News
Pick Everard achieves the Ministry of Defence’s Silver Award
24 Jul 2024
Elizabeth Hardwick-Smith
Group People and Culture Director
The Ministry of Defence has announced the latest East Midlands winners of the highly-coveted Silver Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme. For 2024, Pick Everard was amongst seven Forces-friendly employers to be recognised for outstanding support to Reserves, Cadet Instructors, Military Spouses and Forces Families.
Winners will be celebrated at a special ceremony hosted by Gold Award holders Toyota later this year.
Strong show of support
To achieve the Silver Award, organisation must have first signed the Armed Forces Covenant and achieved the Bronze Award.
Building on that groundwork, they must then evidence how they are supporting Defence. Developing suitable HR policies to ensure service personnel are not disadvantaged as part of their recruitment and selection is key to this.
In addition, the employer must raise awareness of the policies with their staff, support Reservists’ training by providing at least 5 days’ additional leave, and demonstrate support to the Cadet movement.
Nominations are submitted by organisations themselves, validated by the Ministry of Defence, and then judged by a selection board – chaired by a senior military officer – against the criteria.
Overall, 542 companies have achieved either the Bronze, Silver or Gold Award in the East Midlands, with strong support from the construction, education, healthcare and transportation sectors.
“We are immensely proud to have been awarded the Armed Forces Covenant Silver Award. This recognition underscores our unwavering commitment to ensuring that those who serve or have served, along with their families, are treated with fairness and respect and enabled to thrive in our industry.
— Elizabeth Hardwick-Smith, Group People and Culture Director
"We uphold our pledge and values in continuing to support the armed forces community as they explore new opportunity and transfer their fantastic skills into our multi-disciplinary construction consultancy. The achievement of this award has been a true collaborative effort across our People and Culture team and our existing Armed Forces colleagues, one which we are all collectively honoured to be recognised for."
“Congratulations to this year’s cohort of Silver Award winners from the East Midlands.
— Fred Hopkins is the Head of Engagement at East Midlands Reserve Forces and Cadets Association
“I know how hard each organisation has worked to achieve this and the real impact their supportive policies will have on Reserves and Cadet Instructors in particular.
“These people are very much ‘twice the citizen’ and need our support as they juggle commitments to add great value to both military and civilian circles.”