations who approach diversity authentically, and there are those that do it as a box-ticking exercise or to achieve a certain level of certification. It goes back to people&rsquo;s motives for doing it, and this again reverts to my previous point about educating the right people within businesses.&nbsp; An organisation can easily hire ten disabled people just to tick a box and meet a quota, but if they don&rsquo;t hire ten people who are actually a right fit for the job, then ultimately they&rsquo;re making the situation worse, not better. Hiring the wrong people just reaffirms negative associations and assumptions that surround disability.&nbsp; Inclusion must also work hand-in-hand with accessibility. If an organisation isn&rsquo;t accessible in its structures as well as it&rsquo;s hiring practices then it won&rsquo;t retain disabled talent and we won&rsquo;t see the progress we desperately need. What we&rsquo;re trying to do at TAP is increase people&rsquo;s level of understanding so that they are able to see a human being as a human being, not as a problem to be solved. With the right education, a business should get to the point where a diversity and inclusion policy is redundant. With authentic inclusion, diversity would naturally be everywhere. Of course, this is quite a big step for a business to reach this stage, and it takes somebody with a genuine understanding and willingness to make those big strides forward for it to happen.
<h6>Q: When you&rsquo;re working with clients, do you find that businesses just want to hire disabled people for entry-level roles, or are they also ready to hire at managerial level?</h6>
They are willing, and you bring up a good point actually. A lot of people with disabilities are either self-employed or in highly technical roles, because they&rsquo;re educated, or they&rsquo;ve stayed in technical industries. But for disabled people without a great level of education, things are more difficult. Most roles that don&rsquo;t require a strong academic background tend to require good motor skills or good vision. This is the reason why so many people with disabilities are un, or underemployed &ndash; because businesses frequently offer them these jobs where they&rsquo;re set up to fail.&nbsp;
<h6>Q: In the disability space, most organisations are charity-based. What makes TAP different?</h6>
One of the biggest questions we were asked when we first set up TAP was: is your organisation for-profit? And of course, my answer was: &lsquo;yes, why would it not be for-profit?&rsquo;. People assume that because we&rsquo;re a business staffed exclusively by disabled people, and one that focuses on disability awareness, we must be a non-profit. &nbsp; I&rsquo;m not denying that charities do an amazing job. But if everything related to disability is driven by charities alone, the belief that people with disabilities need charitable assistance from non-disabled people persists. It goes right back to that misguided idea that people with disabilities are not as capable, or competent as non-disabled people
<h6>Q: Which is, in essence, a very patronising way of looking at things, isn&rsquo;t it?</h6>
Exactly, so this education piece is incredibly important if we are going to level the playing field and remove unconscious bias.
<h6>Q: Over the past year, you&rsquo;ve been included in the BBC 100 Women list, and more recently, in <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20190718-liz-johnson">BBC Worklife 101</a>, how do you think being recognised in this way can help drive greater disability inclusion?</h6>
Ultimately, this recognition gets more and more people talking about disability, and this is what needs to happen. Of course, I&rsquo;m not the only person working on this. &nbsp; You personally understand why we need to speak more about disability, and <a href="https://www.guidantglobal.com/">Guidant Global</a> are helping to change perceptions within the recruitment industry. But in terms of reach, I&rsquo;m fortunate enough that my success as a Paralympian gets people&rsquo;s attention.&nbsp; Sport is something that everybody can relate to. My achievements in the swimming pool make people think: &ldquo;Oh actually, she knows what she&rsquo;s talking about; she&rsquo;s done it before, she&rsquo;s got a proven track record.&rdquo;&nbsp; It&rsquo;s very humbling to achieve such recognition, but ultimately, it&rsquo;s about shifting the conversation and getting more people talking about disability &ndash; moving disability inclusion to the forefront of people&rsquo;s minds.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
<h6>Q: Finally: which disabled person most inspires you?</h6>
It&rsquo;s not one individual disabled person that inspires me. Every day I am empowered, enlightened and encouraged when I see the people at TAP and in the wider working world who are making a contribution, taking on daily challenges, changing their world and developing the people they come into contact with. They&rsquo;re the inspirational people who are having the biggest impact. Ultimately, we are all on this journey together to educate society, drive disability inclusion and eventually, transform the world.&nbsp;
<div>&nbsp;</div>

