Gentoo is star performer in LGBT employee inclusion

Sunderland-based Gentoo has been praised for its approach to lesbian, gay, bi and trans (LGBT) inclusivity.

The social housing company is the only organisation in the North East to scoop the Star Performer accolade awarded by charity Stonewall.

This makes them one of the most gay-friendly employers in the UK, for the third year running, after being placed number one in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index 2014 – the first time a housing sector employer had taken the top spot.

The Stonewall Top 100 Employers are the best performing employers on Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index, an annual audit of workplace culture for LGBT staff.

Gentoo has worked with Stonewall on a set of strategic goals to advance workplace equality, sharing their expertise with other organisations.

Last year the focus of their work was about encouraging others to recognise that even with a stretched company budget, you can still make a difference in your workplace and community.

This year there are eight Star Performers, others include Accenture, Barclays, EY, Goldman Sachs, the Home Office, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Simmons & Simmons.

Gentoo deputy director Lucy Malarkey said: “Gentoo is delighted to be named as a Stonewall Star Performer for the third year running.

“Our vision is about building strong communities and inspiring people and we fundamentally believe that inclusive communities are stronger and staff can be more inspired in a workplace that enables them to be themselves.

“You don’t need huge resources to improve the inclusivity of your workplace and communities – making a difference is about passion, commitment and creativity.

“Gentoo is looking forward to continuing to work with Stonewall to advance workplace equality.”