The pace of change is leaving many organisations facing critical skills shortages. Growing your own talent through skilling is an effective solution and we’re delighted to see many forward-thinking organisations taking this one step further. They’re adopting a truly ethical approach to skilling, levelling the playing field for all talent and in doing so, filling their skills gaps, and increasing the diversity of their workforce at the same time.
At AMS Talent Lab our dedication to ethical skilling, positively promoting social impact and creating diverse and inclusive cohorts underpins the foundation of our proposition.
Every element of Talent Lab is designed to enable talented individuals to succeed. Whether this be through our attraction methods, our carefully curated assessment process, our world class training, or the ongoing support through our Talent Lab Care team.
It’s vitally important to us that we offer opportunity for our Associates based on potential and aptitude, not previous experience, or the educational institute that they went to. We pay all our cohorts from the very first day of training, and we don’t penalise them if they decide that this isn’t their chosen path during that journey.
Our world class training is carefully curated for each client, ensuring that the skill gap is not only filled initially but that talent will grow within their organisations to be the leaders of the future.
We recognise that ethical skilling is more than hitting a diversity target, we attract, assess and support in a way that makes each and every individual secure and free to reach their potential.
Are you looking to partner with a truly ethical skilling partner to fill your skills gaps? Please reach out to us at [email protected]! We look forward to hearing from you!
Don’t just take out word for it, listen to what this means to our Associates…
Last week we officially launched our Talent Lab Associate Community. It offers the cohorts that have been through our skilling programs access to continual development, networking and support. Not just as they start their new roles but as they continue to grow in their careers.
In this video we reflect on some of the journeys that our associates have had, along with their thoughts on what attracted them to AMS Talent Lab and how they have found the experience.
AMS Talent Lab continues to grow in size and diversity.
If you’re looking for a truly ethical partner to help you create the right talent to fill your skills gaps, please reach out to us at [email protected].
For further information on how to become an associate email [email protected].
We look forward to hearing from you!
At first the idea of championing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace as anything other than a social responsibility didn’t feel right, but DEI in the workplace deserves to be looked at through a broader lens as there are so many benefits to having a diverse workforce that businesses might not have considered. For some time now we have been talking to our customers and sharing insight that demonstrates there is “commercial value” in having a diverse and inclusive organisation.
You may (or may not) be surprised to know that not all business leaders find “the right thing to do” as a convincing enough reason to consider DEI at the top of the agenda. But when you layer in evidence that a diverse workforce can but also provide businesses with a competitive advantage, drive innovation and in turn success, then this certainly makes the case a compelling one.
A diverse workplace can stimulate innovation.
How? By challenging conventional thinking, encouraging fresh ideas and promoting creative problem-solving. According to the Neuro Leadership Institute in their piece Why Diverse Teams Outperform Homogenous Teams they refer to research studies where “diverse groups with people who have different backgrounds, genders, experiences and perspectives consistently generate more innovative solutions than homogeneous groups. Embracing diversity unlocks the potential for innovative products, services, and approaches.”
Forbes released an article earlier this year that spoke of the power of diversity and inclusion in driving innovation and success, they argue that having a diverse and inclusive workforce will give organisations looking to thrive in today’s evolving workplace a strategic advantage. Not only that but “by building diverse workforces, organisations can propel innovation, improve company decision-making, and create an engaging and supportive work environment. Through leadership commitment, inclusive recruitment practices and cultural development, organisations can unlock the full potential of their teams and position themselves for long-term success.”
DEI can generate real commercial value.
I love this TedTalk from Rocío Lorenzo on how diversity makes teams more innovative. She talks about research conducted with several organisations across Europe that demonstrated how having more women in leadership roles could have a direct link to innovation and specifically innovation revenue – and this is just measuring diversity related to one demographic (not necessarily considering intersectionality).
Innovation Management’s article about the impact of DEI on innovation also provides some interesting stats that support this. They report that companies with higher levels of diversity are “45% more likely to report that their organisation’s market share grew over the previous year and 70% more likely to report that they captured a new market. Additionally, organisations with more ethnic and racial diversity report 2x the innovation revenue.”
