June sees a month-long global celebration of Pride every year; a time for everyone to recognise and celebrate the importance of inclusion and diversity both in and out of the workplace.

Here at Where Women Work, we’re delighted to partner with progressive employers who actively support diverse employees and their commitment to inclusion.

A key part of diversity and inclusion strategies is to ensure an inclusive environment for lesbian, gay, bi, transgender, intersex, queer (LGBTIQ) employees. With positive steps, companies can reflect a modern world within their workforce and play an important role in raising awareness of LGBTIQ issues more widely.

Where Women Work takes a look at employers taking active steps to ensure employees of all genders and sexual orientations are accepted and supported in the workplace.

Pride in being open and accepted at MetLife

In the workplace, MetLife strives to maintain a diverse culture that promotes inclusion. The company offers its U.S. employees and their domestic partners a variety of health and other benefits. The company also has a recognized LGBT affinity group - Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transgenders and Allies at MetLife (GLAM) - which offers support and guidance for MetLife’s LGBT marketing strategy and recommends best practices and strategies to increase recruiting in the LGBT market. The network aims to attract and develop world-class LGBT talent while benefiting the broader LGBT community and driving shareholder value.

Pride in Engineering at AECOM

AECOM is proud to have earned a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2018 Corporate Equality Index and the distinction as one of the ‘Best Places to Work for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality’ in the United States. The Corporate Equality Index is the national benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices pertinent to LGBT+  employees.

At AECOM, inclusion and diversity are embedded in the company’s core values and are key drivers of its success. AECOM’s innovation is enhanced by the diversity of its workforce.

Amazon takes pride in its employee affinity group, Glamazon

Glamazon helps make Amazon a great place to work by identifying opportunities to educate and inform employees about LGBTQ issues and opportunities, including sponsoring Pride Parades around the globe. Amazonians from teams across the business from admins to VPs, product owners to program managers are part of more than 40 glamazon chapters globally, including employees from Seattle, Costa Rica, Prague and Sydney.

Amazon employee Danielle Skysdottir shares her story here about being an inspiring voice for the transgender community and the support of Glamazon.

Arcadis has one of the top ten LGBT+ Networks in the UK

The Arcadis LGBT Network, dubbed Kaleidoscope, was a finalist in the prestigious British LGBT Awards which celebrate the UK’s most loved LGBT+ personalities, innovators and companies.

The network is recognised through the awards as a Top 10 LGBT+ Network Group or ERG.

Peter Madden, Chief Operating Officer Europe, Middle East and UK, Global Programme Director and Executive Sponsor of Kaleidoscope, was also previously named the UK’s leading Corporate Straight Ally by the British LGBT Awards.

BD recognised as an LGBTQ-friendly employer

BD is one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality, as recognized by Human Rights Campaign (HRC), one of the largest LGBTQ civil rights organizations in the United States. HRC's vision is for all people to have equality at home, at work and in every community.

BD gained a perfect score of 100% on HRC's Corporate Equality Index, which is the national benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees.

Capgemini supports LGBT+ colleagues and changes perceptions

Capgemini’s LGBT+  network OUTfront supports the company’s Active Inclusion ethos, to drive an organisation that is more inclusive and better equipped to support colleagues and clients in an increasingly diverse global marketplace.

OUTfront is open to all colleagues who are interested in supporting the LGBT+ community - this includes OUTfront Allies: team members who are committed to ensuring that Capgemini works in a respectful environment. The network challenges homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, and educates people on the importance of inclusion.

Diageo is focused on raising the profile of LGBT issues

Diageo’s LGBT Employee Resource Group - the Rainbow Network - is focused on raising the profile of LGBT issues as well as the broader inclusion and diversity agenda. The group’s purpose is “to unleash the potential that being able to be yourself can bring to all of our lives and to Diageo’s performance ambition.” The aim is to create a culture that is purposeful and celebrates diversity within Diageo and its brands.

