Gütersloh, 12/15/2021

‘Pride Index’: Good Rankings For Bertelsmann And AFS

In this year’s “Pride Index”, Bertelsmann and AFS have achieved very good results and are thereby among Germany’s most LGBTIQ+-friendly companies. The Pride Index provides information about which companies are especially committed to their LGBTIQ+ employees, strengthen the community, and have incorporated open, LGBTIQ+-friendly structures.

In this year’s “Pride Index”, Bertelsmann and AFS have achieved very good results. They are thereby among Germany’s most LGBTIQ+-friendly companies. AFS even ranks among the Top Ten. The Pride Index provides information about which companies are especially committed to their LGBTIQ+ employees, strengthen the community, and have incorporated open, LGBTIQ+-friendly structures. The evaluation is based on 75 questions related to the thematic fields organizational structure, HR & recruiting, communication & visibility as well as legal framework & regulations. The Pride Index was published for the first time this year by the Uhlala Group, which advocates for the networking, training and promotion of members of the LGBTIQ+ community in the working world. In total, 150 large- and medium-sized companies from all industries applied to be added to the index. With its very good results, Bertelsmann demonstrates that the comprehensive measures and activities aiming to support the LGBTIQ+ employees are important for the work environment and corporate culture. With a result achieving 80 percent of the possible score, AFS even ranks among the Top Ten.

Jan Altersten, CEO Arvato Financial Solutions, is thrilled with the ranking: “Diversity, equity and inclusion have always been of high importance at Arvato Financial Solutions. I am therefore pleased that our commitment to LGBTIQ+ employees is honored with the ranking in the ‘Pride Index’. It confirms our efforts to continue promoting an open and tolerant corporate culture in which all people are equally appreciated regardless of their sexual orientation and identity.” Michael Wagner, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commissioner at AFS, said: “We are proud to rank among the Top Ten companies in this year’s ‘Pride Index’ published by Uhlala Group. The index confirms our actions, and it shows that at Arvato Financial Solutions we have already been able to achieve a lot for the LGBTIQ+ community. And we will continue to passionately pursue our commitment to diversity and the appreciation of LGBTIQ+ employees.”

In addition to cooperations with external partners or events dealing with topics such as coming out, unconscious bias, or inclusion, Bertelsmann’s be.queer employee network also contributes to not just talking about diversity but also actively living it.