Candidate attraction – DEI setting businesses apart from competitors.
But most importantly a diverse, inclusive and innovative environment can also help set businesses apart from competitors in the marketplace when it comes to candidate attraction and can be a vital component to engaging top talent from all demographics.
For younger talent especially, organisations who have a strong focus on DEI is imperative. A survey from the job board Monster.com reports that 83% of Gen Z respondents said that a company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is important when choosing an employer. And for these young workers, DEI goes beyond gender, sexuality, race and age. It’s also about different points of view being recognised and respected in the workplace.
The evidence speaks for itself. If business leaders need any more convincing beyond doing the right thing when it comes to truly embracing DEI at the top of their agenda, then the research and results are all there.
Diversity in the workplace is not just the right thing to do, it will drive innovation, support greater candidate attraction, boost the bottom line and deliver success.
Diversity and inclusion is a strategic advantage that promotes innovation in organizations, better decision making and stronger workplace cultures.
As the world of work and hiring landscape changes at rapid pace, the one thing that we know to be true is that finding untapped talent, who can be trained, supported, and nurtured into ever-increasing skills gaps is critical for organisations to succeed.
AMS Talent Lab is doing just that, offering opportunity based on potential and aptitude, not previous experience. Our ethical skilling practices create talent for our clients and give our Talent Lab Associates the opportunity and support to thrive and ultimately reach their full potential.
The Talent Lab journey goes from strength to strength with the latest milestone being our Talent Lab Associate Community which we are officially launching today. It offers cohorts access to continual development, networking and support after they start their new roles and as they continue to grow in their careers.
We are immensely proud of each and every one of our cohorts, who come from diverse backgrounds and, through the training and support of AMS Talent Lab, have been able to realise their dreams of working in their now careers.
If your organisation is looking for a truly ethical skilling partner to fill their skill gaps, please reach out to us on [email protected]. Or, if you’re interested in becoming an associate, you can email [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!
I was in a meeting with a customer recently and the topic of culture fit came up. We were discussing the quality of candidates for an open role but then she said, “whilst they might be great candidates and can do the job, they also have to be the right cultural fit for the business”.
This got me thinking about the impact of hiring for culture fit as this can be a tricky path to tread, mainly because it can be difficult to measure whether someone is the right cultural fit for the business but also, how do you ensure the hiring process remains free from unconscious biases to maintain a diverse work environment?
Firstly, we need to understand what is meant by culture fit. Although definitions vary slightly, in general hiring for culture fit focuses on how the candidate will assimilate and adapt to the pre-existing culture, values, behavioural norms and beliefs of a company.
When you consider this, it seems there may be a couple of downsides when taking this approach to hiring. If we are seeking only people who share the same perspectives and ideas, it could limit an organisation’s ability to think creatively and generate innovative ideas and solutions.
Hiring people to fit into a culture can also be a sure-fire way to reinforce unconscious biases. People who are “different” might be rejected or excluded, deliberately or unintentionally, because managers assume that they will be difficult to work with and won’t stay around. Thus, this approach can lead to discrimination, as well as stifling the diversity that teams need to innovate and compete.
However, according to Harvard Business Review in their article Hiring for Culture Fit Doesn’t Have to Undermine Diversity which tackles many misconceptions of hiring for culture fit, they state that this approach doesn’t have to impact efforts to increase workplace diversity.
“An assessment of culture fit should focus on how well the person’s values align with the organisation’s, rather than how well their personal characteristics, such as gender, ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation, align with the current workforce.” It continues, “research shows that adopting this stricter definition of culture fit can reap its benefits while still bringing in diverse perspectives, experiences, and skills; it also finds that higher value fit is associated with higher retention for people who, because of being demographically different, are typically more at risk for low retention.”
Culture add v Culture fit.
