We are proud to announce that Livewell Southwest has just been awarded Gold Employee Recognition Standard (ERS) status, the highest badge of honour for supporting the Armed Forces community.
The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Gold Award recognises the positive role that employers play in supporting defence and inspiring others to do the same. The Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) encourages employers to support defence and inspire others to do the same. The scheme encompasses bronze, silver and gold awards for employer organisations that pledge, demonstrate or advocate support to defence and the armed forces community, and align their values with the Armed Forces Covenant.
Gold status is awarded to organisations who implement HR policies that accommodate the needs of the Armed Forces Community and have been powerful advocates for the Armed Forces Covenant by actively engaging with their peers, encouraging them to employ armed forces personnel, veterans, and their families, and providing robust and sustained support for reservists.
Gold award holders must:
- Have signed the Armed Forces Covenant
- Already be accredited as a holder of ERS Silver Award and have held it with sufficient time to develop suitable plans and policies and evidence to support the ERS Gold application
- Proactively demonstrate their forces-friendly credentials as part of their recruiting and selection processes.
- Actively ensure that their workforce is aware of their positive policies towards defence people issues. For example, an employer nominated for support to the Reserves must have an internally publicised and positive human resources policy on Reserves
- Be an exemplar within their market sector, advocating support to defence people issues to partner organisations, suppliers and customers with tangible positive results
- Demonstrate support to mobilisations or have a framework in place. They must provide at least 10 days’ additional leave for training, fully paid, to the Reservist employee
- Actively encourage a positive environment for Reservists by ensuring that positive policies in support of Reservists within the workforce are communicated to line managers
- Be an exemplar in demonstrating support to the Cadet movement. This could, for example, be through mentoring cadets in key employment skills, by providing guaranteed interviews for cadets, by direct investment in equipment and infrastructure for a local cadet unit, or by funding and sponsoring competitions, events, and specific activities for cadets such as overseas expeditions
- Promote volunteering with the cadet forces from their workforce, by providing additional leave for employees who are Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAVs)
Marie Brayne, People Experience and Development Advisor, commented:
“Achieving the Gold Award through the Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme is a significant milestone for Livewell Southwest. We are proud of our staff, their families and our military families community which includes veterans, reservists, and adult cadet volunteers. They bring a wealth of skills and experience to our services.”
Dawn Slater, Director of People and Professionalism and Chief Nursing Officer, said:
“We are working with our veteran community to offer opportunities for employment and development. It is important to us to ensure that the veterans and reservists working for us are supported and valued, and their families included.”
Michelle Thomas, Chief Executive of Livewell Southwest, said:
“As an organisation based in a military city, achieving the Gold Employee Recognition Standard is really important for our staff, their families and the Plymouth, South Hams and Devon communities.
“It ensures a wider understanding of the needs of veterans and their families, allowing them to get the right support at the right time.”