Q&A with gold medal-winning paralympian Liz Johnson

Achieving gender equality is not just important because it&rsquo;s &lsquo;the right thing to do&rsquo;, it can also provide huge benefits to your business. Here&rsquo;s why you need it in your workplace.
Companies often report that they&rsquo;re highly committed to gender diversity, but this commitment has not yet translated into meaningful progress.
While there has been a move in the right direction, female workers are still paid significantly less than their male counterparts and continue to be under represented in senior management positions. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fortune-500-companies-women-ceos-2018-8?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Only 5% of fortune 500 CEOs are women</a>, and the US Census Bureau (2017) reports that women earn just <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gender-wage-pay-gap-charts-2017-3?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">80 percent of what men are paid</a>.
This problem is not just restricted to the US, the national gender pay gap in Australia remains at <a href="at 14%" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">14%</a>. Whilst in the UK, only 7% of the CEOs in the FTSE 100 companies are women.
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<h3>Gender equality law</h3>
In the UK gender is a protected characteristic and is covered under the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/section/13" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Equality Act 2010</a> (section 3). This Act brings together the previous 116 separate pieces of legislation on equality under one act. Similarly, the Equality Act in the US prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or pregnancy. Whilst discrimination, sexual harassment and unequal pay are illegal, this doesn&rsquo;t translate to women&rsquo;s direct experience in the workplace.
<h3>Women still experience discrimination in the workplace</h3>
<ul>
<li>23% of women at work have <a href="https://www.youngwomenstrust.org/assets/0001/0980/YWT_IMPACT_2019_210_12pp_V03_Low.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">faced sexual harassment</a> - only 8% of them have reported it</li>
<li>43% of mothers faced <a href="https://www.youngwomenstrust.org/what_we_do/media_centre/press_releases/1011_employers_say_theyd_be_reluctant_to_hire_women_who_may_have_children" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">maternity discrimination</a></li>
<li>1 in 8 employers say they would be <a href="https://www.youngwomenstrust.org/what_we_do/media_centre/press_releases/1011_employers_say_theyd_be_reluctant_to_hire_women_who_may_have_children" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reluctant to hire</a> a woman who they thought may go on to have children</li>
<li>55% of women in senior leadership positions have <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/gender-equality/women-in-the-workplace-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">experienced sexual harassment</a></li>
<li>Hiring managers are <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/08/linkedin-study-reveals-why-men-are-more-likely-to-get-noticed-by-job-recruiters-than-women.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">13% more likely</a> to click on a male candidate's application than a females</li>
<li>Women are <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/gender-equality/women-in-the-workplace-2018" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">twice as likely</a> as men to have been mistaken for someone in a more junior position</li>
</ul>
Discrimination can be subtle, like when someone mistakenly assumes a female co-worker is more junior than they really are. Sometimes more explicit, like when someone says something demeaning to a co-worker. Regardless, whether intentional or unintentional, it not only signals disrespect, it also represents inequality.
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<h3>The benefits of gender equality</h3>
Gender equality benefits everyone. This is one of the reasons it&rsquo;s number 5 in the <a href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">United Nations Sustainable Development goals</a>. Research from <a href="https://www.catalyst.org/2012/03/23/reasons-men-care-gender-equality/">Catalyst</a> has shown that the more gender-equal companies are, the better it is for both male and female employees. The happier the labour force is, they lower the job turnover, with higher levels of job satisfaction and productivity. In the US, <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d16/tables/dt16_303.70.asp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">56% of college admissions are women</a>. This trend is not just reserved to the US, <a href="https://www.studyinternational.com/news/record-high-numbers-women-outnumbering-men-university-globally/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">with similar patterns across the UK and worldwide</a>. If these highly educated women are leaving the labour force to have children, the labour market is missing out on workers with high human capital. <a href="https://www.accenture.com/us-en/about/inclusion-diversity/gender-equality-innovation-research" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Accenture has found</a> that a culture of equality in a workplace environment helps everyone advance to higher positions. It&rsquo;s a powerful multiplier of innovation and growth, and innovation translates to economic potential. If people have equal opportunities, and feel a sense of belonging they&rsquo;re powered to innovate even more, creating a multiplier effect.
<h3>What can businesses do?</h3>
As Sheryl Sandberg, author of Lean in: Women, work and the will to lead says "we can&rsquo;t let the gains women have made lull us into complacency and mask the very real biases that girls and women still confront". People are not aware of the extent that their ingrained biases have supported inaccurate perceptions about women. It&rsquo;s important to study our biases and quantify inequality, so that we can understand how to effect change. Awareness is the first step down a better path. To help stamp out gender inequality in your workplace you can:
<h4>1. Close the gender pay gap</h4>
<h5>Conduct a pay audit</h5>
By implementing this process, you can identify disparities among you workers, giving greater transparency on the gender pay gap in your organisation. <a href="https://www.patriotsoftware.com/payroll/training/blog/conduct-pay-audit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Patriot</a> offer advice and steps on how to implement a pay audit. Conducting a <a href="https://www.patriotsoftware.com/payroll/training/blog/conduct-pay-audit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">pay audit</a> is the first step towards achieving fair pay as it helps you identify the extent to which a pay gap exists.
<h5>Consider the negotiation policy</h5>
Evidence shows that when women negotiate for higher salaries, people may react more negatively than they would to a man who asks for money. This helps contribute to the wage difference between men and women.
<h4>2. Engage men</h4>
"Not harassing is not enough. We need men to support women&rsquo;s careers. That&rsquo;s how we&rsquo;ll achieve a workplace that is truly equal for all." &ndash; Sheryl Sandberg. Gender inclusiveness needs to focus on both men and women as involving only part of the workforce will likely have reduced results. Men run <a href="https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-ceos-of-the-sp-500/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">95% of the world&rsquo;s companies</a>, and need to be active participants in the process. They have a critical role to play in gender equality efforts, and achieving equality <a href="https://www.catalyst.org/2012/03/23/reasons-men-care-gender-equality/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">provides benefits</a> to them as well. Sheryl Sandberg launched her #MentorHer campaign to encourage men to mentor women in the workforce. Mentorship is critical to the success of women in career development, and will help conquer the under-representation of women in senior roles. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/mentorher?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">#MentorHer</a> has the backing of more than 38 prominent leaders and CEOs, <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leaninorg-launches-mentorher-a-call-to-action-for-men-to-mentor-women-300593964.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">including Netflix&rsquo;s Reed Hastings</a>.
<h4>3. Make flexible working a priority</h4>
Whilst the gender pay gap is narrowing for young workers, it&rsquo;s widening among working mothers. One of the most significant hurdles preventing women reaching the top of their careers is lack of available childcare support, and the inflexibility in traditional career paths as well as cultural family roles. Parental leave for fathers should also be promoted. This is already the case in Sweden, often considered a forerunner in family change. The policy, fraldrapenning, entitles each parent to 240 of the 480 days of paid parental leave. Each parent has 90 days reserved exclusively for him or her on a &lsquo;use it or lose it&rsquo; basis. Splitting the parental leave has numerous <a href="http://https//www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2014/07/22/why-swedish-men-take-so-much-paternity-leave" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">positive effects for women</a>, and they have seen their incomes increase as well as their levels of self-reported happiness. For more information on what your workplace can do, Accenture&rsquo;s &lsquo;<a href="https://www.accenture.com/id-en/company-news-release-culture-unlocking-gender-equality" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Getting to Equal 2018</a>&rsquo; report identifies 40 workplace factors that help create a culture of equality. In the world of shifting demographics, its important that we continue with this drive to achieve gender equality in the workplace. With companies setting tangible targets to achieve greater equality it&rsquo;s also important to include non-binary people, as the law firm Baker McKenzie have done by setting their <a href="https://www.bakermckenzie.com/en/newsroom/2019/06/gender-targets" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">staffing target</a> to 40% men, 40% women and 20% flexible (including non-binary people) by 2025. Baker McKenzie recognise that creating a diverse and inclusive workplace environment enables everyone to reach their full potential, creating benefit for all. Gender equality isn&rsquo;t just an ethical imperative, it&rsquo;s a business priority. Comprehensive actions, that are family-friendly, support all genders and are bias-free are the best way to attract and retain top talent, providing the ultimate advantage to your business. Gender equality is in the interest of countries, companies, individuals and families. It is not a zero-sum game, it is a win-win for everyone.
<h4>Need a workforce diversity and inclusion partner?</h4>
Thanks to our award-winning inclusive recruitment practices and network of diversity-specialist recruiters, our customers are building workforces and workplaces where everyone can thrive. <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=1FAEA3D2C35148F7B4871AC1CACC454D&amp;_z=z">Access our D&amp;I guide here</a>, and <a href="~/link.aspx?_id=4B869BD5E834489390D7CFB82F3F3DD6&amp;_z=z">get in touch</a>&nbsp;to learn how we can support you.
<div>&nbsp;</div>

