Ashursts commitment to gender equality recognised for 18th consecutive year

The citation recognises employer commitment and best practice in promoting gender equality in Australian workplaces. Criteria for the citation covers leadership, learning and development, gender remuneration gaps, flexible working and other initiatives to support family responsibilities, employee consultation, preventing sex-based harassment and discrimination, and targets for improving gender equality outcomes.

Ashurst global managing partner Paul Jenkins commented:

"We are proud to be leading the way with our sustained focus on diversity and inclusion and to once again be recognised for the work being done across our firm to ensure our workplace is inclusive and reflective of the world we live in. We are deeply committed to ensuring the firm has gender equality and continue to drive change forward through numerous initiatives, supported by our renewed diversity and inclusion targets announced in October last year."

Recent gender diversity initiatives at Ashurst include:

• Global Committed To Change initiative, which engages partners to make a public and proactive commitment to diversity and inclusion as a method to harness the power of inclusive leadership, with the aim that every office and practice group has at least one local C2C member.
• RISE programme launched in 2018, which brings together female senior partners from across the firm with the aim of supporting partners in their continued career development, extending partners' internal networks and gathering ideas and insight into how best to ensure our working practices enable all to succeed.
• Introduction of bystander intervention training and a calling out campaign to support all partners and staff in feeling confident to constructively call out any unacceptable language or behaviour in the workplace.
• Paul Jenkins was the first law firm leader to join the Male Champions of Change programme in Australia, which works with leaders in the business community to redefine men's role in promoting gender equality. This follows his appointment as a national Workplace Gender Equality Agency Pay Equity Ambassador.
• The firm's Diversity Strategy outlines policies including flexible working arrangements, paid parental leave, paid domestic and family violence leave and return-to-work assistance. In addition, Ashurst is also a signatory to the National Model Gender Equitable Briefing Policy and offers global women's networks.

Ashurst is the only law firm to be consecutively awarded the citation by the WGEA, and its predecessor the EOWA, since its inception in 2001.