Launch of scheme to recommend friends and family for council vacancies coming soon

The employee referral scheme which will enable staff to recommend council vacancies to friends and family via email and social media is about to be launched. You can expect an engagement email over the next few months as the scheme is launched one service at a time.

Those who refer successful applicants to posts will be awarded with a £50 gift voucher of their choice from M&S, John Lewis, Sainsbury’s, Argos and more. You will receive email alerts to new job opportunities and have the option to share these on social media sites including Facebook and Twitter, or email to your contacts.

Kay Hopwood, Team Leader for Recruitment comments: “When the system is launched you will be able to help us attract and recruit the best candidates and earn yourself high street voucher rewards at the same time.”

Olan Adefihan, an ICT Project Leader, was employed by Aberdeenshire Council following a pilot employee referral scheme within ICT. He said: “I think such a scheme is awesome and unique, as existing staff are far more likely to know and introduce talent from external pools. I was based in London previously and I wouldn’t have given Scotland much thought but for the fact that I had a relative here. She had lots of positive things to say about the culture of Aberdeenshire, the flexible working environment, the friendly nature of staff and colleagues and how ‘not so bad’ the weather situation was!”

Tiago Alves is an ICT Support Analyst who shared vacancies. He recognised the benefits of the scheme for both the council and employees, saying: “When you recommend someone for a job you somehow feel responsible for them, and if they succeed you are already rewarded by the fact you made a difference to that person’s life. From the employer perspective, it’s good to be given a thank you for recommending a valued member of staff; a voucher is a very nice way to do so.”

Employees are encouraged to participate but must adhere to the Council’s Social Media Policy when accessing social media sites during working hours and through the corporate network.

All Aberdeenshire Council employees with a corporate or school email address will automatically be enrolled in the programme, with an opt-out preference available, and an opt-in option for those who wish to use their personal email accounts.

If you have any queries in the meantime, or are a manager wishing to provide details of frontline employees who’d like to sign up, contact Lisa Repper, HR Officer on 01224 664612 or Samara Moir, Recruitment Officer on 01224 664983.