For the first time, I was lucky enough to attend Manchester’s Pride event over the Bank Holiday Weekend and was overwhelmed by the amount of companies that gave their support including telecoms giant O2 and holiday company Thomas Cook – Not to mention the sheer volume of people taking to the streets to wave their flags and blow their (very loud) whistles.

With Pride events taking place across the UK, there’s not many better ways than expressing the fantastic values of your business and showing the levels of effort that go into developing an fair and equal employer brand, than covering a lorry in flags and have your staff soak up the atmosphere of such an amazing event! It was clear too that they were having a fantastic time as crowds cheered too.

What does this have to do with recruitment and why comment on it?

There’s so many different ways we can reach our target markets, by simply placing advertising in newspapers and on job boards but what many companies forget to do is get involved in the community and let their prospective employees realise just how committed your company is.

Amongst others, you could get involved in:

  • Forming LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender) committees in the same way as your typical social committees run events but more specifically targeted to these employees
  • Running stalls or attending Pride Events with colleagues of all orientations
  • Sponsoring events or support groups around the local areas

More than 1,000 organisations have taken part in the Workplace Equality Index, formed 10 years ago by the LGBT equality charity – Stonewall.  This report celebrates the Top 100 Employers in the UK who are keen to get there brand seen as an Employer of Choice for lots of reason and this is one.

It’s really truly a big thing to shout about for these companies and I am proud of their involvement!

Last Updated on 4 years by Gary Parsons



Author: Gary Parsons
Gary is CEO at Talk Staff, passionate about the role that people play in helping build long-term and sustainable businesses. He sits on local business advisory boards and has been key in leading the growth of Talk Staff from inception in 2009.

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