Powering personal achievement intogreater public success
Better paid, more meaningful andmore rewarding work
Better paid, more meaningful and more rewarding work can create a positive personal/work/social cycle – benefiting individuals through greater job satisfaction and wellbeing, boosting organisations through increased productivity and retention, and helping society through positive contributions and progress.
We understand that personal achievement supports public and business success. Which is why our focus is aimed at helping more people into better paid, more meaningful and more rewarding work – goals that can produce multiple benefits, including:
Improved job satisfaction
Reduced turnover and better retention
Enhanced creativity and innovation
Improved financial stability
Higher levels of wellbeing
Positive organisational culture
Greater inclusion, equality and other social benefits.
Gender pay gap
To encourage companies across all industries to do more to progress women in the workplace, the UK Government is requiring employers with 250 or more employees to report their gender pay gap annually, beginning this year.
ManpowerGroup UK supports this initiative. We are committed to creating pathways that empower and enable all of our employees to unlock their full potential and succeed, regardless of gender and background. This diversity strengthens our business and benefits both our clients and our colleagues.
Read our Gender Pay Gap report
Employment and work are the gateways to a fulfilling and successful life, but what does this mean in practice? Today’s workers – especially those under 30 years of age – are seeking more than just a job, they want to thrive at work through employment that gives them:
Manpower UK is helping workers to achieve these goals through our Associate Charter, where we treat every candidate as an equal and guide them to the best employment opportunity for their goals, plus our specialised programmes that seek to mentor, train and introduce more people to a better world of work. Additionally, our Associate Charter confirms our commitment to our associates and outlines what we expect from them in return. During their registration, we discuss our Charter with potential associates as it is important that they understand they are a key asset for Manpower, and we want them to feel valued as such. The Charter also outlines the behaviours and performance that we expect of our employees while on assignment with our clients.
From initial application, onboarding and development programmes, through to wellbeing support and our commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion − we want their experience to be the best it can be.
That’s why we've created an Associate Charter to ensure all associates are treated fairly and are introduced to Manpower’s culture and values:
Dedicated talent agent to guide and represent associates
Performance recognition
Premier access to jobs
Career guidance
Work perk benefits, such as retailer discounts
Monthly learning opportunities
Access to our academies.
Soft skills recommendations programme
Associate of the Month and Quarter
Testimonial videos
Feedback via our NPS programme.
Dedicated point of contact
Timely response to enquires
Thorough details of job role
Support throughout career journey, including if unsuccessful for desired role.
Associate wellbeing site with mental health experience videos, access to support and tools for mental, physical and financial health
Wellbeing content in newsletter
Senior MHFA Team
Development courses
Wellbeing calendar.
Our training programmes and academies are helping our associates to start, develop or continue their careers.
MyPath: Our free-to-enter development programme that enables our high-potential associates to access jobs and grow in in-demand careers, by providing them upskilling opportunities, personalised guidance and support so that they can achieve their career goals.
MyPath includes specialised academies that focus on individual business sectors:
Driver Academy – training the next generation of HGV drivers
Women in Driving Development Pathway – helping more women to enter the rewarding transport and logistics sector
Freight Development Pathway – providing opportunities in the UK’s supply chain and logistics sector
Customer Service Academy – a gateway to careers in the fast-paced customer service industry.
Other MyPath pathways are in development. Learn more here.
Experis Academy – helping candidates build the skills they need for a successful technical career in the IT, technology and financial services sectors.
ManpowerGroup UK promotes diversity and inclusion in the workplace. To this end, the Future Female Leader Programme provides a flexible solution to support the career growth of emerging female leaders, helping the organisation identify, develop and empower female employees through a programme of mentoring and sponsorship, implementing a culture of career development and aligning individual aspirations with organisational needs.
The core of the programme lies in matching each participant to an internal mentor and sponsor, providing tailored coaching and development for each participant, and fostering powerful reciprocal relationships, enabling participants to understand and act upon the potential blockers to progression.
