Kunal Gogna’s Post

Celebrating Pride Month: Fostering Inclusion at Alphanext 🏳️🌈 June marks Pride Month, celebrating the LGBTQ+ community’s resilience, diversity, and contributions. At Alphanext, we recognize that embracing diversity is not just a social responsibility but also a driver of innovation and growth. Studies by Gartner show that inclusive teams outperform by 30%. Alphanext is committed to equitable hiring, ensuring unbiased job descriptions and providing diversity training for recruiters. While 🌈 logos and Pride Month social media posts are a start, they're not enough. True inclusion requires a year-round commitment that fosters a sense of belonging and empowers LGBTQ+ employees to thrive. Companies like Microsoft, IBM, and Salesforce have a long history of championing LGBTQ+ inclusion, setting inspiring examples in the industry. At Alphanext, celebrating Pride Month reaffirms our commitment to a diverse, inclusive workplace where every employee feels respected and empowered. Join us in celebrating Pride Month as we build a diverse and inclusive Alphanext. Together, we can make a difference. 🌟

We asked ourselves - should we post about #Pride Month? Isn't every month a time to recognize the struggles and joys of the LGBTQ+ community, the uniqueness and richness of all of our souls and how they manifest in our physical presence and self-expression? We thought for a few moments and decided that since every day is a day to celebrate LGBTQ+ people and have compassion towards their challenges, today is a day to do so as well. So, let's see what our team has to say about Pride Month and how we view inclusivity here at talentslab.io! Kaloyana Spasova: Pride Month is a special time for us at talentslab.io to honor the LGBTQ+ community's courage and resilience, while also celebrating the beauty of diversity in all its forms. Inclusivity is at the heart of everything we do, as we believe that every individual brings unique strengths and perspectives that enrich our collective experience. We are committed to fostering a compassionate and supportive environment every day, where everyone feels valued, empowered to be their true selves and respected for who they are. Petya Bogdanova: Diversity & Inclusion is not just a fancy terminology in my practice. Being able to support the diversification of corporate teams is at the core of my mission. I strongly believe that inclusive policies of hiring and employee management allow workplaces to flourish and develop vigorously, as different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives are crucial for strong, healthy and efficiently productive structures of people. And of course, every professional has the right to be given the chance to grow, give meaning to their skills and talents and be part of something bigger than them. Savvina Drougouti: Pride Month reminds me of how crucial it is to create a space where everyone feels safe and truly themselves. We don't use diversity and inclusivity as just trendy terms. We celebrate them and strive for them every single day. By valuing each person's unique story and perspective, we build teams that are both dynamic and innovative. And let me tell you this – our commitment to diversity and inclusivity isn't just another policy; it's part of our core values. Together, we create an environment where everyone can thrive. #diversity #equity #inclusion

Reflections on Pride Month 🌈  This June, we celebrated Pride Month at BII for the first time. The reception in our community has been encouraging to witness, but reflecting on the conversations I’ve seen here on LinkedIn during this month it becomes clear that discussing topics related to diversity and inclusion can be challenging within organizations. These conversations are often difficult because they require us to confront long-standing biases, navigate sensitive topics, and create an environment where everyone feels safe to express their true selves. However, in my opinion, these difficult discussions are essential for fostering innovation, which is what BII is all about. Diversity in the workplace brings in a variety of perspectives and experiences, which are crucial for creativity and problem-solving. Studies have shown that diverse teams are more innovative and effective at finding solutions to complex problems. Embracing and supporting diversity, including the LGBTQ+ community, is just one way of ensuring that we are not only creating a more inclusive environment but also driving innovation forward. It's not always easy to have these conversations, but the rewards – a more dynamic, innovative, and inclusive workplace – are worth the effort.  Let's continue to push for a culture where diversity is celebrated, and every voice is heard! Peter Hauge Mikkelsen Maria Gøtz Konradsen Laura Arlgade Sigrid Hyldig Tine Roland Presterud

It's Pride month! If you're taking time this year to plan for your 2025 celebrations, take a look at our newest resource from DEI consultant Natania Malin Gazek. They recommend asking these three questions to help you celebrate Pride without accidentally engaging in performative allyship: 1. How is your company supporting your current and future LBGTQ+ employees?  2. How are LGBTQ+ people involved in deciding how the company will celebrate Pride?  3. What is your company’s relationship with LGBTQ+ rights and the LGBTQ+ community? Check out the full article for more detail: https://lnkd.in/eHTWbXSd

🌈🏢 Celebrating Pride Month at Mercer: The Power of Congruence between Brand and Employee Experience 🌈🏢 Reflecting on Pride Month, we recognize the importance of aligning an organization's brand with its internal culture on matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). At Mercer, we emphasize the essential connection between our brand identity and employee experience, underscoring their symbiotic relationship. Externally, organizations shape DEI through the brand experience for customers, clients, and stakeholders. Internally, the focus is on career development, inclusive benefits, equal opportunities, and compensation. This dual approach signifies our dedication to fostering inclusivity and resonates with those who prioritize these values. This Pride Month, we honor our LGBTQ+ community and reaffirm our commitment to building an inclusive workplace. Embracing diversity in perspectives, backgrounds, and identities fuels innovation, empowering us to better serve clients and communities. Let's come together to celebrate Pride Month and work towards a more inclusive and equitable future. 🌈🤝 #PrideMonth #Mercer

