What if equality was an actual thing?

What if equality was an actual thing?

2021 Pride month has spread over a few months, mainly due to COVID-19, this September it's time for Geneva Pride. This year the LGBTQ+ community and its allies saw multiple Pride parades around the world, both in person and virtually, fighting for equality and acceptance. But sadly, this visibility does not often carry over into the corporate world.

An athlete's career is short-lived but gives vital insight into the ins and outs of various institutions. As a former international field hockey player, an employee in Global Communications, and Head of Events & Programs for STRIPES Global at PMPSA and affiliate of Philip Morris International (PMI), I see the same problems with LGBTQ+ visibility in the business world—especially for women—as I did for Women in sports.

Building awareness is key, as many misconceptions about what being part of the LGBTQ+ community means. For example, I remember the controversy of local players or coaches being outed in my youth, resulting in parents not sending their children to certain sports clubs.

And while I felt comfortable with myself, being a lesbian in a Catholic, conservative country like Ireland was still taboo. I have been shouted at on the street and called several derogatory names. I'm not alone. A 2016 British LGBT Awards survey says that 64 percent of LGBT+ women said that they had experienced a form of "negative treatment including sexual discrimination, inappropriate language, lack of opportunity or bullying at work."

This is why, at PMI, we are on a mission to make equality an actual thing, and in STRIPES Global, we thrive on making the invisible visible.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) are regularly treated as buzzwords that often amount to little more than a mandatory annual training in today's corporate world. But the reality is when you make DEI a priority, every side of your organization benefits, including the bottom line. Because of this, the STRIPES Global team, in collaboration with PMI's Inclusion & Diversity (I&D) department and our executive sponsor, Charles Bendotti PMI’s Global Head of People & Culture, are devoted to ensuring there is LGBTQ+ representation in the workplace.

To shift this mindset and culture, we need consistent internal engagement, showing the importance of creating and fostering safe and engaging spaces for LGBTQ+ employees and their allies in the workplace.

PMI employees are essential collaborators at this stage of our journey, ensuring that we build solid foundations which will help us become a fully inclusive company from the inside out. Allowing everyone to be comfortable and empowered to be themselves, no matter what that is, is vital for any team, company, and everything in between.

The work we started as STRIPES Global turned into something much bigger than myself or the fantastic people who helped make it all happen. We are very proudly standing on the shoulders of many people who have pushed the boundaries of the corporate world before us and will continue to move forward towards an inclusive future for all.

Equality vs Equity and where does it fit into D&I?

Language is key as we navigate this journey. While equality and equity are often used interchangeably, equity and equality mean different things and lead to different results.

Equality: ensures that every individual has an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and talents. It is also the belief that no one should have poorer life chances because of the way they were born, where they come from, what they believe, or whether they have a disability.

Equity: recognizes that each person has different circumstances and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome. Equity does not undermine equality but rather provides the means to achieve this.

Each word used along this journey must be defined and precise. Inclusion does not just happen; you must define and design the DEI roadmap to foster all three parts equally within every aspect of the organization. A typical example is an organization being very diverse yet not inclusive or equitable. The reason? A focus on diversity alone is insufficient because an employee's sense of belonging (inclusion) and experience of fairness (equity) is vital. The strategy design needs to be holistic, combing the aspects of DEI at every level.

A diverse group, community, or organization is one in which various social and cultural characteristics exist. Equality in this diverse group ensures that every individual has an equal opportunity, though equity will ensure everyone has access to the same treatment, opportunities, and advancement. In other words, equity levels the playing field from the get-go.

When an organization treats everyone equally, they treat everyone the same. Still, when they treat everyone equitably, they focus on individualistic needs, identifying and eliminating barriers that prevent the full participation of some groups. By integrating this design and forward-thinking, organizations will no doubt rise above all competition in every way.

Top Tips

·         Ensure LGBTQ Equality Lasts Beyond Pride Month, make it a consistent part of everyday work environment.

·         Leaders need to lead from the front. When setting up an employee resource group (ERG); ensure to align your ERGs with executive leadership sponsors to enhance your DEI in the workplace. Sponsorship from an executive team shows that the organization stands with the ERGs and offers their support.

·         Design a forward-thinking, future proof strategy that includes all three words: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

·         Be mindful of the ‘Rainbow Ceiling’, much like the ‘Glass Ceiling’ that women have been struggling to break through for many years.  

·         Find out what LGBTQ+ employees want, don’t just invite us to the table, listen and learn to grow your business in every way.

Glossary

LGBTQ+: stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or sometimes questioning), and others. The "plus" represents other sexual identities, including pansexual and Two-Spirit. The first four letters of the acronym have been used since the 1990s. Still, there has been an increased awareness of the need to be inclusive of other sexual identities to offer better representation in recent years.

ERG: an acronym you should know. ERG stands for employee resource group. Other lesser used terms include affinity groups or business networking groups. Current groups offer much more than mere professional networking opportunities. ERGs can be found in 90% of Fortune 500 companies.

I&D: At PMI, we see diversity as our greatest strength and are committed to building an inclusive culture and workplace reflective of the world's diversity.

Equality: ensures that every individual has an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and talents. It is also the belief that no one should have poorer life chances because of the way they were born, where they come from, what they believe, or whether they have a disability.

Equality: ensures that every individual has an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and talents. It is also the belief that no one should have poorer life chances because of the way they were born, where they come from, what they believe, or whether they have a disability.

Equity: recognizes that each person has different circumstances and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome. Equity does not undermine equality but rather provides the means to achieve this.

Rainbow Ceiling: an informal (and often unacknowledged) barrier to promotion or advancement, in employment and elsewhere, for LGBTQ+ people.

Glass Ceiling: commonly used to describe the difficulties faced by women and minorities when trying to move to higher roles in a male-dominated corporate hierarchy. The barriers are most often unwritten, meaning that these individuals are more likely to be restricted from advancing through accepted norms and implicit biases rather than defined corporate policies.

STRIPES mission is to be the voice for the LGBTQ+ employees in all Philip Morris International affiliates, creating a continuous conversation that will enable the organization to build a more inclusive, respectful, and supportive culture. We have a clear vision to foster an environment where everyone feels safe and comfortable to be their authentic selves at work.

If you enjoyed this article, please check out Episode 2 of our Project Reset series in which we discuss this topic further.