Learn more about targeted career development solutions here.
In contrast to recruitment organisations that only work with elite cohorts of workers, ManpowerGroup UK is a creator of talent at scale – focusing on delivering meaningful, sustainable job opportunities and continual work support to large numbers of people, as we believe that it is the best way to achieve real social progress.
In 2022, ManpowerGroup UK placed tens of thousands of associates into meaningful employment every week. These results have significant impact on society – they change lives for the better, help businesses to grow and deliver dynamic results that strengthen our social fabric.
Driver Academy
Manpower has partnered with HGVT, the UK’s leading driver training organisation to offer the Driver Academy, a programme that equips students with the necessary training, certification and employment support to launch a safe and successful career as an HGV driver.
Future drivers secure access to extensive training that builds the skills needed to become an HGV driver and achieve the right certifications to accelerate their careers. Students also benefit from a bespoke recruitment and professional development programme tailored to their needs, so that they are fully prepared when entering the jobs market.
Since launch in 2019, the Driver Academy has:
Trained over 1,400 drivers
Helped over 500 drivers into paid work
Secured starting salaries up to £50,000 for qualified drivers
Attracted a female participation rate of 10% of students, where the industry has an average female driver rate of less than 1%
Attracted a 25% participation rate from ethnic minorities
Attracted a 30% participation rate from students under 36 years of age.
Learn more about the Driver Academy.
Women in Driving Development Pathway
The Women in Driving Development Pathway is a programme developed specifically to encourage and support women to transition to fully licensed lorry drivers. As members of the Development Pathway, all female students progress through the established Manpower Driver Academy and receive specialised support as necessary.
20 successful female applicants have joined the programme
Six applicants have achieved their HGV licence and have begun a rewarding career in logistics.
From passing my LGV test in January, I had struggled to find a job as everybody wanted people with experience, but how was I able to gain the experience if nobody was willing to employ me? It’s understandable a female wanting to work in a male-dominated environment doesn’t seem the ideal thing, but it’s a change that I really needed. Manpower found me the ideal Class 2 role, from which I’m able to progress through to my Class 1. At first it was a worry if I’d ‘fit in’, but almost two months down the line, I wouldn’t change it for the world! I’ve experienced the highs and lows, travelled most of the UK and I love it! I can’t thank Manpower enough for all their help and support.
With an ageing workforce (less than 9% of the logistics sector are under the age of 25), more talent is needed to address a chronic skills shortfall in the UK logistics sector. Partnering with industry trade association and training provider, the British International Freight Association (BIFA), Manpower UK has created the Freight Development Pathway programme to encourage and support individuals into a career within the freight industry.
The programme provides candidates with support from a dedicated freight training team, structured training to include CV writing, and personal branding, industry specific training via the British International Freight Association, access to potential client interview opportunities within the freight industry, and further online training material to promote continued skills development.
To date, the programme has achieved an 80% success rate, and we anticipate this will improve to 90% in 2024 – the uptick reflecting our ongoing commitment to leveraging the knowledge we've gained since programme inception, particularly regarding the candidate traits and transferable skills that our clients highly value.
Learn more about the Freight Development Pathway.
Participants receive extensive training that will build the skills they need to become a work-ready customer service agent – creating a safe and ‘live’ training environment to springboard their careers. Each participant benefits from a bespoke recruitment and professional development programme personalised to their needs going at their pace, so that they are fully prepared when either entering the jobs market for the first time or moving sectors allowing them to transition into induction programmes effectively.
Key attributes of the Customer Service Academy training programme:
Tailored learning within the framework of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)
Endorsed by the UK Contact Centre Forum and their alumni
Engaging, high-quality contact centre situational and simulation training, including both core principles and hands-on training
Candidates gain entry point opportunities into market leading organisations and in high-profile contact centre agent roles
To date, 15 graduates have been successfully placed into work.
Learn more about the Customer Service Academy
The Experis Academy brings together industry-leading training providers to deliver practical and comprehensive training to help candidates build the skills they need for a successful technical career in the IT, technology and financial services sectors.
Candidates are sourced from a wide and highly diverse talent pool, including armed forces leavers, parental leave returners, graduates and legacy skilled candidates, with training covering all in-demand skills. This gives academy graduates greater opportunity to secure roles such as engineers and developers, automated test engineers, cloud computing analysts and engineers, RPA developers, cyber security consultants, big data engineers, project managers, business analysts and more.
Learn more about the Experis Academy.
ManpowerGroup UK actively pursues diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in the workplace not as marketing tool or as a badge we can promote to businesses and governments, but as part of our core belief that no-one should be excluded or overlooked because of their gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, religion or ethnicity and that an inclusive culture is one where everyone feels valued, listened to and able to discover their personal best.
We drive our DEIB activities via a vibrant mix of programmes and groups. These entities give our employees a place where they can be themselves, develop their talents or discover new pathways to an array of work opportunities.
Putting people first is how we run our business, and it will continue to be our defining factor as we engage our teams, attract candidates and support our clients.
Affinity Networks are employee-led communities which bring together like-minded individuals within the UK organisation. They are open to all employees and seek to act as a neutral forum for discussion or education, an open environment to create solutions to diversity and inclusion related business challenges, and to support one another.
We have five Affinity Networks, representing our different communities:
Representing LGBTQ+, BRIGHT aims to ensure we create a culture of inclusivity for employees, candidates and clients, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity by raising awareness, providing a platform for employees to have a voice, and ensuring we effectively collaborate in order to achieve our strategic goals.
Birmingham 2022 was ManpowerGroup UK’s first year as a walking group at Pride. Not only do we celebrate Pride, we also run educational and awareness events throughout the year.
We celebrate everyone in the LGBTQ+ community on National Coming Out Day. In 2022 we held a virtual drop-in session, which then prompted several employees to share their experiences.
Formed in 2022, our Defence Connect Affinity Network is led by key members from each branch of ManpowerGroup UK. Membership is open to anyone affiliated to, or an advocate for, the defence community, including veterans, reservists and partners of serving personnel, spouses, family members and friends.
Our aim is to create a safe, constructive network for anyone affiliated to the defence community allowing them to come together and share thoughts, feelings and views on their personal and professional experiences. Our network creates a forum for discussion and ideas to promote a genuine understanding of the armed forces within the wider business context and to advocate for increased awareness for this cohort.
Ministry of Defence Armed Forces Covenant Employer Recognition Scheme – renewed our Gold status in 2022 and have now held this honour since 2017
Remembrance Day event held in 2022 to increase awareness across ManpowerGroup UK
Signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant, supporting those who serve or have served
In partnership with the Career Transition Partnership, we provide careers insights and support for armed forces leavers.
One in five people in the UK has a disability, with 80% of those having a hidden disability.
Our Disability Leaders network was launched in 2016 to counter some of the challenges that disabled workers face. As such, we are committed to ensuring that we are leading the way as a Disability Confident Leader, and we are continuously making our organisation a more inclusive place to work.
We champion ManpowerGroup UK as a place that provides work opportunities for people with disabilities and that we become an employer of choice for both candidates and clients.
Learn more about theDisability Confident scheme.
We have been a Disability Confident Leader since 2018 and were reaccredited in 2021
We have a Disability Leaders group that influences ManpowerGroup UK’s DEIB strategy
We have built on our internal wellbeing offerings, and now have over 60 Mental Health First Aiders within the organisation
We’ve built relationships with external organisations such as RNIB, Made by Dyslexia and Workfit, to guide best practice procedures.
