Burges Salmon has joined the Mindful Business Charter (MBC), a practical framework that supports businesses to commit to healthier and more effective ways of working.
At an event marking World Mental Health Day, Burges Salmon will pledge its commitment to abide by a set of principles centred on openness and respect for each other, improved communication, respect for working hours and considerate delegation of tasks.
In signing the charter, the firm joins a wide range of businesses and professional service firms around the world in a collective commitment to address the avoidable stresses in our working practices, to promote healthier and more effective ways of working. The Charter, originally launched by Barclays and law firms Pinsent Masons and Addleshaw Goddard in October 2018, brings organisations and their service providers together to reach a shared agenda for mental health and wellbeing.
The MBC works to ‘rehumanise’ the workplace and encourages individuals within businesses to be more thoughtful about the impact we have on each other. It provides a common language built on four pillars: openness and respect, smart meetings and communications, respecting rest periods, and mindful delegation.
The MBC also has the support of mental health charity Mind, the City Mental Health Alliance, the International Bar Association, the Law Societies of England and Wales and of Scotland and Singapore, LawCare, the Solicitors Regulatory Authority and the Lord Mayor of London’s Appeal.
Roger Bull, Burges Salmon’s managing partner, comments: “All of us at Burges Salmon have a responsibility to create a supportive culture, to be part of a firm that allows everyone to thrive, as well as taking steps to care for our mental, emotional, financial and physical wellbeing. Our aim is to enable wider engagement in wellbeing with a focus on resilience and mental health – it stands to reason that we’re delighted to have signed the Mindful Business Charter.”
Richard Martin, executive director of the MBC, adds: “I am thrilled to be formally welcoming Burges Salmon to The Mindful Business Charter. Burges Salmon has already shown that we will learn from them as much as they will learn from us. The collective commitment from all our members, provides the energy and encouragement to continue our work.”