Force back in Stonewall Top 100

Leicestershire Police is among the top employers in the country for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans staff.

The force was judged to be among the most inclusive in the country as part of the Stonewall Top 100, being placed 93^rd.

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.

Chief Constable Simon Cole, said: “Leicestershire Police is thrilled to have made the Stonewall top 100 employer list. This accolade reinforces our commitment as a force to ensuring equality for all members of the organisation.

“We will be recruiting for staff and officers throughout the year and I hope that this recognition helps to open the door to as many people as possible to come and join us.”

Sanjay Sood-Smith, Stonewall’s Executive Director of Workplace & Community Programmes, said: “We are delighted to name Leicestershire Police 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 Leicestershire Police are bringing us closer to a world where everyone is accepted without exception.”

PC James Yeoman, Co-Chair of Leicestershire Police’s LGBT+ Network, said: "As an organisation and LGBT+ Network, we work incredibly hard to support staff wherever we can from an LGBT+ perspective. I have seen some of the great work that we do first hand.

“Returning to the top 100 employers is a great achievement for the force and is something we should all be proud of. Working in an environment where accepting someone for who they are is key, and it is evident we are doing the right thing. Next year we shall aim to do things even better than this year, adopting an even stronger approach in supporting our colleagues and allies of the LGBT+ workforce.” 

Lynne Woodward, Head of the force’s Equality Unit, said: “We are really pleased to be in the Stonewall Top 100 employers, particularly as the number of organisations who enter continue to increase. This is the result of increased work and support from our local LGBT+ network. It will also assist us in attracting a more diverse workforce at a time when we are recruiting an increased number of police officers.”

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, visit the Stonewall website.