EY offices at 25 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London. Photo by Shutterstock.
Global companies, which have adopted inclusive corporate policies regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees, still encounter legal, cultural and organizational challenges when extending the policies beyond corporate hubs.
EY is hosting a live webcast panel discussion on LGBT inclusion in the workplace on May 7. The webcast from London, England will be at 6 a.m. EST and replay at 11 a.m. EST. Timed for European and U.S. time zones, both sessions will be identical in format and content. The duration is 60 minutes.
Panelists include Beth Brooke-Marciniak, Global Vice Chair, Public Policy, EY (No. 4 on the 2015 Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity); Harry Small, Partner and Leader of the Global Technology Practice, Baker & McKenzie LLP; and Marijn Pijnenburg, Global Business Development Executive for Workforce Development and LGBT, IBM (No. 22). Daniel Franklin, Executive Editor of The Economist, will moderate the panel.
The discussion will include the findings of a multi-company think tank convened by EY to explore leading practices in the corporate sector. The panelists will share what is necessary to change at the organizational level, and what individuals can do LGBT and allies alike to contribute and lead inclusively.
EY ranks No. 5 on the 2015 Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees. Diversity & Inclusiveness, including building a better world for LGBT people, holds high importance in the professional-services firm’s community engagement efforts. Under its global code of conduct, EY mandates respect in the workplace. This created safe spaces for LGBT employees in countries perceived as less gay-friendly than the U.S., such as many Asian countries.
Codes of conduct at companies are increasingly reviewed by prospective employees, especially millennials.
“Gen Y’ers are very interested in this. We find they check this out before they decide,” says Karyn Twaronite, Global Diversity & Inclusiveness Officer at EY.
EY’s Global Vice Chair, Public Policy Beth A. Brooke-Marciniak recently wrote a column making the case against anti-LGBT discrimination.
As businesses compete for talent, expand into new markets and accelerate innovation, diversity and inclusiveness serves as a source of competitive advantage.
