In July 2017, the government launched a national survey of LGBT people. It received more than 108,000 responses which have been published in the form of a research report and a summary report.
The survey found that 23% of survey respondents in the 12 months preceding the survey had experienced a negative or mixed reaction from others in the workplace, as result of being either LGBT or thought to be LGBT. The survey also found that 77% of respondents that had experienced a negative incident at work in the preceding 12 months said the most serious incident was not reported, primarily because they had thought it would not be worth it, or that nothing would happen or change.
On 3 July 2018, responding to the survey, the Government Equalities Office (GEO) published the LGBT action plan: Improving the Lives of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People. The action plan includes a £4.5m fund to address inequality and support the delivery of the plan in areas including health, education, personal safety and the workplace.
Specifically with regard to the workplace, the government has stated it will provide free training materials to employers aimed at supporting inclusion and dealing with LGBT discrimination. The government also stated it would convene a working group of employers to understand the experiences of LGBT staff in different sectors.
At Dentons we strongly believe that our strength in diversity and inclusion contributes to the success of our business. GLOW, Dentons' UK LGBT + network, was named one of the country's top 10 LGBT+ Network Groups at the British LGBT Awards 2018. Established in 2015 in the UK, GLOW has become an important, highly visible feature of Dentons, hosting both internal and external events, informing colleagues and initiating policy changes to ensure an LGBT- inclusive culture. GLOW also recently contributed to Dentons' ranking as a Stonewall Top 100 Employer in the UK for a third year in a row, as well as Dentons' appointment as a mentor firm in the new LGBT mentoring scheme set up by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and Stonewall.
Dentons is the world's first polycentric global law firm. A top 20 firm on the Acritas 2015 Global Elite Brand Index, the Firm is committed to challenging the status quo in delivering consistent and uncompromising quality and value in new and inventive ways. Driven to provide clients a competitive edge, and connected to the communities where its clients want to do business, Dentons knows that understanding local cultures is crucial to successfully completing a deal, resolving a dispute or solving a business challenge. Now the world's largest law firm, Dentons' global team builds agile, tailored solutions to meet the local, national and global needs of private and public clients of any size in more than 125 locations serving 50-plus countries. www.dentons.com.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
