A Pride Month reflection from Zoe Wallace, director at Agent Academy
When I first stepped into the industry and began building a career centred around relationships and connecting with new people, I realised something that’s stuck with me since. Unlike in school or in a workplace where you’re surrounded by familiar colleagues, a career built on meeting new people requires you to reveal personal parts of yourself again and again. And for me, that means constantly deciding when and how to come out.
When people talk about when they ‘came out’ you tend to think about a specific event and moment in time. In reality though, you don’t just come out once in your lifetime, you come out daily. Whether it’s clarifying the gender of your partner to avoid assumptions or casually correcting someone in a meeting who gets it wrong, it’s a part of being gay that I have accepted as a given and it’s also a nuance that can be invisible to those outside of the LGBTQ+ community.
This experience made me aware of the environments we operate in, the impact they have on individuals and how we can make a difference as leaders.
I’m lucky because for the last 10 years I’ve been part of the Agent Academy family and I’ve been able to help shape and create an inclusive environment for our learners. We’re intentional about the open culture we’ve built, we don’t just value it, we nurture it and take action to actively make Agent Academy a place for future talent from every walk of life.
Over 20% of our learners identify as LGBTQ+. That’s not by chance, it reflects our intention of creating a place where people feel safe to show up as themselves.
So, as part of this year’s Pride Month, in the spirit of putting young people at the centre of change, I asked our learners, what more we can all do to create truly inclusive workplaces?
Here’s what they said, employers take note!
Create a safe environment
Offer clear and visible policies supporting LGBTQ+ rights and inclusivity. Make sure your messaging, internally and externally, shows your support for all identities.
Invest in making a difference
Get involved with events like Pride Month celebrations and seek out collaboration with partners in this space, your support and investment demonstrates your values. You can also educate your team by engaging with experts to raise awareness and tackle misconceptions.
Make your space inclusive
From bathrooms to quiet spaces, do what you can to make sure your office feels inclusive and welcoming to all.
Listen to the individual
Train leaders to actively listen, provide clear feedback and nurture a supportive environment for all employees, all year round. Personalise your approach, one size never fits all.
Offer development opportunities
Provide mentorship and training programmes focused on developing LGBTQ+ employees and helping them advance in their careers. 80% of LGBTQ+ graduates believe their identity will hinder their path to senior positions, as an employer you can prove them wrong.
Train your managers
Unconscious bias and hiring in your own image can be very damaging and prevent you from welcoming and retaining diverse employees. Train your hiring managers to help them identify their own bias so they hire based on merit not prejudice.
Before I sign off, I want to give a special thank you to all of our partners for continually supporting our work on inclusion and diversity. At a time when global agendas and polarising politics are impacting on people’s lives, we’re proud to work with good and responsible organisations who share our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion!
Happy pride!
