Silver: Microsoft s.r.o

Microsoft has performed very well, especially in the areas of regulations and benefits, and recruitment and work with employees. LGBTQ+ employees, including gender-diverse ones, have comparable benefits at Microsoft as everyone else. Microsoft is openly aware of its diversity and equal opportunities at the time of recruitment, regardless of gender identity or the expression of those interested in working at Microsoft.

Silver: MSD Czech Republic

MSD Czech Republic excelled in the area of ​​recruitment and work with employees, where it ranked first with a 100% result and thus overtook Vodafone, for example. At the same time, we appreciate that at MSD, employees undergo mandatory micro-aggression training for LGBTQ+ people and learn to detect, prevent or report micro-aggression.

Silver: Accenture

Accenture scored especially in the area of ​​impact monitoring and other activities, where it ranked first. Accenture offers LGBTQ+ employees a wide range of support options, many for a long time, such as gender-neutral toilets. Accenture also actively supports LGBTQ+ visibility – in addition to the ability to wear rainbow strings for employee cards or badges or badges, these are also activities on Instagram and LinkedIn and changes to the Accenture logo on the company’s buildings during the rainbow during August 2021.

Bronze: SAP Group

SAP Goup scored mainly in the category of recruitment and work with employees. SAP Goup is active and can be seen in recruitment focused directly on LGBTQ+ talents. He has an official instagram account called: lifeatsap, where recruitment advertisements are published, as well as Diversity and Inclusion topics, and every year he also organizes open days for talent acquisition in the local office represented by Pride @ SAP. In 2021, SAP CZ together with SAP Germany were part of the virtual LGBTQ+ Career Fair.

Bronze: IBM Česká republika

IBM bodovala zejména v kategorii “Role vedení”, kde skončila druhá hned za Vodafonem. Příkladem dobré praxe, jež je hodný následování je reverzní mentoring pro management, který v IBM zajišťují, aby se ujistili, že budou rozumět LGBTQ+ zaměstanecům*kyním, a dále se vrcholový management také mimo jiné účastní různých aktivit zaměřených na LGBTQ+ tematiku.

Bronze: Československá obchodní banka

ČSOB bodovala zejména v kategorii vnitřních zaměstnaneckých skupin. V této oblasti je ČSOB velice aktivní a mimo jiné je jedním z jejích cílů i začít s měřením spokojenosti LGBTQ+ zaměstnanců a zaměstnankyň nebo uspořádat akci s celospolečenských dopadem (charitativní sbírku). I výhled do budoucna je velmi zajímavý, např. ČSOB skupina PROUD se stane v roce 2022 centrem pro celou skupinu KBC a bude z Čech podporovat kolegy*ně v Maďarsku, na Slovensku, v Bulharsku, i v Belgii.

Employee Driven Initiatives: Vodafone ČR

Vodafone receives the award in this category for the first time. Their LGBTQ+ employee resource group was established in 2015. Vodafone received 95% and placed first in this subcategory. The jury especially appreciated the long-term work of the group inside the company in the area of confidential support for employees during their coming out at the workplace. Despite all the obstacles that arose during the COVID 19 pandemic, the group fulfilled its ambitious goals and implemented many activities, for example during Pride week. The group has also been heavily involved in the #zaruce initiative, highlighting the unacceptability of homophobia and violence in public space.

Big Step Forward: Česká pošta

Among the companies that we have repeatedly evaluated in the LGBTQ+ Friendly Employer ranking, Česká pošta made the biggest leap forward compared to last year. The company jumped 42% up. Significant progress can be seen especially in the area of internal rules and equal benefits, which the company has adopted. Furthermore, visible support of top management as well as implementation of external activities to support LGBTQ+ people, are other areas where the company stepped it up. For example, the rainbow packages that the Czech Post produced during the Prague Pride 2021 festival. The Czech Post is the first state-owned company to make such significant progress in the field of LGBTQ+ equality in the workplace.

Frederic Guichard, General Manager Central & Eastern Europe, Danone

Mr. Guichard makes ongoing efforts to promote inclusive diversity policy throughout the CEE region from his position as top manager. We would like to particularly highlight his tenacity, when very negative feedback in the conservative Poland had not discouraged him to be a leader of Diversity and Inclusion in Danone for the whole region. It sends a message within the company that this is an important topic, but also sets an example to other business partners. For example, thanks to his effort, DANONE has equal benefits for rainbow families throughout the whole CEE region.

Mr. Thomas Johansson, Executive Director, Clinical Operations, Regional Head EU, MSD Czech Republic

Mr. Johansson has been a very supportive executive sponsor to MSD Czech Republic LGBTQ+ employee resource group, and has directly helped to raise awareness of LGBTQ+ issues in the whole CEE region. He has spoken to address the specific challenges LGBTQ+ colleagues face in countries such as Poland or Hungary. He is a great role model for LGBT+ employees in the company, being openly gay himself. In this sense his argumentation and explanation on the impact of bigoted actions and policies by the governments on lives of LGBTQ+ individuals, is authentic and very powerful.  His sponsorship has led to the expansion of Czech ERG to Hungary, Slovakia and Poland.

Stela Koleva, VP of EMEA Service and Support & Country Director, SAP Czech 

Ms. Koleva has been a big supporter of the LGBTQ+ community since her early carrier at SAP, being at the forefront and standing up for equality. Now as a Country Director, she is one of the sponsors of internal programs and initiatives. She is a steering force for everything that is going on at  SAP LGBTQ+ employee resource groups called Pride@SAP. Ms. Koleva is also been a key player in advocating for a more open and inclusive workplace at SAP.port. 

Petr Dvořák, CEO, Vodafone ČR

We all remember horrible attack on gay couple that we witnessed last year in Prague, only because they were holding hands. People in Vodafone Czech Republic were very affected by this news, and came up with the idea of #ZaRuce challenge – taking photos while holding hands and posting them on social media with a supportive message. Not only Petr Dvořák immediately accepted the challenge, he was the first one who posed in the photo, holding hands with his colleague. Thanks to his active support and leadership, the challenge was quickly picked up by others – more than 15 other businesses joined the challenge as well as many individuals – maybe you remember on the occasion of last year’s award ceremony we took a photo as well – this sent a clear signal from business community that violence, bigotry and homophobia has no place on our streets. 

Martina Navrátilová