The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

-d -h -min -sec

Media LGBT

Diversity is a reality, inclusion is a choice

Dentsu Aegis Network

|

Promoted article

October 14, 2016 | 5 min read

Sponsored by:

What's this?

Sponsored content is created for and in partnership with an advertiser and produced by the Drum Studios team.

Find out more

Almost two-thirds of LGBT+ graduates go back in the closet after starting their first job, according to research by Human Rights Campaign. This is not a fact businesses can afford to accept.

Dentsu Aegis Network

Diversity is a reality, inclusion is a choice

As a straight woman who has always worked in diverse teams, I have to confess I hadn’t always truly appreciated the challenges that many LGBT+ people still face in their lives. I say this as someone who has always identified as an ally of the LGBT+ community. Working in a creative industry like marketing and advertising, where we’re less burdened by corporate rules like prescriptive dress codes, and where we help some of the world’s biggest brands reach consumers from all walks of life; it can sometimes be hard to recognise how much work we still have to do ourselves.

As Executive Sponsor for diversity and inclusion at Dentsu Aegis Network, one of the things I enjoy most about my work is seeing people have their ‘light-bulb moment’ when they realise that inclusion is for – and benefits – everyone, including themselves. I also love that we all have so much to learn from each another’s diverse perspectives, and appreciate immensely my colleagues who give me new light-bulb moments of my own. As a leader in any business, I believe you have to be open to a degree of vulnerability, to realising your potential blind spots.

Without this it is difficult to truly benefit from the rich learning diversity brings, and to make progress in building a more inclusive workplace and society at large.

When an impassioned group of our people came forward earlier this year and said they wanted to launch an LGBT+ employee network, I was excited about the idea of empowering our LGBT+ colleagues and allies to be themselves, and do what they love. As we began to outline the group’s mission, the scale of the potential challenge – or opportunity – became clear to me.

Facts like two-thirds of LGBT+ graduates going back in the closet when they start their first job are difficult to stomach. Especially in an industry built around people, where people really are our core asset. Imagine coming into work every day and allocating energy and headspace to changing gender pronouns, being sufficiently vague about what you did on the weekend so as not to give away that your partner is the same sex as you, or not being able to have your loved one as your iPhone wallpaper. The productivity drain is intolerable enough, before even considering the impact on wellbeing. This is why it is so important that companies foster a culture where people are able to be their honest selves at work. Diversity is a reality; inclusion is a choice.

Of course, ‘covering’ is not something only LGBT+ people are subject to. I see parallels in how women struggling to see role models or a style of leadership they can relate to might change their style in order to succeed. Introverts who look around and see extroverts running the show become ‘ambiverts’ – experts in playing the role of an extrovert despite the energy expense. And what of the young lesbian woman of colour full of ambition for the future? It is not hard to understand why some people look around and find a dearth of role models who they can connect with, and decide to check out of their chosen industry.

So what’s the answer? There can be no silver bullet but one thing I am sure of: we all have to take collective responsibility for being authentic role models ourselves. We have to do this on our own terms, at all levels in our businesses, with our own stories and through our own style. That’s why I’m proud our LGBT+ network, &PROUD, has partnered with Diversity Role Models and we will be asking our LGBT+ colleagues and allies to step up as role models to inspire the next generation. For those of us in marketing and advertising, we must also take up the challenge of ensuring the work we put out into the world reflects this ethos too. In doing so, we can contribute to turning that two-thirds figure into a relic of history.

Who’s with me?

Liz Jones. CEO, B2B, Dentsu Aegis Network

Web: dentsuaegisnetwork.com

Twitter: @dentsuaegis

Media LGBT

Content by The Drum Network member:

Dentsu Aegis Network

Dentsu Aegis Network Ltd. is a multinational media and digital marketing communications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, and a wholly owned subsidiary...

Find out more

More from Media

View all

Trending

Industry insights

View all
Add your own content +