Stonewall Cymru | 
Stonewall today publishes its annual Workplace Equality Index, showcasing the UK's top 100 employers for gay people. Four organisations from Wales made the Top 100.
South Wales Police are named the top employer in Wales, followed by the Welsh Assembly Government, Environment Agency Wales and Gwent Police.
Liz Morgan, Director of Stonewall Cymru, says "The standard of entry was particularly high this year as many businesses recognise the benefits of being a gay-friendly employer. Increasingly, the Index is being used by job-seekers and students when deciding who to take their skills to, and by employers who are looking to deliver a first class service to their employees and service users."
South Wales Police Chief Constable Barbara Wilding said: "I am delighted at the news that South Wales Police has risen 25 places in the Stonewall Equality Index and this shows our continued commitment to creating a workplace where our LGB staff feel valued.
"South Wales Police first appeared in the index last year and since then, we have carried on working hard to set an example and continue leading organisations in Wales by driving forward the equality agenda across all areas of diversity.
"Not only do our staff benefit from this, but we will be able to deliver a quality of service to our communities. I am determined to ensure that people who are LGB who live in, work or visit the South Wales area can feel secure that if they do experience homophobic hate crime their police service will provide them with an A* service."
Derek Jones, Senior Director at the Welsh Assembly Government said 'We are proud to be able to demonstrate further real improvements as a result of participation in the 2007 Work Place Equality Index. We are particularly indebted to the LGBT staff network for helping us develop our policies and practices. We are also grateful to all our staff who help to make this an inclusive organisation by embracing diversity and all the benefits it brings.'
Employers were ranked according to criteria ranging from implementation of an effective equality policy to demonstrating how they engage with their lesbian and gay staff and customers and service users. The Index assesses actual practice, such as recruitment and mentoring activity, as well as policy.
Competition for the 2008 index was higher than in previous years with participants being required to obtain a minimum score of 71 per cent to be placed in the top 100 compared with 40 per cent in 2005.
Liz Morgan added, "We are delighted that the top 4 gay-friendly employers in Wales are all members of Stonewall Cymru's Diversity Champions good practice programme. We hope this sends out a positive message to other organisations that commitment to addressing workplace diversity can really enhance their reputation and ensure they attract, and retain, the best staff."
The Workplace Equality Index is also now routinely used in both the private and public sectors to measure improvement. The 1.7 million gay people in the UK workforce use it to see how their employer compares with rivals. It's also a key resource for the 150,000 gay students in UK universities, who use it when deciding where they want to take their talents upon graduation.
The Workplace Equality Index will be launched this evening at an awards ceremony and champagne reception at the London Transport Museum in London sponsored by TFL.
Click here to download the Workplace Equality Index.
Watch ITV Wales' coverage of the Workplace Equality Index by clicking here.
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