A BROADER NAME MEANS BIGGER DISCUSSIONS – AND WHY WE’RE CONFIDENT OUR MEMBERS ARE ‘THE BEST’
Big news – we’ve changed our name! Here, the Club’s founder, Tanya de Grunwald, explains why – and what it means for new and existing Club Members…
2020 VISION: Tanya addresses the Club at our Members’ Winter Lunch (at the Delaunay restaurant in Covent Garden, 13 January 2020). Guests included representatives from Google, Channel 4, KPMG, AstraZeneca, EY, BT, Lloyd’s of London and many more
What’s happening?
Tanya: “The Graduate Fog Employers Club has changed its name to the Good + Fair Employers Club. We are proud to have built a vibrant and thriving community of the UK’s best employers of young people, and our Members’ shared commitment to be ‘good and fair’ to them forms the beating heart of the Club. Essentially, our name is simply catching up with what our fantastic Members have already shaped the Club to become.”
So the Club isn’t just about graduates?
“It never really was. Initially, our launch name made sense as the Club comes from the makers of the campaigning careers website Graduate Fog. However, we quickly realised there was room to broaden the Club’s scope in line with demand from our Members, who were keen to extend discussions to include apprentices, school leavers and undergraduates – i.e. not just graduates. In response to that, our events are now themed around issues (not segmented groups) which impact early careers overall, such as diversity and inclusion, fair access, retention, organisational culture and mental health.”
OUR MEMBERS: These pioneering brands have all signed up to our new member checklist, promising they pay their interns, recruit from a wide variety of colleges and universities, and reply to every application they receive
Is ‘The UK’s best firms for young people’ a new tagline?
“Well spotted! We discovered we are the only Club for employers that asks prospective Members to pass a test before they can join, so we want to award our Members with the recognition they deserve for the great work they do with their early careers intake, by making it clear that they are one of the UK’s best firms for young people to work for. The Good + Fair Employers Club is primarily a training, knowledge-sharing and networking community for early careers professionals, but we recognise there is also a valuable employer branding boost to be gained from telling young job seekers that your organisation is a paid-up Member of our Club. And, as we’re keen to give our earliest supporters the greatest amount of kudos, young job seekers will also be able to look up when each Member joined the Club, cementing your reputation as a pioneer.”
Does the Club still offer the same benefits as before?
“Yes, although we’ve taken this opportunity to sharpen our offering in places, so you’ll notice improvements to some of your favourite Club Member benefits. For example, our spring and autumn events are now Training Breakfasts, which we encourage our Members’ to bring their whole team along to. Our summer and winter events are Knowledge-sharing Members’ Lunches. We also provide personalised logins for our online archive of white paper reports from our previous events, so new Club Members can quickly catch up on what they’ve missed.”
JOIN THE CLUB: Our Members meet four times a year to discuss their latest challenges and successes within the early careers space. Click this collage to find out more about the Club’s other benefits, and our membership fee
Can you help with recruitment?
“Yes. In fact, we’ve already helped several Club Members, writing co-created Graduate Fog content for them, and making introductions to our network of youth organisations and other specialists – for example, if they’re looking for more female, BAME or disabled candidates. In addition, Club Members will receive a new Badge of Honour (below) which we encourage then to display, to show they’re a certified good employer of young people. We’ve also made it easier to connect with their fellow Club Members in between events, so they can ask their peers at other big UK employers for help or advice at any time. Organisations from dramatically different sectors are already comparing notes and helping each other out – which is fascinating to see.”
What is happening to Graduate Fog, the website?
“Graduate Fog’s name won’t change – and the website will remain primarily a campaigning blog and careers advice resource for student and graduate job seekers. As before, Club Members seeking to engage with graduates online will be able to create and license editorial on Graduate Fog, for an additional charge.”
What should a company do if they’re interested in joining the Club?
“We love meeting forward-thinking employers, and welcome the opportunity to explain more about the Club in person. Just message me via this form, or find me on LinkedIn to schedule a meeting. The Good + Fair Employers Club is growing fast, and we have only scratched the surface of what’s possible when brilliant organisations come together to share their expertise and solutions. This is an exceptionally exciting time.”
PRESSING FOR CHANGE: The Financial Times profiled Tanya and the Club in May 2019
