IBM Boss Tells Conference Recognition Of LGBT Rights Essential To All Businesses

Both Brendon Riley, the Chief Executive Officer of IBM UK, and Vice Admiral Alan Massey Second Sea Lord, Royal Navy have used their keynote speeches at the Stonewall’s workplace conference to call on employers to make sure they are achieving workplace equality for lesbian, gay and bisexual staff.

Supported by Barclays, the conference saw Vice Admiral Alan Massey Second Sea Lord, Royal Navy tell the near 500 attendees that:

“Changing behaviours takes some time. Changing the underlying attitudes and culture takes a whole lot longer. The continued engagement of the LGBT community is vitally important to us to ensure that it becomes an embedded part of our business, a fundamental part of a fair leadership culture.”

Antony Grey Jenkins, Chief Executive of Global Retail Banking, Barclays reinforced this highlighting the benefit it can be of to the company itself saying:

“Organisations that focus on diversity tend to be higher performing organisations than those that don’t. People take their lead from what they see around them. Creating a workplace where all colleagues are able to be themselves is absolutely critical to the overall wellbeing of any business.”

Brendon Riley from IBM was also keen to point out the result of a company taking it’s eye off the equality ball talking of how IBM had seen it’s ranking fall and how:

“‘Stonewall keeps us honest, it keeps dialogue going with business. We were number 1 in the Workplace Equality Index, and then we slipped to 11. I said to the team that there were too many 1s in 11,”

Having now reclaimed the number one spot, Riley went onto say:

“Of all the awards for business in the UK a Stonewall award is the one you really want. It goes to the heart of who you are and what you stand for.”