SUCCESS IN STONEWALL’S WORKPLACE EQUALITY INDEX
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service is continuously investing in promoting and embedding equality and diversity across the Service and the communities we serve. As part of this, and to seek an independent assessment of what progress we are making, we submit a report annually to Stonewall of our LGBT-related equality work. Stonewall score hundreds of these submissions, from private and public sector organisations across the UK, and using these scores compile their annual Workplace Equality Index.
The Workplace Equality Index is used by employers as a powerful benchmarking tool, to help ensure all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees can be themselves in the workplace.
Each year, participating employers demonstrate their work in ten areas of employment policy and practice, from training to community engagement. Simultaneously, staff from across each organisation are asked to complete an anonymous survey about their experiences at work.
Organisations then receive their scores, enabling them to understand what they are doing well and where they need to focus their efforts to make further improvements. Organisations can also see how they’ve performed in comparison with peers in their sector and region.
Following our 2016 submission, we are pleased to announce that Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service managed to jump 32 places in the Stonewall list of employers, moving from 168 to 136 out of 439 organisations nationally. This is seen as an impressive jump and highlights the Service’s commitment to equality and diversity. The Service is hoping it can improve on this pacing next year, by breaking into the Stonewall Top 100 Employers.
Andrew Brodie, Assistant Chief Fire and Rescue Officer, said: “Equality and diversity lie at the heart of all our work and we strive to improve every year.”
“We believe we can break into Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers next year. We’ve jumped an impressive 32 places since our previous submission and have lots of exciting work planned for 2017.”
“We expect to be recruiting full-time firefighters this year for the first time since 2012. Our Stonewall achievements demonstrate our commitment to equality. It also demonstrates that anyone who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is warmly welcomed into our organisations and should see us as an employer of choice.”
“Every organisation who features on the Workplace Equality Index has demonstrated a determination to value all people, regardless of sexual orientation and to ensure LGBT people are able to be themselves in the workplace, which actually benefits the organisation.”
“We will continue to work with Stonewall to continuously improve our workplace and ensure it’s a better place for everyone.”
More information on Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service’s equality and diversity can be found by visiting www.leicestershire-fire.gov.uk.
ENDS
Notes to editors
An interview can be arranged with prior arrangement through Corporate Communications team.
About the Service
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service provides emergency response, prevention and protection services from 20 stations across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. Its headquarters is based in Birstall, Leicester.
The Service’s prevention, education, enforcement and inspection programmes have resulted in significant reductions in the number of incidents. In the last five years, fire related incidents have reduced by 32.6 percent.
During 2014/15, the Service attended 619 road traffic collisions, of which 155 were extrications freeing 194 people trapped inside their vehicles and completed 4316 home fire safety checks, fitting almost 4339 smoke alarms. Staff organised or supported almost 1590 events aimed at promoting fire and road safety and arson prevention, whilst also visiting 314 schools to deliver fire and road safety education to pupils.
Contact:
Dominic Halliday
Communications and Digital Media Administrator
0116 2292178
dominic.halliday@lfrs.org
