Reykjavík Rainbow Certification
All Reykjavík City workplaces can obtain Rainbow Certification. The aim of Reykjavík City’s Rainbow Certification is to make Reykjavík City more LGBT+ friendly, both for employees and service recipients, thus preventing direct and indirect discrimination against LGBT+ people.
The Certification Process
Workplaces make contact to start the Rainbow Certification process. All staff must participate. A contact person for Rainbow Certification must be nominated from management or staff.
The process involves:
- Questionnaire about the workplace
- 4.5 hours of LGBT+ education for all staff. Education can be split into sessions or done at once.
- Workplace environment and materials review as needed
- Staff creates an LGBT+ action plan, updated and submitted annually.
- Rainbow flag, logo, and poster upon certification as well as feedback.
The staff group must understand the certification process and its purpose. To maintain certification, workplaces need at least 1.5 hours of refresher training within three years. Additional training is available as needed.
Staff Roles
Certification success depends on staff. Their task is to take the training, information, and materials and connect these things with their workplace in order to create a more LGBT+ friendly workplace and services. Managers lead this work. A staff member must be appointed to oversee LGBT+ issues and liaise with the Human Rights & Democracy Office. Note, however, that all staff is jointly responsible for ensuring a more LGBT+ friendly workplace and services. The Human Rights and Democracy Office is always ready to assist and advise.
Education
Training is central to the Rainbow Certification, but the certification is based on a number of interesting projects relating to queerness, and there is also focus on exploring ways in which each workplace can be LGBT+ friendly. The training is adapted to suit each workplace. All staff attend 4.5 hours of education. Implementation varies based on City workplace needs. For some dividing the training into shorter sessions, for others it is might be best to go through the all the training at once (4.5 hours), for example on a professional development day.
Would you like to participate?
For more information or to participate, contact hinsegin@reykjavik.is.
Diverse backgrounds have a positive impact
The operations and services of workplaces benefit when employees come from different walks of live and have diverse backgrounds, as this brings more and different perspectives to the table. However, this only happens if employees experience safety and respect at work. This is ensured, for example, by equal opportunity and human rights policies, which generally have a beneficial impact on workers and result in innovation and improved performance. To do even better, it must be ensured that policies actually work, that is that they are enforced, actions are tied to them, and staff is informed about them and their impact. Reykjavík City's Rainbow Certification is an example of an action based on a human rights policy.
Rainbow Certified workplaces
Here you can check which workplaces have already received Reykjavík City’s Rainbow Certification.
LGBT+ Issues
Reykjavík City Human Rights & Democracy Office.
If you have questions about LGBT+ issues at the City of Reykjavík, including about the Rainbow Certification, you can email hinsegin@reykjavik.is.