Sonnedix just celebrated #pride through June across our global offices. 🏳️🌈 Pride Month isn’t just about rainbows and parades—it’s a powerful reminder of our shared history and the ongoing fight for LGBTQ+ rights. Here’s why it matters: 1. Honoring Our Trailblazers 🛣: Pride Month pays homage to the brave souls who stood up, fought back, and demanded equality. From the Stonewall Riots in 1969 to today, their courage echoes through time. 2. Progress and Work Ahead 👬: We’ve come a long way, but we’re not there yet. Acknowledging progress doesn’t mean ignoring the challenges that remain. Pride Month prompts us to reflect on how far we’ve come and how much further we must go. 3. Inclusive Workplaces 🏢: Our workplaces should be safe havens for authenticity. When employees can bring their whole selves to work—regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity—magic happens. Creativity soars, collaboration flourishes, and innovation ignites. 4. #Allyship Matters 🤝: As leaders, we must be vocal allies. It’s not enough to passively accept diversity; we actively champion it. Let’s amplify LGBTQ+ voices, challenge biases, and create environments where everyone feels seen and valued. 5. Beyond the Rainbow ⏳: Pride isn’t confined to June—it’s a year-round commitment. Let’s embed inclusivity into policies, practices, and company culture. 🔗 We are on the journey of weaving acceptance into our organizational DNA. 🌟 Happy Pride everyone! 🌈✨ #InclusionMatters #PoweringABrightFuture

June is widely recognized as Pride Month, a time to celebrate and honor the LGBTQ+ community. It's a month filled with love, acceptance, and a powerful reminder of the progress made towards equality, while acknowledging the work that still lies ahead. It's important to remember that Pride Month is not only for the LGBTQ+ community but for all allies as well. Allies play a crucial role in championing equality and advocating for the rights of their LGBTQ+ friends, family, and colleagues. By standing up against discrimination, we can create an inclusive environment where everyone feels respected and valued. While we celebrate the progress made, it's crucial to acknowledge that there is still work to be done. LGBTQ+ individuals continue to face challenges, including discrimination, lack of legal protections, and societal prejudice. Pride Month reminds us of the importance of advocating for equal rights and striving for a world where everyone can live authentically and without fear. During this month, let's not only celebrate the achievements of the LGBTQ+ community but also educate ourselves about the history and struggles they have faced. By understanding the experiences of others, we can foster empathy and promote a more inclusive society. Happy Pride Month! 🏳️🌈

🌈 How can workplaces support their LGBTQIA2S+ team members?      This year for Pride month, we want to highlight the lived experience, and wisdom of LifeSpeak Inc. expert David Brandon Flynn. As a certified coach, facilitator, and DEI professional, David's voice amplifies the continued importance of inclusion for our colleagues and team members who are a part of the LGBTQIA2S+ community, many of whom feel like they must mask their gender or sexual identities due to fear of discrimination.     In his insightful article, David explains how empowering it can be to reflect on the progress of LGBTQ rights while facing fear and uncertainty, as hard-won rights face challenges around the world and in many workplaces.    He states, "The last few years have felt different. All of the rights that our global community has fought so hard for feel very much at risk. I feel fear and uncertainty about the future that I haven’t felt for a very long time. It’s for this reason that Pride this year is an incredibly important one."    Through his lived experience and intersectional lens, David emphasizes the unique challenges different identities face. Read David’s powerful story and his advice for inclusive workplaces here:     https://lnkd.in/gJSSpCHe    #PrideMonth #InclusiveWorkplace #DEI #LGBTQ+ #Authenticity

As a business leader and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, it’s affirming that we continue to make strides and progress towards a more inclusive, representative and rewarding workplace experience. However this is a journey, one filled with many visible and invisible roadblocks. These roadblocks may not be visible to those who don’t identify, and they have real tangible impact on belonging, mobility and representation at work. Inclusion and representation of LGBTQ+ professionals should never be a symbolic gesture for any company, it must be real and built into a workplace culture that champions true diversity and inclusion at every level. Actions that create an honest and truthful culture of allyship, one that embolden the unique abilities, skills, and experience of LGBTQ+ people and their colleagues. While the work has lived with LGBTQ+ professionals and their allies to create safe spaces of belonging at work, companies can and should be the primary champion for inclusion and allyship. In any environment, the need to code-switch distracts from the possibility of doing your best work and fully representing your talents. Let’s leverage Pride Month as a moment that yields actions and behaviors that result in  authentic  cultures of belonging, allyship and inclusivity.. Check out this article from my colleague Andrew McCaskill on allyship at work. [https://lnkd.in/ehRGdmim] #Pride

Check out my latest piece for Pyn!