LONDON (5 September, 2019) – Cielo, the world’s leading strategic Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) partner, has added to its global reputation as a driver of diversity and inclusion by being named to the 2019 CIPD People Management Shortlist for its partnership with O2.
Beginning in 2016, Cielo helped the mobile telecoms provider recruit candidates for a Career Returners program that is now among the finalists for CIPD’s Best Diversity and Inclusion Initiative. The CIPD People Management Awards "celebrate and reward the outstanding achievements and contributions made by HR and L&D professionals."
"Inclusivity sits at the heart of our organization, and it does so because we know it makes both human and commercial sense,” said Sarah Garnett, O2’s Inclusion Manager. "Our Career Returners program brings talent back to the workplace and helps us address the lower numbers of women in senior STEM roles, particularly in areas of our business that are underrepresented."
O2’s bespoke, tailored 4-month career returners programme is aimed at both women and men who have taken a career break of between two and 10 years. As part of a multi-tier attraction strategy, Cielo and O2 used personal contacts, events and conferences, websites and social media to build up a network of high-caliber candidates. Applications have grown substantially in each of the program’s three years, having brought in over 30 career returners. In 2019, 100% of the group secured permanent roles.
"Many women have said they fear taking a career break because they’re uncertain if they will be able to rejoin the work force at the same level they left," said Andrea Jones, Cielo’s Resourcing Business Partner for O2. "The Career Returner program addresses this concern and provides a real business advantage to O2 by giving them access to a wealth of often overlooked talent and experience."
The CIPD People Management Awards will announce winners 24 September, 2019, at Grosvenor House in London.
