Punch 'steals' Hardys' recruitment guide

Punch Taverns has owned up to "borrowing" large chunks of a recruitment manual used by its managers from regional brewer Hardys & Hansons.

More than 20 pages of Punch's BRM User Guide to Recruitment are virtually identical to the Information for Interviews guide written by Hardys & Hansons to help with the recruitment of managers.

Despite the fact that buzzwords like "sharing best practice" are common currency in HR and recruitment, Nottinghamshire brewer Hardys, which operates around 230 pubs, confessed it was surprised to discover Punch, the UK's second biggest operator with more than 7,000 pubs, has followed its lead quite so closely.

At one stage in the Punch guide, interviewers are even advised to help put candidates at their ease by saying: "Thank you for applying to Hardys & Hansons."

The Punch document was introduced by the company's chief operating officer Adrian Fawcett, who says one of its aims is "to help ensure we maintain an extremely professional approach to the whole recruitment process".

Hardys & Hansons retail director Jonathan Webster (pictured)​ said the company was "flattered" that Punch had found its manual so useful.

"If Punch requires any further clarification or advice on recruitment, we'd be happy to help out. It would be good and in the spirit of co-operation if it made a contribution to the time and expense we have incurred in developing this recruitment approach."

A spokesperson for Punch Taverns said: "We have been in contact with Hardys & Hanson to clarify the situation and to offer our apologies for what was a genuine mistake on an internal document. The error followed the sharing of best practice at a recruitment managers forum.

"We would like to compliment Hardys & Hansons on its guide and hope to keep the lines of communication open in the future."