Gender equality in the workplace: everything you need to know

A Q&amp;A with Guidant Global's COO, Brian Salkowski.
International expansion used to be the preserve of mature businesses looking to build on local dominance by expanding into global markets. This expansion used to require significant investment. But with the rise of technology, even small startups with a slim share of their own market are searching for global opportunities. Geographic borders are not what they once were. The world is getting smaller. A key challenge of expanding into international markets, is finding the right talent during the expansion phase. Not just technically, but culturally. Whilst businesses in the United States share a lot of similarities with Australia, expanding into the Middle East, for example, is a far more complex affair. As a leader who has recently managed the strategic process of global expansion, we spoke to our COO, Brian Salkowski to understand the potential pitfalls and the undoubted potential of taking a business global. 
<h4>Tom Brooks, Marketing Manager, Guidant Global:</h4>
Hi Brian, first of all, I&rsquo;d like to ask what, in your opinion, makes businesses choose to expand internationally? 
<h4>Brian Salkowski, COO, Guidant Global:</h4>
Hi Tom. Good question. More often than not, business leaders make the decision to expand overseas to diversify risk and income streams, reducing their dependence on a single market. Many organisations want to expand internationally, but desires and readiness aren&rsquo;t always the same thing. To evaluate if their business is in a solid position for global expansion, leaders must question if they have developed a compelling business case, as well as a number of other factors such as change management, compliance, market maturity/readiness and organisational governance. The potential rewards of harnessing international revenue streams are huge. But there are, of course, many challenges, which can sometimes become lost in the planning process. 
<h4>Tom Brooks, Marketing Manager:</h4>
It&rsquo;s easy to see, when you think of the potential short and long term financial gains, why even small businesses are thinking globally. But as you say, international business is not always plain sailing. What are the challenges you&rsquo;d expect businesses to encounter? 
<h4>Brian Salkowski, COO:</h4>
There are a number of factors, but the ones most businesses encounter are local legislation, cultural contrasts and time and language differences. All of which need to be considered. Business decisions must be based on opportunities, profitability and a country&rsquo;s political/regulatory situation. But the availability of skills and wage differentiation are factors that also require close consideration. In emerging markets, in particular, scaling talent to business demand can be a challenge. For this reason, due diligence should be undertaken to ascertain the local landscape &ndash; especially with regards to the extended workforce, where local employment rules may differ from those in an organisation&rsquo;s domestic market. Established strategies and resource allocation models do not always align with the diversity of markets, customers, and channels that come with the expansion from local to global markets. 
<h4>Tom Brooks, Marketing Manager:</h4>
One of the principal reasons why businesses are thinking globally before maturation is the rise of technology. What impact do you see technology having currently, and into the future, specifically in terms of talent management? 
<h4>Brian Salkowski, COO:</h4>
In terms of talent management, HR technology is increasingly being used to plan and manage workforces strategically. Almost everyone in business is talking about the impact of big data. Our industry is no different. People analytics specifically, is enabling leaders to see the whole picture. From global resources, workforce mix, and international talent mapping, using big data effectively allows leaders to use their resources in the most efficient way. 
<h4>Tom Brooks, Marketing Manager:</h4>
Interesting. And what impact does this have on managing international workforces? 
<h4>Brian Salkowski, COO:</h4>
The insights harnessed through people analytics means that the location of a business function can be determined by the availability of local skills. However, there are, once again, some challenges that we face when using technology globally. 
<h4>Tom Brooks, Marketing Manager:</h4>
But isn&rsquo;t technology meant to enable global workforces? What kind of challenges are there right now? 
<h4>Brian Salkowski, COO:</h4>
In theory, yes. But there are, like I said, some challenges. Programs built for the specifically for the US market, for example, rarely work in the UK market. And these two regions share the same language and are relatively culturally aligned! Vendor Management System features may be business critical in one country, and next to useless in another. Some markets they could even be prohibited due to legislation or regulation. Take another example - the way data is harnessed. In the UK and EU, with GDPR regulations, businesses have to be very careful when collecting the data of individuals. And then there are differences in contract law, employment law -- it can be a minefield if there&rsquo;s not a thorough, strategic approach. 
<h4>Tom Brooks, Marketing Manager:</h4>
I see. It makes one wonder when hearing this, why would a company even think about global expansion? Of course, that&rsquo;s a rhetorical question, as financially it makes a lot of sense! But logistically it sounds like it can be a real nightmare. Are local businesses more suited to their market than a global business could ever be? 
<h4>Brian Salkowski, COO:</h4>
It&rsquo;s interesting you say that. Research by McKinsey shows that 40% of executives at global organisations feel that their product or service are stronger than local options. Yet other research shows the opposite - that local organisations are more effective at forging relationships with local partners and governments. For this reason, companies which are entering new markets must adopt a &lsquo;local&rsquo; approach to business, so that they are culturally aligned with the market they are operating in. 
<h4>Tom Brooks, Marketing Manager:</h4>
Are there any best practice advice you could share for anyone reading this interview who is planning to take their business global? 
<h4>Brian Salkowski, COO:</h4>
Best practice is different for different locations. There&rsquo;s no one-size-fits-all approach that can be taken. What&rsquo;s commonplace in one country might seem absurd in another, illegal even. For this reason, it&rsquo;s critical that you have a team of consultants working on localisation. To be a success in a new market, you need a full grasp of the laws, culture nuances and social norms. I&rsquo;ll give you a few examples in our world of talent management. In the US it is best practice for a Managed Service Provider to pay suppliers. In China, on the other hand, it is often not within regulation for most worker types. In the Netherlands, freelancers are a driving force in the labour market. But they also need to register with the national government, which can sometimes take up to 800 days! In the US, freelancing is hindered with regulatory uncertainty for the contracting organisation. And these differences present themselves even more vividly when it comes to local cultures and customs. In the UK, having dinner with a client is a nice touch, but not compulsory. In South Korea, it&rsquo;s incredibly rude not to have dinner with your clients. In both regulation and culture, it is critical that businesses do their homework before even thinking about global expansion. 
<h4>Tom Brooks, Marketing Manager:</h4>
Do you have any final advice for executives and business leaders with regards to achieving a successful global expansion? 
<h4>Brian Salkowski, COO:</h4>
In short, successful global expansion relies on a solid strategy and a plan of action around talent management. But it also needs a forensic and authentic understanding of local culture, so that workforces can be managed cost-effectively. Though this sounds like a contradictory thing to say, for a business to have a successful global expansion, it needs to think local.

