Our work in these areas, which includes creating a diverse and inclusive workspace for our staff, taking part in charitable giving and fundraising activities, and committing to creating and upholding environmental policies and accreditations, is what the firm’s values and culture are built on.
At Mathys & Squire, we believe that it is our responsibility and duty to always act ethically, with integrity, and to make a positive impact.
We have three core corporate social responsibility commitments:
We take our responsibility seriously and have taken the following steps to honour these commitments.
Being an employer of choice matters to us. Our workplace is diverse, inclusive and welcoming. We develop and implement a best practice supportive environment where all our staff can develop and reach their full potential. We recognise that diversity and inclusion refers to the similarities and differences that exist between people, and that most individuals do not belong to a single identity, but often to several.
On this basis, we have created a collaborative and collegiate environment, where everyone feels valued, included and respected. We value the diversity of our people, and have actively cultivated and encouraged positive inclusive relationships across the firm through organised social events and the promotion of our anti-bullying and harassment policies. We support the evolution of a profession that is truly accessible to everyone regardless of their background.
Here is a list of some of the organisations we support:
We are members of IP Inclusive, an organisation committed to making the IP profession more inclusive. In addition, we are part of the high-level ‘think tank’ devoted to improving diversity and inclusion. This project brings together senior and managing partners to share ideas and best practices from across many IP firms. The collaboration underlines the patent and trade mark profession’s commitment to creating genuine, lasting changes to working practices and cultures. As part of this commitment, we are proud to have signed the IP Inclusive pledge.
Our workplace champions the right of staff and students to embrace all Afro-hairstyles. We acknowledge that Afro-textured hair is an important part of our Black staff’s racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious identities, and requires specific styling for hair health and maintenance.
We welcome Afro-textured hair worn in all styles including, but not limited to, afros, locs, twists, braids, cornrows, fades, hair straightened through the application of heat or chemicals, weaves, wigs, headscarves, and wraps. We recognise and celebrate our staff’s identities and are a community built on an ethos of equality and respect where hair texture and style have no bearing on anyone’s ability to succeed.
Mathys & Squire is committed to preserving a diverse and inclusive culture by putting diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives at the forefront of our decision making.
Under the guidance of our D&I committee, headed by our D&I partner Caroline Warren, we strive to proactively promote D&I within the work environment by increasing visibility, but also celebrating our differences.
The team at Mathys & Squire recognises the responsibility and privilege to be able to support local communities that allow us to prosper. In line with our values and commitments, we are passionate about driving positive change and we encourage our team to participate in and raise awareness of local activities benefitting our community.
We allocate an annual budget for charitable donations and support a number of varied worthy causes through direct donation; encouraging staff fundraising through fund-matching; and the use of company time and materials; as well as through sponsorship of individuals. Charities the firm has supported include: Macmillan Cancer Support, Save the Children, The Movember Foundation, and most recently, the Guy’s & St. Thomas’ London Bridge Covid-19 Fundraiser.
Here is a list of some of the organisations we support:
Mathys & Squire is delighted to be a partner of Career Ready, a national charity with a mission to boost social mobility through working directly with schools and supporting young people in overcoming educational and employment barriers.
We provide internship opportunities and run masterclass sessions for students interested in learning more about the IP profession. We are also part of a 12 month mentorship programme, in which our colleagues guide their mentees through the early stages of their career journeys.
Mathys & Squire is proud to announce that we have recently partnered with In2Science in order to support their mission and will be sponsoring two students to go through the 2024 In2STEM programme.
By boosting diversity and inclusion across STEM sectors, In2Science looks to ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of science, technology, engineering, and maths-based industries whilst helping young people to obtain high earning jobs and economic stability.
We understand the importance of taking responsibility to mitigate any negative environmental impact that running a modern IP firm, with multiple offices, can have.
We manage the impact of our business operations on the environment to protect it for future generations and we are committed to monitoring our environmental policies, carbon footprint and improving business processes. Mathys & Squire strives for continual improvement to reduce the impact of our operational activities by reducing waste, managing our energy consumption and in recycling our IT equipment.
Here is a list of some of our initiatives:
We are proud to be ISO 9001 and 14001 accredited, which focus on management and business process, as well as environmental management. Being ISO accredited means that as a firm, we are committed to continually improving our business processes and environmental performance through efficient use of resources, a reduction of waste and lessening our carbon footprint.
We aim to reduce our environmental impact through:
We are also delighted to be partners with Trees for Life, an organisation working to protect the Caledonian Forest in Scotland. As part of our ongoing partnership with them, we plant trees at the Mathys & Squire Grove. For every 1,000 miles travelled by our employees, we donate a tree to the grove. The organisation plants only native trees to restore the Caledonian Forest. Our grove is based in the beautiful Glen Affric Nature Reserve in order to expand habitats for the species that live there, including the red squirrel, black grouse, capercaillie and wood ant.
Our CSR policy is available here. Please contact us if you would like more information about how Mathys & Squire is honouring the above commitments.
