A UNISON for recruiting and engaging new starters
Recruit / Engage / Retain
First impressions are important.
Members stay in membership and get more involved when they understand that their values align with UNISON – this cannot be achieved by a short presentation at an induction, in isolation.
UNISON’s National Strategic Organising Unit has developed a best practice strategy for (1) recruiting new starters into membership, and then (2) making sure new members are engaged with their UNISON branch, from the start of their employment.
The strategy is split into four elements:
- Element 1 is gaining access to new starters, including lists of new starters, with contact info, from the employer
- Element 2 is building a branch membership and recruitment team (MaRT)
- Element 3 is ensuring that your UNISON branch attends every induction, then makes follow-up contacts with every new starter
- Element 4 is mapping and tracking new starters
On the strategy document, the four elements are displayed as a cycle, as you do not need to have everything in place in Element 1, before you make progress on Element 2, 3 or 4. Once you make progress on any of the elements, it will become easier to make progress with the others.
The ambitious new strategy and tool-kit of resources need to be tailored to your branch and each different employer where you have recognition, building up to having all four elements fully functioning, over time.
- Strategy document: Recruiting-and-Engaging-New-Starters-Strategy-Elements.pdf
- Resources tool-kit: Recruiting and Engaging New Starters | UNISON National
- Webinar recording: https://youtu.be/VsaEd-24UZg