Senior Leaders’ Pledge
James Gray – Partner | European and UK Patent Attorney
1. Providing visible and proactive leadership to improve D&I in my organisation, by:
- Being a leader in, and contributing to, D&I projects and events across the whole of Withers & Rogers LLP.
- Speaking out about difficult D&I issues, and where appropriate, share my own experiences.
- Putting my name to our organisations commitment to D&I and of its D&I objectives, strategy and policies.
- Championing colleagues from under-represented groups, and where appropriate, act as an ally.
2. Taking D&I seriously at the highest level, by:
- Embedding D&I into our organisations strategy and business plans.
- Acting as a D&I champion at partnership level.
- Encourage senior colleagues to provide visible and proactive leadership on D&I – seek out and value diversity in their teams.
3. Embedding and valuing D&I throughout the organisational culture, by:
- Creating a culture that allows all colleagues, at all levels to bring their whole self to work and be able to speak openly about themselves.
- Encourage training focused on D&I and the importance of a diverse workforce. [Pledge being led by Zoe Bailey, Head of Strategic Operations]
- Ensure the inclusion of D&I related topics on the agendas of internal events.
4. Building trust and safe spaces throughout the organisation, by:
- Establishing an internal D&I platform with representatives from all roles and levels within our organisation.
- Creating an environment where colleagues can challenge potential bias or discrimination without being fearful.
- Actively celebrate difference and support colleagues at every level.
5. Educating myself and my colleagues about D&I issues, by:
- Promoting key D&I related awareness dates to the whole organisation.
- Joining and participating in networking opportunities to increase my knowledge.
- Using all resources available to increase the organisations learning on D&I.
6. Sharing my privileges, by:
- Encouraging colleagues in all roles and at all levels to get involved, and lead by example with my own involvement.
- Encourage the use of different channels through which we advertise vacancies.
7. Insisting on equity, by:
- Ensuring our organisation has fair, diversity-enhancing recruitment and promotion procedures.
- Recognising that colleagues will have different needs and ensuring that our organisation is adaptable to promote the success of the company.
- Reviewing our procedures with HR to evaluate the impact on D&I within the organisation and make any improvements as necessary.
8. Working closely with HR and management colleagues to achieve this, by:
- Making sure that D&I is a key factor at partnership level on all decision making.
- Encourage involvement of partnership level colleagues in all aspects of D&I.
- Ensuring that D&I is an important consideration when communicating with all colleagues and clients.