Diageo supports various inclusive initiatives through its brands, for example - Guinness is as an official partner of the Union Cup in Dublin, Europe’s biggest LGBT+ inclusive rugby tournament.

Eaton is one of the Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality

For the fourth year in a row, Eaton is proud to be on the Best Places to Work index for LGBTQ Equality list from Human Rights Campaign.

Inclusion Eaton Resource Groups (iERGs) bring together employees who share a common purpose, interest or background. Eaton Pride is Eaton's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender iERG in North America and Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Eaton Pride creates a safe, supportive and confidential space for Eaton’s LGBTQ employees and their allies. They can share experiences, work together on common goals and provide unique ideas to help the business evolve towards even greater inclusion and diversity. Pride fosters LGBTQ awareness, education and engagement across Eaton regions.

EBRD supports Spectrum of diversity and inclusion

The EBRD is on the path to ever-greater diversity and seeks an increasingly inclusive work environment.

EBRD Spectrum is the Bank's LGBT network. The network exists to raise the visibility of LGBT staff at the Bank so that employees who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transsexual feel more comfortable about being open about their sexuality in the workplace.

With this as background, the EBRD Spectrum* network organised a panel discussion on diversity, inclusion and LGBT issues, and the Bank has made efforts to ensure that staff members who identify as LBGT are provided with a non-discriminatory work environment.

Northrop Grumman has true Pride in Diversity

Northrop Grumman has produced a comprehensive transgender toolkit and education program for managers and employees; and the company has participated in several Pride parades, led by the company’s Pride in Diversity Alliance employee resource group which has been involved in many LGBT+  community activities.

Northrop Grumman has established a number of programs and initiatives, including Pride in Diversity, to help further diversity and inclusion throughout the company.

Nottingham Trent University has a supportive network

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) is proud to offer a LGBT+ Staff Network which is coordinated by a steering group made up of committed members of staff from across the University.

The network is supported by NTU’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) team, and by its senior sponsor Professor Yvonne Barnett, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research.

The network looks for opportunities to raise the profile of LGBT+ equality through key events and activities, advises the University on relevant policies and practices, and provides strategic advice on issues affecting LGBT+ staff in the workplace.

The University of Sheffield is truly inclusive

The University of Sheffield promotes inclusion and helps support the LGBTQ community in a variety of ways, including a LGBT+ Staff Network.

The Open@TUoS allies network was developed with the LGBT+ Staff Network and aims to empower all staff to help create an open, inclusive environment for LGBT+ colleagues and students at the University. Supporters do this by sharing information, encouraging people to become actively involved in LGBT+ activities and by asking staff to visibly support LGBT+ inclusion.

More than 1,600 members of staff have proactively become supporters of Open@TUoS. This figure rose by 20 per cent following the launch of the University’s Rainbow Lanyard campaign - a campaign which was created to spread the word about the importance of visible allies and of creating a visually inclusive campus.

Vodafone is somewhere everyone can be themselves

Vodafone is Stonewall Top 100 Employer for its great work to help achieve acceptance without exception for all LGBT+ people. Vodafone LGBT+ Friends also won Stonewall's Network Group of the Year Award for its efforts to advance LGBT+ workplace equality.

The LGBT + Friends Network works to connect and support Vodafone’s people on lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT+) matters, whatever their background and wherever they are. It’s also helping to champion inclusion and celebrate diversity at work and in the community – all part of Vodafone's approach to support our people to be at their best and have a great experience working for the company.

Vodafone's Network is open to everyone, whether they identify as LGBT+ themselves or not and supports all employees who may need advice or guidance.  

Supporting Pride Month

The month of June was chosen for LGBTIQ PRIDE Month to commemorate the Stonewall riots that occurred at the end of June 1969. As a result, many pride events are held across the world during this month to recognise the impact LGBTIQ people have had in the world. Learn more about Stonewall and how you can get involved. 

Join a progressive employer

Is your employer doing enough to support and encourage an open and progressive work culture? If not, perhaps it's time to change where you take your skills and talent each day by embarking on a new job.