The #FairRedundancy campaign, launched yesterday, has signed its first major UK employer, leading law firm Shakespeare Martineau.
Launched by Han Law, an employment law and HR specialist business, the #FairRedundancy campaign is calling on the UK’s major employers to sign up to the Fair Redundancy Pledge and be transparent on their redundancy programmes for 2020/21 and beyond.
The campaign aims to ensure employers declare the splits of their redundancy programmes by age, race, disability and gender to ensure that women, individuals from minority ethnic backgrounds, the disabled and people of certain ages are not disproportionately affected by Covid-related redundancy.
Employers looking to sign the pledge should do so here: https://www.hanlawco.com/fair-redundancy-pledge/
Sarah Walker-Smith, Chief Executive of Shakespeare Martineau says:
“As soon as we saw this initiative, I knew we needed to be part of it. I believe that navigating a good course through the upcoming economic uncertainties requires us to have a strong, open and fair working culture. We’re happy to back greater transparency in redundancy programmes so that everyone knows where they stand and why.
“There are a lot of economic benefits to retaining a diverse workforce and it’s something that we’re committed to as a business. I’d love to see the whole legal industry come together on this issue.”
Hannah Strawbridge, founder of the #FairRedundancy campaign says:
“Having a firm of Shakespeare Martineau’s calibre on board from the outset is just amazing. Having a leader like Sarah backing us means a great deal. We set up the campaign as we believe in equality and diversity and that sticking to your values in more challenging economic conditions is what will highlight those that are genuinely committed to the cause. We believe that we will have more names to announce very soon and have had some wonderful support to date. All UK employers should consider signing the pledge today.”
Strawbridge adds:
“There’s been little or no support from Government for these groups so far and the postponement of gender pay reporting in 2020 has been lengthened, effectively, by Cabinet Office confirming to us that there will be no sanctions for those who fail to report on gender pay in Spring 2021.
“The harsh reality is that a lot of people will lose their jobs in the coming weeks and months. The pledge won’t stop that. However, the burden of those redundancies needs to be shared equally across society. Conduct a fair redundancy process and publish your before and after figures so that you can demonstrate that you’ve been even-handed.
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About #FairRedundancy
#FairRedundancy is a campaign run by HR and employment specialist business Han Law, founded by Hannah Strawbridge. Evidence of how women, ethnic minorities, people in certain age groups and the disabled are affected by Covid-related redundancies is available here [link to FAQs].
About Shakespeare Martineau
Working with organisations of all sizes, the firm delivers a broad range of specialist legal services and has particular expertise across areas including but not limited to: energy, education, banking & finance, healthcare, investment funds, manufacturing, agriculture, family business, Islamic finance, later living, social housing and real estate. Shakespeare Martineau also provides services for families and private clients.
The firm’s purpose is clear; to unlock potential, and its ambitions are unlimited; aiming to become one of the most admired top 30 law firms by 2025.
With more than 800 people, Shakespeare Martineau has offices in Birmingham, Leicester, London, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Sheffield, Solihull, Stratford-upon-Avon and Glasgow. https://shma.co.uk