The Gender Affinity Inclusion Network – GAIN - helps to shape the future of gender equality at ManpowerGroup UK by providing opportunities for development, fostering valuable connections and facilitating member success through business and career growth. We support the education of the whole organisation surrounding the benefits of a gender inclusive workplace.
Tackle unconscious bias within the organisation
Close the gender pay gap
Enable more women to take up senior leadership and customer facing roles
Shift the focus and narrative of care-giving from women to equally split between genders to benefit both sexes in the workplace.
Our Multicultural Ethnic Resource Group for Excellence – MERGE – believes equality for all is possible. We advocate for the recruitment, retention and progression of ethnic minorities. Through togetherness we believe we can drive business growth and opportunities to provide better service for our clients, candidates and associates.
Support and guidance to colleagues and the senior leadership team on policies, procedures and working practices to steer positive change across the organisation
Networking and supporting one another to ensure our people are informed and empowered through educational campaigns and information sessions, such as:
Celebrating the month of Ramadan sharing facts and tips
Notting Hill Carnival educational campaigns.
We know that some people struggle to successfully engage with employment. Beyond training, there is often a need for nurturing, mentoring and background supervision to get them started on their career path. To meet this need, and in addition to our successful candidate academies, ManpowerGroup UK partners with external organisations who provide specialist employment and training support:
Young Enterprise is a national charity that specialise in the education of entrepreneurial skills for young people, and works directly with young people, teachers, volunteers and influencers to build a successful and sustainable future for all youth participants.
As part of our ongoing support to Young Enterprise, ManpowerGroup UK created a volunteering programme, which provides our employees with the opportunity to support and share their expertise with young people.
Kickstart was the UK Government’s flagship programme to support young people aged 16-24 who were at risk of long-term unemployment. We provided internal opportunities across ManpowerGroup UK to 24 young people and we supported them with best-in-class employability coaching.
We also shone a spotlight on a further two of our Kickstarters, who were included in our ManpowerGroup UK quarterly Roadshow which highlighted the importance and impact of the Kickstart scheme to the whole organisation. We also partnered with the Prince's Trust developing a dedicated website, managing client and candidate applications to deliver programmes at scale for different employers whilst the Princes Trust delivered employability training.
Over 8,000 referrals
Placed over 250 people in placements
21 people started the internal scheme
19 completed the six month programme (91% completion rate)
11 took roles within ManpowerGroup UK including one that has started a role as a Youth Ambassador for Movement to Work (58% retention rate).
In support of our DEIB commitments, we have signed up to the Good Youth Employment Charter which was co-created with young people and a range of employers by the Youth Employment Group in 2012. In 2020 the Charter was updated in response to the impact COVID has had on youth unemployment.
By signing up to the Charter (March 2023) we are taking a proactive and public step to ensure our commitment to recruit and develop young people in the UK.
Young people have been disproportionately hit by Covid and will continue to feel the effects for some time. A 2022 Prince’s Trust report revealed that 36% of young people think their job prospects will never recover, and 51% now feel less confident in their future. In conjunction with this, youth unemployment is rising again, reaching 12.7% in July 2023, three times the national average.
Against this background, and to support our commitment to the Good Youth Employment Charter, we have developed the Working Mindset, a programme specifically designed for young people, supporting them with their thoughts, feelings, wellbeing and managing their emotions by focusing on three key areas: self-discovery, self-management and self-growth, all underpinned by self-acceptance.
All the topics were incredibly relevant with the working lives of young adults who have just joined employment.
Movement to Work is a voluntary collaboration of UK employers committed to tackling youth unemployment, helping young people aged 18-24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEETS) to move closer to employment through provisions of high-quality work experience and learning opportunities.
ManpowerGroup UK has been part of the movement since it was formed in 2013 and we're committed to creating opportunities to support young people's employability prospects.
Number of young people ManpowerGroup UK is aiming to help this year via Movement to Work, with the support of Jobcentre Plus at locations across the UK
UN Women, ManpowerGroup and Street Art for Mankind have partnered to raise awareness and kick-start action for gender equality, with a street art mural in Leather Lane, London, home to the famous street market that brings together diverse cultures and backgrounds.
