Diversity Champions        >Information Pack

Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme is Britain’s good practice forum for lesbian and gay workplace issues. The programme brings together top employers from across the UK to promote diversity in the workplace.

To download an electronic copy of the Diversity Champions Information Pack, please  click here and here  for an application form.

What do Diversity Champions believe in?

1. The business case for diversity

• Reputation – be a leader, communicate commitment, enhance your brand
• Recruitment – widen your talent pool, be featured here.
• Productivity – At least 55% gay employees facing discrimination report direct negative work impact
• Risk aversion – be proactive, rather than reactive

For a full business case see here.

2. Continuous improvement

And that’s why they take part in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index (WEI). The Index benchmarks and showcases Britain’s top 100 employers for lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) staff. In 2008 the minimum score to feature in the top 100 was 71%, whereas it was a minimum of 40% was needed in 2005. Being a member and taking part allows organisations to benchmark themselves, and gain a competitive advantage for treating LGB staff and service users properly.

Visit the Workplace Equality Index page here to see the results.

3. Diversity and inclusion as core organisational values

They want the best staff and understand that some of them will be gay – and they need to attract and retain these people. They take part in our Workplace Conference, feature in our recruitment guide, Starting Out, and send staff on our Leadership programme. Being a member of Diversity Champions allows good organisations to gain credit for the good work they do.

The criterion for joining the programme is simple: there must be evidence of a clear commitment to improving the working environment for lesbian, gay and bisexual staff. No matter what stage of the journey you’re currently at, we can help you.

Why join?

>people perform better when they can be themselves™

If you can’t be ‘out’ at work, then you can’t give 100% to the job. There are over three million gay people in Britain, so you will undoubtedly have gay colleagues, suppliers or customers. Gay staff who are able to disclose their sexual orientation (be ‘out’) in supportive environments earn more, stay with their employer longer and are substantially more productive. They self-select in. Does your organisation allow lesbians, gay men and bisexuals to be ‘out’? Are you a supportive employer, sending the right message? Or are you missing out and wasting talent?

Why work on sexual orientation? Click here to find out more.

What do Diversity Champions do?

• Develop good practice
• Discuss what works and what doesn’t
• Understand the issues faced by employees and service users
• Explore the impact on, and value of, LGB markets

For those dealing with sexual orientation issues for the first time it is an ideal opportunity to avoid ‘reinventing the wheel’ – to learn from the experience of the growing number of employers who have invested in diversity and who are really making it work.

Stonewall’s Diversity Champions programme includes topic-based seminars, work groups and special events. This is not a ‘sit back and listen’ programme. Each seminar is led by Diversity Champions teams who have been working together to find practical solutions to real issues. 

Click here to see details of our seminar programme.

Smart employers understand that the world is constantly changing. We are a more diverse society and people now draw their sense of identity from a range of sources. Being aware of changing demographics and the importance of identity for staff, customers and service users can make a real difference to competitiveness and ability to deliver services. 

Contact us

Stonewall Cymru and Stonewall Scotland run Diversity Champions programmes tailored to the issues relevant to their national climate. Those based in Wales or Scotland are recommended to enquire with these offices in the first instance.

• Stonewall
  Tel: 020 7593 1850
  Email: workplace@stonewall.org.uk,
  Post: Stonewall, Tower Building, York Road, London SE1 7NX
• Stonewall Cymru
  Tel: 029 2023 7744
  Email: cymru@stonewall.org.uk
  Post: Stonewall Cymru, 3rd floor, Transport House, Cathedral Road, Cardiff CF11 9SB
• Stonewall Scotland
  Tel: 0131 557 3679
  Email: workplace@stonewallscotland.org.uk
  Post: Stonewall Scotland, 9 Howe Street, Edinburgh EH3 6TE