Whilst political instability and the cost-of-living crisis continue to dominate the news, seeking out optimistic statements for this month’s career space has become a bit of mission!
That’s why we are championing the need for law firms to make positive steps to conform to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices.
This month: Taking positive steps to look after people and planet
Incorporating ESG can only boost a company’s status, as it demonstrates a commitment to helping the environment, supporting diversity and equal opportunities, and ensuring ethical business decisions.
This month we are proud to announce that we have already taken steps to improve our environmental compliance. Following an audit, our website received the Climate-Positive Website Accreditation from the Eco-Friendly Web Alliance (EFWA). The alliance found that our website emits less than 1 gram of CO2 per page view. To put this into perspective, the average website produces about 2 grams of Co2 every time someone visits a page and there are approximately two billion websites in the world which, in total, produce on average 11 tonnes of Co2 per year. By reducing our digital emission, we are actively making a difference to climate change. Find out more about the EFWA in our latest news.
Supporting diversity and equal opportunities within the workplace is still an uphill challenge and whilst the SRA takes active steps in reporting trends every two years, the latest figures from 2021 shows a “slow but steady increase’ in diversity among all law firms.
In July 2021, the UK legal market showed it was serious about improving diversity and inclusion in law firms by introducing the US model Mansfield Rule. The fundamental change required is for firms to put concrete systems and benchmarks in place to track and document diversity data to drive transparency and accountability. According to the Law Gazette “Application of the rule is a valuable culture change for many firms, broadening mindsets and challenging stereotypes around who can serve as a future leader.”
Here at Clara Rose, we favour clients that we know are prioritising ESG. Having a diverse and inclusive environment can only improve a firm’s reputation in the long run as employees increasingly want to associate themselves with companies that foster such an inclusive workplace. Simply playing lip service isn’t enough. We have found that candidates increasingly want more. They want to know how committed firms are and what action they are taking. That’s why we look out for firms that:
· Priorities work/life balance and mental wellbeing initiatives.
· Have an environmental awareness.
· Are forward thinking in introducing technology that provides efficiencies to workplace systems.
We want to work with firms that mirror our values, when a candidate speaks to us, we genuinely have their best interests at heart.
