Jacobs Named No. 6 in Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers for LGBTQIA+ People

Breaking news - for the first time, Jacobs has been ranked in Stonewall’s UK Workplace Equality Index (WEI) Top 100 Employers List for LGBTQIA+ People… and we’re over the moon to share the incredible progress we’ve made!

This year we ranked #6 in the U.K. – an incredible jump of 217 places from the last Workplace Equality Index, and one that not only earns Jacobs a coveted Gold Award but means we’re ranked #1 in the Construction, Engineering and Property sector. 2022’s WEI saw a record 403 entrants, with Jacobs becoming the first Construction, Engineering and Property sector company in history to break into the top ten, a clear demonstration of the improvements we’ve made on our journey to becoming the employer of choice for LGBTQIA+ people.

Stonewall is the U.K.’s leading charity for lesbian, gay, bi and trans equality, and the Top 100 Employers List ranks organizations on their efforts and commitment to creating welcoming environments for their lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer staff. Organizations are ranked by a set of standardized criteria, which includes ensuring HR policies are inclusive of LGBTQIA+ people, as well as supporting and celebrating LGBTQIA+ identities at work.

Prism, our global employee network for LGBTQIA+ employees and their allies, has been key to this historic result. Our Jacobs Employee Networks are a key part of TogetherBeyond, our culture of belonging, which has had a tangible positive effect on the lives, wellbeing and opportunities of disadvantaged and underrepresented communities, not only within Jacobs but also with our clients, supply chain and in the communities we serve.

“This is a fantastic achievement for Jacobs, and it really highlights the great work Prism and our TogetherBeyond team are doing to develop a truly inclusive working environment,” said Donald Morrison (he/him), Senior Vice President and General Manager for Europe. “Inclusivity and diversity are a top priority for us, and we will continue to actively work to further embed this in our culture.”

Our result was also commended by Liz Ward (she/her), Stonewall’s Director of Programmes, who stated, “We’re delighted for Jacobs, whose incredible work towards LGBTQIA+ inclusion this year has seen them land at 6th place in the Top 100. Every employer has a duty to make sure LGBTQIA+ staff are free from discrimination. We spend much of our time at work, and our career can be a huge part of how we define ourselves. That’s why it’s vital that every single lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer person feels like they can be themselves in their workplace.”

Some of the achievements behind Jacobs’ historic WEI score (and our recent top score in the U.S. Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index) include:

• Ensuring all key Jacobs family policies (maternity, paternity, shared parental leave, adoption leave, bereavement leave) are inclusive of all families, regardless of gender or gender identity.
• Creating policies to support employees who are transitioning or have transitioned at work, to ensure they have the support available to feel completely themselves, including the creation of designated “Transgender Specialists” within our Human Resources organization.
• Changing job descriptions to include an explicit statement that we accept people for who they are irrespective of gender identity or sexual orientation.
• Partnering with LGBTQIA+ charities, such as George House Trust and akt, to help raise awareness of issues like homelessness, mental health, and HIV/AIDS – and with industry partners like Network Rail, Accenture, Balfour Beatty, Jaguar Land Rover, HS2 and Homes England to raise the bar for LGBTQIA+ inclusion and equality.
• Hosting regular local and global events to highlight and raise awareness of LGBTQIA+ identities and creating fact sheets to help educate colleagues and recruit allies.  
• Organizing a global 24-hour Digital Pride Celebration, raising over £3000 for charity and hosting a number of educational and celebratory events in multiple time zones.
• Ensuring that all people leaders in Jacobs set at least one TogetherBeyond inclusion-based performance goal against which their annual performance is measured. 

For Jacobs, our commitment to LGBTQIA+ inclusion is far more than just marching in Pride parades or attending LGBTQIA+ job fairs. It’s about building equality for all into our business practices, amplifying the community’s voices and improving on our commitments every day – and we’re excited to aim for an even better score in 2023!