Pride Month is upon us, and I’ve spent the past few weeks reflecting on the steps we’ve made as a company towards being a safe and welcoming environment for the LGBTQ+ community. We began these efforts 12 months ago with a discussion around allyship and active empowerment of the community in male-dominated industries. We were joined by Joe White of the Gay Gooners, the first and now-largest LGBTQ+ football fan club, which is affiliated with Arsenal. This session sparked a fantastic discussion internally, which has continued to take shape.
Since then, great efforts have been made to ensure we’re building a culture that empowers individuals to bring their whole selves to work. We launched Cutover Pride, our first ever Employer Resource Group (ERG) in the early months of 2022. Pride members are united by the mission of promoting a sense of allyship and general education around topics affecting LGBTQ+ communities globally.
Growing awareness, confidence
Head of People Partnering Filipe Martins says of Cutover Pride: “It’s hugely symbolic in evolving the conversation and being more open about sexual orientation, reducing awkwardness, and increasing awareness.”
The launch of Cutover Pride brought increased awareness and confidence in Cutover’s ability to confront issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community, and other minority groups, sparking a conversation around intersectionality in the workplace. We saw four members of Cutover Pride take the mic for an open discussion around the unique and shared experiences that connect us to one another. The panel concluded that if we continue to generate awareness collectively by keeping the conversation going, holding ourselves accountable and creating opportunities for minority groups, we’re heading in the right direction.
The rainbow logo
I feel proud of the efforts that have been made at Cutover over the last year, which is why it felt fitting to show our support as an organization who cares, by flying our rainbow logo this month.
This time last year, our campaigning for greater inclusivity and diversity was only beginning, which is why we decided against changing our logo; feeling we had not yet earned the right to do so. Ellen Wang, Cutover’s Customer Success Ops and Ops and Enablement Manager and a member of Cutover Pride, says that the mere existence of our ERG and its actions alone creates a welcoming environment for our employees, and makes a difference to their sense of belonging at work.
It’s been encouraging to hear that the intention behind our ERG is reflected in the sentiments shared by the group, and I’m optimistic about what Cutover will achieve in the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion space in the future.
-- Alaw Ellis is a founding member of Cutover Pride and a Cutover Associate People Partner
For more on the Gay Gooners and Joe White, read this post.