23 October 2019

The top 75 UK employers who have taken the most action to improve social mobility in the workplace have been announced in what is believed to be the world’s only Social Mobility Employer Index.

The Index is the creation of the Social Mobility Foundation and ranks Britain’s employers on the actions they are taking to ensure they are open to accessing and progressing talent from all class of backgrounds.

Employers are assessed on everything from the work they do with young people and their apprenticeships, through to their recruitment and selection processes and how people from lower income backgrounds progress up the ladder within their organisations.

125 employers from 18 sectors, who collectively employ over 1.1 million people in the UK, answered around 100 questions across 7 different areas.

Burges Salmon has been ranked 63 in the Index for the commendable work it has taken to tackle this and enable those from lower socio-economic backgrounds to succeed. Measures taken by the firm to improve social mobility include work with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, the provision of apprenticeship opportunities, contextual recruitment practices and a strong focus on an inclusive workplace.

Burges Salmon’s success in the Index was announced at a launch event at the Francis Crick Institute.

Kirsty Green-Mann, head of corporate responsibility says,”We’re delighted to have again made the public ranking in the Social Mobility Employer Index. We support social mobility as it aligns with our commitment to widen access to the legal profession, our commitment to be a force for good in the local community and our diversity and inclusion agenda.”

David Johnston OBE, chief executive of the Social Mobility Foundation says,“We are delighted to see more and more employers every year taking part in our Social Mobility Employer Index. The quality of submissions this year meant we have increased the size of our Top list from 50 to 75 and it shows the very wide range of organisations trying to make progress on social mobility. Whilst no employer would say they have cracked their social mobility challenge, all of the employers in the Top list – along with those that didn’t quite make it – should be congratulated for the efforts they’re making to ensure their organisation is open to talent from all class backgrounds.”

The Rt Hon Alan Milburn, chair of the Social Mobility Foundation, adds “Social mobility is becoming a cause for more and more of our country’s top employers. When politics is week, society needs to be strong – so it is welcome a growing number of employers are stepping up to the plate. They recognise the need to open their doors to a wider pool of talent both to address growing public concerns about unfairness and to reap the business benefits from having more diverse workforces. The onus is now on all of our country’s top employers to do the same.”

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James Phillips

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