The future is local: why cultural alignment is the key to successful global expansion

How to make your workplace more welcoming for neurodiverse people
Equality and diversity have been given greater space in the media this year. From the gender wage gap data, to the #MeToo movement, to Black Lives Matter, we are all fighting for and driving towards a more equal future. But one form of diversity &mdash; neurodiversity &mdash; hasn&rsquo;t quite received the same level of attention. In fact, very few of us understand what neurodiversity is. To quote author and academic John Elder Robison, an influential figure in the neurodiversity movement: &ldquo;Neurodiversity is the idea that neurological differences like autism and ADHD are the result of normal, natural variation in the human genome. This represents a new and fundamentally different way of looking at conditions that were traditionally pathologized; it&rsquo;s a viewpoint that is not universally accepted though it is increasingly supported by science&rdquo; It is also important to understand that there is no such thing as a &ldquo;normal&rdquo; mind. For those of us who aren&rsquo;t neurodiverse, our brains are in the language of the neurodiversity movement, neurotypical.
<h3>Can autism be cured?</h3>
Conditions such as autism aren&rsquo;t diseases that can be cured; rather, they are different ways of seeing, different thought processes, and different understandings of the world around us. Contrary to popular belief, autism cannot be treated. There is no miracle cure. And nor should there be. Throughout history, some of the greatest minds of their generations were autists. From Mozart, to Albert Einstein, to Charles Darwin, the world would be a very different (and possibly bleaker) place without these unique perspectives driving knowledge and creativity forward. If you don&rsquo;t embrace neurodiversity in your workplace, you could be missing out on potentially groundbreaking talent.
<h3>Unravelling the autism myths</h3>
First of all, let&rsquo;s dispel some myths about autism. Autism is a lifelong development disability, it can&rsquo;t be grown out of, and it can&rsquo;t be cured. It&rsquo;s also important to stress that autism is not new, despite some people&rsquo;s insistence that it is a recent phenomenon. More than one in a hundred people are believed to be on the autism spectrum &mdash; though the figure is likely to be much higher, with many people living undiagnosed. Many people choose to live undi-agnosed too. As the saying goes within the neurodiversity movement &mdash; if you have met one person with autism, you have met one person with autism. Not everyone who is on the spectrum will display identical tendencies. In fact, it is very unlikely. Autists are as unique as neurotypicals. How many non-autists do you know that have identical personalities?
<h3>The different ways neurodiverse people experience the world</h3>
There are, generally speaking, four areas of experience differentials. These are social communication, social interaction, sensory, and social imagination. Not every autist will have different ways of noticeable differences in all four areas, with some people only displaying significant differences in one area. For many autists, heightened sensory awareness is an everyday occurrence. Though we are always taught that we have five senses, there are actually seven, with autists having different experiences in one or more.&nbsp;
<ol>
<li>Tactile</li>
<li>Auditory</li>
<li>Visual</li>
<li>Olfactory</li>
<li>Gustatory</li>
<li>Pro-prioception</li>
<li>Vestibular</li>
</ol>
<h3>How to make your workplace autism-friendly</h3>
Now that we all understand what autism and neurodiversity are, the question is: how do we make workplaces autism-friendly? The charity <a href="https://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ambitious about Autism</a> recommends the following accommodations:
<ul>
<li>Use someone&rsquo;s name first to get attention</li>
<li>Try to find what works well for the individual</li>
<li>Do not assume that the person knows what you intend to do &mdash; explain what will happen and why</li>
<li>Speak and write in clear, literal sentences</li>
<li>Allow 6 seconds for people to process information</li>
<li>Use visual information to reiterate your point where possible</li>
<li>Be aware of the sensory differences listed above</li>
<li>Never promise anything that can&rsquo;t be guaranteed</li>
<li>Deliver what you say you will</li>
<li>Don&rsquo;t expect or demand eye contact</li>
<li>Ensure meeting times and agendas are set in advance</li>
<li>Formalise catchups on defined times and days</li>
<li>Support the generalisation of concepts and skills from one task/project to the other</li>
<li>Favour the assignment of clear tasks whilst allowing space and time for creative thinking in specific workshops</li>
<li>Break down the sequence of tasks to achieve and be clear on timelines</li>
<li>Give advance warning of any changes or cancellations</li>
</ul>
Whilst these tips aren&rsquo;t all encompassing, they are simple steps that every organisation can make to accommodate neurodiverse staff. Beyond this, they are steps that should be useful to all staff, making a working environment that is more inclusive for all.
<h3>Diversity &amp; inclusion at Guidant Global</h3>
&ldquo;Our approach to diversity &amp; inclusion has always been a proactive one, and with the launch of our INfluence programme this year our focus is to continue to lead, educate and inspire all things inclusion. We were extremely proud to host a breakfast seminar with Ambitious About Autism to bring awareness and education to our employees and partners alike. We plan to host many more of these seminars throughout the year, covering a variety of important and inspiring topics. There are so many unnecessary barriers that society has created around certain groups of people and it is our job to actively remove those barriers.&rdquo; Nicky Hale, Head of Talent Engagement&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Understanding autism in the workplace

Recently I attended the <a href="https://businessdisabilityforum.org.uk/disability-standard/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Business Disability Forum&rsquo;s (BDF)</a> annual Partner Group Reception at Royal Bank of Scotland&rsquo;s (RBS) offices in London where we were welcomed to discussions around topics related to disability including how it affects business, as well as sharing BDF&rsquo;s successes of the year, and ideas to shape progress moving forwards.
<h3>Identity</h3>
The discussions were centred on the theme of the BDF&rsquo;s new campaign, &lsquo;identity&rsquo;, where guest speakers discussed what disability means for their identity &ndash; how they see and think of themselves and how they are perceived by others. There was plenty of food for thought on how identity is perceived, for example, Oliver Lam-Watson, Wheelchair Fencing World Cup winner talked about how concealing his identity (hiding his disability) took an emotional toll but he now sees himself as &ldquo;an adaptive athlete, not a disabled athlete&rdquo;. These words echo the need for businesses as well as individuals to understand that disability is simply a difference, not a hindrance, and there are lots of practical tips and ideas on how businesses can embrace it.
<h3>Building a truly inclusive culture</h3>
A great example of how businesses are working to make disability confidence the new normal is from RBS, as shared by John Brady, Programme Director at RBS. John was diagnosed with a medical condition eight years ago which almost cost him his job, but embracing his &ldquo;new normal&rdquo; rather than lamenting his inability to get &ldquo;back to normal&rdquo; totally changed things for the better. John is the co-chair of RBS&rsquo; disability employee network group, &lsquo;Enable&rsquo;, which has 1000 members. &ldquo;Businesses aren&rsquo;t doing bad things (when it comes to inclusivity), they&rsquo;re just not doing enough of the good/right thing. To achieve the BDF &lsquo;Gold&rsquo; standard it was important to 'keep the tension on it (i.e. keep the focus on disability best practice)' because it&rsquo;s easy to slip back. Not through bad practice, but just by things like inattention&rdquo;, says John. The five key elements of RBS&rsquo; success, achieving the BDF gold standard and strategy are: &bull; Visible exec sponsorship &bull;<a href="https://businessdisabilityforum.org.uk/disability-standard/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> The 10 elements of the BDF standard</a> &ndash; and creating a role within RBS which sponsors each of them &bull; Do it and report on it (be accountable for your activity) &bull; Include &lsquo;disability speed bumps&rsquo; in workplace processes (these are triggers to think and talk about disability to make sure it&rsquo;s catered for) &bull; Have an innovation focus In addition to this, RBS has created a toolkit for people with a disability to better understand how to broach the topic in the workplace. A reciprocal mentoring scheme enables disabled people to educate execs about their disability, whilst in return receiving valuable professional mentoring. &ldquo;Being disability confident should be the new normal. Disabled people should be helped out, not managed out, by their employer, and everyone should feel confident enough to bring your own self to work&rdquo;. We couldn&rsquo;t agree with you more John!
<h3>Using our influence</h3>
At Guidant Global, we&rsquo;ve created an internal programme called &lsquo;INfluence&rsquo; which is designed to up-skill and educate our team on all things related to diversity and inclusivity, including disability. We feel it is our responsibility to act as ambassadors and further educate our employees in order to build a greater understanding of disability and ultimately, create a more confident and inclusive environment. In doing so, we&rsquo;re providing a voice and opening doors for disabled jobseekers. We can then share this best-practice approach with our clients, suppliers and candidates, using our influence to reach far beyond our own organisation. For the full list of the diversity and inclusion initiatives Guidant is currently championing please click here. If you&rsquo;d like to find out more about our work in the communities we serve, please contact us.&nbsp;

