Researching LGBT Friendly Employers

Researching employers is an important part of your job search. How can you tell if an organisation is going to support their LGBT staff? Although discrimination at work on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is illegal there are undoubtedly some employers who are better than others in providing LGBT friendly working environments.

A good place to start is the company literature, webpage and job adverts. Does the organisation have an equal opportunities policy or an equality and diversity officer? Are there support groups for LGBT employees? It may also be useful to get an idea of the work culture from current employees where possible.

For lesbian, gay & bisexual job seekers there are a few resources that may help in identifying employers to investigate further. Stonewall produce a list of Diversity Champions which are employers who are committed to creating gayfriendly workplaces. The Starting Out: Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual Recruitment Guide is available in the Careers and Employability Centre and we have several copies for students to take away. Additionally Stonewall's list of their top 100 employers can be downloaded from their website.
Additionally lesbians and bisexual women may need to look at any LGB workplace support groups to ensure that they are representative as a study has indicated that lesbians can sometimes feel discouraged at the way these groups were dominated by gay men leading to less involvement by women.
The University of Westminster careers service website has a useful list of LGB professional associations for a variety of sectors. Be sure to check out all their diversity information as it's full of useful tips and resources.

For trans job seekers finding friendly employers can be a little more complex. Press for Change have an award for equal opportunities but it isn't as well known as the Stonewall list and it is difficult to find out how employers get it. If you are applying for a job in the public sector the Gender Equality Duty requires public authorities to promote equality and eliminate unlawful sex discrimination. You can look at their gender equality scheme which should detail how they are avoiding discrimination against trans employees and customers.
Another thing to look out for is whether the employer has a policy on transitioning at work as well as looking at their harrassment, and equal opportunities policies to see whether they are trans inclusive. Again I would recommend the University of Westminster for further reading as their web resources are great.

If you have any questions about researching employers, disclosure or any other job or career related issues do come and see us in the Careers and Employability Centre. Appointments with Careers Advisers are available every day.