Two of Bristol’s largest law firms have been named among the UK’s top employers for addressing social mobility.
Burges Salmon and TLT appear in the latest 2020 Social Mobility Employer Index, the leading authority on employer best practice. Burges Salmon is ranked 39 th while TLT is at 68th in Top 75 listing. 
The Index was created by the Social Mobility Foundation and ranks UK employers based on the action they take to ensure they are open to and progressing talent from all backgrounds.
Now in its fourth year, it is widely viewed as the definitive benchmark of organisations committed to improving social mobility in the workplace. It ranks employers on the action they take to ensure they are open to and progressing talent from all backgrounds.
Employers are assessed across eight key areas, including their work with young people, routes into the company, how they attract talent, recruitment and selection, data collection, progression, experienced hires, and advocacy.
This year 119 employers from 17 sectors took part, collectively employing almost 1m people in the UK. They answered 100 questions while more than 14,000 employees also took part in a voluntary employee survey.
Burges Salmon was recognised by the Index for its work to address and improve social mobility within the firm, ensuring it enables those from lower socio-economic backgrounds to succeed. 
Burges Salmon head of corporate responsibility Kirsty Green-Mann, pictured right, said: “We are delighted to have achieved this recognition as a Top 75 employer as we champion equality and inclusion.
“We believe people from all backgrounds should have the chance to succeed and feel comfortable in their working environment.
“Participation in benchmarks such as these helps us to understand our strengths and drives our pursuit of continual improvement.”
TLT said its inclusion demonstrated its commitment to social mobility in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
TLT partner and equality, diversity and inclusion champion Esther Smith, pictured below, said: “We’re delighted to have been recognised in the Index in recognition of what we’ve achieved so far, and we’re keen to go further and implement new approaches that will ensure we are accessing and progressing talent from all backgrounds.
“The SMF has provided us with individual feedback on our submission, which contains helpful guidance and information to ensure we continue to do our best to improve social mobility over the months and years ahead.”
The report highlights how employers are changing how they find, recruit and advance talented employees from different social class backgrounds.
This includes the introduction of a contextual recruitment system to help identify candidates with the greatest potential, regardless of their social background, and the use of standardised questions for trainee interviews to ensure candidates are all being judged on the same criteria.
Social Mobility Foundation chief executive Sarah Atkinson says: “I am delighted that Burges Salmon and TLT committed to entering the Index this year despite the challenges of the pandemic. Now more than ever, we need to see business play their part in the levelling up agenda.”
Social Mobility Foundation chair, the former Labour Health Secretary Alan Milburn, added: “As the Covid-19 crisis continues and the UK descends into a sharp recession, more will need to be done to avoid a job catastrophe, for young people particularly. Already 60% of the jobs that have been lost since the pandemic began have been among 18-24 year olds.
“I urge those sectors of our economy that are not represented in this year’s Index to participate in 2021 and commit to joining the ranks of those employers who are already making such a difference to young people’s life chances.”
