Landlords lauded for gay-friendly measures

Five providers made the top 100 list compiled by charity Stonewall, which ranks workplaces by how inclusive they are for minority groups. Housing association Gentoo was the housing sector’s most LGB-friendly employer, ranking at number 16, while Metropolitan Housing Partnership rose 16 places to number 27.

Berneslai Homes and Knowsley Housing Trust were also named for their inclusive attitudes, ranking at number 92 and 98 respectively, while Your Homes Newcastle made its first appearance on the list at number 90.

Stonewall assessed steps the organisations had taken to accommodate LGB staff, from setting up groups where any issues could be discussed, to ensuring staff could bring their partners to company events, regardless of their sexual orientation.

Nigel Wrightson, head of special projects at Metropolitan Housing Partnership, said his outfit had seen a clear business advantage in making LGB staff feel comfortable. ‘If you have a small proportion of your workforce who are feeling demoralised, then working to include them will encourage them to progress in their job and the organisation,’ he said.

‘It also means we are attractive to the very best job applicants.’

isPam Walton, equality and diversity co-ordinator at Gentoo, said: ‘We knew that statistically we must have LGB staff, but had no idea how many or how it felt to be gay and working at Gentoo. So we set about finding out, by launching our sexual equality handbook to make clear our commitment to LGB equality, and then offering to support the establishment of an LGB staff network group.’
This year 352 employers applied for the list, 27 of them housing organisations, compared with 13 last year. Stonewall also surveyed 7,200 staff on how well their organisation catered for their needs.

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