Life at
Setfords
Our Gym and Bistro
Our gym and bistro are central to life at our Guildford office. The gym is free for everyone to use, including a range of machines, weights, and Peloton bikes. Our Bistro serves fresh, healthy options for breakfast, lunch, and snacks, which are cooked on site and are also free for everyone in the Guildford office.
Our book club
Our book club meets monthly and provides a space for book lovers to get together, read, and discuss books. It’s held after work on a Thursday, and employees can join either in the office or remotely. We choose the books a few months in advanced based on member’s suggestions. We also have a virtual consultant book club, open to our lawyers wherever they may be based.
Charitable giving at Setfords
Setfords’ people are encouraged to leave a charitable donation in return for the delicious food provided in our Bistro. The charity we donate to changes a few times each year, and the charities chosen are causes close to our hearts. Our current charity is Jigsaw Plus; a charity dedicated and passionate in its commitment to support autistic adults to make positive, personal choices that enhance their wellbeing and social inclusion.
Dog Days
Every Wednesday at Setfords is ‘Dog Day,’ where employees can bring their well-behaved pooches to work. What started as a temporary event was so popular we decided to make it permanent, and Setfords’ furry friends are definitely a hit with our team who say it improves their happiness and wellbeing at work.
Our Mental Health First Aiders
We have a number of trained Mental Health First Aiders at Setfords. They’re here to recognise the signs of poor mental health and offer initial support and assistance to those facing a mental health crisis. Our MHFAs can be contacted by email, phone, or in person, and are always happy to set up a confidential chat. We also host a monthly drop in session, where anyone cana drop in to visit one of our MHFAs for a chat.
Progression at Setfords
We are big believers in nurturing and encouraging our talent. We offer plenty of opportunities for our internal teams to progress, and we have the stats to back it up. Currently over 50% of our team members have progressed to different roles within the business. They have moved to departments including Legal Secretaries, Accounts, IT, Recruitment, HR, Business Development, Marketing, and more. So, there are plenty of opportunities to build a career for our talented and hard-working people.We also run initiatives including our Management Academy and Rising Stars programmes, to recognise and develop the next generation of managers and leaders within the business.
Diversity in the Legal Industry
We’re committed to doing our part to increase diversity in the legal industry wherever we can. We are proud to have partnered with the Stephen James Partnership’s Black Lawyers Matter mentoring programmes, as well as Neurodiversity in Law, reflecting our commitment to this important issue.
Town Hall Meetings
Communication, reward and recognition, and giving our employees a voice is a crucial part of life at Setfords. One of the key ways in which we champion this is through our quarterly Town Hall meetings. These meetings give time for the whole team to get together, provide updates on the business, recognise outstanding work, and give our teams a space to make suggestions.
Our committees
Diversity Champions
We’re committed to ensuring Setfords is a safe, welcoming, and diverse place to be. We discuss important topics and run events to help celebrate our diverse teams and ensure everyone is represented, including screening relevant Ted Talks, hosting events for local charities to tell us about their work, and working to increase diversity in the wider legal industry through our mentoring partnerships.
Green Team
It’s important for everyone to do their bit for the environment, and our Green Team are here to help ensure Setfords are doing just that. Initiatives they have run include ‘Operation Cleanup,’ when we took to the streets of Guildford for an afternoon of litter picking, reducing waste in the office, and monitoring our use of resources.
Social Committee
Getting everyone together is an important part of life at Setfords! Our social committee plan and run a range of events throughout the year, such as SetFest (our very own on-site summer festival), yoga sessions, wreath making, and ensuring the office is decorated for the seasons.