We’re pleased to announce that Colt has achieved a Gold Award and a place in the top 100 companies for LGBTQ+ inclusion (ranking 77) from Stonewall, the leading LGBTQ+ inclusion organisation, following our submission to the UK Workplace Equality Index (WEI). The index is a ranking of UK employers compiled annually by Stonewall, which allows businesses to track their progress compared to other organisations. We saw a marked improvement from our previous submission: in 2021 we achieved a Silver Award and were ranked 197 out of 400 companies.
Over the past year, we have undertaken significant strides towards creating an inclusive working environment, including:
- Supporting LGBTQ+ organisations, Micro Rainbow and Stonewall Housing, by providing a free phone number and Interactive Voice Response (IVR) free of charge. A collaborative effort between the I&D team, Pride Matters employee network and the Voice Services teams, this initiative has so far received some fantastic support from the wider Sales, Marketing & Customer Success and Billing teams.
- In July 2022 we hosted an event with recruitment company, develop, about Queer Identity in the Workplace. It looked at LGBTQ+ experiences and focused on what it’s like to work as an LGBTQ+ person and how to be more inclusive of the community.
- To raise awareness of Transgender Awareness Week and Transgender Day of Remembrance (20 November), we ran an internal campaign to raise awareness of transgender experiences in the workplace. Consisting of short videos, the campaign shared experiences of the transgender community from growing up to being in the workplace, finishing the campaign with a post on how to be a trans ally.
Our Pride Matters employee network has also been recognised for its work on inclusivity. We have been awarded a Highly Commended Network Group award, to celebrate the achievements of our LGBTQ+ network group (Pride Matters). This has shown how much our employee networks have an impact on Colt’s Inclusion and Diversity (I&D) agenda, both through internal initiatives and external recognition.
As a company, we still have more to do when it comes to inclusion and diversity and we’re always striving to be better. This award from Stonewall shows we’re on the right track and making significant progress.
Colt Technology Services
20 February 2023
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