A Board Member* at MI5, (2018 Inclusive Employer winner) shares how they champion LGBT+ in the workplace.

*No names have been given, for top secret reasons 😉

Why be a senior champion for LGBT?

Being the senior champion for LGBT is one of the most important aspects of my role as a Board member. My organisation aims to be the very best and it can only do so if we are an inclusive workplace, which welcomes people from all walks of life and allows everyone to give of their best.

How to get it right

I consider a key responsibility of being the Board champion for LGBT to be in representing the interests of LGBT people in board level discussions of HR issues such as recruitment, deployment, staffing and workplace matters. It’s vital that there is a voice at the Board table who is always consciously thinking about LGBT issues in such decisions. It is also important to actively show that the Board takes LGBT issues seriously and having a senior champion demonstrates to the whole workforce that there is senior and visible leadership on diversity and inclusion and the Board consider this an important part of our corporate success.

Working together!

I am very lucky that we have such an active, committed and effective LGBT network, as well as an HR department that is fully behind us, a growing allies network and commitment from all levels of the organisation – all of this makes my job easy!

Recognition

I am proud of the strides we have made in becoming a more inclusive employer for all LGBT people and am delighted that this has been recognised externally through various nominations and awards. All of this shows people both within our organisation and in the outside world, that we are committed to being an inclusive workplace and that they can feel comfortable coming to work for our organisation.

If you’re interested in learning more about MI5’s work with diversity, visit www.mi5.gov.uk/careers/diversity