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Comment by Nico Meijer on July 14, 2012 at 15:45

A series of good practice guides for employers containing practical ways to implement working practices and interesting case studies to ensure an inclusive workplace for lesbian, gay and bisexual staff. read more ;stonewall

Comment by Nico Meijer on January 21, 2012 at 11:43

 http://www.facebook.com/lists/2475955897535#!/CompanyPride?sk=info

Comment by Nico Meijer on December 30, 2011 at 11:03

How OUT are you in the work place

A poll on linkedin:     http://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&gid=63687&type=memb...                 

 

Comment by Nico Meijer on November 26, 2011 at 11:47

Gay-Straight Alliance Results Announced

LGBT in Small and Medium sized Enterprises

24-11-2011 The Hague The Netherlands

Today, a press conference was held at the “Nieuwspoort” in the Hague in which the results were announced of the 3-year Gay-Straight alliance project between the Company Pride Platform and the FNV Dutch Labor Union. Agnes Jongerius, Chairperson of the FNV, offered the results of the report which was entitled “LHBT in het MKB” (LGBT in Small and Medium sized Enterprises ‘SME’s’) to Hans Biesheuvel, chairman of MKB Netherlands.

This report gives greater insight into the perception of SME employees (both LGBT and straight) and SME employers, regarding the willingness and commitment for support of LGBT employees by their SME employers. The report, highlights those policy developments and instruments which are both legitimate and desired for LGBT employees in SME’s.

Mrs. Jongerius received the Toolkit: “LHBT op de Werkvloer” (LGBT at the workplace) on behalf of the Company Pride Platform and the FNV. This toolkit includes the following results of the 3-year project between the CPP and the FNV.
■Guidebook of best practices to start a LGBT network
■The Workshop: “Out of the Closet Works Better”, targeted to managers and supervisors and dealing with security in social situations and acceptance for LGBT people and an inclusive working environment.

Comment by Nico Meijer on November 8, 2011 at 21:30

Married heterosexual couples constantly cross national borders within the EU without even a second thought.  They are secure in the knowledge that their unions and the legal effects produced are universally recognised.

Such is not the case for same-sex couples. Their right to freedom of movement is constantly questioned.  Simply by crossing a national border, these couples may lose all social and fiscal rights, their children may become orphans, lovers are prevented from obtaining official recognition of their couples or may even lose their nationalities of birth. All of this clearly has implications for how LGBT people function in the workplace across Europe.

The French national LGBT organization, 'l’Autre Cercle' is organizing a two-day International Conference in Strasbourg on 18 and 19 November to discuss these very issues. The Company Pride Platform has been proud to cooperate with l'Autre Cercle by arranging a number of speakers from CPP Members organizations.

All CPP Members, and indeed everyone interested in this topic is encouraged to take part in this conference. Registration is free, but capacity is limited, so sign up quickly to ensure your place in the conference.

More details for the conference can be found here: Mutual Recognition Conference, Strasbourg

For questions regarding the Conference, please write to: compteacgeoff@yahoo.fr

Comment by Nico Meijer on November 8, 2011 at 21:29

07-10-2011: Mutual Recognition Conference Strasbourg

Upcoming EVENTS

Married heterosexual couples constantly cross national borders within the EU without even a second thought.  They are secure in the knowledge that their unions and the legal effects produced are universally recognised.

Such is not the case for same-sex couples. Their right to freedom of movement is constantly questioned.  Simply by crossing a national border, these couples may lose all social and fiscal rights, their children may become orphans, lovers are prevented from obtaining official recognition of their couples or may even lose their nationalities of birth. All of this clearly has implications for how LGBT people function in the workplace across Europe.

The French national LGBT organization, 'l’Autre Cercle' is organizing a two-day International Conference in Strasbourg on 18 and 19 November to discuss these very issues. The Company Pride Platform has been proud to cooperate with l'Autre Cercle by arranging a number of speakers from CPP Members organizations.

All CPP Members, and indeed everyone interested in this topic is encouraged to take part in this conference. Registration is free, but capacity is limited, so sign up quickly to ensure your place in the conference.

More details for the conference can be found here: Mutual Recognition Conference, Strasbourg

For questions regarding the Conference, please write to: compteacgeoff@yahoo.fr

Comment by Nico Meijer on July 12, 2011 at 7:35

Gay In The Office: The Last Frontier Of Workplace Equality

read more...

