About
With constant change in the UK charity sector, there is a continuous need to innovate to ensure that every penny is directed to the cause. Due to constraints on costs, salaries can be less competitive and talent can be harder to attract.
The British Red Cross came to La Fosse because, like most charities, they were experiencing attrition within their Digital, Data, and Technology teams. Previously, they hired contractors to deliver specific pieces of work and then once they left, they would take the knowledge with them, making it hard to retain the IP and skills and then deliver future projects.
Requirement
We worked with the British Red Cross to shape the strategy for their delivery programme and deployed cross-functional teams to support with management, delivery, and governance across a portfolio of IT projects. These teams would not only focus on the delivery of their programmes but would also follow a handover process at the end of the project.
Whilst these cross-functional contractor teams allowed the British Red Cross to immediately fill their capability gaps and deliver key projects, we also helped them to create a pipeline of talent that would build their long-term capability and reduce their attrition rate at the same time.
We onboarded our Academy associates to work alongside these cross-functional teams on a two-year placement, with an option to make them permanent at the end of the term. The ongoing support from Academy’s Engagement Manager and the line managers at British Red Cross continues to upskill these associates so they can make a valuable contribution long-term, keeping the knowledge and skills within the business.
Solutions and results
Our Solutions team deployed cross-functional teams to ensure the utmost continuity in staffing levels – even if multiple contractors left within the same month – and that the delivery of strategic projects was not compromised.
Through La Fosse Academy, we helped the British Red Cross make significant cost savings in their hiring and created a pipeline of talent to reduce their attrition rate and build their long-term capability. By engaging our Academy as part of a blended solution, we were able to build a diverse, high-performing team that enabled the delivery of complex technology transformation and a legacy for the future. Our Academy associates ensure knowledge from the transformation is retained as, at the end of their placement, they transition to permanent employees.