Making disability confidence the new normal

As a Disability Confident Leader, we&rsquo;re always keen to welcome disabled talent to Guidant Global and we&rsquo;ve recently partnered with the charity <a href="http://www.whizz-kidz.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Whizz-Kidz</a> to offer a young disabled person a two-week work placement.&nbsp; Whizz-Kidz matched us with George, who is in his second year of studying towards a Business Studies degree and who also happens to be a wheelchair user. George has proven to be a valuable addition to our direct sourcing team over the past few weeks - getting stuck into his recruitment role, sourcing candidates and providing admin and projects support. Lauren Sewell who has been managing George during his time with us said, "George has come here to learn and has been 100% committed to every task we&rsquo;ve given him. So much so that we&rsquo;ve extended his placement into a temporary contract beyond his initial placement. I&rsquo;d definitely encourage other employers to provide similar opportunities to young disabled people. We play a vital role in supporting individuals to become confident and independent young adults and shouldn&rsquo;t under-estimate the difference something like a work placement can make to a person&rsquo;s long-term job prospects." We also asked George to provide us a summary of his time with #TeamGuidant and what he&rsquo;s personally taken from it:&nbsp;
<h3>Socialising</h3>
Over the time I have been at Guidant the people have been lovely and are hard-working and welcoming. It only took a couple of days before I felt part of the team which in my case is important going forward. I'm sure as I progress socialising out of working hours will become something I do with greater frequency.
<h3>My future</h3>
Guidant has given me a massive confidence boost with regards to being able to effectively do a job and made me feel confident that I can cultivate a career at some point in the future. Because of this I am extremely grateful to all those involved both at Guidant and Whizz-Kidz. I would say I learned a great deal from my experience and the main thing that I have taken from it is I now know that I can operate in a pressured working environment with responsibilities and handle everything that comes with that situation with effectiveness and give a good account of myself. The experience has also given me an idea of what I might want to do in my early working years so for that I'm extremely grateful to the team for their assistance.&nbsp; In terms of skills that I believe I've gained I would say that the outstanding improvements come in my reaction to consistent pressure. I have never before been under that particular type of pressure and being exposed to that, so it has tested me, but I know that I can operate very well in in the current environment and this is a very good indicator for my future.
<h3>Wellbeing</h3>
Guidant do a very good job in terms of promoting the small things that contribute to a healthy employee, this includes making sure that I make effective use of my lunch hour. This is important as I am known to work through my lunch hour which is necessary sometimes, but may not always be an effective use of my time terms of managing fatigue. Further to this I find that they remind all employees to take regular breaks given that all the work is computer-based and there is a need to reinforce this as we as a team are required to call candidates and if we were to shy away from the opportunity to leave our desks once in a while this could affect our ability to consistently complete a vital part of our job well.
<h3>What did you enjoy the most?</h3>
I have really enjoyed every single second that I have been fortunate enough to spend at Guidant. It is a lovely organisation and I really appreciate them throwing me in at the deep end and getting me to start working and assist on the projects from only my second day. This allowed me to quickly learn one of the main systems and now I am well practiced in this area and very happy to do it. I have enjoyed everything that I've been asked to do it has been a brilliant experience and I'm very pleased to have been asked back to further support to the project. I am not particularly sure what role I would choose if I have the opportunity however the work I've been doing at Guidant has complimented my abilities which include great interpersonal skills and also a love of research and overall knowledge gain. The first two areas are directly related to my position currently at Guidant, so that is a happy coincidence. If you would like to offer a young person like George a work-placement opportunity, please visit <a href="http://www.whizz-kidz.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.whizz-kidz.org.uk</a>&nbsp;

