LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall has revealed the UK’s 100 most LGBTQ+-Inclusive Employers.
Law firm Clifford Chance secured top position this year (up from third place last year), followed by Arup (swooping straight in at number 2). Victim Support, moves up one place from fourth into third place from last year, and NHS Business Service Authority (also moving up one position into fourth place) and Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service (in fifth place).
Commenting on the honour of ranking in this year’s top spot, Clifford Chance UK’s Managing Partner, said: “Our employees are our greatest asset, and we are proud to provide a supportive and empowering environment where they can thrive. We believe that diversity drives innovation and creativity leading to better outcomes for our people, our business and our clients. Coming first in the UK Stonewall index is a great honour for us and a tribute to the work of so many people at every level of the firm. We know that there is always more to do as we work together to deliver a truly inclusive experience for our people, clients and stakeholders and we are committed to doing that.”
Clifford Chance has also been awarded a Gold Award for commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion at work and its affinity network, Arcus, has received the Highly Commended Network Group Award, which is given to the organisations with the highest scores in the Network Activity section of the Index.
This year, 434 employers across the public, private and third sectors submitted entries to the index. Stonewall said that 57% of this year’s organisations were private sector employers while 37% were from the public sector and 8% from the third sector.
TOP PERFORMING LGBTQ+ CHARITIES
Eight charities have been named in Stonewall’s annual list of the top 100 LGBTQ+ employers in the UK. Victim Support, which ranked third, has been the top-performing charity for several years. Meanwhile, the King’s Fund made the list for the first time ever, ranking 75th. and the Royal College of Psychiatrists also made the list.
Victim Support, a charity that supports victims of crime and traumatic incidents in England and Wales, has been taking part in Stonewall’s list for 13 years. Over the past year, the charity’s LGBTQ+ network has continued to grow its membership and provide a range of awareness-raising activities and spaces for LGBTQ+ staff and volunteers to come together and share their experiences.
“We’re extremely proud to have been ranked the third best employer for LGBTQ+ people in Stonewall’s annual Workplace Equality Index – as well as the top non-for-profit organisation and the best employer in Wales, for the second year in a row” shared Victim Support’s Chief Executive Diana Fawcett. “The values of equality, diversity and inclusion are integral to our organisation and we are committed to creating opportunities for LGBTQ+ staff, volunteers and allies to socialise, support one another and raise awareness about the experiences and challenges faced by the community. As we strive to deliver the best possible service for victims of crime, it is also vital that our workforce reflects the diversity of the individuals and communities we support.”
UK’S MOST LGBTQ+-INCLUSIVE EMERGENCY SERVICE
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service is also honoured to remain the UK’s most LGBTQ+-inclusive emergency service in the country at number four this year. “We are exceptionally proud to have featured in Stonewall’s Top 100 for the last 11 years and among the top 10 employers for the last six. It reflects a huge amount of work over the last decade to ensure that our LGBTQ+ colleagues can be themselves at work, feel included and give their very best to the communities we serve,” shared Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive, Alex Waller.
“Much of this work has been led by LGBTQ+ staff themselves, keen to create a culture where everyone can reach their full potential. Our Firepride LGBT+ staff network set a precedent for our women’s, race and ethnicity and, most recently, neurodiversity staff networks. They are all driving positive change every day.”
CREATING INCLUSIVE CULTURES
UK firm Jacobs retained the coveted “Gold” status in Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers for LGBTQ+ People Index, once again ranking number six on the list. “Maintaining our position as #6 in the Stonewall Index is a huge testament to Prism – our global employee network for LGBTQ+ people and their allies – our TogetherBeyond team at Jacobs, and the continued focus and passion that goes into delivering an inclusive working environment,” shared Jacobs’ Senior Vice President and General Manager, Kate Kenny. “It’s a fantastic achievement, and I’m proud to be leading a business that strives for an inclusive culture where LGBTQ+ people can excel.”
