Boots and Boots Opticians pledged to support those who are a part of the military community by signing the Armed Forces Covenant.
Members of the Boots team, as well as active-duty and retired military personnel, attended the signing.
Boots Valor Business Resource Group seeks to make Boots an employer of choice for military people, veterans, and friends and family by offering a support network for team members in the Armed Forces community.
January 27, 2023 – By committing to the Armed Forces Covenant, Boots has promised to keep helping the UK’s military community.
On January 26, Boots Chief Customer and Category Officer Steve Ager and Mark Rigden, Head of Flagships, signed the Covenant at the Boots Opticians location on Lincoln High Street.
The Armed Forces Covenant is a voluntary commitment that Boots has made to provide excellent employment opportunities for Reserve Forces members and Veterans through an entirely inclusive hiring procedure. Additionally, Boots has created HR procedures to support Reserve Forces members with extended paid yearly leave entitlements for training and mobilisation times.
“Boots has a long tradition of supporting the Armed Forces in the UK, and we consider signing the Armed Forces Covenant as an opportunity to continue doing our part to support serving members and their families as well as veterans,” said Steve Ager, Boots Chief Customer and Category Officer.
Veterans who now work for Boots, including Hannah Harvey, a former RAF member who recently joined Boots as a Continuous Improvement Manager, as well as members of the Boots team attended the signing.
Boots provides Forces Families with fantastic work options and has more than 2,200 outlets nationwide. It acknowledges that Service Personnel may relocate at some point in their careers and makes an effort to support their spouse or partner as they relocate and pursue other job opportunities.
Boots established a Business Resource Group (BRG) called Valour in early 2022 with the goal of becoming the employer of choice for veterans, reservists, and family members and friends of those in the armed forces. At Boots, BRGs are created and operated by team members with the support of an executive sponsor in order to provide networking opportunities and foster inclusive workplaces.
Dr. Andrew Murrison, the minister for veterans, service members, and their families, said: “I am pleased to see Boots formalise their commitment to our veterans, Reserve members, and their families all over the UK. By doing this, they are pledging to provide our personnel with worthwhile career opportunities when they leave the military while still enabling them to significantly contribute to society.
Boots has long been a supporter of the military. With more than 170 years of retail experience, it offered vital pharmaceutical services during both World Wars, producing goods for the troops on the front lines as well as serving as a crucial support for the domestic front. During the Covid-19 outbreak, Boots also collaborated extensively with the Army, educating thousands of Army personnel in proper swabbing procedures when large-scale testing programmes were implemented.
Case Study – Hannah Harvey
Hannah is a Boots team member who made the transition from the RAF into civilian work. She served for 15 years in the RAF working across roles in logistics, explosives, fuels, warehousing and engineering, before taking a role at BMW, and later joining Boots as a Continuous Improvement Manager in its Transformation Team in August 2022.
On joining the Armed Forces, Hannah, said: “It was a role I picked because I wanted to travel, and I have family history in the Air Force and military with my Grandparents, Dad and four Uncles who all served in the Armed Forces. My Grandma served in the National Service, so I was definitely following in her footsteps.
“I went on tours to Iraq and Afghanistan and spent time in the UAE, the U.S. and the Falklands. The best work is definitely with the engineers and aircraft squadrons — you’re as close to the aircraft and the action as you would want to be!
“Once I returned to the UK, I was promoted into the RAF’s Continuous Improvement Cell, which is where my love for what I do now at Boots comes from.
“Once I made the decision to transition out to the RAF, I was very nervous. In my experience for someone coming out of the military, it really helps to be part of a large organization like Boots. You’re one part of a huge entity and it’s nice to be able to slot in and understand how your role plays into the whole.
“Right from the interview stage, I was making connections with other Boots team members who were ex RAF and Armed Forces. They really helped with making that connection and helping with the transition, speaking to me in a language that I understood and explaining how Boots operates.
“As part of the Valor Business Resource Group, you’re linking with people outside your immediate team who have already made that transition, which can be scary for a lot of people. We can offer each other support and advice and create a network of like-minded people.
“The key transferrable skills that help me in my role now are working well under pressure and adaptability – adapt and overcome as we say! In the military, there are so many talented people with these transferrable skills that can benefit bigger companies. We love a new challenge, and I think companies like Boots are seeing more and more the benefit they can get from recruiting members of the Armed Forces.
“Signing the Covenant is a brilliant step in making Boots a really attractive employer for people like myself and our friends and family members.”
About the Armed Forces Covenant
The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise by the nation ensuring that those who serve or who have served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly. More information about the Armed Forces Covenant and how to get involved is at https://www.armedforcescovenant.gov.uk/
