Our journey to becoming a disability confident employer

Our colleague Manjeet Dhesi describes our inclusion journey so far.

We have achieved Level 1 within the Government’s three-part disability confidence scheme for employers as part of our continued journey and commitment to equality within the workplace and our focused work within the Equality Diversity & Inclusion Committee (ED&I). We achieved disability confidence committed through demonstrating an inclusive and accessible recruitment process, access to career progression and providing support to existing colleagues.

Our ambition is to build a culture of inclusion to enable Minster Law to be a great workplace with an environment where colleagues can be their authentic selves. We aim to be an organisation with a focus on removing barriers and increasing accessibility. Our attention on accessibility in the workplace is part of Minster’s continued 2023 focus on accessibility and inclusion as we also look across our digital portfolio and customer facing platforms.

Being a disability confident employer is not just about meeting legal requirements but continuing to build a workplace culture that values diversity and inclusion. Here at Minster Law, we are open and honest about the fact that we are always learning and will continue to grow as we progress with this journey. We are increasing our understanding of disability and how to ensure that everyone has access to opportunities.

To engage the wider business on the issue of disability within the workplace, the ED&I committee have focused on introducing more interactive sessions to encourage colleagues into learning and speaking about disability within the workplace.  One of our most successful moments of the past financial year was our first ‘Tea & Talks’ session held in October 2022. Our guest speaker, Kris Aves, a former police officer injured in the Westminster terror attacks in March 2017, was left wheelchair-bound with a severe spinal cord injury. Kris openly shared his story of the injuries he sustained and how this affected his day-to-day life and his progress.

These sessions were extremely well attended by colleagues, and we were so thankful to Kris for taking the time to tell his story, answer questions and share his insight on where Minster could improve on accessibility.

As we move towards becoming a disability confident employer, we are focusing on several different initiatives focused on our recruitment process.  By taking proactive steps, we hope to make a difference and support any employees or candidates with a disability to feel valued and respected and an environment in which they can be their authentic self.