The firm is recognised for its commitment to community and workplace social mobility

Burges Salmon is proud to have been recognised as a Top 75 UK employer in the Social Mobility Foundation Index 2022.

The firm is committed to advancing social mobility and taking action to improve social mobility in both the local community and workplace.

The Social Mobility Foundation (SMF) is a charity that makes practical improvements in social mobility for young people from low-income backgrounds through its Aspiring Professional Programme, Social Mobility Employer Index and advocacy and campaigning.

The Index was launched in 2017 and has grown to become the leading authority on employer-led social mobility. It assesses and ranks UK employers on the actions they take to ensure they are open to talent from all social backgrounds.

The Index comprises two elements: questions directed at employers and an employee survey. Employers are evaluated across seven areas: working with young people; routes into the employer; the attraction of people; recruitment and selection; data collection; progression, culture and experienced hires and; advocacy. The employee survey adds qualitative insights and contextualises the data provided in the employer submissions. Employers are then benchmarked against others.

Burges Salmon has been ranked 23rd in the 2022 SMF Index for the commendable work it does to tackle social mobility, to help people from lower socio-economic backgrounds succeed professionally. The firm has signed up to the Social Mobility Pledge and is a founding member of the Social Mobility Business Partnership running its activities in the South West.

The firm continued to improve social mobility throughout the pandemic, adapting its award-winning ‘Working with Schools’ programme to support less-advantaged students. This included providing financial funding, deploying volunteers, hosting online sessions, creating new virtual content, establishing new collaborations and donating books and IT equipment.

The firm takes pride in continuing to offer apprenticeship opportunities, use contextual recruitment practices and have a strong focus on an inclusive workplace.

Sarah Atkinson, CEO of the Social Mobility Foundation, comments: “We know that, as we move with barely a pause from the pandemic to a period of high inflation and rising cost of living, the operating environment remains challenging. Nonetheless, the business case for social mobility is stronger than ever: with every employer fighting for talent and skills, eliminating barriers based on socio-economic background is not just the right thing to do, it is the smart thing too. ”

Head of Corporate Responsibility at Burges Salmon, Kirsty Green-Mann, adds: “We are pleased to have once again achieved this recognition as a Top 75 employer as we champion equality and inclusion. Participation in benchmarks such as these helps us to understand our strengths and drives our pursuit of continual improvement. 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.”