One way to improve inclusion is to understand exclusion: the biases and preconceptions that stop us from knowing and appreciating each other. Our team explored this in our video for National Inclusion Week 2020.
What does diversity mean to us? It may be represented by people, but it develops through their experiences and ideas. That’s why we welcome difference and work hard to include the distinct experiences and expertise that each person brings to BKL.
BKL is proud of its inclusive culture and of its people’s diversity. We recognise that there is work needed to widen the diversity of our partners and more senior levels so that the firm and our culture can benefit from a wider range of perspectives and innovation.
BKL has achieved a ‘Committed to Inclusion’ accreditation through Inclusive Employers. We invested in an inclusion programme for our partners, as well as unconscious bias training for everyone at BKL.
In achieving B Corp certification in 2022, we were proud to earn an Impact Business Model during the assessment process in recognition of our focus on developing our employees. An IBM is a rare achievement among B Corps.
Our senior-level and firmwide groups for inclusion & wellbeing define and drive forward initiatives to ensure everyone at BKL is involved in developing a culture that is welcoming, fair and equitable to all.
We’re proud be a partner of social mobility charity LTSB. In this video, five colleagues who joined BKL as LTSB apprentices share their experiences.
The more diverse and inclusive we are, the better we become. We’re proud to be working with Inclusive Employers to make sure that whatever our people’s backgrounds, they feel a sense of belonging and a desire to get involved in the life of BKL.
Learn more about our approach to diversity and inclusion in our 2023 impact report.
Understanding those who choose to work with us, and ensuring that we create an environment that works for all, is a pivotal focus of who we are at BKL. The 2023 ICAEW Probate Diversity Survey represented an excellent opportunity for us as employers to better understand our people, and enable us to continue the work we already undertake in the fields of diversity and inclusion.
Receiving an 82% response rate, we are confident that the results of this survey accurately represent the wide-ranging diversity within our colleagues, and we are grateful for their input.
The key points we have learnt:
We also recognise that between 3-7% of respondents selected “prefer not to say” on any given question. This represents an opportunity for us to create an even more inclusive culture where all our people feel comfortable sharing the many facets of their diversity.
Find out more in our ICAEW Probate Survey results for 2023.
Our vision is to set the standard in our field for diversity & inclusion (D&I), engagement and talent development. BKL values and strategy are rooted in the commitment to strengthen and develop our business’ inclusive and collaborative culture: one where our people, future colleagues and clients are treated fairly and with respect.
We want all our people to love working at BKL: an environment that thrives on talent and hard work irrespective of background, belief, disability, ethnicity or gender. There is a proven correlation between organisational performance and having a diverse and inclusive workplace. Consequently, our clients will receive the highest quality service, and everyone benefits.
We want to take action to make sure our business benefits from the widest range of talent possible and that these colleagues can benefit from our friendly, supportive and progressive culture.
In February 2022, we took the step of publishing our D&I strategy and action plan here on our website, for transparency not just among our people but beyond BKL too.
