Diversity & Inclusion
Organisations have so much to benefit from a diverse workforce and a safe and productive environment. More and more, the best talent in the market are choosing to work for businesses who build an inclusive culture and where they can bring their best contribution.
With increasing awareness and expectations from clients, regulators, suppliers and staff, investing in knowledge and advise can help not only ensure you adhere to regulatory requirements, but become a destination for the best people, facilitate growth, avoid discrimination and build an engaged workforce.
There are already mandatory reporting requirements for businesses of a certain size to track and disclose elements like gender pay gap, but we are now also seeing regulators like the FCA broadening these requirements and more can be expected in the future. We are passionate about our colleagues and are constantly striving to improve our own experience here at Irwin Mitchell and we bring that, together with our legal expertise, to help you and your business get the best out of your team. Our suite of services can help you start or evolve your journey towards a more diverse and inclusive workforce.
How Can We Help?
Our diversity and inclusion assessment will support you in assessing where you are on your journey to become a diverse and inclusive employer and how you can unlock the significant benefits that this will bring for your employees and your business. It will inform a measurable strategy which aligns with your values and identifies clear steps for implementation.
We’ll undertake an in-depth assessment of your organisation to pinpoint where you are on your diversity and inclusion journey. We will:
- Review your people processes from start to finish. We’ll spend time in your business and take the pulse of your working environment to assess whether your core values are being reflected across your company.
- Create a report detailing our findings, alongside achievable recommendations for meaningful change and potential for inclusion in your D&I strategy.
- Help to formulate your D&I strategy by reviewing our recommendations report and setting out clear and measurable aims and goals.
- Formulate a follow-up plan to assist and support you with the implementation and communication of your D&I strategy.
For more information please email diversityESG@irwinmitchell.com or call 0161 259 0864.
We can help compliance with equality legislation by:
- Reviewing, updating or creating employment contracts, policies and staff handbooks
- Guiding you through any situations or disputes to minimise the risk of a claim
- Providing training (to groups or individuals) and seminars across the UK to keep you updated on developments in discrimination law and on unconscious bias
- Facilitating mediation to resolve any dispute
- Negotiating departures and settlement agreements
- Representing you at an Employment Tribunal if a claim is made against you
- Guiding you through the process of a legal claim.
We deliver bespoke and off the shelf training aimed at managers and colleagues, in person and online to help improve understanding and awareness of key practices to successfully getting the best out of a diverse workforce.
Bespoke in person training will be designed to your organisation and delivered by experienced employment lawyers who know the ins and outs of your sector.
New Digital Training Modules
Digital training modules will be available from March 2023.
- D & I modules developed by Employment Lawyers and D & I specialists
- Delivered online with multiple modules and assessments
- Completion and results monitored & reported
- Certificates issued
- Tailored by sector where appropriate.
Diversity & Inclusion at Irwin Mitchell
"Being an inclusive employer where all talent feel they can succeed and contribute and become the best they can is at the heart of our culture. Our Board and senior management as well as all our colleagues are totally focused on engineering a culture of fairness and diverse mind-sets and we believe that this is a business goal that will continue to enable us to best serve our clients and be a high performing organisation."
Susana Berlevy, Group Chief People Officer | Irwin Mitchell
Diversity & Inclusion at Irwin Mitchell
The Human Touch
Our latest marketing campaign features real Irwin Mitchell clients sharing their powerful personal stories about working with us.
But it’s also special for another reason – we believe that it was made by the most inclusive production team ever.
Inclusivity for disabled people is hugely important to us at Irwin Mitchell and we wanted our new campaign to reflect that.
Read more about The Human Touch - An Inclusive Campaign
As an Employment Partner, Diversity & Inclusion has always been a passion. With an increased focus on ESG, we've seen D&I starting to make the board minutes and that's exciting. As a parent of a neuro diverse child, the right for all to be treated with dignity and respect and to be valued for their own unique contribution provides even more motivation to be part of making a difference.
I'm a Diversity and Inclusion expert and help organisations review their activities and culture, identify where they can make a real difference reflecting their customers and employees, develop a short- and long-term strategy and then deliver that strategy.
View Charlotte's Profile
Sustainability in business is about making a difference beyond short-term interests to build a better and fairer world for people and the planet with our finite level of resources. It doesn’t mean that business should not generate profit (far from it) but it’s long term value generation that will make the difference and comes from taking responsibility and having shared purpose at the centre.
When asked why this is important and urgent it brings to mind a quote from a film favourite - "There's a storm coming… batten down the hatches, because when it hits, you're all gonna wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us."
View Hannah's Profile
Contact Details
For all ESG enquiries, please contact Charlotte Rees-John, Partner, by phone or email.
Sectors
Our specialist sports lawyers have in-depth knowledge of the sports sector, many of them coming from sporting clubs and organisations themselves. They bring this passion and experience to a broad spectrum of ESG related services tailored to this industry, from corporate governance and compliance to environmental planning of a new stadium to awareness training on Diversity and Inclusion. For more information visit our Sport Sector ESG page.
The manufacturing sector is at the forefront of both the challenges and opportunities of building a sustainable business. From energy and emissions and waste management to responsible sourcing and large diverse workforces and work environments, our multi-disciplinary team of experts can help with achieving both the short-term wins and long-term goals. For more information visit our Manufacturing Sector ESG page.
Whether you are a developer, investor or occupier, there are significant considerations to ensure that properties are built and operated efficiently and responsibly. Our expert legal teams can advise across multiple real estate sectors to assist you in complying with regulations and managing the environmental and social impact of any property or development. From implementing of green leases and issuing of environmental permits to sophisticated environmental planning expertise, the team can guide you to achieve your ESG goals. For more information visit our Real Estate Sector ESG page.
Consumer facing and retail businesses are often in the spotlight when it comes to being responsible businesses. Fair labour practices, hyper consumerism and waste, safe working environments, packaging and marketing claims are all in a day’s work for these businesses. Our diverse team of consumer and retail specialists can advise on how to anticipate and plan for ESG considerations in this fast-moving environment to protect your business and ensure sustainable growth. For more information visit our Consumer Sector ESG page.
