Welcome to your HRD Connect update!

This month celebrates Pride 2018, organisations should be celebrating their LGBTQ+ employees all year round, however the month of June shines that multicoloured spotlight on diversity and inclusion throughout companies on a global scale. The sad reality is that over 25% of gay, lesbian or bisexual employees in the UK do not feel confident enough to openly be who they are in the workplace. In addition to this, according to Stonewall, 42% of trans people are not living entirely as their preferred gender because they feel it could directly impact or threaten their job – it’s 2018, this is not acceptable. Amazon’s LGBTQ+ network is called ‘Glamazon’, we spoke with Luca Sale the co-chair of Glamazon UK about the importance of ensuring that the LGBTQ+ community at Amazon feel safe, visible and are fully supported throughout their career.

“Companies who hire, retain and consult LGBTQ+ talent are the ones at the forefront of innovation and are obsessed with all their customers.” – Luca Sale, co-chair, Glamazon Uk 

Our regular contributor Pete Lowe explores the idea when leading, the importance of having emotional consistency, and how keeping your emotions in check will help those you manage feel more secure.

What can sports tell us about business growth? Two events stand out amid the summer of sport that stretches ahead of us. The first is football’s World Cup. The second is golf’s Ryder Cup. Each can tell us something about an issue that affects every business: the challenge of maintaining growth without compromising quality.

As ever, join the conversation and tweet us at @HRDCommunity or email me at [email protected].

I hope you enjoy the features.

Best wishes,

Emily Sexton-Brown,
Editor, HRD Connect