Values-based recruitment – what does it actually mean?

Lee Mummery, Head of Region (Eastern) at Skills for Care, provides us with a simplified overview of values-based recruitment, helping social care organisations understand what it is and how it can be applied for better recruitment outcomes.

If you work in social care, it’s likely that you’ve heard about the difficulties many social care organisations face when recruiting and retaining staff. In fact, recruitment and retention remain some of the sector’s biggest challenges, meaning that real change is required if we’re going to be able to service the growing need for care in the future.

Within this ongoing discussion around recruitment and retention, you may have heard the term ‘values-based recruitment’. This term is confusing to many people but is becoming more prevalent within the debate around effective recruitment practices. So, what is values-based recruitment?

What is values-based recruitment?

Values-based recruitment is an evidence-based approach to recruiting staff that focuses on candidate’s values, behaviours and attitudes. By looking at these attributes we can better assess whether they align with the values, culture and expectations of our workplace.

Why should we use values-based recruitment?

By using this approach to recruitment, we can get a better understanding of a person’s character and beliefs, allowing us to more accurately assess whether they’ll be a good fit for our organisation in the long run.

Because it’s a more effective approach to matching people with organisations, it can result in lower recruitment costs, positive return on investment, lower staff turnover and better staff performance. In addition to this, it can lead to happier and more cohesive working environments. All of this can have a significant knock-on effect for the standard of care a provider is able to deliver, as it may result in the delivery of more consistent, higher quality care and fewer gaps in provision due to staffing difficulties.

The 5As model

In practice, values-based recruitment uses a series of stages to help employers identify their organisational values, attract people with these values and apply them during selection and in the workplace. To do this, we use something called the 5As model.

Articulate - articulating your values is important because it allows you to communicate them to others. To do this, you begin by thinking about what the values that define your workplace are and those which you would most like people who join your organisation to have.

Attract - advertising your roles in a way that attracts candidates who share your workplace vision and values is the best way to ensure you receive applications from people you would like to join your workforce. You need to consider what channels your job adverts appear on and how you describe your values.

Apply - designing your application process in a way that is accessible and highlights your values is critical. You should consider what you’re asking people, how straightforward your application process is and how you can make your values central to the application process.

Assess – values-based assessment tools could include values-based interviews, group activities, written or computer-based activities, scenario-based discussions and work observations. Each of these approaches is intended to allow you to see a person’s preferences and beliefs in action, which can provide a better understanding of their values.

Assimilate – inducting, developing and supervising staff in line with your values will make them more likely to remain with you in the long run. This means that you should ensure that they’re comfortable with what is expected of them and that your values are reflected in their experience from the first day.

How can I learn more about values-based recruitment?

If you’d like to learn more about values-based recruitment, you can watch our video guide series exploring the 5As model in more detail. Alternatively, you visit our values-based recruitment support programmes page, which provides more information on the resources and programmes we have available to support you in understanding and applying values-based recruitment.

Make sure to visit our ‘Recruiting the right people’ campaign landing page to learn more about our ongoing recruitment campaign.

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