Desmonde Associates Signs The Armed Forces Covenant
We are proud to announce that we have recently become a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant.
The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly.
“As a business, we already actively recruit former Armed Forces personnel and we are acutely aware of the sacrifices those who serve continue to make and by signing this covenant, we commit to supporting personnel, veterans and their families even further,” said Adam Desmonde BSc MSc, Managing Director, Desmonde Associates.
At Desmonde Associates Limited we will endeavour in our business dealings to uphold the key principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, which are:
• no member of the Armed Forces Community should face disadvantage in the provision of public and commercial services compared to any other citizen
• in some circumstances special treatment may be appropriate especially for the injured or bereaved
Demonstrating our Commitment
We recognise the value serving personnel, reservists, veterans and military families bring to our business and to our country. We will seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant, by:
Promoting the Armed Forces: promoting the fact that we are an Armed Forces-friendly organisation, to our staff, customers, suppliers, contractors and wider public.
Veterans: further support the employment of veterans, recognising their military skills and qualifications in our recruitment and selection process; working with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) to support the employment of Service leavers;
Service Spouses & Partners: supporting the employment of Service spouses and partners; partnering with the Forces Families Jobs Forum; and providing flexibility in granting leave for Service spouses and partners before, during and after a partner’s deployment.
Reserves: supporting our employees who are members of the Reserve Forces; granting additional paid/unpaid leave for annual Reserve Forces training; supporting any mobilisations and deployment; actively encouraging members of staff to become Reservists;
Offer guaranteed interviews for service leavers: we will actively look to recruit veterans, young and old, if they meet the selection criteria laid out in our job advertising and guarantee them an interview.
Cadet Organisations: supporting our employees who are volunteer leaders in military cadet organisations, granting additional leave to attend annual training camps and courses; actively encouraging members of staff to become volunteer leaders in cadet organisations; supporting local military cadet units; recognising the benefits of employing cadets/ex-cadets within the workforce.
National Events: supporting Armed Forces Day, Reserves Day, the Poppy Appeal Day and Remembrance activities;
Armed Forces Charities: supporting Armed Forces charities with fundraising and supporting staff who volunteer to assist;
Commercial Support: offering a 10% discount to members of the Armed Forces community in possession of a valid MoD Card 90 or Veterans Card;
Mental Health and Op COURAGE: We will actively encourage and signpost any individuals who may require mental health support from the Veterans’ Mental Health Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service (TILS).