MYFUTURE Education and Careers Guide 2021/22

The Most Innovative Law Firm in Europe
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What are you currently doing
to encourage an inclusive
and diverse environment at
your firm?
Pinsent Masons is fundamentally
a 'people' business, working hard
to develop and sustain an inclusive
and healthy culture which prioritises
wellbeing and belonging. This
means creating a workplace where
people with different talents,
cultures and outlooks benefit from
working together.
Over the last 12 months we have
featured in the top 12 most inclusive
businesses in Europe in the
Financial Times Diversity Leaders
Report; been ranked as a top five
inclusive employer in Britain for the
fifth consecutive year by Stonewall
in its Workplace Equality Index 2020;
been recognised as a Disability
Confident employer; ranked as a
Times Top 50 Employer for Women;
and as a Top 10 Employer for
Working Families.
We believe that embedding a culture
in which all our employees feel
empowered to bring their whole
selves to work requires ongoing
commitment and the continuous
implementation of transformational
steps to promote progress.
How do you create a work
environment that supports
health and wellbeing for all in
one of the largest law firms?
We are committed to ending the
stigma around mental health and
promoting good mental health and
well being across the business. We
have developed a Mental Health
Plan; our Disability and Wellbeing
Network continues to go from
114
strength to strength; and we have
a growing team of over 300 Mental
Health Champions.
A wide range of wellbeing, resilience
and mental health awareness
training is also available to all staff.
Over 36% of colleagues joined
sessions as part of our annual
Wellbeing Month and our response
to the global pandemic.
We are proud to be a co-founder of
The Mindful Business Charter (MBC),
a bilateral collaboration between
service providers and clients,
based on four pillars; openness and
respect, smart meetings and emails,
respecting rest periods and mindful
delegation.
By identifying and tackling the
root causes of unnecessary stress,
the MBC is able to promote better
mental health and wellbeing,
re-establishing some of the
boundaries between our personal
and professional lives. The MBC has
helped move the dial in respect of
attitudes towards mental health and
wellbeing in businesses and reducing
avoidable stress.
You have made a film – 'Talk
about Race' – providing an
insight into some barriers your
own colleagues have faced.
Tell us why you made the film.
In early 2018, we formally launched
Sun in our UK, Middle East and
Australia offices. Sun identifies the
barriers to recruitment and career
progression which may be faced
by people due to their race, colour
or ethnicity. Sun aims to create a
better balance of race and ethnicity
within our workforce and a better
workplace for all.
Following an extensive consultation
carried out by D&I consultants,
Brook Graham, we identified a
series of recommendations to be
implemented across the firm as part
of Sun including the development of
our 'We Need to Keep Talking About
Race' programme which focuses
on upskilling people to better
understand the different diversity
dimensions in play across our global
business.
A significant theme that emerged
from that consultation was that
there seemed to be a silence around
race and ethnicity in the legal sector.
Some felt that this was due to a
lack of confidence around how to
talk about race, and others were
unsure of the language to use. Many
said that myths and stereotypes
continued to exist which had the
effect of stifling progress. As a
result, we created ‘Talk about Race’
using some of the quotes that
were gathered during consultation,
along with other widely recognised
themes from the legal sector.
Additional actions include Reciprocal
Mentoring, Group Mentoring and
Real Role Model programmes.
In 2020 we launched a supporting
film, 'Talk About Race', to debunk
the myths and stereotypes around
race. Since launching the film,
membership of our FREE (Faith,
Race, Ethnicity and Equality)
network has increased by 44%.
Our work in this area continues
and is led by our Sun Delivery Board.
Our stance on racial injustice is
clear. There is simply no room for
racism or prejudice, and we are
committed to creating inclusion,
respect and a place where
differences are valued.