Irwin Mitchell: Opening Doors to diverse talent
Irwin Mitchell is a leading law firm in the UK. Committed to fostering an inclusive workforce reflective of the diverse society it serves, it is a keen advocate of Business in the Community’s (BITC) Opening Doors campaign.
Progress against Opening Doors commitments
Advertise jobs on channels that target diverse groups:
Every new position within Irwin Mitchell gets advertised on Evenbreak, a job board for disabled candidates, which allows the organisation to widen its talent pool to include more individuals with a disability or a long-term health condition. The company started working with Evenbreak towards the end of 2022 and applications from disabled candidates have increased by around 40% in this financial year compared to the last. Additionally, in the Early Careers space, trainee applications from disabled candidates have also been increasing year on year, and in the most recent recruitment round, around 9.5% of applications were from disabled candidates, against a legal sector figure of 6% reported by the Solicitors Regulation Authority1.
Irwin Mitchell’s partnership with Evenbreak provides jobseekers with the confidence to apply to Irwin Mitchell, knowing they’ll be treated fairly:
“I have recently been diagnosed with a chronic condition and looking for a new role. I wanted to ensure that I selected an employer that would interview the person and not the condition. Evenbreak gave me the confidence and reassurance that Irwin Mitchell was one of those employers. I found the interview process non-threatening or intimidating and it was a breath of fresh air that my disability was out in the open, wasn’t an issue for them and I felt that it was a safe space to talk about my condition. Since joining I have been supported so well by my team, I’m loving my role and the people I work with. Irwin Mitchell has exceeded my expectations.”
“Since joining I have been supported so well by my team, I’m loving my role and the people I work with. Irwin Mitchell has exceeded my expectations.“
Train hiring managers on your inclusive recruitment ambitions:
Irwin Mitchell has planned training in all areas of Diversity & Inclusion through its partnership with Higson, a people development consultancy that designs and delivers insight, training workshops, and coaching to help transform organisational cultures. This training will be rolled out to all stakeholders involved in the Partner Hiring process.
Additionally, Irwin Mitchell has introduced Neurosight, which is an assessment tool which utilises neuroscience and AI to accurately identify talent, without bias. It’s used for senior hires to help shape the interview process and as a decision-making tool.
Use of neutral language:
Irwin Mitchell’s “tone of voice” project led the organisation to tweaking job adverts to ensure they were jargon free and used gender neutral language. It also made some simple changes to questions in the application process, such as re-framing their question on adjustments to more broadly ask about “removing barriers” and making its commitment to the Disability Confident Interview Scheme clear, which has also led to positive feedback from candidates:
READY TO BECOME AN OPENING
DOORS EMPLOYER?
Frequently asked questions
The Business in the Community inclusive recruitment Opening doors campaign identifies five keys to unlocking employment to ensure that jobs are accessible to all.
BITC is asking businesses to participate in the campaign by identifying at least three specific actions to take forward over the next three years and share the progress with BITC.
The actions should be selected from the list that underpins the five principles, developed in consultation with a broad range of charities that support the disadvantaged groups targeted by this campaign.
There is no cost to becoming an Opening Doors Employer, and the campaign is open to all employers – Business in the Community members and non-members.
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