Northern Ireland’s Rainbow Project is working to raise awareness among employers on the issues affecting those who are gay, lesbian and bisexual in the workplace.
The support organisation for the gay community won the two-year awareness-raising as a result of its submission entitled Through our Eyes.
The report detailed the experiences and perceptions of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people in the workplace in Northern Ireland. It highlighted that too many people experienced negative attitudes in the workplace because of their sexual orientation.
It also cited a lack of confidence amongst lesbian, gay and bisexual people to be open about their sexuality at work and that revealed many employers were unaware of their responsibilities around equality.
Matthew McDermott from The Rainbow Project said: “This is an important project and we are keen to engage as many employers as possible to highlight the benefits to them of making their workplaces open and diversifying their workforces.
“It remains the case that too many lesbian, gay and bisexual people are still uncomfortable disclosing their sexual orientation in their workplace. It also remains the case that organisations that are open and diverse have higher productivity, lower staff turn over and generally have higher staff satisfaction rates.
“This shows us that both at an individual and organisational level there are clear benefits to this project. We welcome the award from the Department of Employment and Learning and look forward to progressing this work over the next two years.”
Employment and Learning Minister Dr Stephen Farry MLA made the appointment following an open procurement competition.
He said: “I am committed to ensuring that the workplace is a safe and open place for people from all backgrounds to be who they are and to feel free from discrimination.
“In order to achieve the goal of a shared society, we must embrace diversity and ensure that there are no barriers to the full participation of people who are gay, lesbian and bisexual in all aspects of their daily life. As well as the societal benefits, there are also economic benefits to having a more inclusive workplace.”