Lewis Silkin joins forces with The Old Vic to tackle workplace abuse

LONDON – Lewis Silkin LLP is the first law firm to commit to The Old Vic’s Guardians Network, a collaboration between organisations committed to eliminating abuses of power in the workplace.

The Guardians Network was launched by The Old Vic in October 2018, following the successful implementation earlier this year of The Old Vic’s own Guardians Programme - designed to help any organisation go further in its commitment to creating a safe and secure working environment for all.

Lewis Silkin joins fifty other organisations, from a range of sectors, who have committed to establishing their own Programme.

Joining the Guardians Network and implementation of the Programme is free, with three pro-bono training sessions a year for members run by Richard Miskella, partner at Lewis Silkin, alongside Safeguarding Consultant Joanna Nicolas. The Network will also provide a centralised source on anonymised trends in workplace culture and best practice.

Richard Miskella, partner in the employment team at Lewis Silkin, commented:

“The Guardians Programme is an inspired way of achieving two difficult things: disseminating and maintaining your desired culture across all areas and locations of the business; and empowering staff with concerns to make well-informed and appropriate choices regarding escalation of issues.”

“Lewis Silkin is proud to be the first law firm to have joined The Guardians Network. First and foremost, we are committed as a firm to providing support to all of our staff, and The Guardians Network is a fantastic scheme which will further enhance our workplace culture and practices. At the same time, we welcome the opportunity to provide assistance to other organisations seeking to have a meaningful and positive impact on their workplace environments, and we look forward to working with other Network members to implement Guardians Programmes of their own.”

Kate Varah, Executive Director, The Old Vic, said:

“We devised the Guardians Programme in dialogue with our staff to enshrine our values and workplace culture. It grew out of our desire to help reassure people they have a voice.  We want everyone to have a way to share their concerns with someone outside of the ‘regular’ reporting line. Our Guardians actively listen and support, offering confidential advice on options, with discretion and empathy. The idea is simple and therefore easy for others to implement and benefit. It’s heartening that so many have already done just that through the Guardians Network. And it is incredible to see the commitment in both the arts and other sectors in embracing a solution that helps reframe how our workforces share concerns, escalate issues, and enjoy working together respectfully.”

Organisations that would also like to get involved in the Guardians Programme, join the Network, and benefit from Guardians training, can find more information at www.oldvictheatre.com/guardians.