We Are The Champions | Pocketmags.com

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We Are The Champions

Chair of the Vodafone LGBT+ Friends Network

“Coming up to the marriage referendum in 2015, it started bringing a lot of things home to me about the bigger picture of being an open LGBT+ person. I was happily working in Vodafone, living with my fiancée, and things were going well for me, but I started thinking about doing something for people who might not be having such an smooth time in their organisations.

The way that I sought to make change was by working within Vodafone for it to be a more outspoken advocate for LGBT+ inclusion. I felt this would be my way of making a mark on the bigger piece.

The network is part of a larger group and one of the things it has worked on is an LGBT+ Role Model campaign. This has taken different forms in different markets, and in Ireland we looked for volunteers to come forward and tell us something about themselves, just a quick story. Everybody who volunteered told coming out stories and about what their lives had been like. It was hugely successful and the most read internal communications story we ever had. We put pictures of all the people up during Pride month and we kept the stories up on our screens. It was extremely effective, people responded to it very positively.

All of the LGBT+ Networks in all of the Vodafones came together in London two months ago to look at how we could drive LGBT+ inclusion. Now we’ve broken into small groups to drive different LGBT+ projects across the Vodafone markets.

Vodafone was lucky enough to be listed in the Stonewall Best Companies for LGBT+ Workers last year. The reason for this is that we operate in some challenging markets, where LGBT+ inclusion is not so secure. We were recognised for our ‘embassy model’, whereby we can assure that anyone who works for Vodafone is protected inside of our doors.

I think that’s going to be a work in progress and it’s something Vodafone will continue to grow with. We have had people engage in our LGBT+ webinars from countries in Africa, and from India and Egypt, where it’s difficult to be openly LGBT+. It’s part of the reason I got involved in the first place, because it’s impacting societal change on a much bigger scale.

It’s a really rewarding experience being chair of the network, both professionally and personally, and I would encourage anyone to take the plunge into diversity and inclusion. Reach out to other organisations; don’t be afraid to ask anyone else for tips and advice in setting up LGBT networks. No company is alone in this.”

“The way that I sought to make change was by working within Vodafone for it to be a more outspoken advocate for LGBT+ inclusion

Valarie Daunt Human Capital Lead at Deloitte

“I’m really into education. I think anyone who has any bias, it’s because they don’t have the knowledge.

“In my job as Human Capital Lead, I consult to other clients around diversity. I was brought up to believe that everyone is equal, and my Dad in particular was very strong on that fact. A couple of people on my team are LGBT+ and I have an aunt who was one of the early samesex marriages, and I have a lot of friends who are in the community. It’s something that I’m more interested in than other areas. I’m an ally.

Our LGBT+ Network has been going for two years and I’ve been a sponsor since June of this year, so I make sure that the group has opportunities and funding to create a voice within Deloitte. I’m really into education. I think anyone who has any bias, it’s because they don’t have the knowledge. I’ve been talking to the LGBT+ network around that, about how we might educate people, to say to them that it’s okay to ask questions.

When the network was set up we did the GLEN workplace index assessment and the results weren’t fantastic. It was all good in terms of atmosphere, but not so good in terms of practical things like policies. Our policies at the moment don’t really take into account the transgender community, and that’s probably because we haven’t faced it yet. HR carving out time to look at that is a practical challenge, but it’s something we want to do.

Deloitte as a global organisation is trying to move towards inclusivity, so we are in the process of creating an inclusion council. We’re going to create three big flagship events, which will include the LGBT+ network, the women’s network groups, and the ethnicity groups coming together to showcase what they want to achieve for people in Deloitte overall.

I think it’s important to be proactive because people can become complacent. It’s okay for me being white and female, I might not face as many challenges as somebody who is from a different group, and I may not recognise something that’s happening that isn’t good.

