EPBN-WISE : Workplace Inclusion for a Sustainable Europe

L’Autre Cercle along with 4 other member organizations of The European Pride Business Network (EPBN), are proud to be working in the development of the project ‘EPBN-WISE: Workplace Inclusion for a Sustainable Europe’. This project, funded by the European Union through the CERV-EQUAL (“Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values”) program, officially started in May, 2024 and is expected to conclude in the next two years.

 Despite legal protection and the progress achieved so far in LGBTQIA+ rights across Europe, the evidence shows that LGBTQIA+ people experience persistent discrimination at work, at least three times more frequently than the general population. This project was conceived as a way to address these inequalities faced by LGBTQIA+ individuals in employment across the EU. Its goal is to promote LGBTQIA+ workplace equality as well as to establish a strong network of civil society organizations (CSOs), employers, and LGBTQIA+ professionals in Europe.

 To achieve this, there are four main actions that will be implemented and set in place across different countries of the EU:

• We will work to create an EPBN “Role Models” program, expanding on pre-existing and successful programs (including “Rôles Modèles” at L’Autre Cercle).
• We will select and empower LGBTQIA+ professionals to help them acquire more skills and tools to thrive in the workplace, through an innovative EPBN mentorship program.
• We will recognize and empower trailblazer firms across Europe that promote LGBTQIA+ inclusivity in the workplace, through an LGBTQIA+ Diversity Award.
• We will conduct a survey to better understand the conditions of LGBTQIA+ workers across the EU and use those results to train employers on LGBTQIA+ competencies and inclusivity actions.

At this stage, four other organizations of the EPBN will be working along L’Autre Cercle to develop this project, including  Völklinger Kreis (Germany), Pride Business Forum (Czech Republic), EDGE (Italy) and Pride Biz Austria (Austria). However, we expect other EPBN member organizations to be engaged with the project throughout its design and implementation.

Our role 

L’Autre Cercle implements the Empowering Pride: EPBN project (No. 101144826), funded by the European Union. This means, L’Autre Cercle will be in charge of managing and coordinating the overall project, in order to ensure that each step of the process meets our expectations and objectives set in place. The organization will also lead the work on the EPBN Role Models program.

Project EPBN-WISE is supported by: