Be glad to be a gay-friendly employer

What do the Rugby Football League, MI5 and Barclays have in common? They have made it into a list of top employers to work for if you’re gay. When will we see construction firms in the list, asks Stonewall’s Chris Edwards.

This year 363 employers, employing 2 million people entered Stonewall’s 2012 Workplace Equality Index which lists the top firms to work for if you are lesbian, gay or bisexual.

Accountancy firm Ernst & Young topped the list. In second place was the Home Office. Barclays came third. The top five was completed by Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Metropolitan Housing Partnership. MI5 secures a position on the Top 100 for the first time, just one of 25 new entries. But if you work in the construction industry the list made disheartening reading.

Not one construction or built environment employer appears on the list. There are police forces. The RAF and the Navy feature too. As does Rugby Football League, which climbed 40 places in the Index.

All of these employers submitted an entry to the index. And despite tough competition to secure a place they all demonstrated their commitment to helping their staff perform to their full potential. Every entry was assessed across areas such as employee policy, engagement with the lesbian, gay and bisexual community, monitoring and supplier policies.

And of course, the most effective businesses are diverse, as they understand the different strengths that people can bring in. Since 2005 the Index has been a powerful tool that Britain’s 1.7 million gay staff and 150,000 gay university students use to decide where to take their talent and skills.

And the construction industry is effectively cutting itself off from that talent. When employers in these sectors could be grasping this opportunity to become leaders in their field they rely on traditional techniques which will inevitably bring the same results.

Yet there are simple steps you can take to help create a gay friendly workplace – for example by setting up a network group for their LGB staff or developing anti-gay bullying and harassment policies. To ensure these actions are meaningful, they should fit within an organisation wide equality and diversity strategy that links LGB equality to wider organisational aims.

The benefits of developing a gay friendly workplace are well documented and quantifiable – a quick glance at the Top 100 Employers list shows the number of private sector employers who firmly agree it makes good business sense. Not only will staff be happier, they will perform to their full potential and be more loyal. And if this isn’t enough compelling evidence to start looking at sexual orientation issues, then the new Public Duty in the Equality Act also needs to be considered – inclusive employers are more likely to be favourably considered for contracts if they can demonstrate work on diversity and equality.

Some construction companies have already reported that their work on equality and diversity has given them a competitive advantage – driven by their internal values and beliefs. Kier for example were the first contractor to join the Stonewall Diversity Champions Programme and have worked hard in embedding the values of diversity in their workforce.

So, despite these green shoots of delivering on diversity there are still significant challenges to be faced. Working with Stonewall will help employers to fully realise the business benefits of effectively tackling sexual orientation equality and diversity. To find out more about engaging with Stonewall, please contact Chris Edwards, Workplace Associate: [email protected]