Stonewall Scotland’s top Scottish employers named

Equality charity Stonewall Scotland has recognised employers who actively encourage equality in the workplace at an event hosted by Lloyds Banking Group on Tuesday night in Edinburgh.

Lloyds Banking group received the award for Employer of the Year and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service were awarded Network Group of the Year. Police Scotland picked up a Special Recognition Award for their outstanding efforts in promoting Stonewall Scotland’s NO BYSTANDERS campaign. Tesco also obtained a Special Recognition award for promoting transgender equality.

Colin Macfarlane, Director of Stonewall Scotland said: “Our award winners represent the organisations who are doing the most to further equality for their staff and who are making a difference to their workplaces every day. Our vision is of a Scotland where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people can realise every ounce of their potential. We’re very proud of our award winners and employers featured in the Top 100: they are helping make that vision a reality.”

Alison Brittain Group Director, Retail Division and LGBT Executive Sponsor, Lloyds Banking Group said: “I’m delighted that Lloyds Banking Group has been recognised as the leading employer for lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Scotland. We’re passionate about ensuring our colleagues can be themselves in the workplace, and that everyone is treated fairly, with dignity and respect. This award is recognition of our progress to create a more inclusive and supportive working environment.”

Other rated employers include RBS, the Crown Office & Procurator Fiscal Service and Pinsent Masons. However, as the Daily Record today observed, Stonewall’s list of top Scottish employers – which it refers to as the “definitive guide to the best places to work for gay, lesbian and bisexual staff” – is far from an exacting survey of Scottish employers. Rather, it engages with and reviews only those employers who have opted to join Stonewall’s workplace equality index and the charity’s diversity champions programme.

Many of Scotland’s largest employers have not so far joined the programme, including the largest local authority and a number of prominent universities. Councillor Archie Graham, Glasgow City Council’s executive member for equalities, explained: “The council is committed to promoting equality, diversity and social justice for all. Although we’ve not applied to join Stonewall’s equality index, we are working with them to ensure LGBT issues are firmly built into our service delivery and HR policies, and we are a member of Stonewall Scotland’s public sector good practice programme.”

Similarly, a spokesperson for Glasgow Caledonian University said: “GCU’s mission and strategy places equality at the heart of everything that we do through our commitment to reducing inequalities and promoting inclusion and social change.

“We also have a clear governance structure for managing equality and diversity through our Equality and Diversity Committee. At an operational level, we are implementing an ambitious and wide ranging programme of work, under our Equality Outcomes Framework 2013 -2017. We are committed to equality impact assessment of key policies, strategies and decisions so that our core business takes into account equality and diversity issues at the point of planning and delivery.”

Stonewall has confirmed it is hoping to develop realtionships with local authorities, universities and other employers committed to equality who are not currently signed up to its diversity champions programme.