Whitbread receives Gold Award for commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion at work
We are proud to announce that Whitbread plc has received a Gold award from Stonewall, the world’s second-largest LGBTQ+ charity, demonstrating our commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace.
As part of Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index, which ranks the best organisations for LGBTQ+ employees, Whitbread came 1st in the leisure, travel and tourism sector. This outstanding recognition is testament to our hard work over the last 18 months to champion inclusivity and drive diversity across all under-represented groups, in line with our Diversity and Inclusion commitments.
Chris Vaughan, General Counsel and Executive Sponsor for our LGBTQ+ network GLOW (he/him) said:
“Creating an inclusive and diverse environment, where everyone, including the whole of the LGBTQ+ community, is able to be their true selves at work is really important to us in Whitbread. It’s a critical part of our sustainability programme, which we call Force for Good. I am particularly proud of this recognition. To be ranked 1st across the leisure, travel and tourism sector shows how special our culture is at Whitbread. We know we continue to have more to do, and we are committed to continuing to focus on our D&I commitments which are driving change across many under-represented groups.”
Matthew Case, Regional Operations Manager and co-Lead for GLOW, Whitbread’s LGBTQ+ network (He/him) said:
‘We are proud to be a Stonewall Diversity Champion, and this recognition demonstrates how important LGBTQ+ inclusion is to us. We know from Stonewall’s own research that more than a third of LGBTQ+ staff (35 per cent) hide who they are at work, while one in five (18 per cent) have been the target of negative comments because they’re LGBTQ+. Within Whitbread, we want everyone to be able to be themselves at work, and the work GLOW does alongside our central teams really helps us achieve this.’
Liz Ward, Director of Programmes at Stonewall (she/her) said:
‘We spend so much of our time at work, and our career can be a huge part of how we define ourselves. Every single lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer person should be able to be themself at work. From understanding how HR policies, such as parental leave, will affect them, to being reassured that they can speak openly about their lives and partners at the coffee machine, the impact of inclusive workplaces can be life-changing.
‘It’s fantastic that Whitbread has gained a Gold award for their efforts and commitment to creating an inclusive work environment, and we look forward to seeing and supporting the rest of their inclusion journey.’
The Stonewall Top 100 Employers list this year can be found on the Stonewall website, as well as further information about the importance of LGBTQ+ inclusion.
