Eleven organisations received the Swiss LGBTI label for the first time, and eleven others successfully renewed it. Alec von Graffenried, Mayor of the City of Bern, also attended the award ceremony in Bern.
Inclusion and diversity in the workplace have been proven to bring economic benefits. It is therefore not surprising that more and more companies and organisations are striving for the Swiss LGBTI label. The quality seal for the internal equality of LGBTI people, initiated and managed jointly by WyberNet and network, was awarded 22 times this year. Thus, a total of 75 companies of all sizes and sectors, as well as educational institutions and public administrations, currently bear the label – more than ever before.
For sustainable developments
Eleven organisations were newly awarded the Swiss LGBTI label: Alcon Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Amazon Web Services, Boston Consulting Group, HDI Global SE, Helvetia Versicherungen, Horváth & Partner AG, Mario Burkhard Art Floral GmbH, Migros Industrie, OE Group AG, Sunrise GmbH and Valtech Switzerland AG.
In addition, eleven organisations from the 2020 cohort obtained an extension of the label for a further three years: Accenture AG, Allianz Suisse AG, Johnson & Johnson Family, Ernst & Young AG, iET SA, Japan Tobacco International SA, PricewaterhouseCoopers AG, RIMTEC Frank Preuss, Schindler Aufzüge AG, Stadt Zürich and Swiss International Air Lines Ltd.
This so-called “relabelling” is necessary after the expiry of the label’s validity of three years and is associated with higher requirements. After all, the certification is intended to initiate a sustainable development process. On the basis of the submitted documents, the organisations receive a detailed report of the results, which shows the respective strengths and potential for improvement as well as concrete recommendations for action.
Award event with Bern’s Mayor
As different as these 22 certified organisations may be, they have one important common denominator: their commitment to diversity and to the inclusion of LGBTI people in the world of work. On 26 July, the opening day of the EuroGames, they received their certificate at the award event in the Historisches Museum Bern.
At the beginning of the event, which was moderated by Alain Röllin, the Mayor of Bern, Alec von Graffenried, addressed a message of greeting to the approximately 110 people present. “Inclusion should be a matter of course. I think it is important that we create a space for inclusion, because equality needs to be further promoted. It should no longer be the norm for anyone to feel excluded, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity,” said the Bernese Mayor.
“The rainbow flags currently hanging in the city have turned Bern – which is otherwise a rather grey city – into a colourful city”. In this spirit, Alec von Graffenried wished everyone present a beautiful label award, sporting competitions at the EuroGames and a happy Bern Pride.
This is how you can support the label!
The core team of the Swiss LGBTI Label asks all networkers to advertise the certification to their employers and to pass on the link to the website. In this way, you actively help to make the label better known and strengthen it.
If you are interested in actively participating in the Swiss LGBTI-Label association, you are very welcome! For example, you can contact the team directly via this e-mail address.