...as a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
1. First impressions are SO important and Law 365 does exactly what it says on the tin
Since my first day at the firm, Law 365’s commitment to inclusion and diversity is clear. Being yourself at work is a privilege, and quite often, unless you’re walking around waving a rainbow flag, telling people at work that you’re a member of the LGBTQ+ community can be daunting. You’ve already come out to your friends and family (which in most cases seems like a pretty huge deal), but in a new workplace you feel as though you’re coming out again and again with each new colleague you tell. Luckily, from day one, there was no anxiety around this for me at Law 365 due to the open culture and encouragement to be yourself.
2. You feel part of the team before you’ve even joined
For me, the onboarding process started long before I had joined Law 365 when my girlfriend and I were invited to an online wine tasting event that Kim had organised with the whole team. This was great, as it immediately allowed me to feel safe and open about my relationship even before I had formally joined Team Awesome (yes, that’s our team name! And yes – we are!).
3. We also support our clients in building inclusive workplaces
A scientific study carried out by California State University in 2018 revealed that 43% of participants said they were out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community to half of their colleagues or less. Although we can always continue to strive to do more, leading by example is at the core of Law 365’s mission – not just for law firms, but for all companies trying to ensure that employees feel comfortable in the workplace.
I was thrilled to see that our employment team creates policies that I’d previously never heard of, such as transgender employee policies and anti-discrimination policies.
4. Recognising little changes can make a big difference
We’ve been encouraged to include our pronouns in our email signatures with the aim to make it more normal and comfortable for gender-expansive employees to share the terms they go by. For people who have never thought about their gender pronouns this might not seem important or necessary, but for those who have been referred to incorrectly, they know how uncomfortable it can be to be misgendered. If everyone identifies their pronouns, these situations will hopefully occur less and less. Although it’s only a minor tweak, it sends a really important message of inclusion.
Further reading
5 ways companies can support the LGBTQ+ community
What you need to know about Transgender Policies