Guidant partners with Whizz-Kidz to offer George a work placement

If you have ever suffered from serious anxiety and panic you&rsquo;ll understand the strength it takes for a fellow sufferer to stand up, in front of a room of 50 people and talk about their own personal experience of living with the condition. That&rsquo;s exactly what<a href="https://www.nopanic.org.uk/ruth-cooper-dickson/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Ruth Cooper-Dickson, a patron of the charity No Panic</a> , did for us last week in a bid to help drive awareness and share helpful tips and advice on how to best look after ourselves and support others suffering from serious anxiety.
Ruth joined us as a part of our 2018 internal INfluence programme which has been created to up-skill and educate our team on all things related to diversity and inclusivity. We believe that by talking openly about subjects such as mental health, we can help to remove the stigma and barriers that so many people continue to face. We can then share this best-practice approach with our clients, suppliers and candidates, using our influence to reach far beyond our own organisation.&nbsp;
Ruth&rsquo;s training session was especially relevant. In 2018 we all live extremely busy and demanding lives and the vast majority of us would have felt overwhelmed, resulting in some form of anxiety or panic. However, feeling anxious or scared from time to time is completely normal and not the same as having an anxiety disorder. Ruth explained to us that there are several instances when anxiety becomes something more serious.
<h3>You know it&rsquo;s time to seek help when:&nbsp;</h3>
- Anxiety or panic becomes debilitating and stops you from doing the things you want to do&nbsp; - It starts to affect your daily life - It impacts your relationships - You start to avoid specific situations or things altogether Ruth started the session by showing us a video of her own story and how she finally sought help after years of difficulty and avoidance. Ruth has personal experience of living with Generalised Anxiety and Panic Disorder throughout her corporate business career. Since 2015 she has been on a journey of recovery and appreciates the struggles of dealing with daily life whilst trying to maintain positive mental health.&nbsp; Ruth told us, &ldquo;Anxiety and panic is part of me but it doesn&rsquo;t define me and I have learnt to live with it. One of the hardest things for me when I took time out of the workplace was other people&rsquo;s reactions. So many individuals found it hard to talk about what I was going through and simply avoided me. It doesn&rsquo;t need to be like that. That experience drove me to set up Champs, a wellbeing consultancy designed to help organisations ingrain a culture of positive mental health for their employees.&rdquo;&nbsp; Ruth explained to us that an anxiety disorder often goes hand in hand with depression and almost 8% of us would meet the criteria for a clinical diagnosis. Women are also twice as likely to be diagnosed than men. However that doesn&rsquo;t necessarily mean men suffer less, just that they&rsquo;re not talking about it enough and therefore not getting the help they need. That could be one of the reasons why men in the UK aged 20 to 49 are more likely to die from suicide than any other cause of death.&nbsp; So what can you do to help yourself or someone else suffering from serious anxiety or panic?
<h3>Helping yourself</h3>
Not surprisingly, the biggest piece of advice is to seek professional help. Support is out there and you are not alone in needing help or weak for asking for it. If you are struggling with daily anxiety, depression or panic, please do visit your GP. If you are not ready to visit your GP, investigate whether your employer has an Employee Assistance Programme you could turn to for support.&nbsp; Alternatively, become a member of No Panic, which specialises in self-help recovery from anxiety and panic disorders and offers a huge range of resources, providing people with the skills they need to manage their condition and work towards recovery, enabling them to lead more fulfilled lives. You can also take additional steps to help yourself. Practice deep breathing and mindfulness techniques and reduce stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol which can exacerbate the problem. Look after yourself by eating and sleeping well and exercising regularly.&nbsp;
<h3>Support in the workplace&nbsp;&nbsp;</h3>
As an employer, there are also some key steps you can take to support an employee struggling with anxiety. Firstly, adjust your management style by increasing the frequency of supervision. Prioritise workload and help the individual to focus on specific tasks. Also be aware of how meeting dynamics impact individuals. Meetings and presentation can be a specific trigger so be aware that what may seem like a small request from you could result in a mountain of anxiety for someone else.&nbsp; Be approachable so that the individual can let you know if something is too much for them to cope with. Walking meetings for 1:1s are a great idea and temporarily reallocating tasks, or considering flexible of homeworking, can also make a huge difference. Finally, as before encourage employees to make the most of the resources available to them such as Employee Assistance Programmes.&nbsp;
<h3>Support during a panic attack</h3>
During her session Ruth also explained to us what to do if you have a panic attack or come across someone else who is suffering. Ruth has produced this useful phrase &lsquo;RIDE THE WAVE&rsquo; based on how panic attacks make her feel: R: Realise what is happening I: Identify how to help yourself D: Distraction may help E: Exhale and inhale W: Wait &ndash; try not to run or escape A: Anchor your body and mind V: Visualise panic leaving the body E: Empower yourself to know how you can deal with the panic&nbsp; "The best thing you can do is to remain calm, be patient, be reassuring and ask the individual, &lsquo;what can I do to help?&rsquo;. Offering a distraction to take their mind away from the panic inside their head is probably the best thing you can do and most panic attacks will quickly subside. If the individual is not able to breathe or if suffering for more than a few minutes don&rsquo;t hesitate to call 999 to get further help."
<h3>Thank you Ruth&nbsp;</h3>
We&rsquo;d like to say a huge heartfelt thank you to Ruth for talking to us about her own personal experience and for offering her expert advice. Only by hearing first-hand from successful, fabulous people like her do we realise that absolutely anyone can suffer from this debilitating condition, which is so often completely hidden and suffered in silence.&nbsp; Thankfully there is professional help and support out there and while these mental health conditions can be hugely debilitating and life-changing, it is time to change the perception of anxiety, to ensure the conversations happen and those who need support know where to go and access the right treatment quickly.&nbsp; For further insight and advice please visit <a href="https://www.nopanic.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">No Panic</a>.

Getting your head around anxiety

We attended the fourth RIDI awards and having been involved with <a href="https://ridi.org.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">RIDI</a> since its inception we were exceptionally proud to be part of it and to witness RIDI&rsquo;s reach and influence continue to grow. The ceremony was introduced by Sir Phillip Rutnam, who commended RIDI for not just changing individual lives but for tackling one of society&rsquo;s biggest challenges &ndash; the disability employment gap.&nbsp; We were also thrilled to take home the Supply Chain Management award for #TeamGuidant.&nbsp; &nbsp; The &lsquo;Supply chain management&rsquo; category looks for organisations setting the standard and measuring the success of their entire supply chain actively attracting and confidently recruiting disabled talent.
At Guidant, we&rsquo;ve taken a proactive approach to building disability confidence, not just within our own organisation but within our supply chain. We know that their support is vital in attracting and engaging more disabled talent for our clients. To date 38 of our suppliers&nbsp;have already signed up to the government&rsquo;s Disability Confident scheme, and we are continuously striving to lead by example, share best practice and set out the business case for disability confidence. We were especially proud to be joined at the RIDI awards by our suppliers <a href="http://www.wellstobias.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wells Tobias</a>. <a href="https://www.lmarecruitment.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">LMA</a> and <a href="https://www.oakleafpartnership.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Oakleaf</a>, who are also championing the RIDI cause. &nbsp;
The awards ceremony was hosted by Sophia Warner, Paralympian and founder of the <a href="http://superheroseries.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Superhero Series</a>, who moved the whole room with her own experiences with disability and why she set up the UK&rsquo;s only disability sports series for the &lsquo;Everyday Superhero&rsquo;, the Superhero Series. As with every RIDI event, it&rsquo;s always inspiring to see how organisations have taken steps to become more inclusive in their recruitment process and to be able to learn from each other in order to continue driving change in the recruitment industry. Congratulations to all of this year's winners&nbsp;&ndash; <a href="https://ridi.org.uk/ridi-awards-2018-winners-announced/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">view the full winner list here</a>.&nbsp;
<div>&nbsp;</div>

Guidant Global takes home a RIDI Award!

