This Armed Forces Day, HC-One is proud to announce that we have signed the Armed Forces Covenant as part of its commitment to being an inclusive employer and to support the Armed Forces community.
By signing the Armed Forces Covenant, we acknowledge and understand the needs of the Armed Forces community, such as:
● Actively providing employment opportunities to the Armed Forces community
● Ensuring that no member of the Armed Forces community faces disadvantage because of their service
● Special consideration may be provided to those who are injured or bereaved.
We are proud to sign the Armed Forces Covenant as a promise to those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces and their families to be treated fairly.
HC-One also invites members of the Armed Forces community to consider a career in care, a sector with a number of different roles and opportunities on offer to make a difference to the lives of residents living in its care homes. This pledge actively promotes employment opportunities to the Armed Forces; provides employment promotion to members of the Armed Forces community; civic responsibilities and to be an equal opportunity employer.
Kevina Turnbull, Head of Resourcing at HC-One, commented:
“We are delighted at HC-One to have chosen to sign the Armed Forces Covenant to demonstrate our organisation’s support for the Armed Forces community and the principles of the Covenant.
“We hope these steps demonstrate HC-One’s aim to commit to being an inclusive employer and also encourage members of the Armed Forces community to consider exploring a rewarding career in care.”
Mark Meacham, aged 53, who is Head of Catering and Housekeeping Support Services at HC-One served for 24 years in the Armed Forces, joining at the age of 16 years old in 1988 as an apprentice and left in 2011. After leaving the Forces, Mark pursued a career in another trade as a Fibre Optic Engineer, but his passion was in catering. Mark applied for the role of Hospitality Specialist at HC-One in 2015, which was Mark’s first experience of working in catering and the social care sector, and he has never looked back since. Mark has continued to progress and develop in his career at HC-One becoming Head of Catering & Housekeeping Support Services in 2020.
Mark Meacham, Head of Catering and Housekeeping Support Services at HC-One, stated:
“The difficulty for anyone leaving the Armed Forces is the ability for them to transfer the skills they have gained during their career into what is wanted in civilian terminology, and too often they undersell themselves.
“HC-One judge people on their life experience, understanding that what is written on paper is not necessarily what you get and can see the potential in well trained, disciplined, and trustworthy people who will work hard and will never let you down.”
To find out more about careers at HC-One, visit our careers website.