Life

Stonewall names UK’s best employers for LGBTQ+ inclusivity in 2022

By Conor Clark

23rd February 2022

Stonewall has released its Top 100 Employers List in celebration of those bringing LGBTQ+ inclusion to the forefront of the workplace.

The charity did not release a list in 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, making this the first since 2020.

Published on 23 February, Stonewall hailed global financial services firm, Macquarie Group, 2022’s Top Employer for LGBTQ+ people.

“We’re thrilled with the recognition of how important LGBTQ+ inclusion is to Macquarie, in the UK and globally,” said Paul Plewman, Chief Executive Officer for Macquarie Group in EMEA. “This achievement recognises years of work to ensure that all our people feel empowered and can thrive and is a tribute to the commitment of the whole Macquarie team.”

Also ranking in the top five was the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service in second place, Clifford Chance LLP and Victim Support in joint third and the NHS Business Services Authority at number five.

The financial sector was found to be the best at LGBTQ+ inclusion in 2022, with 16 firms from financial services managing to rank in the Top 100.

Not far behind were the legal and education sectors at 15 and 14 appearances, respectively.

Government and Regulators also managed to secure a total of 12 spots on the list.

Nancy Kelley, CEO of Stonewall said: “It’s been wonderful to see all of the work put in by the private, public and third sector organisations making up the Top 100 Employers List this year.

“For many of us, the majority of our time is spent at work, so if we don’t feel comfortable being ourselves, it can take an enormous toll. Creating environments where we can all feel comfortable makes the workplace a safer, better and friendlier place for everyone and helps staff be proud of who they are.”

Stonewall is no stranger to working with employers, as its Diversity Champion programme has been helping drive inclusivity in the workplace for more than 20 years.

The charity’s research has highlighted that more than a third of LGBTQ+ staff hide who they are at work in fear of discrimination, with 18% having been the target of negative comments because of it.

It has now launched its ‘Bring Yourself to Work’ campaign, which gives employees the chance to show the real life impact of LGBTQ+ inclusion by using the #BeingLGBTQAtWork hashtag on social media.

“In the midst of criticism and questions about our inclusion work we’re launching our Bringing Yourself To Work campaign to highlight what this work is all about – changing LGBTQ+ people’s lives for the better,” Kelley continued. “That’s what we’ve always been here to do, and we make no apology for it.”

Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers List was curated based on submissions from the public, private and third sector organisations to the Workplace Equality Index.

These are then marked against standardised criteria to highlight employers going above and beyond to champion LGBTQ+ inclusivity.

2022 saw 403 employers taking part, with 79,040 employees responding to its Staff Feedback Questionnaire.

To see Stonewall’s full Top 100 Employers List, click here.