Creating workplaces where everyone can be themselves is a priority for modern businesses. People that feel included and have a sense of belonging at their places of work are more productive, better team players, and make a greater contribution. They are less likely to be ill or need to be replaced, all of which translates into financial impact for businesses.
Tremendous progress has been made in Europe in the past decade to create equitable workplaces for previously excluded or marginalised groups, including LGBTI people, but there is still much room for improvement. During this conference, we will discuss the barriers as well as the opportunities facing businesses in regards to their LGBTI employees, clients/customers. It will also explore how investors look increasingly at the breadth of a businesses’ engagement when it comes to equitable workplaces.
Participants will include (a.o) representatives from both multinational and Hungarian businesses, members of Hungarian LGBTI Civil Society, and members of the diplomatic community.
GOALS: The conference will address a broad range of issues when it comes to LGBTI inclusion in the workplace. It will focus mainly on the business rationale for creating LGBTI inclusive workplaces. It will demonstrate how both business and society could benefit from a more open inclusive approach to this community.
DATE / TIME: Monday, 17 May, 15:00 – 17:00 CET ACCESS: Open to all, but registration required
In light of Lesbian Visibility day (April 26th 2021), we are honouring Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Non-Binary, Intersex, Queer, and straight ally women role models.
The women on this list are all nominated by colleagues and members from the Workplace Pride community. Some companies have shared many names, and in one particular company, there was clearly a team effort to nominate the same colleague multiple times!
The list is inspired by initiatives such as the “DIVA 100” and similar initiatives. As this is our first year, we are certain there are many great role models missing. So we hope that next year we’ll have a much longer and even more diverse list as well as representation for as many of our member organisations as possible. Having said that, let’s honour these fantastic women!
We encourage you to think of the LGBTIQ+ women and allies in your organisation and honour them too this week!
There are also various activities this week. In recognition of Lesbian Visibility Week, Workplace Pride is joining forces with our strategic partner, Catalyst for our latest “Keeping Members Connected” webinar entitled “Intersectionality – Rising to the challenge to be yourself at work” on the 29th of April.
Later in the year, as part of our Workplace Pride Leadership Awards Gala, we will also pay tribute to the entire LGBTIQ+ community worldwide. We want to use the same formula then; further information will follow later in the year.
IBM and Workplace Pride collaborate in LGBTIQ+ innovation
Although LGBTIQ+ people are protected by laws addressing employment and other forms of discrimination in a growing proportion of countries, there remain far too many LGBTIQ+ people around the globe whose rights are not protected. In many countries, LGBTIQ+ citizens are breaking laws just by being themselves. Even in legally progressive nations, many LGBTIQ+ people still feel that they cannot reveal their authentic identity in many professional, academic, and social settings.
To continue advancing inclusion and belonging for the full spectrum of the LGBTIQ+ community at work, home, and society at large, the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) is collaborating with Workplace Pride and Out & Equal to host a Global LGBTIQ+ Innovation Jam.
Starting at 8am ET on Tuesday, April 13th and running continuously through until 5pm ET on Wednesday, April 14th, the Jam is a virtual, text-based event where thousands of business leaders; D&I experts; academics; and other allies will come together to explore the solutions to the barriers that still slow the advancement of LGBTIQ+ individuals in the workplace.
The Global LGBTIQ+ Innovation Jam is an open and inclusive forum for discussion and sharing around 7 important themes:
Corporate & individual championship
LGBT+ intersectionality
Mental health
Transgender and non-binary belonging
Allyship
Visibility and development
Impact of technology
Register for the Global LGBT+ Innovation Jam and join the discussion – for a few minutes or for all 34 hours! Input from Jammers will be analyzed by IBM’s proprietary Innovation Jam® AI-enabled technology and the results may be used to inform an upcoming LGBT+ Leadership study that is being published in celebration of Pride Month in June.
We are delighted to announce that Workplace Pride is collaborating with the Central European University and the launch of its Executive MBA International Fellowship.