International law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) ranked 56th in the Top 100 Employers list, up from 215 last year, and also received the Gold Award in recognition of its initiatives to foster an inclusive and safe workplace for all its people and where everyone feel empowered to be their real selves. “We’re proud to have been recognised by Stonewall as a leading LGBTQ+ inclusive employer. Being ranked 56th, in only our third year entering the index, as well as receiving the Gold Award for our commitment to diversity and inclusion, is a fantastic achievement and shows how far our firm has come in recent years,” said Andrew Harding, Partner and Co-Chair of WBD Pride. “This is also a tribute to the work put in by our WBD Pride and wider race, ethnicity and cultural heritage, disability and women’s networks, with support from across the firm, to create an inclusive culture for all our people, where difference is visibly valued and welcomed.”
LGBTQ+ INCLUSIVE BANKS
Citi, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, Santander, Credit Suisse and HSBC are just some of the banks featured in this year’s list. Citi was recognised as the 10th most inclusive employer in the UK. “It’s great to be back amongst the top 10 most inclusive employers on this year’s list,” shared James Bardrick, Citi Country Officer for the UK, adding “It is really important that we create a safe, inclusive, and productive environment for all our LGBTQ+ colleagues, and we are really happy to see these efforts recognised. It is central to who we are as a bank.”
Denise Cole, EMEA Head of Inclusion & Diversity at Citi, agreed: “I am so proud that Citi has once again featured in the Stonewall WEI Top 100. Taking 10th position this year, is a great honour and in addition, receiving the Highly Commended Network Group award is testament to the incredible dedication, energy and passion of our employee network leaders and committees members, all of whom go above and beyond to ensure Citi is a diverse and inclusive organisation and each and every colleague, however they identify, can be themselves at work.”
Deutsche Bank also secured a place on the list for taking significant strides towards creating an inclusive working environment, including focusing on intersectionality as well as marginalised and/or under-represented LGBT+ groups, and continued support of the Trans and non-binary community through the partnership with Trans in the City. “This is a great recognition of our efforts across the bank and demonstrates our commitment to becoming a fully inclusive and accepting workplace where everyone is free and comfortable to bring their whole selves to work – with no exceptions,” said Fabrizio Campelli, Head of the Corporate Bank and Investment Bank and Co-Executive Sponsor of dbPride.
Rebecca Short, Chief Transformation Officer, member of the Management Board and Co-Executive Sponsor of Deutsche Bank’s dbPride said: “It’s really important to create a workplace where diverse views are encouraged and people can be themselves. This acknowledgment of our progress is a great achievement for the bank and our Employee Resource Group, dbPride.”
Adding to Short’s comments, Deutsche Bank’s CEO UKI Tiina Lee, commented: “A fantastic achievement which underlines all of the outstanding work dbPride do for the LGBTQ+ community and helping the UKI to build a more inclusive workforce.”
INCLUSIVE UK UNIVERSITIES
UK universities also made huge gains this year. Swansea University ranked first UK among Education Sector entrants, and achieved its highest-ever position in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index, climbing 14 places to overall 12th in the UK. It also retained the gold standard award, which recognises that the University has embedded LGBT+ equality into its core areas of work at the highest level.
“Swansea University and our LGBT+ Staff Network have worked together to make Swansea as inclusive as possible, and this improvement in our ranking, being awarded Stonewall’s highly commended network group and retaining the gold level award, shows that we are making a real difference,” stated Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Judith Lamie. “This achievement not only represents where we currently are but also importantly where we are going, and we will build on this moving forward as we continue to effect change as well as delivering information and events with our staff network members, allies, and wider community.”
Other universities appearing on this year’s list include University of Huddersfield, University of Manchester, University of Derby, Sheffield Hallum University, University of Greenwich, University of Plymouth, Brunel University and Oxford Brookes University.
