Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Spotlight: Western Union’s commitment to the LGBTQ+ community

Global Citizen By Shannon Armbrecht Jan 29, 2021

At Western Union, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. We envision a culture of global unity and boundless connection, contributing to a world where our diversity is celebrated in all its forms.

We want every employee to feel that they belong, are treated equitably, and have the same growth opportunities. Our commitment is to provide an inclusive work culture that champions our teams’ unique backgrounds and perspectives while reflecting the global communities we serve.

Even in the wake of a global pandemic, Western Union continues to champion diversity, both in our workforce and in our communities. This year, Western Union received a score of 85 out of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the nation’s foremost, and globally recognized, report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality.

We are proud of our CEI rating for 2021, which is 5 points higher than 2020, and we also know we still have work to do. External surveys such as CEI, and along with our internal diversity programs, help us continue our focus on driving LGBTQ+ inclusion and advancing human rights.

The results of the 2021 CEI showcase how over 1,000 U.S. based companies are promoting LGBTQ+-friendly workplace policies in the U.S. Over half of these U.S. companies have international operations and are helping advance the cause of LGBTQ+ inclusion in workplaces globally. 2020 was an unprecedented year, yet, many businesses across the nation stepped up and continued to prioritize and champion LGBTQ+ equality.

In 2020, to help amplify awareness and support of our LGBTQ+ employees and the global community we led several activities around the globe during Pride Month in June. Our global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion teams hosted virtual events across their regions. These included regional virtual events and hosted a company-wide virtual chat with Jan Siegmund, a member of Western Union’s Board of Directors and the LGBTQ+ community, who led a thoughtful dialogue around his own professional and personal journey as an LGBTQ+ member, the issues facing the LGBTQ+ community, bringing your authentic self to work, and how allies can better support their colleagues. Closer to our headquarters in Denver, Colorado, we sponsored Denver’s Virtual Pride Parade. Additionally, we shared several videos, which you can watch below:

In 2020 we accelerated our efforts to foster a diverse and inclusive culture. We hope to share more milestones such as this throughout 2021.