This is the second time ManpowerGroup has sponsored a Generation Equality Mural, following a successful partnership in Paris last year. The large masterpiece will reflect on the importance of inter-generational efforts to advance gender equality.
Learn more about Generation Equality Murals.
We continuously evolve our ideas and methods to nurture a sustainable wellbeing approach for our employees and associates. To this end, we deliver a three-dimensional wellbeing programme:
MYSELF, which considers individual mental, physical and financial wellbeing
MY WORK, to manage work motivation and balance work/home life
MY MANPOWER, where we provide a wellbeing team and support people to build their career with purpose.
We have our people's welfare at the heart of our organisation where we look after ourselves and each other. We continuously evolve our ideas across ManpowerGroup to nurture a sustainable wellbeing approach focusing on how we help ourselves, how we work and how we engage with each other.
MYSELF - A series of programmes that delivers:
Mental health support and wellbeing
“Time to Talk” drop-in sessions
Access to extensive network of Mental Health First Aiders
Bespoke training for managers to support the mental health of their teams
Grief awareness education
“Lunch and Learn” mindfulness sessions.
Physical wellbeing
Company-wide challenges to get people moving
Partnering with external bodies such as a series of webinars run by the British Heart Foundation to provide education to support employee health
Access to medical insurance to support employee health
Lunchtime virtual yoga sessions
Toolkits for employees and managers to support with fertility, cancer, addiction, etc.
Financial wellbeing
Resources to support personal day-to-day or life-event budgeting
Access to employee discounts to stretch money further
Season ticket loans to spread the cost and encourage use of public transport
Lifestyle benefits available via company-funded flexible benefits
Employee money-saving suggestion network.
MY WORK
We provide support in these areas:
Career development
Skills development
Love your job
Career toolkit
Hybrid working and wellbeing support
Health and safety
Managing workload
Mentoring programmes.
MY MANPOWER
Each month we look at key skills and learning topics to help with personal development – providing guidance and practical tips to ensure our employees’ aspirations are met. To do this, we offer the following support:
Coaching and mentoring – personalised tutorials and one to one career advice
Team building and networking – group events and programmes to help employees work better as a team and create the contacts they need to foster a successful career
DEIB – ensuring that a sense of well-being, access to opportunity and a sense of community is open to and shared by all
Appraisals – unbiased review to help employees understand their strengths and weaknesses and what they can do to improve
Key skills and personal development opportunities – taking talent abilities to the next level with customised, training, tutorials and advice.
Mental health support – The Margery Club
In celebration of their 75th anniversary in 2021, ManpowerGroup UK’s Brook Street business relaunched the Margery Club by running a Mental Health First Aid course for Brook Street consultants, equipping them to better support our associates’ mental health needs and enabling them to thrive – something we know is even more critical since the pandemic.
The original Margery Club, founded in 1969 by Margery Hurst – the founder of Brook Street - was an organisation which funded research into mental health.
People are our top priority and in recent years we’ve been investing in mental health awareness and support systems across the business. We have trained our first cohort of The Margery Club, and this group of Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) are now providing invaluable personal support to our associates.
We have plans to grow The Margery Club in 2023 and are investing in an internal Brook Street MHFA Instructor.
We have committed to having a trained MHFA in all Brook Street locations by the end of Q2 2024, to make mental health support even more accessible for our associates.
Sarah Watkins, Head of Region, inspired our relaunch of The Margery Club with an associate she supported through a suicide attempt during the pandemic.
Having received an email detailing our associate’s final affairs, Sarah contacted the emergency services and was able to get them the help they needed, and they remain in touch today. This demonstrated the need to have accessible mental health support for our associates and led to our relaunch. Sarah remains a key part of our Margery Club team and continues to support associates today.
