Time to Celebrate Pride — And Make Workplace Diversity Global

This is an exciting week for me. As the UK leader of Pride@BCG, I’m not only joining the celebrations of half a century of the gay rights movement. The 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising has given an extra jolt of energy to our annual Pride@ conference, which is taking place in Budapest today.

We’ve been joined by inspirational role models including Peter Arvai, Prezi’s CEO and the first openly gay CEO in Hungary, who spoke about the importance of authenticity, courage and fostering allies in the LGBT+ movement. Discussions have centred around topics such as what we do to affiliate and engage our members globally, as well the wider BCG, allies and colleagues, and what we do externally to ‘live’ our values through our work with non-profits and business coalitions.

It’s also a good time to reflect on what we’ve achieved in the 21 year-history of Pride@BCG, our LGBT+ network that now has over 400 members worldwide.

It starts with recruitment. Previous research BCG has conducted shows that whilst 80% of young LGBT+ talent would be ready to disclose their sexual orientation in the working environment, only 50% have actually come out to their broad professional circle. And more worryingly, a third of UK respondents thought that being openly out in the workplace could be a career risk.

Through campus events, sponsorship of LGBT+ student societies, and careers fair initiatives, we work to break down barriers, change perceptions, and encourage LGBT+ graduates who are interested in consulting to apply to the firm. We also sponsor, EUROUT, Europe’s leading LGBTQ conference for graduate students, MBAs, PhDs, and business school alumni. This is a big pillar of our collaboration with London Business School’s “Out in Business” club.

In the workplace, we build support for LGBT+ professionals through networking and affiliation groups, as well as visibility programmes (e.g our annual ‘bi-visibility campaign’). And our community and alumni outreach initiatives take BCG’s diversity and inclusion efforts beyond our own four walls, including our founding sponsorship of UK Partner Elliot Vaughn’s global LGBT+ charity, GiveOut.

But while we’re celebrating progress, this is also a moment to reflect on the work that still needs to be done in promoting LGBT+ inclusion for everyone, both in business and more broadly in society.

There is a clear business case for LGBT+ inclusion. A recent BCG report found that 63% of LGBT+ employees will quit their company within three years, if they are not committed to a diverse workplace. As well as this talent imperative, there are competitive advantages to be gained—from the increased innovation that springs from workplace diversity to the ability to tap into broader talent pools and create a better working environment by empowering all employees, whatever their background or sexual orientation.

While my experience of coming out in the workplace has been positive and I feel supported and empowered, for millions of people around the world, this is not the case. In too many countries, people face discrimination, lack of recognition of their identity, and violence.

The private sector not only has a responsibility to improve inclusivity within organisations, but also more broadly in society. The fifth pillar of the United Nations’ Standards of Conduct for Business in Tackling Discrimination against LGBTI people states that companies should ‘act in the public sphere’ and support human rights of LGBTI people globally as the 5th standard.

As a member of Open for Business, a coalition of global companies working to make the economic & business case for LGBT+, BCG is actively helping to make the case for inclusion, particularly in countries where intolerance persists.

It’s important work. It helps us take our efforts a step further, to extend our values into places where they are needed the most. And for me, personally, it’s an opportunity to use my consulting skills and BCG resources to help advance global human rights.

As we celebrate this historic milestone I’d like to see companies not only contribute to raising awareness of LGBT+ rights, but following through with decisive action and helping to effect real change. I’m lucky enough to be able to bring my whole, authentic self to work, and I want to see a world where everyone can do the same.