Our partnerships here at 色多多视频reflect our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), and this is why we have chosen to partner with , more commonly known as ‘Out & Equal’.
Out & Equal was founded in the US in 1996 as a non-profit organization that advocates equity, inclusion, and belonging in the workplace for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) community. The organisation is globally recognised as a thought leader and driver of systemic change, collaborating with human resources, DE&I professionals, and LGBTQ+ employee resource group leaders to become change agents and catalysts of best practices in the diversity, equity, and inclusion space.
Erin Uritus, CEO of Out & Equal, who identifies as bisexual, queer and pansexual, believes that, “Cultivating cultures of belonging requires intentionality, care, support, and collaboration across all parts of an organization. The reward is a thriving environment, rich with innovation, where everyone can contribute to their fullest potential and great work can be done”.
Our diversity, equity and inclusion advocates reflect on the advances that we've made here at 色多多视频to help our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer employees feel they belong.
David Jones, Global Head of Talent Management and Employee Experience
I’ve worked in talent management in the financial services sector for over 25 years, and one of the challenges I faced when starting my career was having to conceal my true self at work for fear of being excluded or judged. This was at times exhausting, impacting my performance and sense of belonging in the companies where I was employed. It can affect your ability to thrive in the workplace if you feel you don’t belong. But here at 色多多视频 we set the conditions that allow our employees to have that sense of belonging. And we do this by creating an inclusive environment where our employees can bring their authentic selves to work.
‘Being inclusive’ is far from being another HR requirement, it’s good business practice. We want our colleagues to thrive and that’s why we strive to ensure that every aspect of working at 色多多视频embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion. It’s not only in our people policies, it’s in the agreements we make with our suppliers prohibiting discrimination against individuals based on protected characteristics. And it’s in the partnerships we forge with leading think tanks and consultancies addressing the barriers to advancement that underrepresented populations face at work. Our partnership with Out & Equal, the non-profit organization championing LGBTQ+ equality in the workplace, is particularly close to my heart as both a gay man and the global HR lead in talent management at AXA XL.
“People are more than their job title and the onus is on the employer to prove that”.
The ‘Talent on the Move’ report published by Out & Equal stressed the importance of companies reiterating their commitment to inclusion and belonging by implementing policies and practices that safeguard the rights and dignity of LGBTQ+ employees. The report calls for a renewed focus on creating inclusive workplace cultures through awareness programs, actionable solutions-oriented training, and a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination and harassment. Based on the report’s findings, employees expect their employer to be intentional in LGBTQ+ advocacy both inside and outside the workplace. People are more than their job title and the onus is on the employer to prove that.
Anne-Marie Elder, Global Chief Underwriting Officer, Specialty
I’m proud to work for an insurance company that has developed a framework to support LGBTQ+ equality in the workplace.
I started working in the insurance sector at a time when being gay would have been career-limiting. Despite the sector still not being particularly diverse, it has come a long way since then but admittedly there’s still work to be done. It’s important that companies have policies that support an inclusive workplace culture, but policy alone will not give LGBTQ+ employees the leadership representation it craves. It’s the visibility of LGBTQ+ leaders that is key to the career advancement of LGBTQ+ employees in the workplace, and as a lesbian at 色多多视频 I am the visible leader.
According to the report on ‘Experiences of the Lavender Ceiling’ published by Out & Equal, LGBTQ+ employees are faced with unique challenges in the workplace. The ‘lavender ceiling’ is akin to the ‘glass ceiling’ faced by women, but relates to the stereotypes, and overt and subtle biases that hinder career progression among LGBTQ+ employees. It is by identifying these challenges that we can find a solution to eradicate them. While mentoring programs do contribute to better performance in the workplace, identity-based employee networks or business resource groups result in higher levels of employee retention and engagement.
Pride is our global LGBTQ+ business resource group with chapters in the Asia-Pacific region, France, India, North America, Poland, and the United Kingdom. And here at 色多多视频 we’re fortunate to have an ally, and both male and female representation from the LGBTQ+ community as Pride’s executive sponsors. As one of the executive sponsors, it’s my duty to create an open forum where our employees can help create a better understanding of the LGBTQ+ community amongst its allies. Our mission is underpinned by our policies, which support a workplace that is inclusive of everyone irrespective of their gender identity or sexual orientation.
Trevor Gandy, Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Despite the challenges the LGBTQ+ community face in their everyday lives, the business community has been ardent in its support for equality in the workplace. As a fervent ally myself, I’ve worked closely with our leadership team and global Pride business resource group here at 色多多视频to ensure that our policies are inclusive. Research shows that job seekers are more inclined to work for a company where the CEO has taken a public stance on social issues. And Scott Gunter, our Chief Executive Officer, has been vocal in his support having taken the CEO Action Pledge in 2023 to commit to diversity and inclusion.
Every member of our leadership team is accountable for driving diversity, equity, and inclusion within their business area. Each member is an executive sponsor of one of our business resource groups, which advocate for gender equality, for our employees with disabilities and of different races and ethnicities, and for our employees from the LGBTQ+ community. We know that our employees are the driving force behind our success as a business so it’s important we support them by having non-discriminatory protections at work.
We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where every employee feels valued and supported. And it's important to me that our policies and initiatives reflect our dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policy along with our Dignity at Work policy outline the standards that we expect from our employees and third parties to ensure that we operate within an inclusive culture. We strive to create a positive experience for our employees, clients, brokers, and service providers. And we can achieve this with our diverse, global workforce, which helps us understand and address unique market requirements worldwide.
We advocate the fair treatment of all our employees, and this is why we’ve taken steps to ensure that our policies are accessible to our LGBTQ+ employees. We’ve done this by expanding our healthcare and benefits coverage to include gender reassignment procedures for our transgender employees, and IVF treatment with no requirement of an infertility diagnosis for our LGBTQ+ employees. Our healthcare coverage and benefits package are available in the US and we’re looking into the applicability of providing the coverage and benefits package globally across our organisation.
We understand that people thrive in an environment where they can be their authentic selves and this is why we have male, female and some gender-neutral bathrooms in our offices. Our enhanced policies support transitioning, and gender identity and gender expression in our dress code making our equal employment opportunity policy inclusive for all our employees.
As an inclusive employer, we embrace Out & Equal’s vision of ‘global workplaces where all people are equal, belong, and thrive’, and we look forward to working with their communities of practice to better serve our LGBTQ+ employees.