Amongst the forces, Leicestershire Police has again been named as one of the top employers in the country for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans staff. The force was ranked 47th on Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers list for 2023, once again being named in the top 50. “We’re delighted to again be included within Stonewall’s Top 100 – and feature within the top 50,” said Jackie Newcombe, Head of the force’s Diversity and Inclusion unit. “We’re continuing to work with, and support, our communities and LGBT+ network and I hope our presence in the Top 100 Employers will help us to attract a more diverse workforce at a time when we’re recruiting more officers.”
STONEWALL’S TOP 100 MOST EMPLOYERS
This year’s top 100 Employers doing great work over the past year for all LGBTQ+ people, in order of ranking include:
1. Clifford Chance
2. Arup
3. Victim Support
4. NHS Business Services Authority
5. Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service
6. Jacobs Engineering Group
7. Stockport Homes Group
8. KPMG
9. Linklaters
10. Citi
11. Wickes
12. Swansea University
12. HSBC
14. Fidelity International
15. Tesco Stores Ltd
16. Unilever
17. DLA Piper LLP
18. Kent Fire and Rescue Service
19. Sky UK
20. University of Greenwich
21. Bank of America
22. Zurich Insurance
23. Severn Trent
23. St Mungo’s
24. Leigh Day
25. Solicitors Regulation Authority
25. De Montfort University
27. Aviva
28. Pearson
29. The University of Manchester
30. Santander UK
31. Rolls-Royce
32. Charles Russell Speechlys LLP
32. OC&C Strategy Consultants
34. Cardiff Council
35. Irwin Mitchell
36. Barclays
37. Credit Suisse UK
38. Grant Thornton UK LLP
38. Mills & Reeve
38. Wrexham Glyndwr University
41. RPC LAW
42. Environment Agency
43. WTW
44. University of Plymouth
45. The Scottish Government
46. Leicestershire Police
47. Leicestershire County Council
48. Fujitsu
48. Reckitt
50. Greater Manchester Combined Authority (Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service)
50. Oliver Wyman
52. Shearman & Sterling
53. Whitbread PLC
53. Health Education England
55. Touchstone
56. Womble Bond Dickinson
56. Middlesex University
58. Notting Hill Genesis
58. Virgin Money
60. Vodafone
61. Virgin Media O2
62. L’OREAL UK & IRELAND
62. Thoughtworks
64. Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
65. M&S Bank
65. Sheffield Teaching Hospital
67. NHS England
68. Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
68. Leeds City Council
70. Welsh Government
70. dentsu uk
72. Wellcome
73. Enterprise Rent-A-Car
74. BAE Systems
75. The King’s Fund
75. Nationwide Building Society
77. Colt Technology Services
79. Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
80. Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
81. Deutsche Bank
81. Mind
83. AXA UK
84. Oxford Brookes University
84. Skyscanner
84. Birmingham City University
87. Marsh
88. Brunel University London
89. Capital One UK
90. T. Rowe Price
90. Oxfordshire County Council
90. Royal College of Psychiatrists
93. University of Derby
93. NHSBT
93. Royal Holloway, University of London
96. TLT LLP
97. Amazon UK
97. City, University of London
97. University of Huddersfield
100. Hargreaves Lansdown
100. Societe Generale
100. Network Rail
LGBTQ+ INCLUSION AT WORK
“We’re incredibly proud to see so many new entrants from a range of sectors on this year’s list, who are committed to making LGBT+ people’s lives better,” stated Nancy Kelley, CEO of Stonewall. “For many of us, the majority of our time is spent at work, so if we have to hide who we are it can take an enormous personal toll and hold us back from fulfilling our true potential. Creating environments where we can all feel comfortable makes our workplaces a safer, better and friendlier place for everyone and helps staff be proud of who they are.”
The Workplace Equality Index (WEI) is a wide-ranging and intensive LGBTQ+ inclusion benchmarking tool. It’s designed to acknowledge and evaluate employers’ inclusion work, as well as allowing them to measure their progress over time. Click here for more information.
Check out last year’s top 100 LGBTQ+ inclusive employers here.
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