BEST WORKPLACE INITIATIVE 2018

Shakespeare MartineauWINNER

Shakespeare Martineau’s winning entry was born out of the firm becoming the legal partner for Commonwealth Games England.

A host of fitness-centred projects – including offering all its people a free Fitbit to compete in progressively harder stepping challenges over an 18-month period, with a prize of winning a trip to the Gold Coast to see the Commonwealth Games – yielded fantastic results. Some 90 per cent of Shakespeare Martineau’s staff say they will continue to wear and use their Fitbits even though the challenges have finished, while 73 per cent now make time to take their lunch breaks.

“This is a really interesting way to encourage wellbeing in members of staff, and the figures speak for themselves,” said one judge. “It’s a simple idea but so positive to health, wellbeing and team-building,” agreed another. “The benefits are clear and numerous and it generally leaves a ‘good feel’.”

Highly Commended: Shire Pharmaceuticals

Shire is commended for its ”impressive and innovative approach to career development for in-house counsel,” pod, which stands for people, operations and development. It is the newly-created Global Legal Department’s transformation programme, designed to share knowledge, inspire learning, create connections and build the future.

Commended: Fieldfisher

Judges praised Fieldfisher’s Inclusiveness-Plus scheme that moves past traditional ‘women’s development programmes’ that put the onus on women to change their behaviour, while not addressing the wider systemic issues and the roles that men have to play. “Auditing and updating the existing curriculum to bring it in line with current themes is something which all firms should be doing, but I suspect many are not,” said one judge. “Fieldfisher’s focus on all people and ‘softer skills’ is refreshing, as is the tone from the top.”