Rising 211 places in Stonewall's Workplace Equality Index to 188th place

Roehampton University Library

The University of Roehampton has moved up 211 places in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index to 188th place, the biggest rise seen by any organisation. This huge jump in the last year is a reflection of our commitment to creating a fair workplace for all and is the result of work including:

• Greater explicit inclusion of bisexual people in relevant policies
• Strong support from senior leadership
• Consistent and meaningful community engagement, with a broad range of events
• Impressive and detailed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion reporting

Stonewall began the Workplace Equality Index in 2005 to help organisations access their achievements and progress on LGBT equality. Participating organisations need to demonstrate their work in 10 areas of employment policy and practice including employee policy, the employee lifecycle, staff network groups, allies and role models, senior leadership, monitoring, procurement, and customers, service users and clients. Overall 445 organisations are ranked in the Index, which this year featured law firm Pinsent Masons and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner in the top two places, followed by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and MI5.

The University’s policies are LGBT inclusive of all employees. Some of the key policies the University has in place are the Dignity and Respect Policy, Bully and Harassment Procedures and various HR policies, procedures and guidance documents. The University also now has a joint staff and student Trans, Non-binary and Intersex Equality Policy (and guidance) which stonewall has credited as one of most progressive policies they have seen. Over the course of the year, Roehampton has also held events including various sexuality and gender awareness raising events, educational events and social networking events. All of these activities have helped to foster a community of inclusivity.

Emma Kosmin, Index and Benchmarking Manager, Stonewall, said, “The University of Roehampton’s success is a testament to all their hard work and dedication to workplace inclusion over the last year. With the University’s support, we are one step closer to creating a world where all lesbian, gay, bi and trans employees are accepted without exception.”

Professor Paul O’Prey, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Roehampton, said, “At the University of Roehampton we welcome and value all individuals and are committed to ensuring all our LGBT staff and students are treated equally. Over the last year we have been working hard on making the University a truly inclusive environment for people to work and study. We are extremely happy with this fantastic result and we will continue to work towards equality for all.”

January 24, 2019