Use of off-Island recruitment agencies

Summary

The requester asked for specific data on Manx Care's use of off-island recruitment agencies since April 2021, including frequency, costs, and tender processes. The authority responded by providing a general recruitment guidance framework rather than the specific historical data requested, noting that some information was not held.

Key Facts

• Manx Care has an in-house Recruitment Team within the Office of Human Resources to minimize agency use.
• Off-island agencies are considered appropriate for areas with national or international skill shortages.
• The guidance excludes temporary administrative and secretarial staff, which are covered by existing island-based contracts.
• Departments must try two options from 'List A' and one from 'List B' before engaging a recruitment agency.
• Agency engagement is governed by Financial Direction C of the Isle of Man Public Service Financial Regulations.

Data Disclosed

• April 2021
• 2024-09-03
• 2025-04-08
• 17 pages
• 2 documents
• 651655
• 686300

Exemptions Cited

• Information not held

Original Request

In relation to recruitment within Manx Care, can you confirm: 1. How often Manx Care came into existence in April 2021 has Manx Care used an off-Island recruitment firm to recruit to vacancies within Manx Care? 2. What tender process is followed to find such a firm? 3. What the cost per year has been using off-Island recruitment firms since April 2021? 4. What considerations are given when deciding to advertise a vacancy with an off-Island agency?

Data Tables (2)

Full Response Text

Recruitment agency engagement guidance framework Isle of Man Public Service Working together for the Isle of Man Introduction

3 Do I really need to use an Agency?

4 What options do I have?

4 How can I make my advert engaging?

5 Financial Governance

6 Things to think about when engaging an Agency to recruit for you 7 Agency Selection Process

8

Contract Provisions

9 Other things to think about

13

• Ethics

13

• How will you fill these vacancies in future?

14 Need any support?

14 Contents Working together for the Isle of Man We have an in-house Recruitment Team in the Office of Human Resources that exists to support all of your recruitment needs across all Government Departments/Boards/Offices. This minimises the need to use Recruitment Agencies to source employees/workers. However, there are specific areas of expertise, particularly in areas subject to National or International shortage, where cost-effective Recruitment Agency use is appropriate.

This guidance framework is intended to help you plan your approach and navigate the process of engaging with Recruitment Agencies successfully.

The scope of this guidance includes the use of Agencies for Permanent recruitment (and Temporary/Locum support for specialist Healthcare roles). It excludes reference to Agency provision of Temporary Administrative and Secretarial Staff as this is already covered by an existing Government contract with Island based providers. If this is what you need click here to access the latest information https://hr.gov.im/policies- procedures-codes-guidance-and-forms/sourcing-a-temporary-worker/
Introduction Working together for the Isle of Man 3 Do I really need to use an Agency? Before you start, think about whether you have exhausted all opportunities to fill the job using our in-house recruitment team. Agency recruitment can be a costly option so if you haven’t tried to fill one of these jobs for a while or have not had enhanced support from the Talent Acquisition Service (TAS) yet, contact them first on 651655.

If you do need to use an Agency, flag your intention to do so to TAS anyway. There’s likely to be tasks we can help you with to minimise costs and, for permanent recruitment, we can be ready to process your offers and pre-employment checks more quickly if we know you are in the process of sourcing candidates through an Agency. Working together for the Isle of Man What options do I have? 4 There are a few in-house options you can try first before reaching out to a Recruitment Agency. Options A Options B  Try open recruitment in the first instance if not already done so  Try re-advertising, looking at a wider audience (UK, further afield) if not already done so as well as offering a relocation package  Sponsor a targeted and engaging post on social media  Use engaging videos and/or employee testimonials as part of advertising materials  Engage TAS to review advertising materials and research advertising options  If salary is an issue, contact OHR to complete a market rating exercise If you have a tried two options from list A and one option from list B then it would be fair to say you have tested the market and the recruitment expertise within OHR, therefore a Recruitment Agency may be a next step. How can I make my advert engaging? Working together for the Isle of Man 5 We want you to have the best advert possible to attract great candidates for your role, so it’s really worth spending some time carefully thinking about what you’d like to put in your job advert.