The Central European University’s Executive MBA distinguishes itself as the EMBA for the Open World – a rigorous, research-based mid-career managerial degree program that confidently integrates progressive Open-Society values into its curriculum, in view of their pivotal importance as success factors for entrepreneurs, managers and leaders in the post-industrial economy.
CEU Executive MBA is the program tailor-made for accomplished working managers willing to elevate their professional profile from operational expertise to strategic leadership. The program’s innovative structure allows participants to earn a US- & EU-accredited MBA degree in just ten convenient 4-to-9-day residencies, scheduled over 28 months.
“Tolerance” is often viewed as the highest possible ambition for LGBTIQ inclusion. At the CEU, we do not merely “tolerate” diversity, we cherish it as a foundation of innovative thinking in an Open Society. That is why, we are honoured to fund this generous fellowship for a distinguished LGBTIQ manager or entrepreneur.” points out Prof. Yusaf Akbar, Faculty Co-Director of the CEU Executive MBA.
Applicant should have at least 8 years of professional experience, including at least 3 years of documented leadership/managerial experience, an undergraduate degree or equivalent qualification and who apply for the May 2021 intake of the CEU Executive MBA program via the regular application form.
The competitive fellowship will be awarded by the unanimous decision of the following selection committee:
From Workplace Pride:
Michiel Kolman – Co-Chair, Workplace Pride
David Pollard – Executive Director, Workplace Pride
and the CEU Executive MBA Program Office.
Applications will be reviewed and considered on a rolling basis. The Selection Committee reserves the right to choose awardees before the application deadline of March 21, 2021.
We are delighted to invite you to participate in the 2021 Workplace Pride Global Benchmark Survey. The Global Benchmark is an online tool designed primarily to measure the LGBTIQ+ policies and practices for internationally active employers. Participants receive a detailed report of their current situation broken down into actionable sections, which include concrete suggestions for improvement.
The survey is open from February 1st until April 16th.
Registration is free of charge to all Workplace Pride members, while non-members pay an administrative fee of €1000.- excl. VAT. You will find more information on registration and requirements on our website.
We look forward to your participation in the 2021 Global Benchmark survey. Come join the growing number of organisations that are leading the change for more inclusive workplaces!
Last year we embraced the start of a new decade with bold ideas and plans, only to suddenly find ourselves in uncharted territory, facing a global pandemic that we are still coming to terms with and the toll it’s taken in numerous ways both personally and professionally.
With vaccines finally being rolled out worldwide to those most at risk initially, it’s clear to see that societies are shifting and Workplace Pride also has to gauge and act accordingly.
Until now we have used the acronym LGBTI (Lesbian ,Gay ,Bisexual ,Transgender and Intersex) but we feel that a more colourful umbrella is needed for these changing times.
From 2021, Workplace Pride is going to use LGBTIQ+ as our primary acronym.
By adding the “Q+” we are embracing those generations who not only proudly identify as Queer but those may still feel a stigma attached to the term. For the “+” part, we feel this includes those who identify outside the more mainstream labels on gender and sexuality. Also, very importantly the “+” includes all allies!
To celebrate this shift in thinking at Workplace Pride we will launch a new webinar series for 2021 featuring speakers from the LGBTIQ+ community. The first of these webinars isn’t to be missed and will be for members and the general public and be an live online event on the 27th of January 2021!
Reflections on the Taiwan Conference (Held on the 27th of October 2020)
“Taiwan – Trailblazing LGBTI Workplace Inclusion in Asia” was the title of this unique bi-national and multi-media event organised by Workplace Pride in October. With the sub-title: Marriage equality in times of social change”, this timely and well-attended hybrid event was organised against the backdrop of ever greater diverse and inclusive societies and workplaces.
