Beyond Pride: Our Commitment to the LGBTQ+ Community

As Pride Month nears its end, many companies will revert back to business-as-usual messaging, go back to their default logos, and wait till June of next year to resume their LGBTQ+ communications. While many businesses hope to be seen by LGBTQ+ customers and workers as inclusive through their Pride-focused communications, many community members are questioning whether corporate interests outweigh the sincerity of these efforts.

We want to affirm our year-round commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusivity.

At ThoughtExchange, we aspire to be a workplace that people from all walks of life can bring their full selves to and feel supported to thrive. We work hard to create a safe culture where folks of all genders, ages, ethnicities, cultures, abilities, sexual orientations, and life experiences want to join our team as the whole version of themselves.

Our Commitment

Our LGBTQ+ commitment is evergreen. Here are a few things that we’re doing to ensure that everyone on our team can feel included and supported at work:

• We walk the walk when it comes to our product, and we make sure no important decisions are made without including our employees' perspectives. We use our anonymous, anti-bias platform to make sure people are comfortable sharing their real thoughts and feedback.
• We commit to addressing the inequities caused by the historical marginalization of people who continue to suffer as a result of ongoing discrimination, both internally within our company and externally by amplifying the work of our partners and by being a voice for change in the world.
• This includes our commitment to:
• Applying Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (ADEI) measures for our people, product, and purchasers.
• Facilitating Social Impact Partnerships with organizations like Pride at Work Canada, to whom we provide our Enterprise Discussion Management platform pro-bono to help accelerate their goals and achieve their missions of social good.

Learning Together for Collective Growth

We recognize that there’s always room for us to learn and grow together and to break oppressive patterns that have kept marginalized employees at a disadvantage.

• This quarter, we implemented Gender Identity and Expression guidelines to help cultivate an inclusive workplace for gender queer/trans employees. The company-wide training session covered various topics including contributing to a psychologically safe workplace and how we will rally behind and support individuals undergoing a gender transition at work.
• We are committed to doing our part to advance reconciliation and bring queer Indigenous voices to the table as part of the 92nd Call to Action. We hosted a discussion with Dr. Erik Escareño to explore the term ‘Two-Spirit’ through a lens of Indigenous ideologies and help build a better understanding of Two-Spirited identities.
• We hosted a queer panel discussion this month where three LGBTQ+ identifying team members spoke to their truths in ten minutes of fame, then opened a discussion on how their identity and their process for understanding themselves has shaped their approach to work, life, and all things in between.

Showing up as a business beyond Pride Month will continue to be a key priority for us at ThoughtExchange. We’re committed to being a space where all LGBTQ+ individuals feel safe and respected, and to continue empowering customers and partners around the world to lead inclusive conversations. We encourage all businesses to keep the conversation going year-long to ensure that LGBTQ+ stakeholders’ voices are truly and equitably heard and accounted for.