We live in a constantly evolving world where consumers are becoming increasingly digital-savvy. Candidates are no different and as a result recruiters and employers must follow suit in order to attract the best talent out there. Traditional recruitment methods are just not as effective as they used to be. If you're looking for a more powerful and effective way to reach passive talent, social recruiting should be a key part of your recruitment strategy. &nbsp;However, it can be difficult to know where to start! Our guide will take away some of that mystery. It provides a comprehensive introduction to social recruiting from an HR team's perspective and will help you get one step closer to that elusive talent you&rsquo;re looking for. &nbsp;
<a href="https://guidantglobal.pagetiger.com/HR-Guide-to-social-recruiting/1">Click here to access your guide.&nbsp;</a>
&nbsp;

HR's Guide To Social Recruiting 

The <a href="https://ridi.org.uk/ridi-awards/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI) Awards</a> which celebrate progress and recognise the success of organisations that are making headway in increasing the inclusion of disabled people &ndash; are inviting entries from employers and recruiters.
Now in their fourth year, the recruitment industry&rsquo;s only disability awards will be hosted by XL Catlin in their prestigious London offices on Thursday 15 March 2018.&nbsp;
Submissions close on 1st February 2018. The awards are free to <a href="https://ridi.org.uk/ridi-awards/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">enter</a> and attend.&nbsp;
Commenting on the awards, Kate Headley, Chair of RIDI and subject matter expert, said:
&ldquo;Since the inception of RIDI in 2014, I have witnessed a groundswell of awareness and understanding around disability in the workplace and this is in no small part thanks to the work that all previous years&rsquo; Award winners are doing to shift the tide. However, we still have further to go.&nbsp;
According to our latest research, three quarters of disabled jobseekers find their condition impacts their job hunt, yet the signs are positive we&rsquo;re on the cusp of change. The analysis threw up a number of examples of best practice, with those surveyed recounting positive recruitment experiences including: being offered a choice of contact method, extra time for assessments, fixed deadlines to plan applications, online interviews rather than face-to-face and an allocated parking space.&nbsp;
RIDI promotes the idea that small changes in recruitment processes can have a huge impact on inclusion and previous winners have enforced that message: the recruiter who personally ensured a wheelchair user was able to make an interview, the consultancy which offers disabled candidates practice interviews to help build confidence and the businesses which are cascading disability confident messages throughout their supply chains. &nbsp;&nbsp;
Winners from all previous RIDI Awards have provided truly inspiring stories and it is fantastic to see them showcase their work so that they can encourage others and lead by example. Once again, we&rsquo;re calling inclusive employers and recruiters to share their own stories of success in this area so that they too can inspire others and gain the recognition that they rightfully deserve.
I&rsquo;d also like to encourage disabled people who have had a great recruitment experience to share their stories and encourage those who have provided these experiences to enter the Awards. It is only through sharing best practice that others can replicate this success and move the dial.&rdquo; &nbsp;
Host, Paul Jardine, Chief Experience Officer at XL Catlin, added:&nbsp;
&ldquo;I was inspired to get involved with RIDI because of the great work it does working with recruiters who want to drive disability confidence in the industry and reduce the disability employment gap. This work is incredibly important to ensure we give disabled people in the UK a real chance in the workplace. XL Catlin is proud to be hosting the RIDI Awards in 2018.&rdquo;
<div>To find out more about the RIDI Awards including how to enter, <a href="https://ridi.org.uk/ridi-awards/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">please click here</a>.&nbsp;</div>

Calling all inclusive employers and recruiters: RIDI Awards are now open for entries

<img style="float: left; width: 200px; height: 267px;" src="-/media/b30e3d8ae1164a338e26c9c1df910dcf.ashx" alt="We were over the moon to win two categories at this year's RIDI Awards - 'Disability confident' and 'Audience choice'!" width="3024" height="4032">We were over the moon to win two&nbsp;categories at this year's RIDI Awards - 'Disability confident' and 'Audience choice'!
The&nbsp;<a href="https://ridi.org.uk/about-us/">RIDI Awards</a>&nbsp;are designed to celebrate progress and recognise the success of employers and recruiters that are making headway in increasing the inclusion of disabled talent. As an organisation who firmly supports disability confidence, we are incredibly proud to win two awards and celebrate our achievements with&nbsp;other&nbsp;like-minded organisations.
The awards were hosted by Coronation Street star, Cherylee Houston, who shared&nbsp;an&nbsp;inspiring story of her own experience with disability. Penny Mordaunt MP and Minister of State for Disabled People, Health and Work also took to the stage and gave words of motivation on how we can remove the barriers faced by the millions of disabled people who are entering or progressing through the job market.
The 'Disability confident' category was looking for how an organisation has supported the goverment's Disability Confident campaign. Our commitment to this was emphasised through promoting the campaign's messages through our supply chain where we have facilitated 13 of our suppliers to sign up to the Disability Confident Employer Scheme from an event we hosted. We have also worked to promote disability confidence within our own organisation which you can read more about&nbsp;<a href="http://www.guidantgroup.com/en-gb/insight/pages/clear-assured.aspx#.WYhlq4jyvDe" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>.
The 'Audience choice' category as the name suggests was voted by the audience for their favourite category winner. We were delighted to receive this second award which topped off an already fantastic evening.
Congratulations to all winners!&nbsp;

Guidant Global Wins Two Categories at the RIDI Awards 2016

<h2>We’ve been recognized by the industry</h2>

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<h2>Delivering #ABetterway</h2>Our prime objective is to change the quick-fix, profit-first, impersonal approach that prevails in our industry. Put simply, we deliver #ABetterWay. In the new world of work, we need new solutions, motivational work practices, and leading technology. We anticipate what’s needed to help our clients achieve not just their program KPI’s but ultimately build better businesses.&nbsp;

<h1>Workforce solutions #ABetterWay</h1>We provide global workforce management solutions that help companies find the best contingent and permanent talent. Our uniquely shaped solutions, people-centric approach, culture and collaboration with others truly sets us apart from others in our industry.

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<h2>Drive better workforce performance</h2>Book a discovery call with our workforce experts and find out the art of the possible. Filling in the form is the first step to better performance.

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<h2>Unique in the market</h2>Our approach is not reliant on technology alone. It’s a holistic, integrated solution that includes talent marketing and talent delivery expertise - underpinned by the latest technology. We work in partnership with you to develop a bespoke direct sourcing strategy and build talent communities.

<h2>We’ve been recognized for our CWM, MSP &amp; SAP capabilities</h2>

<h3>Rethink your non-employee workforce management</h3>

<h2>Unlock your non-employee workforce’s full potential through a unique collaboration of recruitment industry leaders.</h2>Introducing @Pace from Guidant Global and SAP Fieldglass.

<h1>Recognized as leaders</h1>Awards, accreditations and outstanding analyst rankings - we’ve been recognized by many of the leading institutions and analysts in our industry.&nbsp;

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<h1>Making a difference is in our DNA</h1>We’ve actively taken the lead within the recruitment industry for diverse and inclusive workforce strategies. By actively working with our clients, suppliers and industry partners, we’re opening doors for people historically overlooked by the recruitment sector.&nbsp;

<h2>Our ED&amp;I partners</h2>We’ve been pioneering diverse workforces for years and along the way have built a network of credible and specialist partners we work with in the ED&amp;I space.

