SAS Daniels marks International Women’s Day with series of initiatives

Stockport and Cheshire law firm, SAS Daniels, is celebrating this year’s International Women’s Day on 8th March by sharing expert insight into how businesses can support gender equality.

Particularly relevant given this year’s theme Give to Gain, which encourages a mindset of generosity and collaboration, Katie Hodson (pictured), SAS Daniels partner, head of employment and joint head of Stockport office provides valuable guidance on how businesses can ensure they are supporting women into leadership and decision-making roles. She advises:

“Through measures such as ensuring equal pay with regular salary audits and clear pay bands, implementing flexible working policies and championing career development with mentorship and leadership training programmes, progress can be made. Additionally, by supporting women returning to work and increasing transparency in promotions, employers can make significant strides in advancing gender equality.

“Fair recruitment practices are paramount, which includes promoting inclusive job descriptions, and shaping the recruitment process to ensure bias-free practices. This includes removing any identifying characteristics, such as names from the CV before handing to the recruiting panel, and having a diverse interview panel, which can also help reduce potential bias in hiring decisions.

“Fostering an inclusive workplace culture is crucial. Bias awareness training to generate more of an understanding of unconscious bias and its effect on hiring and promotion decisions should be employed.  And businesses should look at implementing strong policies to ensure there are clear policies and procedures in place to handle harassment or discrimination and take immediate action to address complaints, ensuring a safe and respectful workplace.”

The firm is also taking the opportunity to reflect on its own significant and continuing support for women this International Women’s Day.

SAS Daniels recently provided substantial support for a nationwide campaign with the charity Pregnant Then Screwed, in conjunction with the University of Chester. The charity is dedicated to supporting women facing pregnancy-related discrimination. As part of the collaboration, SAS Daniels Associate Aisling Foley, provided specialist legal insight to ensure the accuracy, consistency and reliability of thirteen employment law fact sheets created by students from the University of Chester.

The fact sheets cover a comprehensive range of employment law matters, including maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave; returning to work; flexible working; self-employment; health and safety; redundancy; unfair dismissal; discrimination claims; grievances; and early conciliation. Designed to be practical and accessible, the resources are now available to women nationwide via Pregnant Then Screwed, providing vital guidance in navigating workplace rights and protections.

Aisling Foley, associate at SAS Daniels, commented:

“This collaboration between SAS Daniels, Pregnancy Then Screwed, and the University of Chester underlines the firm’s ongoing commitment to supporting charitable initiatives, empowering women, and encouraging the next generation of professionals through education and development.”

As part of its ongoing support for female empowerment, SAS Daniels has selected Contact Hostel as its 2026 Charity of the Year. The charity provides accommodation and practical support for homeless teenage girls, such as Shanae Byrne, conveyancing assistant at SAS Daniels, who has a deep personal connection with the charity. As part of the fundraising activities for Contact Hostel, employees from SAS Daniels’ four offices will this year be taking part in a packed calendar of physical and community-based challenges.

SAS Daniels LLP is a Cheshire-based law firm with offices in Stockport, Chester, Macclesfield and Congleton, servicing both businesses and individuals throughout the local area and nationwide.