Navy changes HR job title in bid to boost recruitment

HR professionals in the Royal Navy have been rebranded 'personnel logisticians' from 'writers' in a bid to boost recruitment.

The job title change has been made to bring it in line with civilian HR roles, easing the professionals' path in and out of the service.

The Armed Forces has faced huge recruitment challenges in the past few years, with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq increasing the need for personnel, and simultaneously putting off potential recruits.

The navy's head of HR, second sea lord vice-admiral Adrian Johns,  told Personnel Today that the force was now changing the way it recruited. "To use a fishing analogy, I would say that in the past we have cast a wide net and taken the best fish we caught," he said. "Now we need to fish in specific pools, with specific bait, for specific catches."

Johns said it was crucial to get people into the right roles when they joined the navy, to reduce the number of people leaving.

Changing the job titles of several positions, including HR, was part of this.

The navy now has 96% of the number of employees it wanted - but still has some shortages in crucial areas. "This number hides some pinch-points that could be quite critical if they are left," said Johns.

He also revealed the navy would be talking to schoolchildren as young as 12 to "get them interested in the Armed Forces".