Stonewall, the gay equality organisation, has revealed the UK’s 100 most gay-friendly employers in its 2006 Workplace Equality Index. Staffordshire Police came in first place as the country’s top employer for lesbian and gay people, with IBM in second place and the Department for Work and Pensions and Manchester City Council in joint third place. Also in the top ten were Accenture, BT, JP Morgan and Credit Suisse First Boston. Employers were ranked according to a range of 20 criteria one of which is the presence of an openly gay member on an organisation’s board. Stonewall believes that the business case for addressing issues of equality and diversity becomes stronger every year. Ben Summerskill, Stonewall chief executive said: “Employers who overlook how they appeal to gay staff don’t only miss out on a significant pool of potential recruits but, in many cases, they miss out on a significant customer base too”. Contact Stonewall www.stonewall.org.uk
Civil relations
Barclays and Stonewall, the gay equality organisation, will be hosting several seminars throughout February and March, explaining rights and obligations for gay men and lesbians under the new laws concerning civil partnerships. Stonewall will be presenting the seminars, while Barclays is providing the content, answering questions on how civil partnerships can affect issues such as inheritance and pensions. Contact Stonewall www.stonewall.org.uk; Barclays www.barclays.com
Access to employment
Barclays has teamed up with national charity Shaw Trust to widen access to employment for disabled people, following a two-year work taster project. Managers at Barclays are backing a new service level agreement, which expands a two-year job-taster project for people with disabilities into opportunities for permanent employment at Barclays’ service operation centres across the country. The Shaw Trust, a leading provider of employment services for disabled and disadvantaged people, says there is a compelling business case for companies to employ people with disabilities, including greater productivity, improved attendance and reduced staff turnover. Tesco, City Management Facilities and Hilton UK & Ireland have also signed up Shaw Trust to build on their employment diversity programmes. Contact Shaw Trust www.shaw-trust.org.uk
Royal nod for equality act
The Equality Act has gained Royal Assent, giving the go-ahead for the formation of a single Commission for Equality and Human Rights. CEHR will provide information and advice to businesses, communities and individuals experiencing discrimination and prejudice on the basis of race, gender, disability, religion and belief or sexual orientation. The CEHR will merge the work of the disability Rights Commission and the Equal Opportunities Commission from October 2007, and that of the Commission for Racial Equality from 2009, bringing together expertise on equality, diversity and human rights into one place. Contact DTI www.dti.gov.uk
Inclusive minutes
Vodafone has committed £5m towards the development of products and services that are both valuable to society and commercially viable. It will focus particularly on products that increase accessibility for people with disabilities, but will also explore the use of mobiles for making financial transactions in countries with minimal banking facilities. Contact Ally Stevens, Vodafone www.vodafone.com
Office for Disability Issues
The government has established an Office for Disability Issues, to help reduce the inequalities disabled people face. The ODI will ensure that government departments work together and in partnership with disabled people to improve and change services that present barriers to disabled people. John Hutton, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions said: “The ODI will ensure there is a focus across government on improving outcomes and securing equal opportunities for disabled individuals and families, for example in education and employment”. Contact Department for Work and Pensions www.dwp.gov.uk Office for Disability Issues www.officefordisability.gov.uk
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