We were part of Dublin Pride for the first time in 2016, and this year we had a bus, and it was a much bigger thing. There was a fabulous atmosphere. I had my three children with me and they had a great time. I think marching under the Deloite banner during Pride is saying I’m proud to work for an organisation that accepts me for who I am, and that saying the organisation is proud that I work for them.”

Peter O’Reilly LGBT+ Network Lead, Accenture

“It’s about getting people to step forward and be visible, and to make the time to support and mentor those coming up the line.

“When I was first offered a job in Accenture I turned it down because I didn’t think it would be a great place for me to work as a gay man. I got talked around by a recruitment consultant, and took the job. Straight away I found the opposite was true.

I first became interested in diversity and inclusion around the time of the marriage referendum. I had been travelling with previous roles but I was more based in Dublin at the time. I’d always felt that visibility for LGBT+ people was our most powerful weapon in combatting prejudice, that people only fear what they don’t know. In the context of the referendum, creating that environment in Accenture where LGBT+ people could come out and have those really important conversations was going to be key.

Our last event was around trans identity, which we ran with TENI earlier in the year. We had 30 trans activists come into Accenture to be at workshops around leadership, communication, CV writing, and advocacy. It was really nice to bring young trans people into an office environment, to really show that they belong as part of it. We’ve rolled out gender-neutral bathrooms in three office locations in Dublin, and we’re developing policies and guidelines for managers around staff who are transitioning. A key feature of an inclusive workplace is ensuring that the right policies are in place to protect people if there are issues.

We’ve been sponsoring the GAZE film festival since 2012, and this year we won an Allianz Business To Arts award, the Judges’ Special Recognition Award for Portfolio of Investment, which includes our sponsorship of the GAZE film festival. We’ve been the title sponsor of the festival since 2012 and it’s something I’m very proud of.

Every company needs LGBT+ role models. It’s about getting people to step forward and be visible and to make the time to support and mentor those coming up the line – paying it backwards, if you like.

I think we have a leadership team in Accenture that are really on board, who understand that this is important that we have inclusive workforces to do what we do and to do it effectively. The challenge potentially is apathy; that people feel the big battles have been won and the war is over. We know that progress can go backwards as well as forwards, so, it’s about keeping our leadership engaged, keeping LGBT+ people coming into the organisation.”

Alice Tolan Account Director and Leader of the eir Business Diversity and Inclusion Team

“eir may have been seen as traditional in the past, but the eir Spectrum seeks to demonstrate that we are a progressive Irish company where a broad ‘spectrum’ of people are welcome.

“eir may have been seen as traditional in the past, but the eir Spectrum seeks to demonstrate that we are a progressive Irish company where a broad ‘spectrum’ of people are welcome.”

“When I started, I saw eir as a young, dynamic company because we were moving from a state-owned company to a semi-state company. I first came into eir as a telephonist and we were trained with blind telephonists, who were included from day one. Inclusion was part of the-then P&T, which we at eir kept as part of our brand all those years.

Five years ago we started looking at the women’s agenda, because whether we liked it or not, women have a harder time connecting in technology than men. Women were still a minority at eir, and our customers and vendors and businesses were asking us about what we were doing for diversity and inclusion. Were we inclusive as an organisation? I thought that the diversity and inclusion agenda would be a great way for women to step up, take ownership, take responsibility, and look at what we can do.

One of the first projects I worked on would have been the eir Spectrum, which is an LGBT+ network for eir employees. We have approximately 35 people involved, indirectly or directly. Additionally, our HR division rewrote all of our policies to be inclusive of our new LGBT+ program. eir may have been seen as traditional in the past, but the eir Spectrum seeks to demonstrate that we are a progressive Irish company where a broad ‘spectrum’ of people are welcome.

If I had to give advice to anyone starting such a programme, I would say the most important thing would be to have a senior sponsor and programmer. The challenge in starting anything would be to make sure that you’ve got the right people and the right communication channel for your programme. At eir we have a very clear structure, and we have different virtual teams focusing on each of the different components, because we have a lot of programmes ongoing at various times.

