We’re delighted to report that branch chair Ian Harvey has been seconded for one year to the branch to take on the role of UNISON convener for Capita West Sussex. This means he will be in charge of recruiting and supporting members from Capita to the branch, aiming to increase our membership density with that employer. The secondment lasts until the end of January 2020 and is funded by UNISON’s regional pool and the West Sussex branch.
Ian Harvey
“I’m hoping that once my face becomes better known and people hear about the benefits of membership, they will find it easier to come forward to join UNISON.”
“I will be based in the branch office in County Hall, Chichester,” said Ian, “but I intend to be out and about across all Capita West Sussex offices most of the time, talking to staff and promoting the benefits of union membership.
“Though I enjoy my job in the Customer Service Centre in Bognor Regis, I don’t often get the opportunity to see members in other offices to find out the issues they’re facing.”
Recruiting and mentoring reps
As well as general recruitment, Ian is also trying to encourage existing members to consider becoming workplace reps.
“We have a fairly even union membership density across all the Capita offices, but we don’t have an equal distribution of workplace reps. They tend to be concentrated in one or two of the larger offices. It would be much better if we had more local reps so we could respond quicker.
“I want to make sure any reps we train feel both confident and competent to support other members. Mentoring is a really effective way to achieve that as it provides a support mechanism, especially in the early stages. It’s something I’ve always done and something I am very keen to extend during my secondment.”
So how does Ian hope to achieve his aims of increasing both the number of members and the number of workplace reps?
The great Capita West Sussex recruitment race competition
“To start with, we have an exciting, major competition for anyone employed by Capita. For anyone who recruits new members, there is the opportunity to win fantastic prizes including a two-night luxury get-away, a £150 ASOS (online fashion retailer) voucher and £100 worth of Amazon vouchers. This competition has been running since March and concludes on Friday 31st May. We hope to announce the winners of the prizes in the week commencing 3rd June.
“I really had to think hard about the prizes. As I particularly want to encourage more younger members to join, I had to have prizes that would appeal to them as well as more mature members. So, I asked younger colleagues in the Customer Service Centre and our young members’ officer Chloe Pascovitch, to give me an idea of the sort of things that would encourage them to take part. The prizes are the result of that consultation. I hope it does the trick!”
“Although the competition is ending, there are still opportunities for members to benefit from our 10-10 offer. This means that both you and the new member will each receive a £10 Marks & Spencer voucher. But if you recruit more, then you’ll get £10 each time. There’s nothing to lose!
“Please come and chat to me when I visit your office. It’ll be great for me to meet as many of you as possible and hopefully, by January we will have achieved our aims. If you’ve any questions, just email me at ian@unisonwestsussex.org.uk or call me on 01243 777636.”
Find out more about the great Capita West Sussex recruitment race competition and the fantastic prizes on offer!