Asda and The Co-op are the only retailers to have been listed in Stonewall‘s list of top 100 LGBT-inclusive employers.
The Top 100 Employers list – created by Stonewall, the UK‘s leading lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) charity and lobby group – is compiled from submissions to the Workplace Equality Index, a benchmarking tool used by employers to assess their achievements and progress on LGBT equality in the workplace.
The two retailers made significant climbs on the Top 100 list, with Asda jumping from 83 in 2016 to 25 this year, and The Co-op climbing from 72 in 2016 to 31 this year.
Stonewall‘s retail sector lead, Matt Moore, said it was “fantastic” to see Asda and Co-op on the Top 100 list again, improving and retaining firm positons for a consecutive year.
However, he highlighted the issue of how no other retailers were on the list at all.
“The sector in general continues to be underrepresented in the index, and we hope to see this change in the future,” he said.
“Until then, we hope to see both Asda and The Co-Operative continue to lead by example, demonstrating a true commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and helping their lesbian, gay, bi and trans staff to bring their whole selves to work.”
READ MORE: Comment – It’s time for retailers to show their LGBT-inclusive credentials with pride
Asda‘s senior vice president of people Hayley Tatum said diversity and inclusion was “right at the heart” of the grocery giant‘s business.
“We want every colleague to let their personality shine through so they can come to work and be themselves,” Tatum said.
“We are proud to be included in Stonewall‘s LGBT friendly employer list and to increase our ranking so significantly is an incredible achievement.
“However there is still more work to be done. Our LGBT steering group continues to play a vital role in driving forward our diversity and inclusion agenda, we are sharpening our approach to working with LGBT Pride events and we will continue to engage and support our colleagues in the local communities we serve.”
The Co-op‘s director of executive talent and diversity Adrian Shooter attributed his company‘s improvement on the Top 100 list to the internal Respect Network, the Diversity & Inclusion team,
‘As a co-operative we pride ourselves on the support we give to all our colleagues… and the collaborative efforts of our businesses working together to support the LGBT community,” he said.
The full Top 100 Employers list: http://www.stonewall.org.uk/get-involved/workplace/workplace-equality-index
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