Thomas Plantenga, CEO of Vinted GroupExactly a year ago, I&nbsp;<a style="text-decoration:none;" href="https://www.delfi.lt/verslas/nuomones/thomas-plantenga-noredama-buti-konkurencinga-pasaulyje-lietuva-turi-buti-atvira-ivairiems-zmonems-90545071" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wrote</a> a piece in Delfi (a Lithuanian news website) calling for&nbsp; businesses, society, and the state to do more for the LGTBQ+ community in Lithuania. At the time, passions were running high over the same-sex Partnership Bill. Lithuania does not currently legally recognise same-sex unions, and after multiple attempts to pass the bill, it failed to make it through to parliament. A year later, we’re debating it again, but this time it’s a stripped-down version, the civil union law, which passed the first vote, and will go to parliament for a second vote later in 2023. By contrast, Estonia has passed a new law, making same-sex marriage legal. Progress? Depends who we’re asking. But on a more positive note, at least some Lithuanian businesses have started to make meaningful changes towards&nbsp; creating more LGBTQ+ friendly organisations.&nbsp;Members of the LGBTQ+ community have spent another year waiting for the law to recognise, at least with reservations, both themselves and their fundamental rights. Another year where two people who live together, and love each other, are still unable to have the same rights as others, simply because their family doesn’t look like or conform to the outdated married with 2.4 children family structure.All of this affects not only the lives of people who identify as LGBTQ+, but also Lithuania’s economy and competitiveness. There’s a limited supply of skilled workers in the local market, which is why we and other companies in the country are working hard to attract workers from other countries. By not recognising the fundamental rights of a part of its population, Lithuania is a red flag in this area, and just like last year, it’s much harder for us to attract foreign talent to Vilnius and Kaunas than it is to attract them to Vinted's offices in Amsterdam or Berlin.&nbsp;Foreign investors, or companies who are impressed by Lithuania's talent and ambition are also noticing the red flag warning signs of intolerance. Not everyone wants to build a global business in a country where the well-being of some of its workers will not be guaranteed.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;On the other hand, I’m pleased to see progress in the country's business community over the past year. In the public sphere, organisations have increasingly discussed LGBTQ+ rights in the business context, and we have read reports from companies about equalising conditions - days off, monetary, and other issues - for all employees, regardless of their family dynamic.&nbsp;At least within organisations, all these efforts create an environment where the LGBTQ+ community can feel safe and more confident to speak out about the difficulties they are facing. I see this within Vinted too.&nbsp;Over the last year, we’ve made progress in this area. We agreed on a strategic approach for LGBTQ+ and other diversity and inclusion related questions, and we’ve conducted our first comprehensive study on our employee demographics. The latter revealed that Vinted's internal LGBTQ+ community is close to global averages, which, according to an&nbsp;<a style="text-decoration:none;" href="https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2021-06/LGBT%20Pride%202021%20Global%20Survey%20Report_3.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ipsos survey</a>, is around 10% of the population.Internally, a community of LGBTQ+ employees called ‘Queerted’ has come to the fore. Last year, we celebrated our first internal Pride Month together, and this year we’ve harmonised our parental benefits policy in all countries where we have offices. We will pay all families, including same-sex families, their full salary for a certain period of time, or make up the difference between that and state support where it is due. When state support is not granted, we pay the entire difference.Within our organisation, we want to create a safe environment for all employees, through actions like these. And it works. This year, for example, members of our Queerted community have been much more active in raising questions and suggesting ideas. For example, they released an internal LGBTQ+ glossary to explain terms from the community, hosted awareness sessions with external speakers, and created a safe internal space for all LGBTQ+ members and allies within Vinted to exchange. A safe environment allows for open conversations and nothing to hide.&nbsp;While equality is not being solved as a legal issue at a national level, our actions prove that we can all make a difference - at work, at home, or among friends. We, and Lithuania as a whole, still have a long way to go towards equality. I’m pleased that, little by little, there are more and more people on this journey. Let's break down the barriers of inequality, talk openly about this issue, share our experiences and make everyone feel safe.&nbsp;I believe that the more of us there are, the sooner all the necessary changes will happen at national level, and the sooner the red flag of intolerance will be lowered, and no longer be able to fly.

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Thomas Plantenga on Finding Joy in the Business Community during Pride Month

Here at Vinted, we support a number of voluntary, employee-led communities that bring together individuals with shared identities, characteristics, or experiences. All of these groups have&nbsp; the common goal of promoting awareness, and fostering representation and inclusion. As an organisation aiming to become a leader in diversity, equity and inclusion, this is something which is very close to our hearts.Today, we’re introducing Queerted: a community made up of members from our different locations, who have created an exclusive space for Vinted employees who identify as LGBTQ+. This is a private space for members to openly share news and updates with each other. Vinted employees are always welcome to join and to contribute to this growing community, who held their first Queerted in-person social event in July 2023. The group meets every 2 weeks to catch up and work together on their collective mission, which is two-fold:1. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;To build a vibrant and inclusive&nbsp;community for LGBTQ+ members within Vinted, where everyone feels safe, supported, and celebrated2. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;To&nbsp;raise awareness of LGBTQ+ topics and create a culture of acceptance and empathy within Vinted and beyond.

