Business should look to recruit from charities, research says

Businesses should recruit from the charity sector, a new report published this week has said.

The The Great British Talent Swap, said that with staff turnover at record levels and employees looking for purpose at work, businesses should turn to the third sector for recruitment

The report, written by the Leadership Council and launched in London on Wednesday November 10, draws on research with a range of business leaders.

It claims to be a “call to action” and says: “It’s time to break down some of the barriers that divide talent and careers into ‘commercial’ or ‘charitable’ silos.”

Reasons for the talent swap include the need to close a skills gap, a demand for culture change and an overall positive experience, the report added.

Produced in partnership with the pro-bono charity Pilotlight, it identifies the growing corporate enthusiasm for ‘purpose’ as an opportunity to bring in skills from the charity sector which has long had a single-minded focus on purposeful impact.

“The ‘great resignation’ of staff turnover across labour markets is an opportunity for companies to source talent in entirely new ways. The next agenda for many business leaders is how to connect with and benefit from the charity sector,” said Pilotlight CEO, Ed Mayo.

Contributors to the report include The Co-op CEO, Steve Murrells, who said: “I want a more inclusive work force. For this reason, the idea of a cross fertilisation of talent from the charity sector will be a powerful idea for us to take forward.”

Chair of Big Society Capital, and former chair of Prudential plc, Sir Harvey McGrath, added: “There has been some flow of people between business and NGOs, but much has been in one direction and yet the benefits of taking experience from the ‘non commercial’ into the ‘commercial’ world can be impressive.”

And Morgan Stanley, non-executive director, Melanie Richards said: “This adds up to a compelling argument for more organisations to open themselves up to partnerships, dialogue and talent exchanges across the business/charity divide.”

At the same time, the report cautions that there are risks in accelerating transfers between the two sectors. Amanda Mackenzie, CEO, Business in the Community comments that “crossing over, cross-fertilisation between these worlds is not for the faint hearted. Travelling in either direction there will be culture shocks and bumps in the road.”

To read the report in full, visit: http://www.leadershipcouncil.co.uk/