International Women’s Day 2022: #BreaktheBias

Posted: 08/03/2022

Our new diversity and CSR manager Ayesha Burnett joined the firm towards the end of 2021. On International Women’s Day 2022 she looks back at her first six months and shares some of the important work taking place at Penningtons Manches Cooper.

This year’s theme is ‘break the bias’. It empowers us as individuals, but also collectively, to take steps to address stereotypes and raise awareness of gender imbalances to build a workplace in which women can thrive. We can never stand still on the vital matter of gender equality, and the reality is there is much to do, but I am proud to have joined a firm that is working hard on providing an environment where difference is appreciated and valued.

Some highlights for me include:

• As part of the diversity and inclusion agenda, a gender network group has always existed to help drive change, but to give it the formality it requires, last year we formed a gender pay gap steering committee to specifically focus on driving our gender pay gap efforts. Focus areas include transparency around remuneration, progression and partnership, and parental leave. Short term success targets have been set so we can prioritise our efforts and importantly monitor our progress.
• We launched our new mentoring programme, Pennspire. The programme brings together mentors and ambassadors who will undergo training to support colleagues on short and long-term goals across several different areas such as onboarding, career development, and diversity and inclusion.
• ‘We care’ is one of our core values and was a key driver in the creation of a family friendly hub which has been developed to support people when they become new parents or take parental leave.
• Open and honest conversations are encouraged across the firm, even on the most difficult of topics. We want our people to feel they can be their true selves at work and can discuss personal issues safely – such topics include infertility, miscarriage, domestic abuse, and menopause. To complement this practical support, we have introduced new policies covering menopause, domestic abuse, and transitioning at work.

To celebrate the day itself, we hosted an internal panel event which included members of our management team discussing topics such as career progression, allyship, the importance of equality and the role of the gender committee. One thing that stood out for me was, when asked to name women who have inspired them, our panellists responses included family members, teachers and close colleagues from the early years of their careers, not just well known figures – a reminder of the vitally important role we can all play in listening to, encouraging and advocating for the women around us every day.

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