Here at VERCIDA we recently conducted research to find out how our clients are tackling LGBT in the workplace. Who is going the extra mile to ensure equality, opportunity and fair treatment for all, irrespective of sexuality. Here are our Top 10 LGBT-Inclusive Employers of 2018.
10. Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) have set out their LGBT+ Network with the mission of making the department an excellent environment for LGBT+ staff through network activities and by providing challenge and input to BEIS on how to be inclusive.
This summer during the week of Pride in London, the LGBT+ Network were joined by the Secretary of State to raise the pride flag outside 1 Victoria Street.
To find out more about diversity and inclusion at BEIS click here.
9. ITV
ITV Pride is a network group for LGBT colleagues. Matt Scarff, the co-chair of ITV Pride is named in Campaign Magazine’s 2016 Top 10 List of LGBT+ Role Models. ITV are Chairs of Intermedia UK, the LGBT network group for people working across the media spectrum. ITV have worked with Stonewall to produce an anti-bullying video for schools. To watch the film, click here.
To find out more about diversity and inclusion at ITV click here.
8. Norton Rose Fulbright
Norton Rose Fulbright ranked 19th of Stonewall's top 100 LGBT employers 2018 have a wide range of things going on to support LGBT in the work place, from their staff network group Pride, Pride Mentoring Groups, Showing Pride Campaign, International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHOT) and Pride in the Community. Pride is open to everyone across the firm and includes a team of allies who challenge everyday assumptions and barriers that may make work life difficult for their LGBTI colleagues. The steering committee organises regular events and activities, including guest speakers from the LGBTI community and personal stories from our colleagues.
To find out more about diversity and inclusion at Norton Rose Fulbright click here.
7. Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
The DCMS LGBT+ network is there to support and connect staff in DCMS who are in sexual or gender-identity minority, whether you are bi, asexual, trans, agender, unsure or otherwise.
It has been a hugely succesful year for DCMS with their LGBT Champion Sue Owen being made a dame in the Queen’s 2018 Birthday Honours List. Sue becomes a Dame Commander of the Order of the Bath (DCB) – recognising a highly distinguished Civil Service career spanning almost 30 years, and commitment to diversity and inclusion. During 2018 DCMS also Raised money for Stonewall on Rainbow Laces day.
To find out more about diversity and inclusion at DCMS click here.
6. Lloyds Banking Group
Ranked at number 5 in Stonewall’s most recent list of Top 100 Employers regarding its LGBT-friendly policies and procedures. The Group has an active Rainbow network consisting of 4,500 colleagues, one of the biggest networks of its kind in the UK. Lloyds Banking Group has made public pledges to increase the engagement scores of LGBT colleagues to 70% by 2020, as part of their Helping Britain Prosper Plan. The Group has become the first UK organisation to broaden its staff healthcare plans to cover gender dysphoria.
To find out more about diversity and inclusion at Lloyds Banking Group click here.
5. Post Office
Prism is the Post Office’s LGBT+ diversity group. It’s made up of a mixture of identifying LGBT+ colleagues and allies, all seeking to promote the LGBT+ cause within and across the Post Office.
Prism meets once a month and focuses on ensuring that Post Office is inclusive and supportive of LGBT+ colleagues by influencing policies and processes. As well as this, the group aim to provide support to LGBT+ colleagues, arrange social events. 2018 saw the Post Office take part in Pride for the first time. By taking part in Pride in London and sponsoring Bolton and Chesterfield Pride, feel they're part of something much larger than themselves. The UK alone has more than 100 Pride events each year and globally there are over 65 countries who have some kind of Pride celebration.
To find out more about diversity and inclusion at Post Office click here.
4. Network Rail
Archway, Network Rail’s LGBT network, was founded in 2013 and has grown to one of the company’s largest employee networks. Members come from every level and area of the organisation, from maintenance to signalling, operations and engineering. Archway’s work spans the length of Great Britain and is focussed in three core areas: Welfare, Socials & Events and Internal Consultancy. Working across the organisation – and the wider industry – Archway is leading on LGBT inclusion in Britain’s railways. Archway’s aim is to build an inclusive and diverse company for the benefit of all employees, and one which represents the communities it serves’.
Network Rail employees Babak Erfani, chair of Archway, and Jane Owen, Archway member and former chair of the national transgender charity Sparkle, have received honours for services to the LGBT community. Babak was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) in 2017 and Jane was awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the 2018 New Year’s Honours List.
To find out more about diversity and inclusion at Network Rail click here.
3. Leeds Beckett University
Leeds Beckett University’s LGBT group is a network for matters related to sexual orientation equality and is open to all staff and students.
The University has taken part in the city’s Pride parade celebrations since 2014 as a visible statement to their commitment to worldwide love and equality.
Senior Lecturer at Leeds Beckett and Chair of the university’s Rainbow Rose forum Ian Lamond said: “This year was another amazing Pride, with over 100 students, staff, family and friends forming our part in the parade. It really makes you feel proud to be part of Leeds Beckett. The crowd this year, supporting the parade as it promenaded through the streets of Leeds city centre was wonderful. We received regular whoops and cheers in support of our participation."
To find out more about diversity and inclusion at Leeds Beckett University click here.
2. Aviva
Recently celebrating its 10-year anniversary Aviva Pride is Aviva's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community which encourages an inclusive culture where everyone can bring their whole self to work and realise their potential. Their community of LGBT colleagues and straight allies gain opportunities to build their professional and support networks at Aviva, collaborate and share best practice with external partners and customers across a number of industries and help to recruit, develop and retain talent from the LGBT community.
Aviva was the only insurance company to appear in Stonewall’s top 100 organisations in the Workplace Equality Index in 2018,” Marco from Aviva's Pride group explains. “That’s a significant shift from just eleven years ago when a handful of colleagues came together to form Aviva Pride. At that time, they were told it would be ‘too provocative’ to publish details of their network on the company intranet. Today, that network has 1,500 active members of the Aviva Pride Network in the UK and Ireland, with more activists in France and Italy, in Poland and Canada.
To find out more about diversity and inclusion at Aviva click here.
1. UK Athletics
UK Athletics work closely with the home countries to develop and grow all areas of the sport including elite performance, coaching, major international events, competition and grassroots programmes within schools and clubs. Earlier this year British Athletics supported the Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces campaign at the SPAR British Athletics Indoor Championships and across British teams.
UK Athletics and the Home Countries also joined forces with VERCIDA to delivered the first ‘Raise the Bar’ conference in London on Wednesday for Transgender Awareness Week. A five-person panel comprising of Joanne Lockwood (SEE Change Happen), David Brown (UKA Welfare Officer), Jacqui Gavin (Transgender Activist) and Katherine Conway (Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Aon) came together at the event in London last night to answer questions from organisations and members of the public around the issues trans people face both in business and sport, focusing on what work Athletics is doing on the subject to help raise awareness.
To find out more about diversity and inclusion at UK Athletics click here.
Read about the VERCIDA Most-Inclusive Employers Awards.
View the winners of the other categories:
Gender |
Disability |
BAME |
LGBT |
Faith |
Age |