June is dedicated to celebrating LGBT+ communities all around the world. It is an opportunity to pause and reflect on the progress made for LGBT+ inclusion and the work that lies ahead. It’s painful to see that in the year 2023, there are places where employees around the world still struggle to enjoy equal rights and an inclusive workplace. At Quadient, we believe that to do our best work, we should feel comfortable being ourselves in the workplace regardless of background or identity. When we celebrate Pride Month, we cultivate a more inclusive work environment that fosters diversity and improves our ability to retain diverse talent and serve our customers.
As the executive sponsor of Quadient’s Love is Love community (an employee-led affinity group dedicated to supporting the LGBT+ community), I want to thank all our community members for their advocacy and voice and for the specific actions Quadient has taken over the years to drive change. It’s not always easy, but support and action come from the top, cascading naturally into the organization’s culture and ways of working.
At Quadient, we have instituted the following to help educate our staff on the importance of inclusivity and creating a psychologically safer work environment:
- Dedicated community events with guest speakers and in-person gatherings to raise awareness and promote minority group inclusiveness
- A centralized list of pronouns, encouraging the use across email signatures and documents
- Employee-led groups for discussions centered around workplace inclusivity
- Training programs for employees and managers
- Employee benefits for domestic partners
- Improving the representation of LGBT+ in our brand imagery and corporate tone
- Donations to various global and local LGBT+ charities
- Recruiting efforts focused on attracting a diverse pool of candidates
We know that success does not equal the publication of a blog or changing the Quadient logo for one month of the year. And while I acknowledge that we still have more work to do, I am optimistic based on a few quotes from my co-workers.
"I was openly out from day one, and I have always felt welcomed. The culture at Quadient makes people feel included through its promotion of diversity, inclusion, and mutual respect. The company is committed to ensuring every voice is heard and valued, or the consistent effort to create a safe, welcoming, and inclusive work environment." - Solution Architect, United Kingdom
"As a member of the Love is Love community, I feel proud of leading three big projects that aimed to create open spaces to share personal experiences and inspire others in their future experiences whether as a person that is part of the LGBT+ community OR as an ally" - Business Development Manager, United States
"When I was onboarded at Quadient during Pride Month in 2021, it was refreshing as a new hire to see the Pride-related posts in Quadient’s intranet. I believe that empowerment begins with self-empowerment. I feel proud that I can bring my authentic self to work every day. I feel empowered to speak freely about my life as much as my heterosexual colleagues." - Software Operations Coordinator, United States
"For me, Quadient's Love is Love community is a vital space for us to come together, celebrate, and nourish our understandings of the broad spectrum of gender, identity, and how we love one another. Pride month is a loud and proud festival for this community that has fought hard to be where it is – and continues to do so in many parts of the world. We can’t take that for granted." - Editorial Communications Manager, United Kingdom
Like most established companies, Quadient conducts regular employee engagement surveys (via Culture Amp) to give employees a voice, uncover meaningful insights, and measure progress. We feel proud that Diversity and Inclusion ranked number 2 and 3, respectively, in our last survey results, with over 80% of our people saying they can be their authentic selves at work.
Together we will continue our efforts to ensure that everyone feels that they belong at Quadient through our leadership, our building of diverse teams, our support of our employee-led communities, and by living our EPIC values.
