In conversation with.... Hays UKI Pride Network

Celebrating Pride Month is a hugely important activity now for most organisations – and it’s a chance to showcase support of the LGBTQ+ community in a meaningful way. What this entails is ensuring the meaning of Pride and support for the community is demonstrated all year round.

At Hays, we’re really proud of the Pride Network we’ve built across the UK and Ireland. Established in 2019, our network was created with the passion and determination to create a safe space for LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies, providing a platform to progress positive change for the community within Hays and beyond. 

The network is led by a group of volunteers who dedicate their time to raise awareness, build and signpost information and resources – and often organise and host insightful webinars and events, both in and outside of Hays. 

With this in mind I was keen to sit down with the co-chairs of our Pride Network, Aaron Barry and Joshua Boyland-King to find out not only what Pride means to them, but what progress has been made since the start of our network – and what lessons we could pass onto other organisations. 

What does Pride mean to you?

“For me, Pride is a celebration”, says Josh. “I view it as a culmination of year-round efforts of improving visibility of the LGBTQ+ community and reiterating why ‘Pride’ matters.”

“Pride for me is all about being proud of my authentic self”, shares Aaron. “It’s a celebration of love and authenticity, and of humans in all their forms, while also being a time of the year when we take stock of the equality journey for LGBTQ+ people and other communities and re-focus our efforts on what else needs to be done to drive equality.”

What’s been your highlight of being part of the UKI Pride Network so far?

“My highlight has to be the in-office events we’ve run across the UK&I. The events truly bring people together – whether members of the LGBTQ+ community or their allies – driving a sense of belonging and joy. We’ve received personal stories from members of the community who have noted that the sense of acceptance from these visible events has given them the comfort to be their true self at work, which is amazing.”- shares Aaron.

“Working with our network to drive forward our strategy has been my highlight", says Josh. “Our representatives are very engaged and have been willing to share their own stories and journeys, which has increased visibility across Hays. I’m also very excited as we’ve recently launched our Leading with Pride video series in partnership with FAIRER Consulting, and we’ve had a huge amount of support from senior stakeholders taking part and interviewing a variety of fantastic LGBTQ+ leaders.” 

What would your advice be to allies of the LGBTQ+ community for them to support and drive inclusion for LGBTQ+ professionals?

“We all have the power and capacity to be allies, and this isn’t just specific to the LGBTQ+ community. To be an active ally, we need to call out exclusionary behaviour and explain why certain behaviours are not okay – we need to be willing to amplify voices from within the community and at times, speak up for those who don’t feel confident enough or have the mental strength to speak up for themselves”, shares Josh.

Echoing this, Aaron comments: “My advice would be to focus on active allyship which ranges from participating in Pride events, challenging any anti-LGBTQ+ behaviour you see or actively communicating your pronouns in your work emails.”

There’s been huge strides made with regards to inclusion and equality for LGBTQ+ individuals – but what challenges remain?

“We’ve seen a lot of progress - but certain cohorts of our LGBTQ+ community (specifically those who are trans) face ongoing difficulties just being themselves”, explains Aaron.

“There is plenty more to be done to ensure equality for all LGBTQ+ people, no matter how they identify, but for me the challenges that our trans people continue to face need to be a focus for our wider community over the coming years.”

“In 2015 Rainbow Europe – a report that showcases the current state of play of the laws, policies and practices that affect LGBTQ+ people in Europe ranked the UK at no.1, whilst now in 2014 – we've dropped to no.16”, highlights Josh.

“Reasons for this include a rise in homophobic and transphobic hate crimes – highlighting the need for continual support and allyship – to avoid us going even further backwards as a society.”

What advice would you give to other organisations looking to set up an employee resource group for LGBTQ+ professionals?

“You don’t have to do it alone! Don’t feel like you need to pick up everything yourself – build a support network of others who want to be involved and collaborate on the way forward”, advises Josh. “Listen to participants to help shape the vision and direction of the network and what you want to achieve and look to bring in senior leadership to help amplify the network’s voice.”

“Ensure those involved are representative of your workplace and general society, so you have the right voices driving change”, shares Aaron. “Look to build visibility for the ERG, working with your HR, DE&I and marketing teams to reach a wide audience and build awareness about what your ERG is all about and what you’re looking to achieve.”

To find out more about how you can support inclusion within your organisation, or implement DE&I strategies, visit FAIRER Consulting. 

To subscribe to our Leading with Pride series, visit our YouTube channel or subscribe via Spotify.