With this structure, we work toward the goal of eir being a company where everyone, regardless of sexuality or background, is welcome to bring their whole selves to work and be respected for what they as individuals bring to the eir team.”

Ronan Mooney Talent Acquisition Leader with Web Summit

“It’s something I’d love to see organically happen; I’m not a great believer in forced diversity.

“For the last ten years I’ve in some way, shape or form part of the recruitment industry. I started in Web Summit in mid-April. We’re an Irish company, proud to be Irish, and our operation is based in Dublin.

About 10 to 15 percent of our employees identify as LGBT+. I would love to see more diversity in our business. It’s something I’d love to see organically happen; I’m not a great believer in forced diversity. I can make it very personal to me: I’m head of recruitment and I would hate for anyone to think that I was put in this position just because I was gay and I think I help my community by being an added voice to diversity.

This year at Web Summit we have Caitlyn Jenner as a speaker on our main stage. Caitlyn is someone who has been the subject of a narrative that is reflective of a community that is still, I don’t think, represented in media or in technology. I appreciate also that she has been criticised within the trans community but we like to host people who talk on subjects that touch on technology, their use of technology, but also impacts on social issues. We also have Dustin Lance Black. We have a lot of people who again, use social media – maybe twitter - but it’s their use of social media to impact change.

Ultimately the dream is that diversity happens all by itself, and that’s the real challenge. I think any of us who are in a position where we can effect change, as small as my role my be in that, it’s about being the voice of diversity when decisions are being made. It’s about giving real equal opportunity to someone who happens to be trans or gay or bi. And if they identify themselves [as LGBT+] great, but if they don’t are given the same opportunity, not any more or any less. The same.

Rebecca Townsend

OPINION:

Trainee Solicitor, A&L Goodbody

Diversity and Inclusion at Work has to be more than just ticking boxes, because actions speak louder than words.

I’ve pretty much always been out at work, as I’ve always led with the mentality that I have nothing to be ashamed of. I personally feel like it’s important to bring your whole self to work. There’s something hugely liberating about not having to hide your true orientation. While everyone should feel comfortable about their sexual orientation, I think everyone has their own journey and that begins with self-acceptance.

It’s a really collaborative and inclusive atmosphere here at ALG. I genuinely feel like there’s a real focus on creating effective teams and they’re big into fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion They also empower employees and particularly given that there’s so many trainee solicitors from various backgrounds - they’ve really made an effort to create a learning culture where people feel accepted and can actively seek to learn from one another.

We have a Diversity and Inclusion group and an LGBT+ ally group. During Pride Week there was an internal campaign called ‘Pride in who we are’. We did desk-drops of Skittles, organised a talk with Donal Óg Cusack, a ‘Pride in who we are’ mural and a lunch and learn event with BelongTo, where another trainee, Hayley Jenkinson actually took part in the panel. It was a great way of encouraging discussion amongst older and younger members of staff.

I feel like ‘Diversity and Inclusion’ can sometimes be a box-ticking exercise that a lot of firms feel like they have to do, whereas I feel like at ALG it’s about actions speaking louder than words. We have many initiatives around workplace diversity, including a Mental Wellbeing Week, International Women’s Day and various community education programmes.

ALG believe diversity of thought is essential to business success, which I completely agree with. From my perspective they’re also very proactive in creating an environment of fairness, respect and empowerment, where everyone is encouraged to get along and work together to come up with creative and innovative solutions.

It’s a great place to work. Although, we’re very progressive already, I feel like education is key and we need to continue to foster awareness. I hope that in the future, ALG will continue to challenge norms, especially our own and will begin to make bolder statements. For example, externally supporting LGBT+ events or creating a workplace that includes gender-neutral toilets or uses gender neutral language - something that’s a clear sign that gender is not an issue, because I feel like society still has a ways to go on that matter.

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