Have a think about the role and how you want to recruit to it. Some things you should consider include:  Why would this role would be attractive to someone?
 If there are other posts similar to this in other organisations, what would make someone chose to work in this role?  What are the key activities the new post-holder will be doing?  What benefits will this role offer?  What development opportunities are there in this role?  Is there anything unique or exciting about this role?  What type of culture can your team or division offer the new post- holder?

Your advert needs to be attractive to candidates and highlight what you have to offer and why they should choose us as their employer of choice.

The Sourcing Team will get in touch with you to go through this in more detail once your advert has been approved. Should you have any questions in the meantime, the Sourcing Team can be contacted on 686300 Option 1. Working together for the Isle of Man The sourcing, contracting and payment of services from a Recruitment Agency/Agencies is covered by Financial Direction C: Buying and Making Payments of the Isle of Man Public Service Financial Regulations. Here’s the link: https://www.gov.im/media/1366335/isle-of-man-government- financial-regulations-july-2019.pdf For the range of costs listed below, the relevant sections of the Regulations are as follows:  Less than or up to £10,000 – C8  Less than or up to £100,000 - C8  Over £100,000 - C9 If you wish to seek any exemption from this Financial Direction, for example, if you would like your Procurement Exercise to have more focus on the quality of candidates an Agency can provide, without cost being the overriding factor, FPN A.01 of the Financial Regulations describes the steps to take. You can complete the Financial Waiver form linked below: http://edrm/sites/Treasury/RA/AAD/_layouts/listform.aspx? PageType=8&ListId=%7bC8A84376-1F33-4E1F-859A-4FF8D3D6CF87% 7d&RootFolder

Remember that when considering the costs above to your Agency use you will need to aggregate it over:  The full term of the proposed contract (including any extension options)  Over a period of three years in the absence of an end date Do you need help to navigate a Procurement/Tender Exercise? No problem, talk to the Procurement Team in the Attorney General’s Chambers, and they will be happy to offer support through the process. Contact them on 685562. 6 Financial Governance Get clarity on what you will want from them as an outcome:  How many vacancies are you looking to fill?  What type/s of vacancy/ies are they?  What are the timescales you will be working to? When are you aiming to have your candidates in place?

Ensure that you:  have accurate and up to date job descriptions/person specifications for your vacancy/ies  identify a lead contact in your Department to be available for the Agency you engage and throughout the recruitment of candidates (particularly if it’s for more than one vacancy) to ensure that the process is managed well and any issues get resolved quickly

To be clear on this may take some thinking and preparation time but it is time well spent to get the most from your recruitment campaign. Things to think about when engaging an Agency to recruit for you. Working together for the Isle of Man 7 There are many recruitment agencies, specialising in all types of recruitment and often dedicated to a particular industry or profession. Choosing which agency to use is an important step in the recruitment process. Here are some questions you may wish to ask prospective agencies before engaging them to help support your role.  How are fees set? Using salary scale or set fee per placement? Are fees only paid for successfully appointed candidates as opposed to candidates sent to managers and if so will managers still be carrying out recruitment directly?  What size is your agency?  What is your advertising/sourcing process?  Does the agency get involved in any support for candidates in obtaining visa’s and if so what is the time to hire figure like?  Is a rebate available should the candidate leave, how much is repaid to the organisation and is it on a sliding scale?  How many applications will they pass forward per vacancy and what kind of screening process will they undertake of the candidates before they are put forward – is it just qualifications and experience or do they carry out any other screening actions?  Do they carry out reference checks? If so, what is the process?  Are you an Agency that specialises in (your particular profession) recruitment?  If yes, what in particular do you offer that differentiates you from other Agencies?  How many clients do you have recruiting to these positions? How many candidates do you support during the year and how many placements do you make a year?  Can we approach any of your clients for testimonials of the candidate standard and working relationship? Agency Selection Process Working together for the Isle of Man 8 Contract Provisions Working together for the Isle of Man When contracting with an Agency, you will have the flexibility to:  work within the standard contract provided by the chosen Agency  create your own contract with the support of the Attorney General’s Chambers team  agree on a hybrid of both through conversations with your selected Agency through the Procurement/Tender process The Attorney General’s Chambers can help you with a suggested contract template.

