Ensure your organization's workplace culture allows all staff, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity, to reach their full potential
Brent Chamberlain, Jackie Perri, Ron Puccini, Pride at Work Canada
Why straight allies?
Top Canadian employers report significant gains in having made their workplaces more LGBT-friendly. However, many employers still fail to create a workplace culture where all staff, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity, can reach their full potential.
Recent research from the United Kingdom shows that the vast majority of straight employees (nine in ten surveyed) want their workplaces to be gay-friendly and free of homophobia. The same survey found that three in four believe that anti-gay prejudice at work should be tackled. These straight allies therefore play a crucial role in making Canadian workplaces more inclusive.
What can organizations do?
Some organizations have developed formal straight ally programs to encourage and support more straight people to become allies while others have introduced reverse mentoring schemes to allow managers to get to know LGBT colleagues and learn about their experiences in the workplace.
Key learning points:
•Learn how to include an LGBT focus in diversity initiatives
•Gain insight on how allies help to create more LGBT-friendly workplaces
•Explore successful strategies that companies have used to establish ally programs
PRESENTERS: Brent Chamberlain, Jackie Perri, Ron Puccini, Pride at Work Canada
Brent Chamberlain joined Pride at Work Canada as Executive Director in August 2010 when he returned to his hometown of Toronto after living in London, England. Previously, Brent was a manager with Stonewall, Britain’s leading lesbian, gay and bisexual charity, where he wrote several workplace publications, including Workplace Equality Index and Bisexual People in the Workplace, working alongside the 600+ members of the Diversity Champions programme. Brent has also been named as one of Toronto’s 2012 DiverseCity Fellows.
Jackie Perri brings 20 years of experience in financial services. With deep expertise managing and delivering transformational projects, including change management, process improvement, and opportunity identification. Prior to Deloitte, Jackie was a Senior Director at CIBC where she was responsible for the effectiveness CIBC’s retail distribution channels and Chair of CIBC’s Pride Network. Jackie is a Senior Manager in Deloitte’s Corporate Strategy Consulting practice and Chair of the National LEAD Network. Serving as a Director of Pride at Work Canada, she is also a board member of the Community One Foundation and co-founder of Leaders To Be Proud Of awards run in partnership between Deloitte and Out On Bay Street.
Ron Puccini is a Senior Manager of Corporate Diversity with TD Bank Group in Toronto with a portfolio focus on TD’s LGBTA Diversity Committee and Serving Diverse Communities committee. Ron joined the bank in 1989 and has held variety progressively senior roles in Retail Branch Banking and Corporate Office. He has experience in banking product management as well as project management. Ron was also one of the founding members of TD Bank’s LGBT employee resource group (2006).