Shine
Bi+ at Work: Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion
On 25 September, Shine, PwC’s LGBTIQ+ community, is hosting an inspiring session on Bi+ in the workplace. In the Netherlands, around 10% of people identify as Bi+, making it one of the largest groups within the LGBTIQ+ community. This afternoon focuses on visibility, understanding, and practical tools to better support Bi+ colleagues. We warmly invite D&I professionals and members of other employee networks to join, contribute, and learn from one another. Celebrating Pride Rotterdam and 23 September marks Bi+ Visibility Day.
What to expect:
- Workshop: Bi+ in the Workplace – by Addy Polet (Bi+ Nederland) Practical insights into what Bi+ means, common misconceptions, and how to make policy, communication, and culture more inclusive.
- Panel discussion moderated by Yuli Kim (Program Development Director Workplace Pride) with Addy Polet (Bi+), Ambassador Diversity Business Club followed by an interactive audience Q&A.
- Networking drinks Time and space to exchange experiences and connect.
Program
15:00: Walk in
15:30 – 17.00: Start program workshop and panel discussion
17:00 – 19:00: Drinks and bites
Location PwC Rotterdam
Why Shine?
We think it’s important that everyone can be themselves within our organisation. To encourage and support this, we established the Shine network in 2007. Shine is the PwC network for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans and intersex persons, queers and everyone who identifies differently as well as their ally’s: all colleagues, clients and contacts who actively want to contribute to an inclusive working environment in which everyone’s sexual orientation and gender identity are accepted.
Young colleagues tend to hide their sexuality and/or gender identity when they start their career in a new workplace. We, as Shine NL, aim to build an inclusive workplace where colleagues are encouraged from their first encounter with PwC to be their authentic self.
A place in which everyone doesn’t just have the basic right, but actually feels safe to be who they are, regardless of sexuality and gender identity. When we feel safe to be ourselves, we are able to reach and use our full potential to help build trust in society, to make the workplace and our culture stronger, and to create brighter opportunities that let each and every one of us truly shine. This is what we at Shine together with PwC’s other inclusion networks work to achieve every single day.
With Shine, our LGBTIQ+ people shine a light on important matters that impact our diverse community.
In 2023, we started collecting data on employment challenges, gender identity, and sexual orientation. We were already collecting data on sex and the cultural background of our colleagues. In line with CBS, we have implemented a new definition for cultural background to ensure our data remains comparable.
0:03:00
15th anniversary of Shine
This year we celebrated our 15th anniversary of Shine. A Generation of Shine: solving together, inspiring each other. In this year we looked at all the things we have achieved as a group, but our main topic is how to stay relevant for the next generation and their needs to feel included and rewarded. In this video board member Janet Visbeen and Robert Loesberg (one of the founders of Shine) talk about their pride in what Shine has achieved over 15 years.
0:01:32
Co-founder of our Shine network Robert Loesberg
Co-founder of our Shine network Robert Loesberg is generally out and proud, but he still had to deal with struggles in his career. This personal story was filmed for of Inclusion & Diversity Day 2023.
What activities does Shine organise?
Shine has three pillars that we base our activities around: the onboarding of new colleagues; the creation and continuation of awareness within PwC; and our internal and external networks. From socialising, to organising musicals , inviting (guest) speakers and introducing role models and ambassadors to participating in the Workplace Pride network or Pride Business Club Amsterdam - the activities are as diverse as the network itself.
We are proud to have sailed with our own PwC boat in the Canal Parade for many years now, as well as our sponsorship of movie days, sporting events and the podcast series Gewoon Homo (Just Gay). All actions that are focused on acceptance and empathising with each other.
What does PwC do for LGBTIQ+ colleagues?
PwC ensures a safe and equal work environment.
Key initiatives:
- Equal working conditions for LGBTIQ+ (transition leave, rainbow families).
- Pronouns in email signature
- Periodic consultations with the board of management
- Employee satisfaction survey option indicate sexual orientation
- Awareness. Internal focus on topics such as intersectionality, gender expression/identity, LGBTIQ+elearn
- External coaching coming out
- Boat during Pride Amsterdam
Workplace Pride LGBTQ+ Advocate Award 2025
PwC once again receives this award with a score of 96.1% as one of the top scorers in the LGBTIQ+ Global Benchmark index, which is held annually by Workplace Pride (WPP).
We are proud that this year as well we have attained the predicate of Advocate. PwC has participated in the annual Global Benchmark for a few years now and we use it as a means to monitor our strategy.
Our employment conditions for multi-parent (rainbow) families and transitional leave
Unfortunately, with various family forms, the actual situation is not (or only after a long time) the same as the legal situation. This mainly concerns rainbow families, but also other families (e.g. adoption after surrogacy).
As a result, parents who actually have the care for a child,but are not/not yet the official legal parent, are not eligible for provisions such as partner leave, parental leave, care leave, calamity leave, etc., at times when they are needed.PwC has done something about that. Following in the footsteps of only a few other companies, we give those who officially are not entitled to maternity leave because of their family structure, that same leave as yet. In addition, in collaboration with Transgender Netwerk Nederland, we have included a transition leave scheme as of 2021. And with that we remove it from sick leave.
In this article in the Winq magazine you can read more about terms of employment.
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