At the heart of EIP: culture, growth and belonging

Culture, Diversity & Celebrating Our People at EIP

EIP’s culture has always been shaped by the people who call it home; their values, their differences, and their shared commitment to pushing the firm forward. As we continue to grow across offices and practice areas, the role of HR in nurturing this culture has never been more important. We sat down with Guy Riches, Head of HR, to talk about how EIP’s culture is evolving, how diversity continues to inform the way we work.

EIP’s people remain at the centre of everything we do. What, in your view, most contributes to creating an environment where individuals feel valued and able to thrive?

I think it’s fair to say there’s no single factor at play here. I would consider it more a blend of elements that, when they come together, create the right environment for our people to thrive.

But that only works if we create a sense of psychological safety, where individuals feel comfortable speaking up and contributing to discussions. Which in turn supports Samverkan*, which itself feeds personal growth, and provides opportunities to develop and stretch people at work. And that’s before we consider recognition and appreciation. I could go on.

We’ve seen a number of recent promotions and continued growth across teams. From an HR perspective, what do these milestones say about where EIP is headed and how we’re investing in our people?

This allows us to incubate and nurture home grown talent which is then enhanced by selected lateral hires as opportunities arise. This is all facilitated by our talent acquisition and learning & development teams, who can only do their jobs thanks to the time and contributions by others across EIP in delivering training, interviewing candidates, and supporting and developing colleagues. It’s a real team success story!

How would you describe EIP’s culture today, and what continues to make it a distinctive place to work?

My take on EIP today is that we’re currently navigating our way through somewhat of a transition period as the firm develops and matures. We’re still founder led, which helps to maintain the strong ethos and culture that the firm has grown up with. I don’t think we want to become just another big IP firm, so we need to get the balance right and maintain some of the small firm culture, energy, and flexibility that gives EIP its distinctive feel, whilst we continue to enhance our capabilities, build robust processes, and grow the firm.

Diversity is hugely important at EIP.

In an earlier answer, I discussed how creating the right environment enables our people to thrive – well, all that applies here too, plus we have our EIPride, MulticulturEIP, and ShEIP groups, each with its own character and approach to shaping and supporting inclusivity, and the diversity of our people at EIP.