Events our colleagues attended during IWD 2023
Being Your Best You: Authentic Leadership & Diversity Event. In a collaboration with HSBC, DWF held an event to explore how leading in alignment with your values and overcoming your limiting beliefs enables colleagues to bring their authentic self to the workplace.
International Women's Day Breakfast event with clients in our Brisbane office including a panel discussion with Dr Prue Fitzpatrick, Dr Ghazala Watt and Her Honour Judge Suzanne Sheridan.
Morning wellness session attended by our colleagues in Poland who celebrated International Women's Day with a an inspirational speech by Aneta Ostaszewska about the women who fought for women's rights throughout centuries, and still inspire young generations.
International Women's Day Workshop Morning in our London office aimed at colleagues at the early stages of their careers. The workshop included a yoga class followed by breakfast and a workshop on empowerment, self-expression and celebrating individuality.
5 STAR Futures programme, aimed at year 10/11 students to build confidence and aspirations around skills and careers, held an online panel event with women leaders from DWF discussing their career journeys and experience with working in a legal business.
International Women's Day #EmbraceEquity discussion was held in our Manchester office. All colleagues were invited to take part in an open debate on whether the theme of #EmbraceEquity goes far enough, the rate of change and how we can achieve greater equity.
What's the Score This International Women's Day? Colleagues from our Belfast office held a lunch event that included a panel discussion hosted by Sports Correspondent at UTV, Ruth Gorman, and speakers Shirley McKay, an Ireland field hockey international, Amber Newall, a DWF solicitor and Eimear Mullan, former professional triathlete.
In collaboration with the London Well Being Clinic, our London office created a workshop designed to reconnect colleagues with their confidence. This workshop was aimed at women moving into senior roles and looked at why we experience things like imposter syndrome, addressing the inner critical voice, and equipping participants with the tools to make an impact.
Industry specific and intersectional events from our friends at BITC, ENEI, The Law Society, Mindful Business Charter and Carers UK have also been shared with our colleagues as well as sessions focused on girls and women in the upcoming Neurodiversity Celebration Week.
Continuing our commitment to gender equality
Whilst it is important to mark International Women's Day, DWF is also keen to embrace equity throughout the year.
In 2023 we will continue to launch events and initiatives across our global locations in support of gender equality. For example, our Women in Sport due to take place in May 2023. In this event we are delighted to be hearing from Natasha Jonas, British Professional Boxer and Nikita Parris, English Professional Footballer, on their experiences as women in the sporting world.
We will also continue to host virtual global Menopause Coffee and Chat sessions every six weeks.
New initiatives & resources for 2022/2023
We're focused on listening to our colleagues and supporting their needs. We continually look for ways to create better gender balance. Recent initiatives include:
- Launching a Menopause Policy and line manager guide, updating our gender transition policy to be more inclusive of non-binary identities and assist colleagues in supporting each other, and extending our family friendly policy.
- Publishing new guides on allyship including Gender Equality, Carers & Caring, Menopause and Trans Identities.
- Launching new family support groups covering topics of Baby Loss & Miscarriage, Adoption & Fertility and Returning Parents.
- Launched our Carers and Working Families resource hubs on our intranet.
- Held events on topics such as 'Sharing Experiences of Menopause' and 'Domestic Abuse: A Workplace Issue'. Further events will be scheduled throughout 2023.
- Buddy lists established through our support groups to provide contact points for colleagues looking for peer advice on topics such as baby loss, adoption, fertility and serious child illness.
- Held listening sessions with our Carers and Returning Parents groups to understand needs and barriers within the workplace.
- Profiling role female models throughout the organisation to increase visibility and share their experiences, including women who are parents, wellbeing champions, ethnically diverse or neurodiverse as well as those passionate about ESG and who have experience social mobility.
- Sharing intersectional content, for example sharing profile of Black Women In Law during Black History Month 2022
- Peer mentoring programme focused on female colleagues in collaboration with a DWF Client
