A prominent diversity advocate has spoken out about the issue, saying more needs to be done
A prominent diversity activist has spoken out about the lack of LGBTQI+ representation in Kiwi companies, saying more needs to be done before workplaces are truly inclusive.
Anna Stove, who is on the board of advocacy group Global Women, says the local movement to introduce gender equality at managerial level is gathering momentum but other sectors of the workforce often remain overlooked.
According to Stove, who is the general manager of GSK NZ, around only 35 New Zealand businesses have been formally certified as LGBTQI+ inclusive.
Her comments come after GSK became the first pharmaceutical company in New Zealand to achieve the Rainbow Tick – an accreditation which recognises companies that value and welcome sexual and gender diversity.
“Achieving company-wide diversity is a process which requires a significant investment in training and policy making,” says Stove. “We want to attract talent from the broadest spectrum of the population to ensure we get and retain the best people.”
Already, the scheme has had a tangible impact with one employee openly identifying as gay for the first time in the workplace.
“Although GSK NZ has a very open and honest culture our staff member had concerns that ‘coming out’ could potentially affect their career progression within a multi-national company,” says Stove.
“Because the company was committed to being rainbow certified it gave him the confidence to discuss this more openly. As an employer we were thrilled to see the impact of change so quickly.”
However, while GSK has seen success in implementing diversity initiatives, Stove admits there are some challenges – primarily, that it can be difficult to measure change.
“While it’s readily apparent if organisations are promoting more women to senior levels it’s not appropriate for them to proactively seek information related to the sexual or gender diversity of their employees,” she says.
“This makes it harder to determine how successful efforts have been and can send the message that it is not a priority for the organisation.”
In the absence of detailed metrics on the success of inclusion strategies, Stove says businesses can instead gather data on ‘happiness at work’ which can be measured through engagement scores on the culture of the business.
