LGBT+

We are working to advance lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender plus (LGBT+) inclusion within Shell and the communities where we work. Most of our work around LGBT+ inclusion happens at a country level, in line with local policies, laws and regulations. The experience and landscape for LGBT+ people is changing. Against this backdrop, building a workplace where LGBT+ staff feel safe, included and comfortable to be who they are, has never been more important. Here are some of the things we’re doing at Shell, subject to local laws and context:

Recognising the importance of senior executive sponsorship to drive progress, our executive sponsor for LGBT+ inclusion is Sinead Gorman, Chief Financial Officer who reports into our CEO.

Shell employees and contractors are required to complete training courses that reinforce expected behaviours for a respectful, inclusive workplace and build our stance against discrimination and harassment, including bullying and sexual harassment.

Whilst only one part of building an inclusive culture, it’s an essential one when combined with our other actions to drive meaningful change. And to help turn theory into action, we have asked everyone at Shell to step up in DE&I, to achieve genuine change in who we are, and how we show up – everyday. We continue to focus on building inclusive leaders and individual accountability for creating an inclusive culture.

Across the world, we recognise that certain groups in society can experience additional challenges or barriers to access education, development or training opportunities. We aim to provide a safe, caring and inclusive environment for our colleagues so that everyone can be themselves and reach their full potential. In pursuit of this, we have launched a programme to provide the space to nurture our colleagues’ leadership and personal development. We’ll keep exploring ways to overcome the practical barriers that our people may face.

Self-ID for employees in our HR system includes an option to voluntarily declare sexual orientation as well as gender identity in line with legal and cultural context. This will allow us to better track our progress with data insights, as well as better understand our people’s experiences, identify strengths that we can continue to build on, and identify opportunities for improvement. By better understanding who we are, we can work towards where we want to be.

We seek to build a sense of community and collaboration within Shell's sites where employees feel welcome and valued. By enabling people to balance their work and personal lives, we can help them perform at their best.

Pay is an important part of working life. Our Fair Pay Principles are designed to manage pay at Shell and help us ensure that employees are valued, respected and recognised for the work they do. Shell's pay is designed to be market competitive and free from bias. The basis for paying fairly is equal pay for equal work, taking into account factors such as performance and experience. Through regular benchmarking, Shell's compensation is typically higher than the minimum wage level observed locally, including in countries without legislation on minimum wage. Pay adjustment at Shell is linked to performance and we share this information with employees to help them understand how their pay adjustments are made. We continue to engage employees transparently and openly about our pay policies to help build understanding, trust and confidence in our approach.

Shell provides a range of benefits, such as global minimum standards for life, accident and disability cover, as well as maternity and parental leave (that includes non-birthing parents and parents welcoming a child through surrogacy or adoption, including LGBT+ employees), except in certain cases where we are precluded from offering this. Our benefits packages are tailored to each country to meet the requirements of local laws and regulations.

Our goal is to empower our employees to feel their best and perform at their best. Care for people is a key desired behaviour within our performance culture. We do this by promoting mindsets and behaviours that support good health, and protecting our people from illness by mitigating known risk factors. We use evidence-based tools and provide access to timely support and care for those who are injured, ill or struggling.

Interventions to promote mental, physical and social well-being are delivered via a mix of measures. For example, through the design of our workspaces, through local benefit offerings such as gyms and health checks, and through our country-based employee networks, group activities and events. Our programmes and global campaigns, such as that for World Mental Health Day, help develop individual and team well-being skill sets to create healthy and psychologically safe working environments and nurture a culture of care.

Shell is active in external organisations and activities that advance LGBT+ inclusion. For example, in 2024 Shell co-signed the Workplace Pride Declaration of India - a pledge to champion continued efforts for LGBT+ inclusion.

We pledge our support to external commitments and ambitions because it increases transparency on what we stand for; we benefit from conversations and working with others on where we can do more; and because our support, as a large and visible global company, can act as a catalyst for others to follow. One of the most well-known standards we’ve pledged our support for is the UN Standards of Conduct for Business, which aims to eliminate discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people.

Shell celebrates International Coming Out Day every October. We participate in Pride celebrations and other events in many countries, including Australia, India, the Philippines, the Netherlands, Poland, the USA and the United Kingdom to show support for the local LGBT+ community. We also think LGBT+ representation in our advertising is important to advance LGBT+ inclusion in society. One example is Shell Mobility India’s “We are human, first” campaign, which raised awareness of the challenges faced by the transgender community in Indian society and was awarded the ‘Media Outreach of the Year Award’ at the 2023 Workplace Pride Impact awards. In Australia, we have partnered with the Pinnacle Foundation to fund a Shell Scholarship for young LGBT+ Australians who will be undertaking full time public tertiary studies to realise their potential and overcome challenges arising from how they identify. In Brazil we have donated to Casinha to aid the organisation’s mission towards LGBT+ inclusion.

Working with others