Today is the first day of the premier international conference on , ***, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) issues in the workplace, and this year’s event is being held in Austin. The Out & Equal’s Annual Workplace Summit is designed to help participants develop strategies for a powerful demonstration of commitment to equality in the workplace. In fact, Dell employees were influential in attracting the Summit to Austin this year.
For many years, Dell has been an Out and Equal workplace, which is important to its employees, who know that regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity that they have an equal chance for professional success. Another example of our commitment to equality was announced last week by my colleague, Daniel Brennan, when Dell received a perfect score of 100 for the fifth year in a row from the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index. Dell recognizes diversity as a business imperative and our efforts are helping remove any barriers to us bringing the very best talent to Dell and meeting the needs of our increasingly diverse customers.
I’m also very proud to share that Dell, along with Deloitte, is a presenting sponsor of this year’s summit. The conference boasts 2,300 attendees and more than 125 workshops and caucuses all designed to create an inclusive workplace. The abundance of activities and nationally celebrated keynote speakers result in an experience that has been described as “an enlightening watershed of information.” But, the work of Out and Equal doesn’t end with the conference.
Dell has supported my personal efforts on the board of Out & Equal, an organization that brings together individuals, human resources professionals, diversity managers, employee resource group (ERG) leaders, and allies to make powerful connections, share best practices, and formulate a strategy that allows for a powerful demonstration of their commitment to equality in the workplace.
Out & Equal provides enriching workplace services and programs, such as the Building Bridges LGBT Diversity Training and Town Call Series and makes significant advancements in the campaign for equality for all people in the workplace through national regional affiliates, networking events, the Out & Equal Workplace Institute, discussion groups, professional speakers, as well as promoting LGBT best practices, including Out & Equal’s 15 Steps to an Out & Equal Workplace.
The mission of Out & Equal is simple – equality for all. You will continue to hear more about the mission later this week from attendees of the conference. To learn more about Dell’s diversity initiatives, click here.