Arden & GEM is now a proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, as part of its commitment to supporting the armed forces community.
The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation ensuring that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly.
At Arden & GEM we have long recognised the transferable skills, qualities and values that reservists and veteran can bring to the public sector and signing the covenant reinforces our commitment to continuing to provide employment opportunities while also doing all that we can to ensure that veterans are treated with respect and not disadvantaged in any way.
Jo Craft, Estates and Facilities Officer at Arden & GEM, Armed Forces Network Lead and veteran said: “As a veteran, Arden and GEM has actively supported me through the transition to civilian life. They recognise the skills, experience and capabilities I have learnt and gained through my time in service. They actively support me through a peer support group which meets regularly and has virtual channels which allows me to reach out if I need it. Additionally, I know there are mental health first aiders within the organisation who work in conjunction with the employee support offering.”
Arden & GEM has committed to upholding the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant by:
- Promoting that we are an armed forces friendly organisation in all that we do through our communications with staff, suppliers, customers and the wider public
- Providing employment support to members of the armed forces community through insight days, interview tips and dedicated recruitment activity
- Establishing an Armed Forces Network for staff members to meet and support one another and provide feedback to us as an organisation on how we can further develop our support offering
- Raising awareness of health and wellbeing through effective signposting to dedicated programmes, both internal and external, including Op COURAGE and the Veterans’ healthcare toolkit.
Signing on behalf of the organisation, Mike Walker, Director of Business Services at Arden & GEM, said: “The armed forces community has already made a huge contribution to both our organisation and the wider health service, capably filling roles in a wide range of areas including the COVID-19 response. We wanted to recognise this contribution, not only by continuing to recruit skilled and motivated veterans into Arden & GEM but also by playing our part in ensuring that service personnel and their families have respect, support and fair treatment.”
As well as meeting its covenant commitments, Arden & GEM will further increase its support for the armed forces community over the coming year by joining and championing the ‘Step into Health’ programme, which connects NHS employers with talent from the armed forces community, and joining the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.
These principles are also aligned with the CSU’s social value ambitions and Investors in People gold accreditation