LGBTQ+ and our inclusive workplace for all | Bloomberg LP (original) (raw)
Bloomberg is consistently ranked as one of the best places to work for LGBTQ+ equality.
There’s a reason for that. We’re committed to affirming LGBTQ+ identity and tackling the issues these communities face each day so our employees feel safe and respected, know they are valued, and are empowered to shape our culture of inclusion through open and active dialogue. Because we know dialogue leads to understanding – and understanding leads to change and progress in our workplace and around the world.
A richly diverse community
The LGBTQ+ community represents a great deal of intersectionality, consisting of women, men and non-binary people of different races, ethnicities, abilities and generations. While great progress towards equality has been made, more remains to be done. From grassroots awareness efforts to company-wide policies, we’re committed to furthering that progress – guided by the unique lived experiences of our LGBTQ+ employees. Our employee-led Bloomberg LGBT and Ally Community (BPROUD) plays an important role in helping to shape LGBTQ+ policies and strategies across the company.
An inclusive approach to hiring
To identify and attract the best talent, we’ve invested in technology, systems and processes to promote more inclusive hiring practices. We work closely with partner organizations that share our commitment, including Out Leadership, Out in Tech, Out in Finance and Lesbians Who Tech in the U.S., and INvolve and Interbank LGBT Forum in the UK, Pride in Diversity in Australia and Oogachaga in Singapore. We also regularly attend events to broaden our network and pipeline of LGBTQ+ talent, such as Sticks & Stones, Europe’s largest community-specific job fair, Imperial’s LGBTQ+ Careers Fair, the Rainbow Crossing Career Fair in Tokyo and ProudSpaces Career Fair in Singapore.
A culture of authenticity
All our employees have the right to be their authentic selves at work. And at Bloomberg we recognize that we all have a role to play in making that possible.
Promoting understanding
Throughout the year, we run workshops, campaigns and events across our company aimed at fostering inclusion and acceptance, minimizing bias, and building understanding among employees. Unconscious bias, micro-inequity and the power of allyship are emphasized. Anti-discrimination, anti-harassment, and bystander training are mandatory for all employees, as is inclusive leadership training. Our Inclusion Dialogues series provides a forum for conversations on LGBTQ+ inclusion alongside topics such as race, religious bias, accommodation and mental health.
Increasing engagement
BPROUD is committed to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for our LGBTQ+ employees around the world, providing support, advocacy and networking opportunities. BPROUD’s year-long programming focuses on inclusion and active allyship, and highlights key LGBTQ+ issues, such as Section 28, LGBTQ+ identity in the military, trans rights, and more. The community also supports various LGBTQ+ nonprofits through Corporate Philanthropy initiatives and collaborates with other Bloomberg communities to explore intersectionality and deepen its work to promote inclusivity.
Affirming our mutual well-being
Bloomberg does not tolerate discrimination against any employee on the grounds of sexual orientation, sexual and other reproductive health decisions, gender, gender identity, and gender expression, and/or trans identity. Along with our unwavering commitment to inclusion, we provide a wide range of benefits to support the health, wealth and wellbeing of all employees, including:
- Gender-neutral parental leave, offering up to 26 weeks of fully-paid leave for primary caregivers. The policy covers birth, adoption, foster placement and surrogacy.
- An inclusive definition of “dependents” under Bloomberg’s healthcare plan. Dependents can be spouses, domestic partners, and long-term partners of any gender.
- A medical plan that affords U.S. employees who plan to transition the full suite of health benefits recommended by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s (WPATH) Standards of Care.
In addition to supporting the mental and physical health of our trans employees, we work to ensure understanding and support through workplace education about gender transition. Employees are also able to add their pronouns to their profiles on the Bloomberg Terminal, reinforcing our culture of inclusion at the heart of our business.
Holding ourselves accountable
Building a truly inclusive workforce is an ongoing journey. But that doesn’t mean we don’t demand real, measurable results as we move forward. From our senior leadership to our company policies, we strongly advocate our commitment to advancing LGBTQ+ inclusion at every level to ensure we are making strides towards our goal.
We step up
When it comes to advancing LGBTQ+ issues, we equate leadership with action. Bloomberg is proud of our continuing commitment to progress, including these recent actions:
- Being an early adopter of a set of the United Nations Standards of Conduct for Business, which tackles discrimination and unfair treatment of lesbian, gay, bi, trans and intersex people in the workplace.
- Signing the Business Statement for Transgender Equality, which was issued in 2018 by Out Leadership and the Human Rights Campaign.
- Signing onto a 2019 amicus brief filed with the Supreme Court of the United States, urging the protection of LGBTQ+ workers from discrimination on the basis of their sex.
- Supporting and advocating for the legalization of same-sex marriage in the APAC region.
Members of Bloomberg’s legal department actively fight for LGBTQ+ immigrants’ rights by representing LGBTQ+ refugees pro bono in their applications for asylum. In addition, they also provide holistic pro bono legal services to support LGBTQ+ survivors of hate violence, as well as support to low-income, transgender New Yorkers who have recently transitioned and need their names changed on government documents.
Through Corporate Philanthropy, we provide long-term, strategic support to LGBTQ+ organizations across the world to enable communities to flourish. These include Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Hetrick-Martin Institute, Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, God’s Love We Deliver, Albert Kennedy Trust, Diverse Role Models, Good Aging Yells, and many others. Our support for the community is regularly recognized by pioneering bodies, including Stonewall’s UK and Global Diversity Champions Programme and winning a Gold Award with our Tokyo partner, Good Aging Yells.