For the management team that has created an environment where anyone can feel comfortable and has a chance to shine, regardless of gender, sexuality, race, religion, disability, personality type or thinking style.
2017 winner
Hogan Lovells
Hogan Lovell’s vision has been to promote good health in their business and embed a culture of inclusion by very visibly and proactively supporting those affected by mental health issues.
We thought that this was aninspiring business strategy and provided for the building of a very inclusive culture and significant improvements in the whole firm’s wellbeing and subsequent productivity. This was awhole business initiativestarted in 2013, led from the top that resulted ina major change in corporate culture, impacting everyone from top to bottom.
At the heart of the strategy was the desire to create an inclusive work environment where people can be themselves, but Mental Health is often seen as taboo and leads to feelings of isolation.
So, they set about breaking the stigma of mental health, using it as the lever to deliver a wide-ranging programme of initiatives that have endured and have ensured their people feel well looked after, look after themselves and their teams better and feel included.
This has led to improved performance from a workforce who feel more motivated, have more energy and sleep better,with lower private health claim costs and fewer days off. Clients have noticedthe improved performance in aservice they really appreciate.
Winner’s quote: “Being able to talk openly about our mental wellbeing is vital. Through a variety of initiatives, we are making progress in tackling the stigma around mental health and encouraging our people to have these important conversations. Ensuring an open and inclusive working environment, where each of us can be ourselves, is a priority we take very seriously at Hogan Lovells and we are very proud that this has been recognised by MPF.” Susan Bright, Regional Managing Partner, UK & Africa, Hogan Lovells
From left: Austin Healey, Nicholas Cheffings, Elizabeth Kerry, Alison Unsted,
Susan Bright and Dr Ellie Decamp (The Sutton Trust)
Joint 2nd place
Deloitte
Diversity is an outcome of an inclusive culture. Culture is a critical element of Deloitte’s 2020 business strategy. They are committed to helping their people build inspiring and rewarding careers in an inclusive environment. Agile working, hiring from diverse backgrounds and being the professional services firm of choice for Women are all specific areas the firm is focussed on to deliver their strategy.
We liked this submission because it was led from the top, was firm wide and culture was at the heart of it. Trust, respect and open and honest communication were the clear values underpinning their work and the programme was launched with a film, ‘Ask yourself…’ that has had over 70,000 hits on YouTube and has not only won a raft of awards, but has been requested for use by Clients and a number of other organisations. Their people can ‘feel’ the difference and are proud of what they have achieved. All Partners and Managers participated in their Respect and Inclusion workshops and Clients and external organisations are asking for advice on sharing their journey.
Travers Smith
Travers Smith have created an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves and reach their potential. They celebrate the individuality of their people and leverage differences to achieve better results and to better service their Clients and communities. Their Clients have commented that the diversity week programme reflects the ethos of the firm and 97% of their people feel creating an inclusive workplace is a priority for the firm.
We liked this submission because it was a multifaceted programme that has been developed and delivered over a sustained period and was initiated with a very successful bottom up approach to staff engagement, starting with a diversity week, which is unusual for such a large-scale initiative. In particular, the Partnership with The Women’s Sport Trust, ‘Be a game changer’ harnessed the power of sport to lead and create a more inclusive workplace.
2017 SPONSOR
OTHER SHORTLISTED FIRMS
BDO
Berwin Leighton Paisner
Boodle Hatfield