Employees from construction’s biggest companies will march at the Pride in London Parade this Saturday (25 June 2016).
Arcadis, Arup, Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Laing O’Rourke, Lendlease, Mott Macdonald, Skanska and WSP will all be championing LGBT inclusion under the collective banner of #BuildingEquality.
Neil Martin, managing director of Lendlease’s construction business, said: “We are delighted to be participating in Pride London as part of the #BuildingEquality group. At Lendlease, we know that unless individuals feel able to be themselves and are comfortable in their own skin, they cannot be at their best.
“Having LGBT-supportive workplace policies reduces stress and anxiety for LGBT employees leading to improved health, increased job satisfaction and better working relationships. More importantly, it is the right thing to do. We believe nobody should have to hide who they are and we are proud to be one of the firms leading the way towards building equality in the construction industry.”
Last year was the first time an engineering or construction firm marched at Pride in London, which dates back to 1972.
Lendlease said there has been “a visible increase” in LGBT awareness and inclusion in the engineering and construction sector. This is supported by industry-wide networks, Off Site and InterEngineering, and a number of companies have signed up as Stonewall Diversity Champions. For the first time, there was an engineering and construction presence at Student Pride in February 2016, the largest LGBT careers fair in the UK.
Lendlease has worked with Stonewall to make rainbow boot laces available to construction workers who wish to show support for diversity and inclusion. It has also empowered LGBT staff to raise issues via employee resource groups, and run several global campaigns to raise awareness about diversity and inclusion among employees.
Pride in London is a week-long festival, from 20 to 28 June, celebrating all aspects of the LGBT+ community.