Comment by Nico Meijer on July 1, 2011 at 12:01

Declaration of Amsterdam for an LGBT Inclusive Workplace

Preamble:

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:

 

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights

 

 

These values should apply equally to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people in their private lives and in working environments. Despite the favorable position for LGBT people in the Netherlands, one third of LGBT employees  in general and 40% of LGBT youth2 are still not out at work while in Europe, 68% of EU citizens think that it is difficult for a homosexual person to be OUT at work.  To ensure improvement in the workplace for LGBT people, the Company Pride Platform Foundation (CPP) has created the

The Dutch tradeunion FNV support CPP in this declaration: 

Declaration of Amsterdam, a call for action to all parties involved: LGBT and non-LGBT employees, Employers, Unions and Governments.The Declaration of Amsterdam strives for:

• Inclusive corporate cultures where LGBT employees feel valued, can be their authentic selves and realize their   full potential.

• Working environments for LGBT people that go beyond minimum legal requirements of equality

• Active leadership from straight [heterosexual] allies and LGBT role models who visibly support LGBT-inclusive workplaces.

• Dedicated, declared and active collaboration between employers AND LGBT employees to realize mutually beneficial improvements.

To realize the goals of the Declaration, a benchmark will be created by all parties concerned that sets the standard for a truly LGBT-inclusive workplace. The CPP will take the initiative to develop this benchmark in close co-operation with all parties involved. This benchmark will enable employers to chart progress in improvements to their own LGBT workplace policies. The parties signing this Declaration intend to work together with the CPP to develop the benchmark and support the goals of the Declaration.

www.companypr ideplat form.org

1 July 2011, Amsterdam The Declaration of Amsterdam ‘Call to Action’:

1. Employers must provide a safe, comfortable, equal opportunity workplace and promote authenticity for LGBT employees.

2. Employers should work closely with and benefit from the knowledge of otherparties ( employee networks and NGOs) dealing with LGBT workplace issues to achieve improvements.

3. Employers should identify and support leaders and decision-makers (LGBT and straight) that actively strive to

create LGBT-inclusive working environments.

4. LGBT employees should actively strive to be visible at work and collaborate with their employers on diversity

and inclusion, leading the way for all employees.

5. LGBT employees should guide their employers on measures to support this declarations goal's and plementing best practices.

6. Employers and LGBT employees should create and support structures in the organization that ensure progress.

7. Employers should embed the Declaration’s concepts in organizational principles,and include them explicitly in external communication such as Annual and Corporate Responsibility Reports.

8. Employers and employees should develop and establish measurements that identify the level and progress of LGBT inclusiveness within the organization and benchmark this externally.

9. Employers should dedicate a minimum of 1 euro per employee in the organization to support LGBT programs d Employee Resource Groups.

10. Organizations should visibly support the improvement of working environments for their LGBT employees in all the countries where they are active.

As an NGO that is closely connected with both employees and employers, the CPP realizes that only with concrete changes to organizational cultures and workplace practices can progress on LGBT matters be ensured.

Comment by Nico Meijer on June 29, 2011 at 9:00

On Linkedin I found this statement:

Robin Parker •                        The odd thing about sexual orientation in the workplace is that it shouldn't matter legally (at least in those places where there is protection from sexual orientation discrimination), and therefore folks that I encounter often think that it shouldn't be a part of office discourse. The idea is that LGBT workers should just be workers, and sexual orientation should be like the color of someone's eyes—just and incidental human feature, but mostly unimportant.

But in the most workplaces, sexual orientation—specifically heterosexual orientation—permeates the office culture as it permeates the culture of the larger society. It shapes who people think about as "regular" customers, it the "default" sexual orientation when workers encounter someone unknown, it is the "acceptable" orientation for office chat about one's spouse.

I think sexual orientation will always matter in the workplace because sexuality is an important part of being human, and people carry that wherever they go. If we don't want to ask LGBT workers to be silent about who they are—and I don't think we should—then the onus needs to be on straight workers to do their part to make the workplace more inclusive.  For example, straight workers need to understand how their own sexual orientation is an acceptable part of the office discourse ("My wife and I went to the movies this weekend.") and they can't expect LGTB folks to bury who they are just for the "comfort" of others.

Also, I think there is too much deference to religious prejudice focused against LGBT people. Too often, people retreat to the idea that their religious principles call on them to reject LGBT people or not afford them equal treatment and respect. Those views are inconsistent with workplace that is inclusive and should be called out as such.

Ultimately, I think that organizations need to (1) rethink how sexual orientation plays out in the workplace, and (2) initiate strategies that will get straight workers on board to make the workplace more welcoming to LGBT folks. The strategies that work will certainly depend on the organization, its size, and culture. Nevertheless, silence about the topic or acting as if the sexual orientation isn't important will likely keep things the same.     

Perhaps a nice start for any comments?            

Comment by Nico Meijer on March 27, 2011 at 10:56

What stops gay and transgender people from coming out at work? What can straight people do to make it easier? Brian McNaught explains why coming out is a business concern that impacts retention and profits.

          ... (meer info)         

(minder info)Obstacles at Work for Gay/Transgender Employees

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