News release
Stonewall names Solicitors Regulation Authority one of Britain's top 100 LGBT-inclusive employers
30 January 2020
- SRA enters top 100 - ranking 93rd on LGBT charity's annual list of inclusive employers
- Stonewall index receives a record 503 submissions
We have 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. We are placed 93rd on the 2020 list.
This year's Top 100 was the largest ever, with 503 employers entering to demonstrate 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 felt able to be themselves in the workplace.
Highlights of our achievements include:
- discussing crucial issues through staff network activities and events with external speakers
- working with partners to make sure our inclusive approach is emphasised when recruiting
- installing our first set of gender-neutral toilets
- expanding our presence at three Pride festivals
- working in partnership on an LGBT-mentoring scheme that gave law firms access to free mentoring on developing their approaches to LGBT inclusivity
Paul Philip, SRA Chief Executive said: "I am delighted that our work to promote LGBT inclusion both in the profession and within our organisation has been recognised by Stonewall and that we can count ourselves in the Top 100 employers.
"It is important that everybody using legal services has access to a profession which is diverse and inclusive. We expect solicitors to meet high standards and behave in a way that encourages equality, diversity and inclusion – so it is important we hold ourselves to those same standards.
"We are a better organisation for having taken on this challenge and better equipped to continue with our work to make sure that everyone using legal services, and those working in the sector, can be themselves without fear of discrimination."
Stonewall's 2018 Work Report revealed more than a third of LGBT staff (35 per cent) have hidden that they were LGBT at work and almost one in five LGBT employees (18 per cent) had 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 the SRA 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 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 the SRA 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.