Behind every mission, is a vision. The Queerted community, supported by Vinted, aims to create an environment where every employee at Vinted who identifies as LGBTQ+ can bring their full and authentic self to work. Where all employees (including those who do not identify with the LGBTQ+ community) know about the community and its mission, and act as Allies.&nbsp;Halfway through 2023, the community has already achieved a great deal of progress towards their vision. Within ‘Inside’, Vinted's intranet, is a space where employees identifying as LGBTQ+ and Allies can connect, collaborate and learn from each other. It includes resources on LGBTQ+ history, and an LGBTQ+ glossary to help people understand key LGBTQ+ words, phrases and acronyms. There are also resources to help Allies understand how they can help make Vinted a more welcoming place for LGBTQ+ people, as well as several practical FAQs which include questions like “I’m straight and/or cisgender. Is it really ok to speak up for a group that I am not a part of?”Also within ‘Inside’, to raise awareness, the community has been working on a 2023 calendar of LGBTQ+ notable dates – whether they be small local initiatives, a shoutout post on our internal news portal, or work with the Communities team on wider projects. By having an up-to-date calendar with regular events, employees have a consistent feed of LGBTQ+ content for employees to keep track of all year round – and not just during Pride Month.

Last but by no means least, Queerted posts a monthly newsletter containing updates, upcoming events, achievements, resources and information. The aim is that this newsletter will offer other members the opportunity to share their voice, and represent other branches within the Queerted community.We want all new joiners at Vinted to be aware of the different employee communities we have to offer. The group has been liaising with the DEI and Onboarding Teams to make sure that new joiners know about and feel welcome to join the community when starting.&nbsp;Hopefully this gives you an insight into Queerted, what it stands for, and their work and missions within Vinted.&nbsp;We're proud to showcase how Queerted is making a difference, amplifying LGBTQ+ voices, and setting the standard for Employee Resource Groups (Groups of employees who join in their workplace based on shared characteristics or life experiences).&nbsp;Stay tuned for more exciting updates from the Queerted community at Vinted!

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Come and Meet our Queerted Community!

The technology company Vinted has updated and synced its parental allowance policy in all countries where it has offices. The move also addresses the issue of support for same-sex families. Vinted will provide them financial support that exceeds statutory limits. The company will pay the primary carers their full salary, or make up the difference between their salary and any income support received for the first 20 weeks, and secondary carers will receive the same level of compensation for 10 weeks.&nbsp;

“Until the rights of same-sex families are equal and legally recognised in Lithuania and elsewhere, private companies are taking the matter into their own hands. Vinted already gives the same benefits (days off, allowances, etc) &nbsp;to all families, whether they are a married man and a woman, two women who have exchanged vows abroad, or two men living together without official family status. As we’re expanding rapidly, we’ve taken this step to improve and standardise the parental benefits across all Vinted offices," says Monika Kalinauskaitė, Vinted Strategic Initiatives manager. From now on, Vinted will compensate primary caregivers, such as birth mothers &nbsp;or adoptive fathers, for the first 20 weeks with the difference between their salary and Sodra payment. Secondary caregivers will be reimbursed the difference for 10 weeks, regardless of their family’s legal status: “Depending on the family model, we will encounter situations where the state does not provide financial support to one parent. In this case, we will pay the employee’s full salary for the period of time provided”.&nbsp; According to Ms. Kalinauskaite, this model is particularly important for same-sex families in Lithuania: "If, for example, a two-woman family conceives or adopts a child, only the birth or adoptive mother receives official parental benefits from the state, with the second mother not being legally recognised by the state. This not only limits the amount of financial support for this family, as by law it only applies to the "legal" mother, but it also takes away the right to choose who will look after the child. After all, the birth or adoptive mother may want to continue working, while the mother who is not legally recognised by the state takes care of the child. However, the latter would not receive any state maternity benefits. With our benefits policy, we aim to create this opportunity of choice.”&nbsp;Assess the needs of allAs Ms. Kalinauskaitė points out, when organisations think about working parents, they need to adopt a holistic approach and think about all the different family models and &nbsp;stages of child rearing. For example, a <a href="https://diversity.lt/kas-trecias-darbuotojas-renkasi-tarp-seimos-ir-karjeros/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">recent study</a> published by the Lithuanian Diversity Charter found that one third of Lithuanians changed jobs after parental leave, mainly due to employer inflexibility. One in two employers did not ask returning employees about their changed needs, and a similar number did not offer flexible working hours. "This shows that there are problems in Lithuanian society, not only in terms of financial support for same-sex families, but also in employer-parent relations. It’s important to maintain a relationship with employees on parental leave. For example - at Vinted, we invite, but do not require participation in our various internal events. It’s also important to understand that the needs of working parents change, which is why we offer flexible working options and children's playrooms in our offices,"says Monika Kalinauskaitė.Evaluates the employer's position on human rights issuesAs Rugilė Trumpytė - head of the Lithuanian Diversity Charter - notes, employees themselves have recently come to expect a clear stance on various human rights issues from their current or future employers.&nbsp; "More and more people are choosing where to work carefully. In recent years, I have noticed a growing interest in social responsibility among employees. People are enquiring about their employer's stance on human rights issues and expecting them to be proactive. Businesses can create change without waiting for the law, and they have a lot of leverage. So I am glad that Vinted is showing leadership and making decisions not only for the well-being of heterosexuals, but also for the LGBT+ community," says Trumpytė.

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Thomas Plantenga on Finding Joy in the Business Community during Pride Month

Come and Meet our Queerted Community!

Vinted Extends Same-Sex Parental Benefits Beyond Statutory Limits