Overhauling its jobs proposition to prioritise attitudes and behaviours has seen LifeSearch increase the number of colleagues with caring responsibilities to almost four in 10, according to the intermediary.
Andrew Parker, people and culture leader at LifeSearch, (pictured) revealed the advice firm now advertises all of its jobs internally and externally as job shares, full time, part time and with the offer of hybrid working.
Parker explained this was because the organisation has sought to focus on attitudes and behaviours of candidates and not neccessarily the number of hours they work or the combinations of days and locations they can work.
As a result the number of colleagues with caring responsibilities has increased from 31% three years ago to 38% today, with most of this number caring for children under the age of 12.
Parker added the organisation has found it a challenge to attract more women into the business and realised this was down to the way employees worked and how the organisation presented itself to the outside world.
“One generic job ad goes out to all of the big job boards about hitting targets, being motivated, a team player, high earnings potential – all this kind of stuff,” he said.
“If you’re a 25-year-old man wanting to buy your first car and your first home, that’s really attractive, but actually if you’re a mother who wants to return to work after having a second child, is that the kind of culture that you want to enter?”
Consequently, Parker revealed LifeSearch changed the way it presents itself to the outside world.
“It’s that notion of protecting families properly. Do you want to do a job that dark and unpleasant things happen to people the work you’ve done is there for them? That really chimes,” he said.
“Talking about hybrid working, talking about flexible working, sharing some of those case studies of mothers who have been brilliant at being an adviser and also a mother and everything else; so we are changing the tone of voice and changing the way that we do things.
“We’ve partnered with a recruitment agency that specialises in getting women with families into businesses. We’re working with them on a project to bring more women advisers into our business. It’s bearing some fruit and they are finding some of the same challenges that we did.”
But Parkert added it also meant the company had to practice what it pledged in its adverts.
“It’s how you present yourself and the things you’re saying about your business that then has to be backed up when people join you,” he continued.
“It’s all very well saying that’s your external view of things, but actually when you join a team and your sales manager within an hour of starting talks about dial outs and convos and all that kind of stuff, there’s a real kind of disconnect.”