In Built-in’s article, Hiring for Cultural Fit: More Harm Than Good they explore focusing on cultural contribution or ‘culture add.’ Rather than hire for culture fit, companies should seek candidates who have something new to bring to the table, who have different backgrounds and experiences from their own. Alex Moore, Director of Talent Acquisition at management consulting and IT services firm Credera, explains why “culture add” can help build a strong, innovative culture “Culture adds seed a resilient culture by challenging groupthink that can come from just hiring for fit,” says Moore. “Culture adds have the will and skill to think differently, so proactively infusing them into the culture is vital for growth. If you want your company to continue to grow and evolve, your culture must grow and evolve along with it.”
Personally, I like Mike Stamp’s balanced assessment of hiring for cultural fit in his LinkedIn article Understanding the Essence of Cultural Fit he says “Mistaking ‘sameness’ for cultural fit can be a costly oversight. After all, it’s diversity that often drives innovation. So, while it’s essential to gauge alignment with company values, it’s equally crucial to ensure diversity isn’t sacrificed at the altar of cultural fit.”
Perhaps the next time we are hiring we stop talking about cultural fit – which can lead to the idea that people either fit or they don’t – and in turn manifest into potential unconscious bias. Perhaps instead we simply prioritise values alignment and focus on cultural add.
Check out Mindtools.com who have some great tips on minimising the risk of hiring purely for fit.
Mistaking 'sameness' for cultural fit can be a costly oversight. After all, it's diversity that often drives innovation.
When the Sutton Trust released their Speaking Up: Accents and social mobility report last year, their research stated that accent had become one of the primary signals of socio-economic status in the UK. It highlighted that accent could become a proxy for other forms of discrimination linked to social mobility, particularly when recruiting to elite professions. They found that accent biases are likely to negatively impact individuals at key junctures for social mobility, such as in job interviews.
In the report, Sir Peter Lampl, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Sutton Trust and Chairman of the Education Endowment Foundation, states, “Talent in Britain is spread evenly, but opportunities are not. That means there are talented young people with every kind of accent, but for many, they need to work harder to prove their worth, just because of how they speak.” He continues, “This country has learned to be more diverse in many respects, but there remain taboos about accents. We must embrace the diversity of accents to enable those from all backgrounds and parts of the country to have the chance to succeed.”
The Sutton Report found that ‘public attitudes to different accents have remained largely unchanged over time – with Received Pronunciation (RP – sometimes known as ‘Queen’s English’ or ‘BBC English’) ranking highly as opposed to accents associated with industrial cities of England and ethnic minority accents.’ This was found to be the case when looking at positions of authority across the media, politics, the civil service, courtrooms and the corporate sector. This is despite less than 10% of the population estimated to have this accent, almost exclusively from higher socio-economic backgrounds.
In summary, the research showed that an average of 20% of respondents claimed that accent had direct links to a sense of belonging: “I feel self-conscious of my accent.” An average of 33% of individuals suffered from accent-based career anxiety: “I am concerned that my accent could affect my ability to succeed in the future (e.g. getting into university/getting a job/getting a promotion).” And a shocking 46% have experienced some negative focus on their accent in a social setting with individuals being mocked, criticised or singled out because of their accent.
So, the question is – should we be considering accent in our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion plans? It seems to me that this is no-brainer. If we want to ensure that we are being proactive about encouraging diversity in the workplace and not excluding talent, then accent bias should be a consideration.
As a northerner with an undisguisable Cumbrian twang, I am pleased to hear the mix of accents we have across AMS, including in our leadership team.
What I can’t attest to is that the pre-AMS career journeys of each of our geographically diverse team have been without bias. What I can say is that by training our teams and sharing knowledge of lived experiences, we are taking proactive steps to eliminate any form of bias from our business.
Check out the Speaking Up: Accents and social mobility report which also highlights some practical tips and measures for employers and how they can take this forward.
Accent is arguably the primary signal of socioeconomic status. It is also a major indicator of many other aspects of a person’s social background, some of them protected characteristics, including gender, race, age, sexuality, and many others.
Last week we confirmed that we were successful in being included in the Social Mobility Foundation Employers Index. We were delighted to have improved our position compared to the index in 2022, by moving up to 39 in the Top 75 list.
