THE NATIONAL Assembly for Wales has been recognised as the 2018 UK leading employer for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the latest Stonewall Workplace Equality Index.
It’s the first time the Assembly has topped the list and comes ten years since it first entered the index. Since then the Assembly has steadily worked its way up and has featured in the top ten for the past four years.
Stonewall also highly commended the Assembly’s work in promoting, recognising and supporting transgender equality, citing it as one of only 11 exemplar organisations in the UK.
Elin Jones AM, Llywydd of the National Assembly for Wales, said: “We are truly honoured to be recognised by Stonewall as the leading employer in the UK for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
“The National Assembly has diversity and inclusion at the very heart of its role representing the people of Wales.
“We are proud to support our LGBT staff network and continue to work to create an inclusive culture – not only for the people who work here but for the people we represent across all Wales’ diverse communities.
“As Wales’ parliament, it is right that we should lead by example to demonstrate what can be achieved with the right attitudes, leadership and determination.
“This is not only a great day for the Assembly, it’s also good news for staff in the many other Welsh organisations represented in the top 100 employers. They demonstrate people in Wales clearly understand the value of inclusive policy and service delivery and I congratulate them all.”
Joyce Watson AM, Assembly Commissioner with responsibility for diversity and inclusion, said: “This is a wonderful achievement which comes on the tenth anniversary of the Assembly first being recognised in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index.
“It is a testament to the dedication of our staff, in particular our diversity and inclusion team, for embracing and ingraining LGBT equality in all aspects of our work representing the people of Wales.
“Our success shows that incremental changes in policy and a willing approach to changing attitudes can achieve so much and serve as an example to others.”
Andrew White, Director of Stonewall Cymru, told The Herald: “Of course, we should all expect our national Parliament to lead the way on this and other matters. But for many LGBT people in Britain this will have a special significance.
“In my last few years at school the Thatcher government brought in Section 28: a spiteful piece of legislation intended to mute all discussion of people like me in schools. The parliamentary debate leading up to this vile law treated me and my peers as somehow less worthy of rights, of family, of respect. It’s phenomenal that a parliament could now be leading to LGBT inclusion”
WALES’ EMPLOYERS PRAISED
Stonewall’s Top 100 is compiled from submissions to the Workplace Equality Index, a powerful benchmarking tool used by employers to assess their achievements and progress on LGBT equality in the workplace.
More than 430 organisations took part in this year’s index.
Each organisation must demonstrate their expertise in 10 areas of employment policy and practice, including networking groups, senior leadership, procurement and how well they’ve engaged with the LGBT community.
As part of the Top 100, Stonewall also collects more than 92,000 anonymous responses from employees on their experience of Britain’s workplace culture and diversity. It’s one of the largest national employment surveys in Britain.
A massive 91% of non-LGBT employees who responded to the survey, say they understand why their employer is committed to LGBT equality.
Speaking about the way in which Welsh employers had stepped up to the mark on LGBT rights and inclusiveness, Andrew White of Stonewall said: “I am constantly impressed with how employers across Wales are transforming the lives and opportunities of LGBT people, these results show that our small but proud nation is once again leading the way.
“We know that despite the advances of LGBT rights in recent years, people in Wales still experience discrimination, abuse and isolation at work, at home and in our communities. The work of LGBT-inclusive employers is vital in securing a more prosperous, healthier and more equal nation for future generations.”
Andrew White concluded: “Creating the best environment at work for all staff results in a happier, healthier workforce, better services, and increased productivity. Workplace equality isn’t just right, it’s good for business.
“Our national parliament is rightfully championing equality, especially trans equality. The positive actions they have taken set a great example to all employers on how much can be achieved with the right leadership and desire to effect positive change.”
More than 400 employers were in contention to get a coveted spot in this year’s Top 100 LGBT inclusive employers list. The top 10 employers were a diverse mix of organisations, with representation from both the public and private sectors. The full list is in the notes to editors.
To mark the new trans-inclusive focus of the Top 100, Stonewall has also named Britain’s top trans-inclusive employers. This is a list of organisations that have gone above and beyond to ensure trans staff feel accepted. The full list is in the notes to editors.
This comes at a time when trans and non-binary people are facing a daily onslaught of abuse both in their private lives and in the public sphere.
Earlier this month Stonewall released research that showed half of trans people (51%) have hidden their identity at work for fear of discrimination or abuse and that one in eight trans employees (12%) have been physically attacked by colleagues or customers in the past year.
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