From positive space workshops and LGBT committees to diversity champions, Canada’s top employers are constructing new LGBT initiatives throughout their businesses this year.

Based on the list of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers in Mediacorp’s Canada’s Top 100 Employers project, here’s what some companies are doing to support their LGBT employees and make their workplaces more inclusive spaces.

Accenture

At Accenture, global LGBT initiatives are in place so that employees in any country can take advantage of them.

“One of them is around our transgender portal,” says Roxanne Hutchings, human capital and diversity program lead for Canada. “The intention of the portal is to bring together Accenture’s transgender community and colleagues.” She says it also provides mentoring and allows those in it to network and share information about the transgender community.

Accenture also has a “global allies page,” says Hutchings. With over 4,000 allies, the group determines strategies on “how they can get involved and what ways they’re really able to contribute to the LGBT program in order to make that sense of inclusion a reality.”

In Canada, Hutchings says their LGBT network is one of their “most active employee resource groups.”

Similar to Accenture’s global allies page, this network focuses on key initiatives of inclusion within the company. One initiative Hutchings is proud of is the “wide-ranging medical benefits for our transgendered Canadian employees.”

“The medical program is designed to really enable our transgendered employees to allow them to successfully integrate into our workplace at Accenture and also into society.”

Loblaw Companies Limited

Loblaw has made diversity a priority throughout all levels of their company. One of the principles in their corporate social responsibility report is to “reflect our nation’s diversity.”

“The Diversity Champion Program provides access into an action-oriented network of colleagues who are passionate about creating a more inclusive Loblaw,” says Janine Tamboli, manager of diversity and inclusion. The program has been running since 2012, working on projects that promote the inclusion of women, persons with disabilities, and communities like the LGBT community.

The Loblaw Colleague Alliances (LCA) is a project that was formed by the champion team, says Tamboli. The “LGBTA LCA” is their first pilot and plans to launch during Pride month in June 2014.

“These groups are aligned to our shared values, provide a sense of community at Loblaw, offer a forum for members to discuss relevant challenges and opportunities, and enable joint efforts on common areas of interest and development,” she says.

Loblaw also continually helps support and raise awareness of the LGBT community by participating in and hosting events during Pride month and at Pride parades held across the country. In Toronto, for example, “Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens hosts many in-store events and gives [out] special rainbow cupcakes to the Pride parade-goers.”

Mount Sinai Hospital

“Creating an inclusive and respectful environment allows employees to bring their full selves to work without having to spend time and energy to hide a part of themselves,” says Irit Kelman, human rights and health equity specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital. “Hiding a core part of your identity and having to deal with discrimination and harassment can take a huge psychological toll.”

At Mount Sinai, employees implement and take part in a long list of projects and events all to help to create a more inclusive workplace. An example is their gender identity policy that assists in educating staff “about the challenges and rights of trans and intersex individuals both as colleagues and patients,” says Kelman. “Health care is a right that everyone should be able to access.”

Mount Sinai’s Anti-Homophobia-Transphobia Action Subcommittee was recognized as a one of the reasons why they are one of Canada’s best diversity employers. Those in the group meet regularly to discuss “initiatives to ensure the hospital is a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment for all LGBT patients, visitors, and staff,” says Kelman.

The hospital also celebrates Pride annually with a “lunch and learn” where interesting speakers from the LGBT community are invited to talk, Kelman says.

SaskPower

SaskPower’s LGBT network, though still quite new, is what got them noticed as a top diversity employer. Diversity specialist Pauline Streete says the group is fully funded by the company. “They’re allowed to meet on company time. Generally it’s about four to six business days per year and additional time if required if they’re planning major initiatives.”

The network is open for any individuals who identify as LGBT, family and friends who are allies, or even employees with relations to someone that identifies, says Streete.

“Our group is small and part of that’s probably linked to culture, province, all sorts of things, but we’re hoping to increase it by doing promotional initiatives,” she says. Such initiatives include positive space training for employees and a networking social they call “cinq-├í-sept,” which occurs as often as the network believes appropriate.

“We’re striving,” says Streete. “I’m not going to say we’re there yet, because diversity is constant, but just to promote [that] our organization is welcoming and open and we’re doing things [that] work with our culture to promote inclusion to all.”

Xerox Canada Ltd.

“Inclusiveness at Xerox Canada leverages the talents, innovation, and creativity of our workforce,” says Shelley Ralston, director, talent management at Xerox Canada Inc.

GALAXe Pride at Work is an employee group that works to achieve the company’s diversity and inclusion initiatives. “GALAXe’s┬ávision and passion is that Xerox is the employer of choice for the LGBT community where out and proud employees work in a culture of equality and enjoy successful careers and employment,” she says.

According to Ralston, the group hosts a number of events throughout the year like annual conferences and “LGBT 101” webinars aimed at educating and de-mystifying employees on who the LGBT population is.

In addition to making the list of the best diversity employers in Canada, Xerox also received a perfect score in the “Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality.”

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More LGBT-friendly companies among Canada’s top diversity employers

Accenture
BC Hydro
Boeing Canada Operations Limited
British Columbia Institute of Technology / BCIT
CAMH / Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation / CMHC
Cargill Limited
CIBC
City of Edmonton
City of Ottawa
City of Saskatoon
City of Surrey
Dentons Canada LLP
Enbridge Inc.
Ernst & Young LLP
Government of Manitoba
Health Canada / Sant├® Canada
Home Depot of Canada Inc.
Jazz Aviation LP
KPMG LLP
Loblaw Companies Limited
Manitoba Hydro
McCarthy T├®trault LLP
Mount Sinai Hospital
National Bank Financial Group
Ontario Public Service / OPS
Procter & Gamble Inc.
PwC / PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
RBC
Rogers Communications Inc.
SaskPower
Shell Canada Limited
Sodexo Canada Ltd.
Stikeman Elliott LLP
TD Bank Group
TELUS Corporation
University of Toronto
University of Victoria
William Osler Health System
Xerox Canada Inc.
YMCA of Greater Toronto

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