Riverside housing association has improved its standing on gay rights charity Stonewall’s league table of the 100 best UK employers.
According to Housing News:
The 50,000-home housing association, which has improved its place to 37 from 61 last year, says it is now the best gay-friendly housing association in the North West for the second year running.
Riverside joins eleven other housing providers on Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index 2015, which is based on a range of key indicators including a confidential questionnaire of over 9,700 lesbian, gay and bisexual staff.
Speaking ahead of the awards reception at London’s Mondrian Hotel, Riverside’s divisional director and chair of its LGBT staff group, Neil Townsend, said: “We’ve made lots of progress over recent years to ensure that we are a truly inclusive place to work.”
He added: “I’m very proud to work alongside people who are comfortable being themselves in the workplace. Our commitment to inclusivity means that we can all get on with the job of transforming lives and revitalising neighbourhoods, regardless of sexual orientation.”
Townshend said Riverside was also “making sure that our LGBT tenants feel comfortable in their neighbourhoods by raising awareness of and tackling hate crime in our communities”.
Stonewall chief executive Ruth Hunt said this was the “most competitive year to date” for its prestigious league table.