Promoted
Platinum reward for putting people first
December 28, 2022
Leading regional law firm for businesses Muckle LLP has been awarded platinum status by the internationally-recognised accreditation scheme Investors in People, placing it second in the world rankings of legal sector employers.
For more than 30 years, Investors in People (IIP) has been recognised internationally as a leading people accreditation.
The organisation works with more than 50,000 organisations across 75 countries, and recognises those performing at the very highest levels of people management practice, with only three per cent of companies in its accredited network achieving platinum status.
To achieve the accolade, companies must show continuous improvement over three years, making Muckle’s accreditation all the more impressive considering the difficulties of the pandemic in the preceding two years.
Muckle LLP surpassed both industry and IIP benchmarks for employee welfare, promoting initiatives that create a culture which allows people opportunities to reach their full potential.
The firm’s innovative continuous improvement and performance management strategy, where corporate objectives are linked directly to each individual, led to 100 per cent of its people agreeing they understood their role in Muckle’s plans for the future.
Shared values
Survey results revealed 100 per cent of its people agreed they shared the firm’s values, and highlighted solid leadership as a strength.
The IIP assessor reported there was “clear evidence of strong leadership that was based on open and honest communications”, and praised the leadership team for modelling behaviours that bring to life the firm’s values of trust, teamwork, responsibility and care.
Jason Wainwright, managing partner, says: “We’re thrilled to achieve platinum accreditation.
“The award is only given to companies that truly look after their people, so to be placed second in the world in the legal activities sector and 69th overall worldwide is a huge achievement, and a credit to every single person working at Muckle.
“As a team, we focus on our four core values of trust, teamwork, responsibility and care.
“This approach has allowed us to create a people-focused environment, where our people are engaged and feel valued, delivering a high-quality experience to customers.
“Every single person at Muckle is involved in supporting each other and doing their best to make work better, but we won’t be resting on our laurels – there’s always something to learn, so we’re using the feedback received to keep making changes, keep improving and keep moving forward.”
People focused
Having previously achieved IIP gold award accreditation, the platinum honour indicates the firm’s continued commitment to leading, supporting and engaging its people.
Paul Devoy, IIP chief executive, says: “We’d like to congratulate Muckle.
“Platinum accreditation is a remarkable effort for any organisation, and it places Muckle in fine company with a select group of organisations that understand the value of people.”
In order to achieve the platinum award, companies need to meet at least seven of the nine indicators at the high-performance level, with Muckle receiving top scores in seven, with the other two still ranking as ‘above average’.
Leading and inspiring people, creating sustainable success and empowering and involving people were just three of the indicators highlighted to demonstrate the firm’s commitment to supporting people in developing their careers and the work undertaken connected to succession planning.
The report noted the firm had “invested in a wide range of development activities to the extent that learning had become an almost day-to-day activity”.
Commitment to the region
IIP also highlighted Muckle’s commitment to diversity and the local community, with the firm’s approach to ESG described as a “key feature of the business”, which provided “an authentic, ethical purpose that further connected people to Muckle and its leadership”.
Muckle donates one per cent of its annual profits to its Muckle Community Fund, and celebrated 20 years of giving in 2022.
Since 2002, it has awarded more than £600,000 in grants to nearly 700 charities and organisations across the region.
The firm also gives its people two days of volunteering leave every year, and provides up to £140,000 worth of free legal advice to charities and community organisations every year.
IIP said Muckle’s sustainability and community scores are what they’d expect in a charity, not in a commercial law firm.
The platinum accreditation requires businesses to show continuous improvement against a wide-ranging framework over three years.
Assessors collected feedback from Muckle employees, reviewed documents and evaluation metrics, and held one-to-one sessions.
They gave a total score of 817, which is 89 above the average IIP benchmark and places the firm 69th of 50,000 organisations in the global network, and in the top two of all organisations in the legal activities sector taking part across 75 countries.
Jason adds: “I am extremely proud and privileged to be a part of such an amazing team, and I would like to thank everyone who took part in this assessment.
“Their hard work and dedication has been absolutely central to this achievement, despite the challenges faced in the last few years.
“Our people are our greatest asset, and without them and their continued commitment, we wouldn’t be able to provide the best possible service to clients.
“It’s so important we continue to invest in the development and wellbeing of our staff, to allow us to grow and develop.”