This article was written by Vishal Babu.
As someone from an ethnic minority background, it has been gratifying to witness the increasing amount of traction that the topic of diversity and inclusion has garnered, particularly within the business world, over recent years.
For businesses: having a broad talent pool confers tremendous benefits, as each person brings with them a unique perspective, life-experience and knowledge-base, which is increasingly valuable in a world where people skills and the cultivation of human relationships continues to be a competitive advantage.
For people: having a diverse and inclusive environment will, among other things, facilitate free expression of personality, enable a free exchange of ideas and knowledge, and open a world of opportunities. That being said, taking the requisite steps to affect change (particularly of a long-term nature) can be arduous and costly - which can, in turn, steer even the most well-intentioned organisation away from the endeavour.
Thus, those that resiliently persevere are to be applauded and I am proud to say that Burges Salmon is one of these organisations. From the moment I set foot in the firm, it became apparent that there was an established (but most importantly, growing) infrastructure in place that was designed to champion the cause of promoting diversity and inclusion. This is often seen through the work of the firm’s various groups such as the BCultured and BProud. Whilst membership of these groups is far from mandatory, in my experience they are always welcoming and open to hearing new ideas on how to extend their reach and further their objectives.
Burges Salmon does far more than simply promote diversity and inclusion within the confines of its (metaphorical) four walls. The firm consistently supports its local community and has a range of initiatives in place to support those from minority and/or disadvantaged backgrounds. By doing this, Burges Salmon has been able to leave a positive mark upon the beneficiaries of such initiatives by contributing towards the development of core skills and, consequently, assisting to open doors that may otherwise be difficult to walk through.
During my time at the firm, I have had the fortune of being a part of a number of such initiatives – which have included student mentorship, tutoring, content-creation and interview preparations. All of these experiences have been extremely rewarding and I look forward to being a part of more to come as Burges Salmon continues to extend its reach and further the cause even more so over the coming years.
If you haven't yet seen our 'The Power of Inclusion' video, you can watch it below.