As the first country in Asia to implement marriage equality, Taiwan has both a great responsibility to make an impact on LGBTI workplace inclusion and a great opportunity to set the tone in the region for years to come. And now, within the context of social and geo-political changes surrounding the global pandemic, the leadership role for Taiwan is even more needed.
As Workplace Pride’s only in-person event held during the pandemic this year the conference was hosted by EY and ASML in cooperation with NGO’s Hotline Association and Taiwan Equality Campaign. The first section of the conference in Taiwan saw around 80 attendees gathering for targeted workshops and included a panel on diplomatic channels of influence with LGBTI workplace inclusion. This was followed by a globally streamed event featuring various high level speakers including:
Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s Digital Minister)
Moriaki Kida, EY Japan Regional COO)
Ching-Yi Lin, (Taiwan’s Ambassador-at-large.
Peter Bailliere, ASML EVP for HR&O
Hsing-Hsing Chen, Taiwan’s Representative to the Netherlands
Personal and human stories were shared, along with breakout sessions for physical attendees to connect, share and evolve their understanding of the issues facing Taiwan and workplace inclusion for the LGBTI community at present and going into the future.
Hsin-Hsin Chen, Taiwan’s Representative to the Netherlands was present in Workplace Pride’s Amsterdam studio with David Pollard (Exec. Director of Workplace Pride) for the latter section of the conference which was being held online for viewers world-wide.
To see the video of this ground-breaking conference clickHERE
Sean Du and Mei Ying, Hotline Association
“Since same sex marriage was legalized in Taiwan, more and more companies have started to pay attention to LGBTI+ inclusion in the workplace.
This conference provided an opportunity for participants to understand why LGBTI+ inclusion is important, and to learn from the thoughts and experiences of diplomats and representatives in both corporate and NGO’s on workplace equality. It also provided a platform for participants from corporates, NGO’s and governments to connect with each other. For the issues going forward, we need to think about how NGOs, corporates and governments could work together systematically on the topics. We need to let more LGBTI+ community members understand that it’s their right to work in a place that is LGBTI+ inclusive. We also need to think about how to include more local business to work with us.”
Andrew Fuh, EY Taiwan Country Managing Partner
“As the executive sponsor of our LGBT+ network, it was a pleasure for EY to host Workplace Pride with ASML in showcasing both the progress Taiwan has made around containing Covid-19 in being able to have an in-person event and progress around marriage equality as eloquently summarized by minister and ambassador Audrey Tang and Lin Ching-yi. The conference provided a platform for multinational and local companies to discuss ways to implement LGBT+ friendly policies in bringing out the best of our talent and building a better working world. EY is fortunate to be one of the handful of companies that signed the marriage equality statement to encourage both the legislature and government to legalize same sex marriage in 2018, and again in 2019. Through Workplace Pride, we are confident more like minded organizations will join hands as game changers in advancing LGBT+ equality from Taiwan to the rest of Asia, improving the lives of LGBT people at work and in greater society.”
Michiel Kolman, Co-Chair of Workplace Pride
“The Workplace Pride conference was well attended with representatives of major companies, civil society, the diplomatic corps who all engaged enthusiastically in the main program, and especially in the break-out workshops. What was well represented in the program and through the participants, was the role diplomacy plays to support marriage equality and LGBTI human rights. What is a clear next step here is to put exactly that on the diplomatic agenda outside Taiwan and while the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry was saluted for the work they have done so far, there were also clear calls to do more in this area.
Another clear theme was that the legal side might have been well addressed, e.g. through marriage equality, but that doesn’t translate to an immediate effect on work culture, and the acceptance and support for the LGBTI community in the workplace. It was significant that international companies hosted the conference and also the participants came mostly from multinationals. Taiwanese companies, neither large nor small, were present, and that is something that should be changed over time. This conference can very well be seen as a call to action, perhaps even reflected in a ‘Declaration of Taipei’ with the objective to expand marriage equality around the region and actively promote LGBTI workplace inclusion in Taiwan itself, at companies of all sizes. An objective that will require active support from leading companies, civil society, the government including the diplomatic service. More to come for certain!”
