How does your company measure up on the LGBTI+ workplace equality index?The South African LGBT+ Management Forum has released its inaugural South African Workplace Equality Index (SAWEI), providing local companies with the means to measure how well they are performing when it comes to LGBTI+ inclusion in the workplace, and to identify potential gaps and areas of improvement. © vectomart – 123RF.com This year, a total of 17 companies representing six different sectors and employing over 30,000 people completed SAWEI submissions. Of these, two companies were awarded the top gold tiering which is a great achievement, seven companies were silver tiered and four were bronze tiered. The leading tiered companies include Bain & Company, Shell, EY, Thomson Reuters, P&G, PWC and Deloitte. Some key observations from the index include:
The evidence highlighted some great work that companies are doing on diversity and inclusion in South Africa. It has shown the importance of addressing specific issues facing LGBTI+ people in the workplace and how this can be done through existing programmes that currently address just gender and racial transformation. In fact, integrated diversity or transformation programmes are more likely to be successful than fragmented ones. © vectomart – 123RF.com SAWEI coordinator and director at The Forum, Luke Andrews said: “This was the first year that we brought the concept of a corporate LGBTI+ benchmark to South Africa and we want to thank those forward-thinking companies that put their hands up to participate. Without their vision and eager participation, it would not have been possible. Over a year and a half of preparation has gone into launching the SAWEI, led by a dedicated team managing the project in their free time, and we hope the hard work has paid off. When LGBTI+ people are able to bring their true selves to work, this makes them happier, more productive and less likely to leave a company. This alone means that LGBTI+ inclusion makes good business sense.” The SAWEI plans to expand its reach to include more companies next year and will continue to set the standards for LGBTI+ inclusion in the workplace. The SAWEI is based on highly successful predecessors in the UK, US, Australia and Canada, and there are high expectations that the SAWEI will be just as impactful on employees and workplaces across South Africa. Download the full SAWEI PDF report here. For more information about this year’s index, visit lgbtforum.org/index. |