Pinsent Masons signs up to global disability inclusion campaign

International law firm Pinsent Masons has put its name to the Valuable 500 campaign, which seeks to place disability inclusion on the board agenda of 500 leading multinational businesses.

The Valuable 500, which was launched at the World Economic Forum's Annual Summit, urges global business leaders to become accountable for disability inclusion in their businesses. Pinsent Masons joins 42 organisations in a pledge to table disability on its board agenda and make a commitment of action for 2019.

The firm, which employs 500 lawyers and support staff in its Scottish offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, will strive to remove barriers for employees with disabilities and promote an environment that supports health and wellbeing for all, including reviewing the firm’s recruitment process to ensure it is fully inclusive and accessible.

Job adverts will appear in disability related media and networks in order to attract and recruit people with a disability, and human resource managers will be given disability inclusion-related training.

Richard Foley, senior partner at Pinsent Masons, commented: "With honourable exceptions, the business community has been nothing like as vocal or active as it should have been in recognising the challenges faced by disabled colleagues.

"There is so much more we can do to implement changes that enable disabled members of the community to deliver to their potential, and we see the Valuable 500 campaign as part of that.

"We are delighted to be committing to the campaign as part of our wider commitment to promoting equality and diversity through all our employment practices, and to discussing all aspects of inclusion, including disability, as part of our board agenda. If business can be made to work better for its people – all of its people – we know that everyone benefits."

Marianne Waite, director of The Valuable 500 campaign, responded: "With the likes of Gett, Alexander Mann Solutions, Pinsent Masons and Porter Novelli amongst the latest cohort of businesses to pledge their support, we are delighted with the momentum The Valuable 500 is gaining. But we urge other global business to follow suit, and put an end to diversish behaviour, because without the support of global businesses and brands, change in society will not happen." ("Diversish" refers to businesses that call themselves diverse, but overlook, ignore or postpone anything to do with disability.)