Social Mobility has been a priority for us for the last few years and we have a robust plan to take forward, including supporting our clients in progressing their strategies. However, The Guardian newspaper in it’s September 2023 article, indicated that social mobility in the UK, was at it’s worst in over 50 years.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies, said that those growing up in the North Of England, the Midlands as well of those from a minority ethnic background, would find it a lot harder than others to become wealthier than their parents.
It’s disappointing to read this article, given the focus we have seen on social mobility. So, what key actions should companies be undertaking to demonstrate a commitment to social mobility?
Data collection of colleagues to understand the socioeconomic profile of the workforce
Commitment to measure class pay gap
Review of approach to existing recruitment processes, seeking to hire on potential, rather than a focus on grades and University institution
Active engagement with community groups in social mobility hot spot areas to target under-represented talent
Establish a social mobility employee resource group to provide an employee led approach on this important topic
We need to see further adoption of social mobility programmes across all UK industry sectors which will help to drive improvements for those whose longer term aspirations are more limited.
Britain has a problem – compared with other
developed nations, we have high levels of child
poverty and low levels of social mobility.
I read an interesting article in the Financial Times last week by Nick Bent, Chief Executive of UpReach, a Social Mobility charity. In his piece “Class and the City” he questions why the finance sector, in this instance, is not going further to report on social class when reports have found that “socio-economic background is more likely to impact a person’s route to success in financial services than gender or ethnicity” (ref. data report Shaping our Economy).
For me, this article and the data and research that Nick Bent references, is yet more evidence to support why “Class” should be considered as protected under the Equality Act, with social class cutting across all the other issues. I’m not alone here, the British Psychological Society, the TUC, the Social Mobility Commission and some academics have argued for “social class” to be added to the Equality Act 2010 as a way of promoting social mobility and addressing class-based inequalities (Ref. article Should class be protected under the equality law)
Despite the barriers facing working-class people continuing to gain traction, and reference to the nation’s and economy’s interest to shatter the “class ceiling”, Mr Bent draws attention to the finance sector and the “absence of stringent proposals on social class in a new consultation by the Financial Conduct Authority on diversity and inclusion. The FCA suggests mandatory strategies, data collection, target setting and progress reporting on the characteristics that currently fall under the equality act, which does not include socio-economic background”.
I agree with Nick Bent, the FCA and other regulatory bodies for that matter, should go further and commit to mandatory reporting on socio-economic background as well. But is the bigger question here, should class be protected under the Equality Act?
Nick Bent references some alarming statistics from Progress Together’s data report “Shaping our Economy”:
Students from a lower socio-economic background who get a first-class degree are still less likely to obtain a top graduate job than a more privileged peer with a 2:2.
“socio-economic background is more likely to impact a person’s route to success in financial services than gender or ethnicity”.
Working-class women seem to suffer a double disadvantage, progressing 21% more slowly into senior roles.
Working-class women from ethnic minority backgrounds are 30 times less likely to be in senior positions than privileged white men.
By adding “class” as a protected characteristic this would put a duty on public sector entities and large organisations to monitor and report on their efforts to tackle discrimination of this kind. So why has it not happened? Perhaps it’s the complexity of defining and proving social class. Unlike other characteristics like race or gender, social class can be less straightforward to identify and measure.
There is no doubt that a workplace made up of people who are hired based on being the best person for the job and with the greatest potential to excel (rather than their socio-economic standing or background or any other irrelevant characteristic) makes good business and commercial sense, it’s also the right thing to do.
Despite the absence of social class being a protected characteristic under the Equality Act, there are still plenty of step’s businesses can take towards positive change.
Mr Bent highlights “that paying travel and accommodation costs for job interviews and work experience, offering the living wage for internships and using admissions frameworks are trivial investments that can offer a huge return if companies then find talent in previously unexplored demographics and geographies” in addition to “introducing policies to close class gaps in pay and promotion.”
I’m proud to say that at AMS we are collecting data and reporting on the socio-economic background of our UK&I employees and have done so for the past two years. This crucial insight into our workforce feeds our wider social mobility plans, plans that has seen us embrace new partnerships to influence change with Movement to Work, Beam, Bridge of Hope, Recruit for Spouses and the Social Mobility Foundation. It’s also great to see our progress recognised nationally with AMS entering, for the first time, The Social Mobility Foundation Top 75 Employer Index last year – we came in at number 43.
