IBM has been named our most gay-friendly employer at Australia’s first-ever awards recognising workplace support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

The technology giant topped a list of 11 organisations which were recognised at a special luncheon in Sydney yesterday, organised by Pride In Diversity, Australia’s first and only employer support program for the inclusion of LGBT people in the workplace.

The awards were determined using Pride In Diversity’s Australian Workplace Equality Index, a free service provided annually by Pride In Diversity that evaluates and benchmarks LGBT inclusiveness in Australian workplaces.

The Top Ten Australian employers for LGBT people are (in ranked order), IBM, Australian Federal Police, KPMG, Goldman Sachs, Telstra, Accenture and Macquarie University (equal 6th), PriceWaterhouseCoopers, University of Queensland, and University of Western Australia and Curtin University (equal 10th).

IBM received three awards, including Employer of the Year, Highest Ranking Private Sector Employer and LGBT Employee Network Group of the Year. The Australian Federal Police was the Highest Ranking Public Sector Employer and also received a special commendation in the LGBT Employee Network Group category. The company has also picked up similar awards in the UK.

PRIDE IN DIVERSITY

Speakers at the sold-out inaugural awards luncheon at the Sydney Hilton’s Glass restaurant included Pride In Diversity patron the Hon. Michael Kirby, Olympic champion and Telstra sporting ambassador Matthew Mitcham and a string of CEO’s and top executives from some of Australia’s leading public and private sector organisations.

Pride In Diversity is a program developed in partnership by ACON – NSW’s and Australia’s largest community-based LGBT health organisation – Diversity Council Australia – the independent, not-for-profit diversity advisor to business – and London-based LGB advocacy group Stonewall UK.

Pride In Diversity Director Dawn Hough (pictured with Mitcham and Kirby) says the luncheon and awards, which will continue to take place every year on the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia on May 17, provide a valuable new platform for organisations to highlight the quality of their workplace diversity practices.

“Pride In Diversity is about helping organisations bridge the gap between LGBT employees and management,” Hough explains. “These awards are an important opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the changes happening in our workplaces – and in our society – that make LGBT people feel like they belong.”

Kirby says because most Australians spend a great deal of their lives in some sort of workplace, “it is vital that workplaces are welcoming and supportive places for all employees.”

“This is not only good for the employees concerned, it also benefits employers in terms of reputation, recruitment, retention, productivity and market share,” Kirby says.

“Ultimately, providing support mechanisms for LGBT employees contributes to the ‘fair go’ spirit which we value so highly in Australia.”