LGBT+ Inclusion
We want our LGBT+ professionals to feel confident in being who they are and empowered to thrive within Deloitte and within the societies Deloitte serves.
At Deloitte, we want everyone to feel that they can be themselves and thrive at work. For our LGBT+ colleagues it means knowing that they will be seen and heard as their true authentic selves—valued, and appreciated for all that they are and what they contribute to Deloitte’s Purpose to make an impact that matters.
Pride happens once a year in many parts of the world. While Pride is a celebration of progress made on LGBT+ human rights, it is also a call to action for those LGBT+ communities still denied equal treatment, inclusion, and respect.
But what about the rest of the year? When the confetti is swept up and flags put away - how do we keep the spotlight on helping LGBT+ friends, family, and colleagues feel seen, valued and included?
For Pride 2022, Deloitte is proud to be kicking off #QueerAllYear. Follow us on social media for a global exploration of LGBT+ perspectives and experiences in the workplace, and the role allies can play in supporting the queer community.
Deloitte's global Pride 2021 campaign ‘Can you see me, do you hear me’ focused on the importance of our LGBT+ colleagues being seen and heard as their true authentic selves. Building on the themes of the Can you see me film series, we amplified the voices of the Deloitte LGBT+ community and allies by sharing their personal stories.
Steve’s story
"Being in the closet would be like... It would be like being in a beautiful tropical place, but always wearing an overcoat, always covering yourself, because you don't want to be seen."
Max's story
"Is there anybody out there? In many ways, this feeling describes my coming out journey as trans, especially as a person of color. I generally don’t see people that look like me around me or in positions of leadership."
Kwasi's story
"My commitment to allyship is driven by growing up as a Black man in America. There've been so many circumstances where I have people who have cared about me speak up, stand up, and be an ally. It would be incomprehensible to me for me not to pay that forward."
Esther's story
“When I think about visibility, to me it all comes back to representation. If people don’t see LGBT+ senior leaders around them, they’ll be hesitant to be open themselves because of the historical stigma that people have faced being out. And you can’t be what you can’t see.”
Deloitte’s Shared Values are at the heart of everything we do. Living these values, which include ‘take care of each other’ and ‘foster inclusion’, is essential in enabling everyone at Deloitte to feel they can be themselves at work, without fear of discrimination or prejudice.
We want our LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bi, trans and more) professionals to feel confident in being who they are and empowered to thrive within Deloitte and within the societies Deloitte serves.
This is why Deloitte is proud to be a signatory of the UN Standards of Conduct for Business in Tackling Discrimination against
LGBTI people (the LGBTI Standards). Many of our actions to further LGBT+ inclusion are aligned with core areas of the UN standards, including respecting human rights, eliminating discrimination and providing support. This includes a focus on allyship, reverse mentoring and helping our people to ‘walk in the shoes’ of members of our LGBT+ community. What’s more, our Global Principles of Business Conduct (Global Code) and relevant policies (including on discrimination and harassment) ensure that our global inclusion and anti-discrimination policies apply to all our people, across all Deloitte firms.
We believe the power of ‘allyship’ is a critical element of LGBT+ diversity, whereby our people support the rights and wellbeing of their LGBT+ colleagues. Allyship isn’t just passive support, but part of our everyday actions - visibly and vocally supporting LGBT+ people inside and outside of Deloitte.
To coincide with International Day of Transgender Visibility on March 31, 2021, Deloitte shared transgender inclusion guidance globally to enable Deloitte offices to provide their transgender colleagues the workplace support and environment they need.
Externally, and in line with the UN LGBTI standards to act in the public sphere, Deloitte is proud to be a member of the Partnership for Global LGBTI Equality. Deloitte has also joined the Brunswick Group’s coalition Open for Business, which is a network of major businesses campaigning for LGBT+ inclusion globally, and has been recognized as a Global Equality Champion.
LGBT+ Inclusion @ Work: A Global Outlook
Deloitte‘s inaugural LGBT+ Inclusion @ Work: A Global Outlook survey aims to better understand the experiences of LGBT+ employees in the workplace.