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Stonewall survey shows banks and police among most gay-friendly employers

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  • Stonewall survey shows banks and police among most gay-friendly employers



    The police service, banks and management consultants top the league table of gay-friendly employers in Britain, outperforming the public sector, the media and education, the latest workplace equaliy index shows.
    High street and investment banks fared particularly well, with Lloyds TSB rising from number six in the 2008 table to take the number one slot this year, and Goldman Sachs winning 11th place. Three police services featured in the top 10 including Hampshire Constabulary in second place and Kent police at fourth, while 17 forces were listed in the top 100. The metropolitan police came in at number 43.
    Professional services companies also performed impressively with KPMG, Ernst and Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers all making the top 25.
    Now in its fifth year, the index from campaigning group Stonewall tracks the impact of workplace culture on gay, lesbian and bisexual employees. It has quickly become a key baromoter of diversity practices.
    The 2009 index, which also included a survey of more than 7,000 gay and lesbian employees, had a record 371 entries across 23 sectors. This is more than double the number of submissions in the 2005 launch year. Some sectors, such as law and housing, have improved markedly year on year.
    Organisations which apply to be inlcuded on the index are examined on the success of their diversity policies and the extent to which they encourage job applications from lesbian and gay workers. Stonewall also surveys gay employees on whether their workplace experiences match up to the claims made by employers.
    As well as shining a spotlight on the top performing organisations, the index also notes those sectors such as media, retail, construction and the NHS that consistently fail to make the grade, shown by their absence or low rankings.
    "There are sectors such as the police which perform exceptionally well in the index but then there are sectors such as construction and media which don't," David Shields, director of Stonewall's Workplace Programmes said. "But it can take a few years from when an organisation decides to improve in this area to begin to see some results. We are always working with organisations in [under-represented] sectors such as the NHS, retail and the media to help them improve."
    The country's single largest employer, the NHS, was notable for its absence in the upper reaches of the index. Only one NHS Trust, Tower Hamlets, was among the best, ranked at 58.
    The public sector's performance was shored up by local authorities with 49 entries submitted, the largest tranche from a single sector. Fourteen councils made the top 100 with three reaching the top 10 including Brighton and Hove City Council which took third place. Three of the 20 fire services that entered also made the top 100, while the Home Officemade the top 20.
    The voluntary sector did not feature strongly, although last year's overall winner, the crime charity Nacro, remained in the top 10.The media industry, which might have been expected to perform better, has consistently failed to make an impression on the index. Only five media companies entered this year and just one, Time Warner, made it into the top 100, in 90th place.
    According to Shields it can be difficult to pinpoint why some sectors far outstrip others. The strides made by so many police forces may be part of "a broader effort to effect cultural change" he suggested, adding that complacency may have something to do with why media companies barely feature.
    "I think for banks for example there is a real emphasis on the bottom line and they are recognising that fair employment practices directly impact on performance. I wonder if with the education or media sectors they believe they are already good and don't feel the need to measure it."
    Fiona Cannon, head of equality and diversity at Lloyds TSB said good diversity policies "simply make good business sense". "I think the financial services sector is good at recognising this. At Lloyds we have worked hard and it's wonderful that it's paying off."
    Gavin Wills, managing director for corporate services and real estate at Goldman Sachs, said the Stonewall index had provided considerable impetus for many organisations within the investment banking sector. "The index has been a phenomenal success for Stonewall over the years. You start getting employers who you never would have dreamed were supportive of lesbian, gay and bisexual professionals competing to get on to it."
    Chief executive of Stonewall, Ben Summerskill, said the bar was set even higher for the 2009 index than in previous years, with additional proof of long-term effectiveness required from entrants. "To make the top 100 this year employers had to demonstrate that equality and diversity was not an optional extra but a core value. Ninety seven percent of the top 100 had an organisation-wide equality and diversity strategy which links LGB equality into wider organisational aims. "

    • More at www.stonewall.org.uk

    guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds


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