The Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion (enei) has awarded Bristows with the Agile Working prize at their annual awards.

The awards acknowledge and celebrate those with a commitment to good practice above and beyond legal compliance and recognise both public and private sector organisations. Accolades were granted to 19 organisations in 15 categories, with winners “having to demonstrate a clear response to a specific challenge, definitive and measurable outcomes and evidence of significant impact”. The enei awards “celebrated those with a commitment to good practice above and beyond legal compliance and innovative approaches that will inspire other employers”.

Bristows was recognised for its achievements in adopting an inclusive approach to agile working and implementing steps (including new technology) to ensure that the new policy was a success for employees and the firm. The adoption of the new policy has led to an almost 40% of the total number of employees and partners recording an agile working arrangement on the HR system to date. This is fairly evenly spread between Business Services and fee-earning staff and includes all levels of seniority including partners.

The implementation of increased agile working at the firm has fostered a great sense of inclusion at the firm and enhanced the ability of those at the firm to continue working productively alongside commitments outside of the office. In addition, 3 of the 6 associates who were promoted to senior associate work flexibly either on a contractual or on an ad hoc basis, demonstrating that this change in working arrangements does not hinder career progression at the firm.

Partner Mark Hawes, a representative from the Diversity Committee, and Trainee Hilda-Georgina Kwafo-Akoto, collected the award at the awards ceremony hosted at the Law Society.