E&Y tops gay-friendly survey
BIG four accountancy firm Ernst & Young was yesterday named as the most gay-friendly employer in the UK, topping the annual index of the best firms for lesbian, gay and bisexual staff.
Ernst & Young moved up from third position last year to take the top spot in Stonewall’s workplace equality index, which considers criteria such as employee policy and training and development, as well as gathering extensive staff feedback.
The Home Office took second place, and the Department of Energy and Climate Change was named as the most improved employer.
Barclays came third in the index and topped the banking sector, with Goldman Sachs, Lloyds, Morgan Stanley and RBS also congratulated for their diversity policies.
There were 25 new entries in the Stonewall index this year, including MI5, which entered at number 62.
“Competition for a place in the top 100 was fiercer than ever this year,” said Ben Summerskill, Stonewall chief executive. “With new, more demanding criteria, every employer securing a position in the top 100 has performed impressively.”
In the legal sector, Simmons & Simmons held onto its title as the most gay-friendly law firm for the fourth year running and was 10th overall.
The index is based on a range of key indicators, which this year included for the first time a confidential survey of lesbian, gay and bisexual employees, with over 7,500 participants.