A scene of wwP2015 seminarWork With Pride (wwP), a private organization that aims at promoting better diversity management of LGBT individuals in businesses, is to introduce “Pride Equality Index” an equality index for LGBT individuals in Japan. The equality index will be the first index that supports and promotes LGBT individuals in Japan.
Work With Pride is going to hear from businesses their measures and actions for “Pride Equality Index” from July 1st to September 16th and present the summary report in Work With Pride 2016 Seminar held at Dai-ichi Seimei Hall in Harumi, Tokyo on October 26th.
Work With Pride was founded in 2012 when IBM Japan, Ltd and Human Rights Watch decided to co-host seminars about supporting LGBT individuals working in Japan. Later on, incorporated non-profit organizations, Good Aging Yells and Niji-iro Diversity(Rainbow Diversity) joined in the co-hosting team.
Work With Pride has the mission that they provide LGBT individuals with a positive work environment where they can work without worrying about expressing who they truly are. In order to achieve this mission, Work With Pride has approached businesses in Japan to help them understand the importance of diversity in workplace and has supported them.
In 2013, SONY co-hosted the seminar. Panasonic and Recruit Sumai Company Ltd. followed the suit respectively in 2014 and 2015. The number of businesses that support Work With Pride is on the rise.
At a seminar held in 2015, many participants called for the introduction of an equality index in Japanese businesses which is similar to “CORPORATE EQUALITY INDEX” published by Human Rights Watch was taken into consideration in order to raise further awareness of issues facing LGBT individuals and establishment of social systems that support them. In December, 2015, twenty four businesses and organizations worked together and started a new committee for the equality index.
The purposes of “Pride Equality Index” are listed below. “Pride Equality Index” will be used to achieve a positive work environment for LGBT individuals beyond individual corporate frameworks.
1 To inform businesses of conditions necessary for a positive work environment for LGBT employees and let businesses use the index as a guideline to promote their in- house rules.
2 To ask a business to send the committee a feedback of their practices and cases and commend businesses for their great contributions to achieving a positive work environment.
3 To select one of the best practices and share the practice publicly with other businesses beyond corporate frameworks.
“Pride Equality Index” is listed below.
1.<Policy>
Does your company stipulate its policy for sexual minority such as lesbians,gays, and bisexuals and make it openly available to the public?
2. <Representation> Regardless of LGBT individuals and allies, does your company provide its workers with opportunities to share their opinions about sexual minority, such as in-house and out-house consulting services? Does your company deploy various efforts to increase or visualize allies?
3. <Inspiration> In the past three years, did your company deploy various efforts to raise and promote better understanding of sexual minority for its employees, such as providing in-house seminars and trainings, media tools for enlightenment, enlightenment activities, etc?
4. <Development>
Does your company apply these benefits listed below to its employees when they notify your company their same-sex partner?
A. A leave of absence. (marriage leave, maternity and paternity leave, adoption, nursing
leave, etc)
B. Cash handout. (marriage gift, in token of sympathy, baby-birth gift,housing
allowance, etc)
C. Transfer allowance. (relocation expenses, language learning, etc)
D. Other benefits. (family day, company-owned houses, etc)
– Does your company allow its transgender employees
A. to identify their sex as they want?(health examination, dress-code, alias etc)
B. to get support form your company in the case of sex reassignment surgery and hormone therapy? (surgical leave, changes in work environment)
C. access to gender neutral bathrooms and changing rooms?
5.<Engagement/Empowerment>
Did your company publicly deploy any effort to achieve better understanding of sexual minority within the past year?
We will send you the results in order. We will commend businesses that earn 5 points, 4 points and 3 points respectively as Gold, Silver, and Bronze.
We will make some of your impressive practices openly available to the public on Work With Pride website, our leaflets, and in future seminars.
“Pride Equality Index” will concentrate on the point whether or not businesses in Japan have already taken a first step towards a positive work environment for LGBT individuals this year. “Pride Equality Index” will be revised annually according to the progress of the measures in Japan.
2016/06/27