Recruitment Policy

Introduction

Effective and consistent recruitment practices are essential to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and with equality of opportunity so that costly recruitment mistakes are avoided, and the company meets its aim with regard to acting ethically. The recruitment process must result in the selection of the most suitable person for the job in respect of skills, experience and qualifications. To this end, the Company will recruit candidates who are most suited to the position in question and comply with its Ethical Code of Conduct Policy at all times. The nationality of the most suitable candidate will have no bearing on whether or not he/she is selected for the post, subject to the requirement to meet the resident labor market test where applicable and eligibility for sponsorship where necessary. This Policy defines the principles that the Company considers important in the recruitment process and aims to ensure that consistency and good practice is applied across the Company.

Equal Opportunities in Recruitment

It is against the Company’s Ethical Code of Conduct Policy to discriminate either directly or indirectly on the grounds of race, nationality, ethnic origin, gender, marital status, pregnancy, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, ethnicity, cultural or religious beliefs. Reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process will be made to ensure that no applicant is disadvantaged because of his/her disability. All employees are required to comply with the requirements of the Ethical Code of Conduct Policy at every stage of the recruitment process including production of job descriptions, advertising material, instructions given to recruitment agencies, shortlisting of applications, interviewing, selection decisions and offers of employment. All policies and procedures reflect our commitment to achieving and maintaining equal opportunities within the workplace. It is the responsibility of each employee to monitor continually and evaluate formal and informal practices and procedures that they follow to ensure that they do not directly or indirectly discriminate against any individual or group of society. The Company will treat all job applicants in the same way at each stage of the recruitment process, and no assumptions will be made on the basis of, for example, appearance or a foreign name. There will be no assumption that a foreign national or someone from an ethnic minority has no right to work in the UK. The Company may make decisions regarding job offers conditional on the provision of evidence of eligibility to work within the country where the job is located. Any employee who is found to be discriminating in any way during the recruitment process will be subject to the disciplinary procedure and may be liable to dismissal.

Job Descriptions

The job description will describe the duties, responsibilities and seniority of the post and the person specification will describe the qualifications, knowledge, experience, skills and competencies needed for the role to be carried out effectively. Particular care must be taken when producing job descriptions to ensure that unreasonable requirements are not placed on the job holder which cannot be objectively justified and may unfairly disadvantage certain groups e.g. women, ethnic minorities, elderly or disabled persons.

Shortlisting

In order to shortlist candidates for interviews, the Company will:

• Identify specific job-related criteria using the job description and person specification;
• Match these criteria with those detailed in the candidate’s CV and application letter; and
• Where appropriate – pre-interview testing may be carried out; and
• Use this information to select which candidates will be invited for interview.

Candidates who apply for positions with the Company, whether through a direct advertisement or a recruitment agency, will always be informed of the outcome of their application as quickly as possible.

Recruitment Interviews

Managers conducting recruitment interviews will ensure that the questions that they ask job applicants are not in any way discriminatory with regard to protected characteristics or unnecessarily intrusive. A record of every recruitment interview will be made and retained for a maximum of 6 months. Other assessment methods may be used during the recruitment process including psychometric assessments, skills testing and work simulations. Managers responsible for using these methods will ensure they also do not discriminate with regard to protected characteristics or are unnecessarily intrusive. Where third parties are asked to provide testing or assessment support, they will be asked to confirm the same.

Offer of Employment

In setting a starting salary, the Company will compare with the salary of existing employees in a similar role in order to ensure that inconsistencies are not created within the Company which could be challenged under the Equality Act 2010.

References

All employment offers will be made conditional upon receipt of two professional references which are satisfactory to the Company. The referees should usually be the applicant’s current and previous employers although, in the case of a college or school leaver, a college tutor or teacher will be acceptable. Details of referees will usually be sought from an applicant once an offer of employment is made and referees will not be approached without the applicant’s permission. Recruiting managers may also cross reference information provided by candidates with on-line sources which may include social media, Linked-in or professional institutions.

Qualification Certificates

All applicants are required to provide evidence of qualifications either in the form of original certificates, which will be copied and then returned or certified copies. Confirmation will be sought from the relevant Examination Board if certificates cannot be produced. An employment offer may be conditional upon valid evidence of an appropriate qualification and the offer may be withdrawn if this is not supplied within a reasonable timescale. If an applicant falsifies certificates or evidence of qualifications and this subsequently comes to the attention of the Company at any stage during employment, then the individual will be subject to disciplinary action and may be liable to dismissal. The Company may also at its option report the employee to the appropriate qualification body or legal entity.

Work Permits and Illegal Working

It is against the law to employ a person who does not have permission to live and work in the UK. All offers of employment will be subject to the successful candidate providing the required original documents showing evidence of his or her right to work in the UK (on an ongoing or restricted basis). In order to avoid discrimination, it is essential that the same criteria are applied to every person who is offered employment with the Company, regardless of their race, nationality or ethnic or national origins. If an applicant is not able to produce one of the listed documents, then they will be advised to contact the Citizens Advice Bureau for further advice and their employment will be put on hold until evidence can be produced and the offer may be withdrawn. In the event that an individual has time-limited permission to live and work in the UK he or she must provide evidence of his or her renewed right to live and work in the UK at the expiry of the current permission. If it becomes evident to the Company during the course of an employee’s employment that he or she does not have the right to work in the UK, the Company will, following an investigation into the circumstances and having established that the employee does not have the right to work in the UK, terminate the employee’s contract of employment.