I keep reading that the recession is over? There are an increasing number of indicators that seem to support this claim. When I was employed by BT I recall listening to and reading stuff from on high about the need to change as recession bites so we (BT) can emerge stronger and quicker. Makes sense, I can relate to that. I was surprised then to hear on last night’s news that BT is to halt its graduate recruitment scheme, at a time when we appear to be slowly emerging from a recession. Consciously shutting off a vital inflow of new talent. How does a move like that make BT stronger, or quicker?
In my humble opinion, the Grad community in BT was a very good one. A lively bunch, keen to learn and keen to bring their enthusiasm and new thinking to bear inside an organisation that’s extremely resistant to sustainable, purposeful change. I loved working with the Grads and was always happy to forgive their understandable lack of experience in exchange for their challenging, constructive attitude. Whether we like it or not, most large organisations have a tendency to wrap themselves around people and achieve conformity after a while, thus the Grads were a scarce and valuable resource. They created a culture within a culture, and they try hard to let that breathe and in turn, infuse the organisation. It’s a difference, and big business should be about integrating difference, without losing it. Tony Tjan writes compellingly about culture as competitive advantage. I like what he has to say and I think the Grads make a vital contribution to that aspect of the business.
BT is blaming recession and headcount reductions for the scheme’s cessation. That’s a shame. This small annual intake of new blood is vital for the organisation to thrive, it needs it. Against this backdrop BT says it needs to lose 15,000 people from the organisation. I don’t doubt that and my experience shows me it could and should lose many more. There are huge swathes of ineffective, fearful managers clogging up the machine. Insufficient numbers of them don’t add value, in fact they take it away from the business, and BT’s inability to rid itself of them at the expense of the Grads speaks volumes. I don’t blame these managers personally, the culture that exists within ferments fear, duplication and job justification among other things. That said I really don’t see how turning off a scheme that allows 130 new bright brains in every year is going to help take the company forward.
BT closes Grad recruitment scheme – how unimaginative, how dull. Who’s going to challenge the grey suits now?
