House of Commons ranked 23rd in Stonewall's top 100 Employers

Stonewall's Top 100 Employers is the definitive list showcasing the best employers for lesbian, gay, bi and trans staff. The list is compiled from submissions to the Workplace Equality Index, a powerful benchmarking tool used by employers to create inclusive workplaces. This year's increase comes following the outstanding rise of 88 places in 2017.
 
434 employers submitted entries to the 2018 Index, across the public, private and third sectors.
 
Parliament's Workplace Equality Network ParliOUT has also been recognised as one of the Highly Commended Network Groups 2018. The commendation recognises the fantastic efforts of the top performing network groups.

Welcoming the announcement, the Speaker of the House of Commons Rt. Hon John Bercow said: “I am proud that we continue to make real progress on the diversity and inclusion agenda in the House of Commons, which is reflected by our increased ranking in the highly respected Stonewall Workplace Equality Index 2018. Over the coming year we will continue our work to ensure that everyone working the House is able to do so in an inclusive and supportive environment.”
 
The chairs of ParliOUT Lea Smith and Stephen Furber welcomed the recognition, saying: “We're thrilled that our work has been recognised by Stonewall. Workplace Equality Networks like ParliOUT are a fantastic way to make role models more visible and accessible, and to provide a network of support to our Membership.”
 
Jennifer Crook, Head of Diversity & Inclusion added: "This really is an amazing achievement, coming just months after the House of Commons was included in the Best 100 employers for the 2017 Business in the Community Race Equality Awards. This would not have been possible without a significant input from a dedicated team, so I thank all those involved and look forward to continuing to build a workplace environment that is accessible, diverse, and free from discrimination."

ParliOUT

ParliOUT is a Workplace Equality Network (WEN) in support of LGBTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning) people in Parliament. A principal aim of ParliOUT is to make LGBTIQ role models more visible and accessible.

ParliOUT also provides a welcoming social forum and an informal support network of people from across Parliament. With the other WENs, ParliOUT strives to create a supportive and inclusive working environment by providing support, guidance, educational and networking opportunities to all staff and Members of both Houses of Parliament. It is also an informal point of contact for LGBT issues that may arise in the workplace, such as bullying and harassment and can signpost members to specific services available to them or towards colleagues within their own department who can help.