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<h1>Global workforce solutions that put people first</h1>We champion #ABetterWay – a forward-thinking way of working; moving away from ‘recruitment by numbers’ and shifting the perspective to focus on people.

<h2>Our solutions</h2>Agile. Digitally enabled. Scalable. Evolving with you. Our solutions are designed to help organizations achieve new levels of workforce quality, cost savings, compliance and efficiency.

<h1>Integrated Workforce Solutions&nbsp;</h1>Guidant Global is proud to be part of Impellam, a connected group offering unparalleled workforce and STEM talent solutions expertise to provide your organization with mission-critical skillsets to future-proof your business. Our blended approach fuses extensive workforce solutions expertise, with access to deep communities of STEM talent.&nbsp;As one of the largest workforce and STEM talent solutions companies in the world, we help clients to get the best possible ROI from nearly £4.5bn of workforce spend and 2,900 supplier relationships, across nearly 80 countries.&nbsp;

<h2>Impellam’s journey to Net Zero</h2>We've made a long-term commitment to our blended working policy, which encourages less impactful working behaviors – such as working from home and conducting meetings online.We calculate our environmental impact across Scope 1, 2 and 3 (selected categories) for our UK operations. Our 2022 UK emissions were 894,249 kgCO2e (down from 969,569 kgCO2e in 2021). This is an average impact of 442 kgCO2e per £m revenue (down from 582 kgCO2e per £m in 2021).We achieved carbon neutral certification for 2022 by offsetting our carbon emissions, as stated above, using the PAS2060 framework.2022 was our first full financial year of purchasing 100% renewable electricity for our UK operations. In 2021-22, our supplier’s fuel mix was zero carbon and 100% renewable energy, made up of 82.5% wind, 9.3% solar and 8.2% hydro power.Our head office has achieved accreditation to ISO 14001 in relation to its environment management systems.<h2>UNITY - Our inclusion council</h2>We want to create workspaces that reflect the diversity of our society. Where everyone – from any background – can be their authentic selves and do their best work. We are inclusive and welcoming for people of all gender identities, sexual orientations, races, ethnicities, disabilities, abilities, military statuses, socioeconomic statuses, ages and faiths.We do this internally through UNITY, our equity, diversity and inclusion council, and externally by working with our clients, suppliers and ED&amp;I partners to design strategies to attract and engage under-represented groups and to remove barriers to recruitment.

<h1>Our people are different&nbsp;</h1>Our people bring our #ABetterWay mission to life. We are a collective of like-minded, passionate, experienced and approachable individuals united by #ABetterWay. Many of our people have appearing on SIA’s famed lists covering ‘SIA 100 Europe and North America’, ‘Women In Staffing’, ‘40 under 40’ and ‘ED&amp;I influencers’.

<h3>Optimise contingent workforce performance with an MSP solution built around you.</h3>

<h2>MSP solutions</h2>Optimise contingent workforce performance with an MSP solution built around you.

<h3>RPO solutions giving you a direct pathway to the best quality permanent talent</h3>

<h2>RPO</h2>Giving you a direct pathway to the best quality permanent talent.

<h3>Giving you a direct pathway to the best quality permanent talent.</h3>

<h2>RPO solutions</h2>Giving you a direct pathway to the best quality permanent talent.

<h3>Enhance enterprise outcomes through optimized services procurement management.</h3>

<h2>Services Procurement (SOW)</h2>Enhance enterprise outcomes through optimized services procurement management.

<h2>We’ve been recognized for our services procurement and SoW sourcing capabilities</h2>

<h1>Solutions to drive workforce performance</h1>Agile. Digitally enabled. Scalable. Evolving with you. Our solutions are created on the unique challenges of each client. Not the one-size-fits-all, quick-fix, impersonal approach that prevails in our industry.

<h2>Solution benefits</h2>Not the one-size-fits-all, quick-fix, impersonal approach that prevails in our industry.

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<h1>#ABetterWay for supplier relations</h1>MSPs often neglect suppliers. At Guidant Global, we do things differently. We partner. We collaborate. We nurture.

<h1>Award winning SRM&nbsp;</h1>Our supplier and strategic partner relationships have helped us win APSCo’s coveted RPO/MSP of the Year Award four times – and three awards in consecutive years — the only RPO/MSP to ever achieve this!We’re well-versed in assuming control of existing supply chains and preferred supplier lists, giving them the opportunity to supply within a Guidant MSP program. We then install governance that allows us to review performance so we can refine the supply chain to include only the very best suppliers. <h2>Using our INfluence. Driving inclusion through supplier diversity</h2>Our INfluence Supplier Diversity Program has a vital role to play in nurturing more minority suppliers into our supply chain. Working in a two-year partnership, Guidant Global provides selected diverse suppliers with multiple tools to help them achieve greater success and the platform to build mutually beneficial relationships with our clients to help inform and support their ED&amp;I goals. <h2>Suppliers driving candidate diversity</h2>We work with pre-selected suppliers to create a set of diversity metrics which both Guidant and the supplier commit to. For example – if the client is focusing on driving female representation in an area of their workforce, our suppliers agree that 3 out of 5 candidates submitted will be women.&nbsp;&nbsp; <h2>Aligning suppliers to Impellam’s ED&amp;I UNITY program</h2>At Impellam we have UNITY – our internal ED&amp;I program. UNITY brings our people together to build communities, find allies across our regions, to raise awareness and champion change. Our BRG’s (business resource groups) align to each protected characteristic (and more, such as veterans). We align strategically suitable suppliers to each BRG area, based on the accreditations they hold and initiatives the supplier promotes.&nbsp;This is designed to both extend the reach of our BRG’s but to also help clients find capable suppliers who can help drive specific areas of diverse talent into their workforces.&nbsp; <h2>Supporting growth</h2>Our Ascend program is designed to identify a small number of suppliers each year and forge a deeper partnership, resulting in growth and brand amplification for both Guidant and the supplier. We achieve this through access to a host of Guidant resources, alignment of shared values, shared intelligence and collaboration across our teams, especially with Sales.

<h1>Become a supplier</h1>We only work with the very best recruitment suppliers. Like-minded partners that share our candidate-centric approach. If you would like to know more about becoming a Guidant Global supply partner, get in touch.

<h2>Access best technology in the industry</h2>

<h2>The right technology partners. Configured to meet your unique needs.</h2>Our end-to-end technology approach covers identification and configuration to training, change management and ongoing support.

<h2>Discover data &amp; analytics insights</h2>

<h1>Vision. A powerful, personalized data ecosystem.</h1>Vision is powerful. A dataset built from your own workforce data and that of thousands of global suppliers’ integral performance data, past and present.