Big Impact Initiative Award:
METRO Pride

At first glance, the topic has nothing to do with the workplace, but if you look closely, you will find a labor law perspective. It’s about reducing discrimination against gays, or more specifically, against men who have sex with men. Gay, bisexual men and trans* people currently have to comply with a 12-month deferral period, if they want to donate blood. Specifically, this means that they must suspend their love lives for a year in order to donate much-needed blood. In many other countries, this deferral period is only three or four months. This discrimination led the network’s company to stop blood donations on its own campus in protest of the current deferral period. In addition, the network has campaigned for a change to be made to the underlying legal regulation. On the initiative of the network to be awarded, PROUT AT WORK, together with 12 other companies from German industry, then published the position paper on blood donations on April 17, 2020 and sent it to political and medical decision-makers.
With this initiative, the network to be honored has both challenged internal standards and made a significant impact on society as a whole.

Rising Star Award:
Be You @ Beiersdorf

The network was able to attract 20 active networkers and 200 allies with its launch campaign. Internally, Be You @ Beiersdorf works intensively on diversity workshops and is thus committed to an open culture. One of the network’s greatest achievements this year was certainly the Pride Season campaign: under the hashtag PRIDEINSIDE, the Rainbow Bulli was used locally in Hamburg to raise awareness and educate people on the streets. Nationally, the prominently marketed Rainbow cans of the Group’s best-known brand caused a stir in stores. In addition, the campaign, which grew out of the company’s internal LGBT*IQ network, was linked to an education project. Information flyers were displayed next to each display in the stores, explaining what the company is doing as part of its corporate social responsibility: financial support was provided for Olivia Jones’ ‘Olivia macht Schule’ project, which raises awareness of LGBT*IQ issues in schools.

Global Leader Award:
GABLE @ Procter & Gamble

Founded in the 1990s, it has since been campaigning for LGBT*IQ equal opportunities internally, externally and, above all, internationally. In impressive short reports, for example, it tells the story of the beginnings and progress of LGBT*IQ commitment in the company and also the history of the network itself, together with the BBC. The network is active in 43 countries with 5,000 networkers, shaping LGBT*IQ diversity across the company. Internally, there are educational trainings on LGBT*IQ, the company celebrates its own diversity & inclusion culture and also informs the general workforce about the LGBT*IQ network in order to recruit further committed people. In employee surveys, the company wants to find out directly from LGBT*IQ employees how they feel about their own sense of acceptance and how open the company is about sexual orientation and identity. The company is also visible externally on diversity issues. From commercials on gender biases to LGBT*IQ oriented marketing campaigns, the company cooperates with various LGBT*IQ NGOs to achieve equal opportunities for LGBT*IQ people around the globe.

Big Impact Initiative Award:
RBg of the Bosch Group

This year’s Big Impact Initiative Award was presented to the Bosch Group’s RBg network, which – over the course of the year and in particular during the 2018 Pride season – organised numerous campaigns to enhance the visibility of LGBTIQ people as a work-related topic in society. They do not confine their efforts to their own company, but also use their presence to draw attention to the activities of other companies and organisations. Never before has the topic of equal opportunities for LGBTIQ people in professional life been discussed as much as this year – and this is due in large part to this network!

Rising Star Award:
GLOW by Sandoz

The network, which was founded in 2017, was able to gain the active support and involvement of the firm’s Head of Global HR as well as its Head of Global Diversity & Inclusion, thus creating the basis for a high level of support. Furthermore, the foundation was laid for positioning the network at a global level in close cooperation with the D&I Global Team, and the visibility of LGBTIQ people was actively increased both internally and externally! The clearly defined goals and strategic interconnection are already making the network an opinion-former, and the message to the LGBTIQ Community is:
You are welcome here, you belong to us!

Global Leader Network Award:
PRIDE at Accenture

Time and again the company has improved the situation of LGBTIQ people in Germany with the help of its strong Out Executives. By acting strategically and conducting thoughtful campaigns, the network is furthermore pursuing a global approach on all key levels of the company and is extending the boundaries of what is possible for LGBTIQ people, in particular in countries with LGBTIQ-hostile structures. In keeping with the slogan “ONE global Network, 44 Countries, ONE global policy“, they ensure that LGBTIQ diversity is dealt with in an exemplary manner within their own company and beyond.