Seeking equality at work
Tool to gauge LGBTI+ compliance in companies now available
A MEASUREMENT tool to gauge how compliant companies are in making the workplace conductive for the gay and lesbian community has been developed.
An organisation called The LGBTI+ Management Forum said it had measured companies to find out what protection policies they had in place for lesbians, gays, transgender and the intersex.
The South African Workplace Equality Index (SAWEI) offers companies a means to measure their progress against independently determined and research-based best practice.
A total of 17 companies representing six different sectors employing more than 30 000 people completed SAWEI submissions. Of these, two companies were awarded the top gold tiering, seven companies were silver-tiered and four were bronzetiered.
The leading companies include Bain & Company, Shell, EY, Thomson Reuters, P&G, PWC, Deloitte and Shell.
The report highlights that some companies are putting effort into diversity and inclusion in South Africa. The report also illustrated the importance of addressing specific issues facing LGBTI+ people in the workplace and how it can be done through programmes that address gender and racial transformation.
The SAWEI co-ordinator, and director of 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.”
The forum was launched in 2017 to create a safe and equitable workplace for all, regardless of sexual orientation.
A panel of five professionals conducted the research from May 17 and it was published on Tuesday.
The research also focused on what policies companies had in place to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. It showed that nearly all participating companies had policies in place.
Most companies applied family responsibility leave equally and used gender-neutral terms such as “spouse” or “life partner”. Only two participants had policies that explicitly protect LGBT+ employees when travelling into hostile countries or regions.
“More than 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,” he said.
Andrews said he hoped to expand its reach to include more companies next year and would continue to set the standards for LGBTI+ inclusion in the workplace.