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BCG claims coveted LGBT award

Published: Mar 23, 2011

 Consulting       

The Boston Consulting Group is the nation's most innovative company in terms of support for its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees, according to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). The firm announced today that it had won the HRC's 2011 Award for Workplace Equality Innovation for its "People Development Initiative," described as "a program of training, development support, and mentorship for LGBT employees."

is the first consulting firm to win the award.

Firm execs described the People Development Initiative as a comprehensive support structure that serves as a home for LGBT consultants. "While other firms leverage LGBT groups to provide mentorship, the People Development Initiative is about much more than that," said Tom Wurster, a BCG partner from San Francisco. "It's about helping our LGBT employees thrive personally and professionally through holistic support."

The Initiative hosts "regular workshops," "local, regional and national meetings," "discussions," and "peer-to-peer performance reviews," with an "aim to increasing the likelihood of promotion among LGBT employees." The firm says it has been successful in that pursuit, claiming that roughly one-third of the members of its LGBT Network have been promoted since 2009.

BCG this year implemented a reimbursement plan for LGBT employees who are affected by the tax drawbacks involved with same-sex domestic partnerships, saying that it was among the first consultancies to do so.

HRC, the nation's largest LGBT-focused civil rights organization, called the People Development Initiative "a holistic approach to career development and affiliation." Darryl Herrschaft, HRC director, praised the firm's progressive mindset. "We applaud BCG for developing such a forward-thinking program that enhances LGBT workplace inclusion," he said.

Even the firm was eager to sing its own praises. "We think it can offer valuable lessons for other companies," said Wurster in a press release.

BCG and Goldman Sachs, the other recipient of the two-pronged award, will be honored in a ceremony tonight in Manhattan.

For more information:
BCG Wins National Award for Innovative Career-Development Initiative
BCG Diversity Networks

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