We would recommend that a Recruitment Agency contract includes: 1. Who will do what Set clear expectations between you and the Agency. Agreeing who will be responsible for what and what specifically you want them to do is important. This could include any or all of the following:  Advertise for you and/or identify candidates from their existing list of candidates  Undertake an initial sift (using our/their decision making processes) – we would recommend using ours with your job person specifications and Isle of Man Public Service People Qualities as a basis  Interview/assess (using our/their decision making processes) – as above, we would recommend ours and it is a requirement for an internal recruitment panel to be actively involved in this process so that you can make fully informed decisions on the suitability of candidates for appointment to the Isle of Man Public Service 9 Working together for the Isle of Man  Undertake pre-employment checks (for permanent employment the Recruitment Team will undertake many of these and make the formal offer to the candidate; for temporary appointments, the onus will be on the Agency checks)  Liaise with candidates on travel/meet and greets

1. Your approach to communications between you and the Agency Who will work with/contact who and what will be the frequency of contact – e.g. do you need a weekly progress report so that you are kept informed throughout the recruitment process?

2. The freedom to seek to exclude any candidates who may apply/approach you outside of this Agency
   Only candidates provided directly by the Agency should be subject to a fee.
   We would also recommend avoiding the signing of an “exclusive” contract wherever possible, particularly if other Government Departments may use an Agency to seek candidates for similar roles.

3. That you, as the employer, have the final say in offering employment Also, should a seemingly suitable candidate ultimately be found to be unsuitable during pre-employment checks, confirm what will happen and what it means in relation to any fees.

4. The term of the Agency contract From and to, plus any potential for extension you wish to make available by mutual agreement. 10

5. A clear breakdown of costs There’s lots to consider here:  Be clear on the recruitment fee that you will be subject to and at what point the fee becomes payable  If it’s a permanent position, is it a percentage of annual salary/ finder’s fee/tiered fee based on the type of role?  If it’s a temporary position, is it a % cost for each week/month work is undertaken? Get clarity on the breakdown of salary and Agency fees  How often will fees be payable/at what point in the recruitment?  Are there any maximums you need to put in place in terms of costs/referral points if a maximum is reached?  If you are considering an overarching contract for a range of vacancies that may arise over time, is there an annual fee in addition to a fee for each recruitment? If so, what will you get for your money for this?  Will the Agency be supplying candidates from an existing pool or undertaking marketing activities to attract candidates? If the latter, ensure that any costs for this, e.g. advertising, website design, video content, social media, job boards, publications are clear and specific to retain control of costs  Who will pay for travel costs for candidates? If it is your Department as the prospective employer, consider building in the normal maximums that apply for off-Island candidates/provide a specific cap to limit costs (and when they will be paid to the Agency/Candidate)  What happens if a permanent candidate leaves within a short period? Include a cost rebate in the contract to cover you, should that happen – you may wish to tier it depending on the time period, e.g. within first 12 months £X, within 12-18 months £Y. Some agencies may request in their contract that they are Working together for the Isle of Man 11 offered an opportunity to replace rather than refund in this instance, if so it is important to consider in the contract whether there is a timescale in place for this and what happens if you refuse the offered candidate.

6. Candidate vetting arrangements Be clear on what you expect to already be checked by the time a candidate is put forward, for example:  Essential qualifications required for the job  Membership of a specific professional body or register
    Eligibility to work in the UK and work permits if this is required  Any standard security checks for the profession (we may repeat some of these checks for permanent staff during pre-employment checks but they provide initial reassurance and save you wasting your time if a candidate has an unsuccessful check)
   Include here the requirement to have access to copies of the checks, so you have visibility of them/the ability to audit checks if required. Also, include a liability clause for the Agency for candidate vetting. This is intended to cover you should checks be found not to have been adequately completed.

7. Provision to specifically prohibit the Agency from making subsequent contact with successful candidates to canvas for other vacancies. Some agencies will time interactions to avoid a cost rebate but will retain candidates on their books and actively approach them again. This is mainly relevant to permanent appointments but may also be important to protect the

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