Furthermore, on the Public Sector Resourcing framework we are promoting the Social Mobility benefits of the Recruit, Train, Deploy service line as an entry into employment for individuals from a low socio-economic background. Candidates are sourced for their attitude and aptitude to learn.
My final thoughts, I would encourage organisations not to wait for “class” to be added to the Equality Act as this might never happen. There is nothing to stop companies reporting social class alongside the other protected characteristics and it doesn’t necessarily require this mandate. It’s the right thing to do and can be one of the first steps for employers to take positive action to address identified barriers or disadvantages faced by certain socio-economic groups who make a significant proportion of our working population.
The idea that it is in the nation’s, and the economy’s, interests to shatter “class ceilings” is gaining traction
Earlier this summer AMS continued their “Exploding Digital Myths” series with a final article on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technology, highlighting that successfully operationalising it within your recruitment function will need some careful thought to avoid some common pitfalls. The article is linked below and includes some expert insights, from a number of thought leaders, on what to consider as we enter “the foothills” of the AI revolution in talent tech.
On the Public Sector Resourcing (PSR) Framework, managed by AMS we are leveraging AI and automation tools across our recruitment processes as well as cautiously piloting how we can increase its use in new recruitment functions.
A few examples include:
Chatbots for candidate and hiring manager interactions. Predictive analysis for forecasting future talent needs, identify potential bottlenecks in the recruitment process, and proactively addressing challenges. Programmatic job advertising to ensure available candidates with the right skills are targeted and applying. AI-powered tools that can quickly sift through large candidate pools to identify the best-fit candidates, streamlining the initial stages of the recruitment process.
Utilising AI as part of PSR’s continuous improvement strategy has allowed us to enhance our efficiency allowing us to focus on building relationships with potential candidates and clients. However, as the article below points out a well-thought-out strategy that addresses potential risks is essential. Here are a few of the risks that we have considered at PSR:
Bias and Fairness:
It’s important to be aware that AI algorithms can inadvertently perpetuate biases present in historical data and so can create discriminatory recruitment practices. As such it is essential to incorporate human oversight and decision-making in the recruitment process and whilst AI can assist, final decisions should always involve human judgment to avoid relying on potentially biased algorithms.
Loss of Human Touch:
Overreliance on AI is likely to lead to a loss of human touch which is essential in building relationships. At PSR, we try to maintain balance by using AI for efficiency whilst reserving meaningful interactions for our talented human recruiters.
Data Privacy and Security:
Safeguarding sensitive candidate and client information is essential in how we govern the use of AI tools, which is why we have robust data protection policies and governance is in place.
Technology Dependence:
On PSR we always want to maintain the capability to revert to manual processes if AI systems encounter technical issues and so we always avoid over reliance on AI tools.
Lack of Adoption:
We have regular training in place to help our staff utilise the AI tools to make sure that it’s being utilised to its maximum potential and to maximum ROI.
By the end of 2024, 75% of organizations will shift from piloting artificial intelligence projects to operationalizing them, according to a report by Gartner. As the AMS article below suggests, finding the right balance between “Tech and Touch” will be key to making talent acquisition strategies successful in the long term as well as effectively harnessing new technology as it develops.
Utilising AI as part of PSR’s continuous improvement strategy has allowed us to enhance our efficiency allowing us to focus on building relationships with potential candidates and clients.
Along with Be Kaley, I co-chair the APSCo Embrace Forum, which aims to bring a focus to DEI to APSCO members.
On 29th June we are holding a face to face event in London where we will have a thought provoking and engaging conversation around social mobility.
Hear from the experts including over very own Tim Campbell and Board room adviser to Sir Alan Sugar on the BBC series The Apprentice. We’ll also hear from the wonderful James Fellowes and Chance Bleu-Montgomery from Bridge of Hope Careers.
If you want to hear the latest thinking around this important subject, then please sign up in the link in the APSCO page.
