Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Economics, government & businessLatest NewsJob creation and lossesPay & benefitsPensions

Vodafone HR chief insists job cuts and pension closure have not damaged recruitment brand

by Louisa Peacock 9 Dec 2009
by Louisa Peacock 9 Dec 2009

Vodafone’s HR chief is confident that the firm’s decision to close its final salary pension scheme and cut jobs during the recession will not put graduates off applying to work at the company.


Yesterday the firm announced plans to hire 50 graduates next year to work in its retail business and support functions.


Just last month the mobile phone operator sent a letter to staff informing them of a consultation exercise, ahead of a planned closure of the defined benefit scheme in April. The firm has also been forced to make 500 redundancies this year, including HR jobs.


But Matthew Brearley told Personnel Today: “We never like making changes that could be perceived negatively – but the reality of the pension change is that it starts from a commitment to making a strategic investment in the defined contribution (DC) scheme.


“For the past four years, only the DC scheme was open to new applications anyway. Future accrual of existing employees will go into the DC scheme [not the final salary scheme].”


He added he could assure graduates joining the firm next year under the centrally-operated scheme that they would be safe in their jobs. “Those that can cut it will have a permanent job after the scheme. The ethos is, we want graduates who are hungry. If they can prove that they have got what it takes, they will have nothing to worry about,” he said.


He anticipated keeping about 25-40 graduates on out of the 50 employed on the graduate scheme, but those leaving would only be doing so because they were not right for the job.


Brearley said that for every 50 graduate places offered at the firm, it usually received about 5,000 applications. The company had robust selection processes in place to make sure it filtered the right candidates for interview, he said.


Meanwhile, Vodafone has promised to “substantially improve” the DC scheme. On 31 March 2009, the assets of Vodafone’s defined benefit scheme had a £60m shortfall against its liabilities of £815m.

Avatar
Louisa Peacock

previous post
Chancellor announces 1% cap on public sector pay rises from 2011 despite calls for a freeze to protect jobs
next post
Bankers’ bonus tax will leave City HR functions inundated with queries

You may also like

Royal Mail staff vote for more strike action

17 Aug 2022

Workers worse off as inflation hits double figures

17 Aug 2022

Harrods threatens to use agency staff if strike...

17 Aug 2022

Personnel Today Awards 2022 shortlist: Performance Management Award

17 Aug 2022

Police officers who are violent towards women should...

17 Aug 2022

A third consider job move due to cost...

17 Aug 2022

Government plans to slash Civil Service redundancy pay

16 Aug 2022

Real wages fall at sharpest rate on record

16 Aug 2022

Degrees less important to employers with entry-level vacancies

16 Aug 2022

Employees going into office just 1.5 days a...

15 Aug 2022
  • 6 reasons why work-based learning is better than traditional training PROMOTED | A recent Fortune/Deloitte survey found that 71% of CEOs are anticipating that this year’s biggest business disrupter...Read more
  • Strengthening Scotland’s public services through virtual recruiting PROMOTED | This website is Scotland's go-to place for job seekers looking to apply for roles in public services...Read more
  • What’s next for L&D? Enter Alchemist… PROMOTED | It’s time to turn off the tedious and get ready for interactive and immersive learning experiences...Read more
  • Simple mistakes are blighting the onboarding experience PROMOTED | The onboarding of new hires is a company’s best chance...Read more
  • Preventing Burnout: How can HR help key workers get the right help? PROMOTED | Workplace wellbeing may seem a distant memory...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+