Thanks to all contributors from Hotline Association, EY and Workplace Pride
Published 8th of December 2020
Trans re-integration in the workplace Webinar Recap
In our latest webinar in the Keeping Members Connected series, Workplace Pride hosted Petra van Dijk from Transwerkt Nederland along with Remke Verdegem of TNN (Transgender Network Nederland. We also had a guest dial in all the way from Argentina, Maryanne Lettieri of Contrata Trans.
Firstly, Petra introduced Transwerkt Nederland and explained what and how her organisation assists trans people with, at numerous stages of their working lives and careers. Unilever for example in the Netherlands is uniquely pioneering forward by having a gender transition policy. Such essential policies are something Petra is very passionate about going forward.
Remke talked about her work with TNN explaining some of the statistics around trans people in the Netherlands and how the binary generation is being succeeded by the “gender fluid” generation.
Since both Transwerkt Nederland and TNN are based in the Netherlands, Maryanne from Contrata Trans brought an international focus on the issues of trans people in Argentina. Maryanne talked about socio-economic plight of trans people and how they are marginalised and are often forced through adversity into the sex industry there.
As always, we had a live international audience who contributed great questions to our fascinating panel!
Timestamps (click the red timestamp to jump straight to that part of the webinar) 0:00 Introduction by David Pollard
1:45 Panel introductions (Petra, Remke and Maryanne)
Government Ministries, Major Multinationals and Civil Society Move the Dial in LGBTI Work-place Inclusion Conference
“Taiwan – Trailblazing LGBTI Workplace Inclusion in Asia” is the title of this unique conference bringing together different stakeholders in a bi-national and multi-media event. With the sub-title: Marriage equality in times of social change”, the timely gathering is being organised against the backdrop of ever greater diverse and inclusive societies and workplaces.
Same-sex marriage is now a fact in Taiwan. This has direct implications for employers and the country as a whole when it comes to the impact on workplaces. But are workplaces prepared when it comes to employee benefits, interaction with their markets/customers, and how marriage equality will effect recruitment and retention? Will married LGBTI employees feel comfortable to be themselves and how do employers prepare their organisation for the overall trend of greater diversity and inclusion that is increasingly prevalent around the world?
As the first country in Asia to implement marriage equality, Taiwan has both a great responsibility to get its impact on LGBTI workplace inclusion right and a great opportunity to set the tone in the region for years to come. And now, within the context of social and geo-political changes sur-rounding the global pandemic, the leadership role for Taiwan is even more needed.
“Forward thinking employers realise that marriage equality in Taiwan will require a different ap-proach to interaction with employees, clients and society”. Says Michiel Kolman, Co-Chair of Workplace Pride and speaker at the event, “This conference brings all stakeholders together and will set the tone for workplace diversity and inclusion in Asia for years to come”.
Top speakers include:
• Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s Digital Minster • Moriaki Kida, EY Regional COO • Peter Bailliere, ASML EVP HR&O • Ching-Yi Lin, Taiwan’s Ambassador-at-large • Hsin-Hsin Chen, Taiwan’s Representative to the Netherlands • Guido Tielman, Representative, Netherlands Office Taipei
Digital Minister for Taiwan Audrey Tang
This landmark event was recorded. Please clickHEREto see the video.
The conference is free to registered participants and consists of both in-person (in Taipei) and live streaming elements (globally). It is being organised by Workplace Pride and is co-hosted by EY and ASML. Civil Society partners include Taiwan Equality Campaign and Hotline Association.
Editor’s Note: For more information regarding Workplace Pride contact: Workplace Pride Executive, Director David Pollard: Tel. +31 (0) 634 056604 e-mail: david@workplacepride.org
Workplace Pride Foundation is the international platform dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTI people in workplaces around the globe. Initiated in 2006, its more than 70 members employ millions of people in almost every country in the world.
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