Hong Kong is leading the way for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees, thanks to the launch of Asia’s first and only benchmark of corporate policies and practices for creating inclusive workplaces.
Community Business, a not-for-profit organisation which focuses on corporate responsibility and diversity & inclusion, has announced the new Hong Kong LGBT Workplace Inclusion Index, designed to drive the adoption and promotion of best practices.
Companies operating in Hong Kong are invited to make submissions until the end of February 2015, with the assessment period covering the period from 1 December 2013 to 1 December 2014.
The Index isstructured around categories such as: Equal opportunity policies; Diversity training; Diversity structure; Benefits; and Corporate culture.
“With the call for changes in legislation and a more visible LGBT community, not just in Hong Kong but across Asia, attitudes are changing,” said Fern Ngai, CEO of Community Business.
“Companies can no longer ignore the issue of LGBT inclusion in their workplaces, and they have a critical role to play in achieving greater acceptance and equality for LGBT individuals.
Previous research from Community Business has found that non-inclusive workplaces are damaging to employees’ mental health, as well as well-being and productivity.
The LGBT rights movement has been gaining traction in Hong Kong in recent years. In 2014 more than 10,000 people joined Hong Kong’s first Pink Dot festival, and the Code of Practice Against Discrimination in Employment on the Ground of Sexual Orientation was issued by the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government.
To date, 90 organisations in Hong Kong have pledged to adopt the code.
The results of the Hong Kong LGBT Workplace Inclusion Index will be announced in May 2015.
Community Business, a not-for-profit organisation which focuses on corporate responsibility and diversity & inclusion, has announced the new Hong Kong LGBT Workplace Inclusion Index, designed to drive the adoption and promotion of best practices.
Companies operating in Hong Kong are invited to make submissions until the end of February 2015, with the assessment period covering the period from 1 December 2013 to 1 December 2014.
The Index isstructured around categories such as: Equal opportunity policies; Diversity training; Diversity structure; Benefits; and Corporate culture. “With the call for changes in legislation and a more visible LGBT community, not just in Hong Kong but across Asia, attitudes are changing,” said Fern Ngai, CEO of Community Business.
“Companies can no longer ignore the issue of LGBT inclusion in their workplaces, and they have a critical role to play in achieving greater acceptance and equality for LGBT individuals.
Previous research from Community Business has found that non-inclusive workplaces are damaging to employees’ mental health, as well as well-being and productivity.
The LGBT rights movement has been gaining traction in Hong Kong in recent years. In 2014 more than 10,000 people joined Hong Kong’s first Pink Dot festival, and the Code of Practice Against Discrimination in Employment on the Grounds of Sexual Orientation was issued by the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government.
To date, 90 organisations in Hong Kong have pledged to adopt the code.The results of the Hong Kong LGBT Workplace Inclusion Index will be announced in May 2015.
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