We are committed to developing and supporting a diverse workplace that is reflective of the talents of society as a whole and that recognises high performers regardless of age, disability, gender, race/ethnicity, religion/belief or sexual orientation. Indeed, it is for this reason that we are a proud signatory of The Law Society’s Diversity and Inclusion Charter. By respecting and including every individual, we will encourage innovation and creativity and contribute to the firm’s objective to become a truly client-led organisation.
Our Diversity & Inclusion programme aims to provide structure and formality around what is already a very supportive and respectful firm culture. The programme is led by the Diversity & Inclusion Committee who advise on its strategic direction and annual plans, work with management on firm policies or related issues, and provide support and guidance for the firm’s networks.
Diversity & Inclusion is in addition to our vast Corporate & Social Responsibility (CSR) programme. Click here for more on CSR.
Policies
Recognising that the starting point for creating a supportive and open workplace environment is our policies, we have introduced the following:
- Equality & diversity policy
- Unfair treatment (anti-bullying) policy
- Maternity, paternity and adoption leave policies
- Flexible working policy
- Inclusive dress code
These policies are inclusive of all six strands of diversity: gender, race, sexual orientation, age, disability and religion or belief.
We regularly monitor our policies to ensure that they comply with equalities legislation and reflect current best practice.
Diversity and Inclusion Week
In July 2011, we hosted our first Diversity and Inclusion Week at CMS Cameron McKenna. The week was hugely successful and is set to become an annual event in the firm’s calendar. This week will serve to promote our diversity and inclusion programme and encourage people to think about what it means for them, the firm and our clients.
Networks
Our employee network groups have been set up by our employees to provide members with support and guidance within the firm, and provide a forum for people to meet others in the business community with common interests. It is open to any employee to set up a network group, and we actively encourage this by providing the assistance of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee and other resources of the firm.
We currently have four formal networks in the firm that are open to all partners, employees, business support and contractors, both non-legal and legal; Christians’ Network, LGBT Network, Women’s Network and the Hindu Network. Each network has a page on the firm’s intranet site.
Our Diversity and Inclusion Partner and Co-Chair of our LGBT network, Daniel Winterfeldt, is also the founder and co-chair of the award-winning Interlaw Diversity Forum for the LGBT networks.
Recent notable achievements include:
• We are proud to support Special Olympics who provide year round sports competition for people with intellectual disabilities in a two-year partnership
• Hosting a table at the Stonewall gala dinner at the Dorchester Hotel on 7 April 2011
• Co-sponsoring the annual Interlaw Diversity Forum for LGBT Networks’ Winter Carnival, held at The Club at The Ivy, on 7 February 2011
Continuous Improvements
We want to keep a track on how we are doing. To that end:
- We conduct regular employee surveys to find out what our people think. We recently conducted a diversity and social mobility survey to get feedback about our first Diversity & Inclusion Week in July. Over 450 people completed the survey which meant we also raised £2,290 for our charity partner, Special Olympics GB.
- We benchmark our performance against other employers, both legal and non-legal. For example, we are an active participant in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index. Although this is an LGBT-centric index, applying its requirements to all strands of diversity enables us to drive forward all aspects of our Diversity & Inclusion initiative
- Our Diversity & Inclusion Committee meets [bi-monthly] to discuss the progress of our diversity and inclusion initiative, review employee surveys and support our networks
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