Believing in the potential benefits of centralising resourcing activities, the first task was to build a business case for executive sign-off. The NFU Mutual team worked closely with The Talent Labs to create a detailed proposal. Thanks to our industry-wide knowledge, we were able to offer data and benchmarks to inform a persuasive and realistic case for change. The knowledge gained from The Talent Labs’ insights and reports included learnings on creating best-in-class candidate experiences, building internal recruitment teams, and measuring effectiveness. These resources offered practical guides as well as industry case studies to reassure NFU Mutual of their strategic direction:
“The data, insights and benchmarking provided by The Talent Labs instilled confidence that the centralised business case would meet the needs of the business.”
Heather Kitto MCIPD, FIRP – Head of Resourcing, NFU Mutual
The objectives and Target Operating Model were then signed off by the Executive Committee who were convinced of the benefits to be gained. The business case objectives included plans to:
- Fill 100% of roles centrally including a significant reduction in agency hiring
- Cut average time to hire by 50%
- Guarantee compliance with IR35 legislation by managing contractors centrally
- Implement a new ATS (Applicant Tracking System) across all new roles
The re-think was based on the principles of proactive recruitment. The intention was to reduce the reliance on agencies, attract high-quality talent, build talent pools, and in turn reduce the cost and time to hire. All of this is managed by a restructured team combined with new processes and tools. The team also assembled a range of external partners.
The to-do list included tackling the employer brand and candidate attraction, building a new digital candidate experience, introducing psychometric testing, and a new ATS. To achieve such a full-scale redesign of the approach to recruitment, the resources, expertise, and support of an external body such as The Talent Labs were essential.
Having pulled on our insights and guidance to build out the strategy, NFU Mutual sought out practical guides to implementing the new system. New policies and processes were key to setting a high bar for consistent recruitment journeys for both candidates and hiring managers.
