In October 2014 I read that IBM had been recognised as the world’s most LGBT friendly employer by the Workplace Pride Foundation in Amsterdam, according to their Benchmark Survey.
I WONDERED; What does this mean for me? Is it important to everyone, or just those in the corporate world?
I have the great good fortune to have David Pollard, the Chief Executive of the Workplace Pride Foundation as a good friend, and I know he is one of the clearest and best communicators working in this field, so I got on Skype and asked him to share his insights into LGBT people and work.
I know from my own experience just how important work is; it defines us in the world, it gives us income, definition, meaning, and we all know just how much being LGBT can make.
Workplace Pride, David told me, brings attention to LGBT people in the workplace, because work is a vital and important aspect of our lives; an essence of life for everyone. Being LGBT is a vital part of who we are and work is critical because it makes our place in the world, but often the two don’t interact well.
Even in the Netherlands, David told me, 30% of LGBT people are not out at work, and the percentage may be even higher in the UK. Clearly, something is not working well; we don’t always feel we can be ourselves at work, so there is something going on beyond having the legal rights which we all take for granted these days.
The question is this; how can we make a real difference to the way we are accepted, valued and given the rights to be who and what we are in the workplace? Well, having large organisations that are respected and have power in our world embracing and giving vocal support to LGBT people as valued employees gives an example, a validity to all others.
It’s a matter of inclusion as we are, without hiding or pretence and the difference that makes to our lives; I know myself what a massive relief it is to be open about who and what I am, and the difference this makes to how I feel about myself and the quality of my work. So, Workplace Pride brought together members of our community and employers who already embrace and value the LGBT community, to set a benchmark, an ideal set of values and actions and standards to measure our actual performance on the ground, against that benchmark.
The issues which are being dealt with here are known to us all; do we have to hide our sexuality, or our gender identity to feel safe at work? And if we are known, or visible, is this OK? It’s about communication, recognition, making the world of work as comfortable as it is for everyone else; in other words, equality, nothing more or less.
David works with employers who want to make their working environment better, so that people can flourish at work, which works well for everyone. I relate to this well, when during my early transition I was highly visible but worked in an organisation – BT – which made a clear point of communicating their support and recognition of all LGBT people. What a difference this made! I went to work feeling relaxed and grateful, and so worked as well as I could. This kind of communication just has to come from the top, of course, it has to be validated with power.
Having role models who are out and proud at the top levels of business, arts, education and politics makes a great difference to us all; for example Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple recently came out, and this is well publicised. Every time we hear of someone in a position of social power being out LGBT, our position in the world is more assured. As David once said to me, we have to keep the momentum going, the game isn’t over yet, and our present strength in much of Europe is being attacked as I write.
This means that the work being done by Workplace Pride counts for us all, it keeps the momentum moving, it’s one of the pieces in the structure we are all building for the future, when being Lesbian, Gay, Bi or Trans makes no difference to our value and place in the world of work.