For the third year running, Mears has been ranked as one of the top employers in the Social Mobility Employer Index, the leading authority on employer best practice, for its commitment and advocacy supporting social mobility in the housing sector.
Ensuring there are equal opportunities in the post-pandemic era for people from all socio-economic backgrounds to succeed in life will take continuous work from all employers, and Mears has been steadfast in playing its part in the levelling up agenda.
Now in its fifth year, the Employer Index is the definitive benchmark of organisations committed to improving social mobility in the workplace. Employers are assessed across seven key areas, these include their work with young people, routes into the company, how they attract talent, recruitment and selection, data collection, progression, experienced hires, and advocacy.
This year, 203 employers from 17 sectors, who collectively employ over one million in the UK, answered around 100 questions across seven different areas. The record number of submissions (highest to date) is a testament to the growing importance of social mobility among UK employers. Over 17,000 employees also took part in a voluntary employee survey.
Mears has been ranked in the listed Top 75 employers in the Index for contractual commitments on improving social mobility, ensuring the company enables those from lower socio-economic backgrounds to succeed.
Being the only organisation representing the housing sector in this multi-sector accreditation, Mears has been ranked in the 60th position on the index, a fantastic recognition with the increased number of organisations submitting into the Index listing. Mears was particularly commended for its advocacy work and for leading the way in removing the barriers which are holding back the best and brightest candidates in our communities.
Mears was also recognised in its efforts to improve the way it provided information on its careers website that helped attract wider talent from all walks of life.
As an example, Mears’ contract work in Rotherham has been cited as a case study for best practice by prioritising social value and investing in the people and community in the form of apprenticeships, work placements, community work, school engagement and recruitment approaches.
Mears Executive Director, Alan Long, said: “We are proud to be recognised as one of the top employers that are committed to improving people’s lives. As a business, we are rooted in the communities where we work. Whether that’s by interacting with people as customers or by being large community employers. We have strong partnerships with local and central government, and we have employees with a skill set which will always be in demand.
“We take our responsibility to social mobility very seriously and hope that wherever we work we will continue to contribute to that society as an employer, as a local partner and as a driver of opportunity. We are a business that leads to being socially responsible in the public sector with a continued focus on social mobility; we all have a part to help improve lives and create chances.”
