WorkPride 2023 - What has Ategi learnt?

To mark Pride this June, some Ategi staff members took part in WorkPride 2023, a 5-day series of events for professionals, graduates, inclusive employers, and anyone who believes in workplace equality. Each year, WorkPride welcomes thousands of virtual attendees from around the globe to network, share best practices, and learn strategies to help create workspaces that are inclusive of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions.

Read takeaways from Ategi staff who atteneded the event.

Kate Allen, CEO, Ategi

Attended the interview with musician, educator and trans activist Tona Brown

“Tona is an incredible violinist and Transgender woman. Listening to her speak, she really emphasised the need to think big, dream big and push on with those dreams no matter what challenges or barriers might be in the way. It resonated with me for many reasons, but particularly because I have received the biggest rewards in my life from the biggest risks. I want Ategi to be a supportive environment where its employees, and everyone who users our services, feel able and supported to take their risks”.

Georgia Durston, Human Resources Assistant, Ategi

Attended the session lead by Michelle Raymond and Cara Heaney

“I found this to be a great opening session for WorkPride week, it was very authentic and gave a lot of insight into how far the LGBTQIA+ community has come in the workplace over the years. Cara opened up about how she was very much in the closet for many years and did not feel as though she could completely be her real self at work, in fear of being judged.

It made me realise, that though I or others around me may not feel we are judging a person, we should be considerate of everyone’s thoughts and feelings, and that even though somebody might say ‘I’m not one to judge’, the fear is often still there. We must show that no matter what or who a person identifies as, or what their sexual orientation may be, they are indeed still a person, as are we all.”

Richard Cox, Head of Quality, Ategi

Attended the opening keynote with Harriett Lunney, Senior Customer Success Manager at myGwork and guest speaker Olivia McEvoy – Head of Global Equity and Inclusion at Global.com

“It is essential that we have an environment where everyone can work with pride!

Thinking about what actually makes an environment where people can work with pride we must remain very cognizant and very mindful of the basics in the first instance, we have to ensure that employees have as high a level of psychological safety as is possible because without this it is actually impossible to build, a diverse, equitable, or inclusive environment. How we learn, how we lead, how we act on an everyday basis is the cornerstone of that psychological safety.

It is important to ensure that our workplace reflects the diversity of our world and of our customers, so to know our customer, we have got to “be” our customers.

Equity is really important. Diversity and inclusion on their own is not a enough. The term equity is distinct from equality, whereas equality means providing the exact same services or solutions for everybody. Equity means that we recognize that we don't all start from the same place. This will require us to make adjustments to address those imbalances. Helping all those that are impacted, including the aggregate community to overcome barriers that arise from bias that's often ingrained in systems and in structures.

Some of those adjustments might be super simple things like using tools to assess the language that are used in job descriptions to ensure that it's equally appealing across genders or doesn't discourage candidates from historically underrepresented groups. It might simply be about providing software for people with disabilities that enables them to do their job. But essentially we have got to look right across the employee lifecycle, identifying moments where a systemic bias might hinder some colleagues progress.”

Karen Thomas, Head of Administration & Company Secretary, Ategi

Attended the Collecting Data on the LGBTQ+ Community Webinar

“The collection of EDI data can be a powerful tool that allows us to tell a story and shine a light on underrepresented and marginalised groups. It is important for people to see themselves in the world they live in.

I learnt that establishing trust is paramount in the collection of the data which means that there has to be clear communication and transparency on how and why we are collecting the data and that the sharing of information is always voluntary. Also we need to think about the way in which we phrase a question. An example shared was to not use ‘Other’ – alternatives suggested ‘Something else’ or ‘Prefer to self-describe’

The group talked about the consequences of not collecting data: How can we create an equitable environment when we don’t know who our people are and how can we set goals to improve.”

Laurence Taylor, Finance Business Partner, Ategi

Attended a talk featuring Tona Brown

I really enjoyed this session - it was interesting and quite inspiring, listening to the challenges and how they were able to overcome them.

My one main takeaway was when Tona wanted to emphasise how similar we all are and not focus on the (fewer) different aspects. While that sounds obvious when you think about it, when hearing that someone is trans that usually is the thing that becomes front and centre of your thoughts. I thought it was a useful reminder that, past that, we are all going through much of the same stuff in this world!”

Eliana Santos, Human Resources Advisor, Ategi

Attended “The Do's & Don'ts of Trans Inclusion”

“It was a very insightful session that provided some very important considerations regarding the correct and appropriate manner to promote a healthy inclusion of Trans people in the workplace. In this section, the panel tried to encourage thought and debate around the question how can colleagues and managers support Trans people in the workplace?

Another important topic discussed by the panel was the increasing hostility against the Trans community, supported and at times encouraged by law makers in the US with discriminatory new bills and legislation. Likewise, the panel also mentioned ways in which we, allies, ensure we do everything we can to be inclusive and uplift our Trans friends, employees, and family.”

At Ategi we recognise that it is crucial for organisations like ours to consider the LGBTQI community to foster inclusivity, diversity, and equality. By embracing and supporting LGBTQI individuals, we can promote a positive work culture, enhance employee wellbeing, attract top talent, access broader customer bases, and contribute to a more equitable and accepting society.