Police top gay employers list in Scotland and Wales

[andy]

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/police3.jpg[/img2]Lothian and Borders police has been named the most gay-friendly employer in Scotland.

The force came 11th in the UK list, up from 80th in 2007.

Stonewall published its 2008 Workplace Equality Index (WEI) today. It showcases Britain’s top 100 employers for lesbian, gay and bisexual people.

Tom Halpin, Deputy Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police, said:

"Lothian and Borders Police is delighted to receive the award of top Scottish employer for 2008 in the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index.

"The award and these achievements are testament to the Force's long standing commitment to diversity issues internally and also with the many partners we work with in this arena.

"Lothian and Borders Police has a close working relationship with Stonewall on lesbian, gay and bisexual issues and these results emphasise the importance we place on maintaining, and improving on the progress we have made over recent years."

South Wales Police was named the most gay-friendly employer in the principality, followed by the Welsh Assembly Government, Environment Agency Wales and Gwent Police.

Liz Morgan, Director of Stonewall Cymru, said:

"The standard of entry was particularly high this year as many businesses recognise the benefits of being a gay-friendly employer.

"Increasingly, the Index is being used by job-seekers and students when deciding who to take their skills to, and by employers who are looking to deliver a first class service to their employees and service users."

South Wales Police Chief Constable Barbara Wilding said:

"I am delighted at the news that South Wales Police has risen 25 places in the Stonewall Equality Index and this shows our continued commitment to creating a workplace where our LGB staff feel valued.

"South Wales Police first appeared in the index last year and since then, we have carried on working hard to set an example and continue leading organisations in Wales by driving forward the equality agenda across all areas of diversity.

"Not only do our staff benefit from this, but we will be able to deliver a quality of service to our communities.

"I am determined to ensure that people who are LGB who live in, work or visit the South Wales area can feel secure that if they do experience homophobic hate crime their police service will provide them with an A* service."

The Scottish Government was the second best Scottish employer, coming 51st in the top 100. The UK-wide top employer for 2008 is Nacro, the national crime reduction charity.

The top 100 employers were ranked according to criteria ranging from implementation of effective equality policies to practical demonstration of good practice in recruitment and mentoring and how they engage with lesbian and gay staff, customers and service users.

The WEI is also now routinely used in both the private and public sectors to measure improvement.

The 1.7 million gay people in the UK workforce use it to see how their employer compares with rivals.

It's also a key resource for the 150,000 gay students in UK universities, who use it when deciding where they want to take their talents upon graduation.

The Workplace Equality Index will be launched this evening at an awards ceremony and champagne reception at the London Transport Museum in London sponsored by Transport for London.

[Shadow]

Sometimes I worry ... and this story is one of the examples of a time when I do, genuinely worry ...

I think it's great that employers have no problem with hiring gay or lesbian or bisexual or straight people as their staff - I really do ... but I worry that there is a list out there which almost goes as far as to name and shame those employers which are willing to employ gay staff or not, as I think that it perhaps sends out the wrong kind of message about gay people, if that makes sense.

If I apply for a job and get turned down, then I'm going to naturally assume that I was either considered unsuitable for the position available, or somebody that was more suitable came along ... but at the end of the day, even if I were to find out that the only reason I didn't get a job was because I'm homosexual (God help anybody that ever tells me that's a good reason), I would still not be minded to gravitate to an employer on the basis that they are known to be gay-friendly ... as I think that's almost like ... restrictive ? Somewhat ? Of my choices as it were ? Which is, I feel, almost backed-up by this quote from the article :-

The WEI (is) also a key resource for the 150,000 gay students in UK universities, who use it when deciding where they want to take their talents upon graduation.

Time was you could leave your child at school knowing that if he/she got a headache, then the school office or a teacher would give them an asprin and a glass of water - nowadays they'll leave the kid to suffer because it's far safer for THEM than to try and get involved ...

... I worry that society is moving in this way - almost losing sight of the really IMPORTANT issues, and focusing on the things that are ultimately not really all that big a deal ...

What's to say that people that are on this list aren't merely employing homosexuals because they want their quota to get their name on the list, and garner publicity as a result ?

I guess the thing I'm saying is that, why should being gay make any difference at all to your ability to do your job ? It's a sexual distinction, so that really shouldn't affect your work, should it ?

That's just what I think at any road ... I hope that doesn't sound really negative like, but as I say ... I worry !! mile:.

!?!?! Shadow !?!?!

[marshlander]

Interesting news, which while worthy of celebration, I understand Shadow's argument. I too have some concerns.

To start with, I absolutely respect the need for campaigns with which Stonewall has been engaged over many years, but I am not clear about the degree to which the statistics in Workers' Equality Index reflect actual experience. I admit I know nothing about how this kind of research is carried out, but is this data a true reflection of working conditions in the UK? How does an organisation with Stonewall's very finite resources manage such a task? Is this research only carried out among employers of a certain size? If an employer fails to return the requested data in time they are presumably excluded from the process, so how does that affect the results? Who monitors the responses to ensure accurate recording and reporting?

Hopefully, a list such as this is just an intermediate stage tool while we move to a more just society for all, but who knows ...?

Still, whatever my reservations, congratulations to those employers who have been able to demonstrate improvement in the conditions at work for glbt employees. That two police forces are mentioned certainly demonstrates how much things have changed since my youth when one was more likely to encounter the police through the despicable and frightening practice of entrapment