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Housing organisations named among most LGBT-friendly employers
Several housing organisations have been named in a list of the most LGBT-friendly employers in the United Kingdom.
Sunderland-based housing association Gentoo was named as the third most LGBT-inclusive employer in the list, compiled by charity Stonewall.
Housing associations Riverside, Home Group and L&Q were also on the list, in 36th, 75th and 79th places respectively, as were ALMOs Your Homes Newcastle and Wolverhampton Homes, which were 45th and 47th respectively. Homelessness charity St Mungo’s was 72nd.
Stonewall also published a list of the top 10 trans-inclusive employers in no particular order. This list also included Gentoo and Your Homes Newcastle.
The Stonewall list comes as Inside Housing urges housing organisations to sign up to our Inclusive Futures campaign to address the lack of diversity among leadership teams in the sector (see below).
We are challenging readers to take five clear steps to promote diversity, informed by the Chartered Institute of Housing’s diversity commission and the Leadership 2025 project.
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The Stonewall list was compiled from 430 submissions to the charity’s Workplace Equality Index, a tool used by employers to assess achievements on LGBT equality.
A number of local authorities were also recognised on the list, including Newcastle City Council (ninth), Nottingham County Council (22nd), Bury Council (41st), Leeds City Council (50th), Leicestershire County Council (79th), Southend-on-Sea Borough Council (79th), Cheshire West and Chester Council (84th), Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (88th) and Tower Hamlets Council in east London (91st).
Update: at 2.34pm 31.01.18
This article has been updated to include L&Q, which was named in 79th place on the list.
Inclusive Futures
Inside Housing’s Inclusive Futures campaign aims to promote and celebrate diversity and inclusion.
We are pledging to publish diversity audits of our own coverage.
We are also committed to proactively promoting positive role models.
We will do this through the pages of Inside Housing. But we will also seek to support other publications and events organisations to be more inclusive.
Our Inclusive Futures Bureau will provide a database of speakers and commentators from all backgrounds, for use by all media organisations.
We are also challenging readers to take five clear steps to promote diversity, informed by the Chartered Institute of Housing’s diversity commission and the Leadership 2025 project.
THE INCLUSIVE FUTURES CHALLENGE
Inside Housing calls on organisations to sign up to an inclusive future by taking five steps:
Prioritise diversity and inclusion at the top: commitment and persistence from chief executives, directors and chairs in setting goals and monitoring progress.
Collect data on the diversity of your board, leadership and total workforce and publish annually with your annual report. Consider gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality, age, and representation of tenants on the board.
Set aspirational targets for recruitment to the executive team, board and committees from under-represented groups.
Challenge recruiting staff and agencies to ensure that all shortlists include candidates from under-represented groups.
Make diversity and inclusion a core theme in your talent management strategy to ensure you support people from under-represented groups to progress their careers.
INSIDE HOUSING’S PLEDGES
We will take proactive steps to promote positive role models from under-represented groups and provide information to support change.
We pledge to:
Publish diversity audits: We will audit the diversity of the commentators we feature. We will formalise this process and publish the results for future audits twice a year.
Promote role models: We will work to highlight leading lights from specific under-represented groups, starting in early 2018 with our new BME Leaders List.
Launch Inclusive Futures Bureau: We will work with the sector to compile a database of speakers, commentators and experts from under-represented groups. The bureau will be available to events organisers, media outlets and publications to support them to better represent the talent in the sector.
Take forward the Women in Housing Awards: Inside Housing has taken on these successful awards and will work to grow and develop them.
Convene Inclusive Futures Summit: Our new high-level event will support organisations to develop and implement strategies to become more diverse and inclusive.
