Dentsu Aegis Network has been named one of the most inclusive employers in Britain by lesbian, gay, bi and trans equality charity Stonewall in its Top 100 Employers list for 2020. Dentsu Aegis Network has placed 59th on this year’s list.
This year’s Top 100 was the largest ever with 503 employers entering, demonstrating their commitment to LGBT workplace inclusion.
As part of the Top 100, Stonewall collects more than 109,000 anonymous responses from employees on their experience of Britain’s workplace culture and diversity. This year, 81 per cent of LGBT employees who responded to the survey said they feel able to be themselves in the workplace.
Euan Jarvie, CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network UK & Ireland said: “We’re committed to doing all we can to ensure our people feel comfortable being themselves at work and helping them to flourish. Becoming the first marketing agency business to feature within Stonewall's prestigious Top 100 Index is a huge source of pride and testament to the work that our LGBT+ network, &Proud, and the broader business has done to empower that community.
“Stonewall is the clear authority on LGBT+ Workplace and their recognition is the culmination of three years of hard work and progress across all levels of our business and our entire UK & Ireland operation. Everyone involved in this journey should feel immense pride for how the progress made.
“While we will rightly celebrate and reflect on this achievement, we must also acknowledge that it is a single point in the journey as we strive to be a place where LGBT+, and all our employees for that matter, feel able to be the best version of themselves possible.”
Stonewall’s 2018 Work Report revealed more than a third of LGBT staff (35 per cent) have hidden they are LGBT at work and almost one in five LGBT employees (18 per cent) have been the target of negative comments from colleagues because of their identity.
Sanjay Sood-Smith, Stonewall’s Executive Director of Workplace & Community Programmes, said: 'We are delighted to name Dentsu Aegis Network as one of our Top 100 Employers this year. All the organisations in this year's Top 100 Employer's list are playing a huge role in improving the lives of LGBT people and should be very proud of their work.
'We still don't live in a world where everyone is able to be themselves in the workplace, as we know more than a third of LGBT staff (35 per cent) hide who they are at work. By taking steps to make their workplaces supportive and welcoming of all lesbian, gay, bi and trans people, businesses like Dentsu Aegis Network are bringing us closer to a world where everyone is accepted without exception.”
Stonewall’s Top 100 is compiled from submissions to the Workplace Equality Index, a powerful benchmarking tool used by employers to assess their achievements and progress on LGBT equality in the workplace, as well as their wider work in the community and on service provision.
Each organisation must demonstrate their expertise in 10 areas of employment policy and practice, including networking groups, senior leadership, procurement and how well they’ve engaged with LGBT communities.
To see the full list, please visit: https://www.stonewall.org.uk/full-list-top-100-employers-2020