Lead From The Top. The Importance of Engaging Senior Allies

Transcription

1 Lead From The Top The Importance of Engaging Senior Allies

2 Contents Foreword Stonewall... 2 Foreword Goldman Sachs... 3 Section 1 Our Commitment to LGBT Equality... 4 Section 2 Diversity at Goldman Sachs... 5 Section 3 MD Ally Programme at Goldman Sachs... 7 Section 4 Engaging Senior Allies... 8 Section 5 The Impact of Senior Allies Section 6 Best Practice for Organisations, Networks & Allies Lead From The Top The Importance of Engaging Senior Allies 1

3 Foreword Stonewall Stonewall is here to let all lesbian, gay, bi and trans people know they re not alone. Our work with employers is integral to this mission. Companies working across the UK and the world can have an enormous impact on the wellbeing of their LGBT employees. They can also play an important role in raising awareness of LGBT issues within the wider population. Goldman Sachs have been a partner to Stonewall for many years and have a well-established commitment to LGBT equality. They have been consistently recognised in our annual ranking of employers, the Stonewall Top 100. Following three years in the Top 10 of this highly competitive list, we recognised Goldman Sachs as a Stonewall Star Performer. This exclusive accolade celebrates the very best employers for LGBT people. Each year, we challenge our Star Performers to find new and innovative ways to advance LGBT equality. This year, we asked each of them to share what they have learned, in the form of a best-practice guide on a topic where they have shown significant progress. Goldman Sachs recognise that creating an inclusive environment for LGBT people cannot be achieved by LGBT people alone. The innovative ways they have targeted their senior leadership population to drive culture change from the top down are a valuable example to others. We welcome this guide and hope that it inspires employers to do more to engage all stakeholders in equalities initiatives right across their organisations. We invite you to join with us, and with Goldman Sachs, in working towards acceptance without exception for LGBT people everywhere. Ruth Hunt Chief Executive, Stonewall 2 Lead From The Top The Importance of Engaging Senior Allies

4 Foreword Goldman Sachs As the international head of Human Capital Management at Goldman Sachs and co-sponsor of the EMEA LGBT Network, I am delighted to present this Best Practice Guide on Engaging Senior Allies in partnership with Stonewall. At Goldman Sachs, we strongly believe that maintaining a diverse workforce is not optional, but rather the right thing to do, and a smart thing to do from a business perspective. This commitment is reinforced by our business principles. For us to be successful, our men and women must reflect the diversity of the communities and cultures in which we operate. That means we must attract, retain and motivate people from many backgrounds and perspectives. Being diverse is not optional; it is what we must be. Goldman Sachs Business Principle #7 Our success depends on our ability to attract and retain the best talent around the world and to foster a culture where our people can reach their full potential. This is attainable only if every person feels comfortable bringing his or her whole self to work. I am deeply proud of the work we do as a Stonewall Star Performer to support our LGBT people and the advancement of LGBT rights and equality. I hope that this guide serves as a tool which you can leverage to support the engagement of senior allies in your own organisations. Sally Boyle Co-sponsor, Goldman Sachs EMEA LGBT Network Lead From The Top The Importance of Engaging Senior Allies 3

5 Section 1 Our Commitment to LGBT Equality Maintaining our position as an employer of choice for the LGBT community is critical to the firm s business success as a global organisation. Since 2014, Goldman Sachs has been named a Stonewall Star Performer for consistently ranking as one of the top ten performers in the Workplace Equality Index. For the past 13 years, Goldman Sachs has been named a Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality and awarded a perfect score (100 percent) by the Human Rights Campaign in their Corporate Equality Index. As a firm, we have recognised the importance of: Thinking expansively about global LGBT issues in the workplace (recruiting, mobility, reporting, rewards and networks) Being visible public supporters and advocates for inclusion e.g. CEO engagement, display of the rainbow pride flag and transgender pride flag and working with LGBT best practice organisations globally (such as Stonewall, Community Business, Pride in Diversity and the Human Rights Campaign) Supporting other companies in their LGBT journey An example of this being our EMEA LGBT Network who have provided ongoing mentorship to Rolls Royce since 2015 The starting point for our organisation was to define the business case for an LGBT inclusive environment at the firm. The initial focus was on building awareness around the concept of LGBT what does it mean, why it is important to business. As a starting point, you may wish to consider the below: Define the business case Seek input from other successful organisations on their practices Solicit and confirm senior leadership engagement and support Engage with LGBT employees to understand their viewpoint 4 Lead From The Top The Importance of Engaging Senior Allies

6 Section 2 Diversity at Goldman Sachs The engagement of senior leadership is a critical part of any diversity strategy, particularly in the context of strengthening the diverse pipeline at senior levels. Establishing relevant governance structures and accountability enables firms to apply a targeted approach when delivering on their diversity objectives and subsequently provide a way to measure impact. At Goldman Sachs, we integrate our diversity initiatives into the firm s business strategy and leverage the commitment of our senior leadership to effectively execute on this and drive accountability. The firm s diversity strategy includes: Increasing awareness and accountability at all levels Building a pipeline of diverse talent Integrating diversity considerations into human capital decisions (e.g. succession planning and performance reviews) Leveraging data analytics to measure impact and progress To ensure accountability for our efforts, we have a global diversity governance structure, within which are a number of groups covering the regions in which we operate. Global Diversity Working Group Americas Diversity Council EMEA Diversity Council APAC Diversity Council India Diversity Council Global Talent Development Team Firmwide A nity Networks Lead From The Top The Importance of Engaging Senior Allies 5

7 Section 2 Diversity at Goldman Sachs The Global Diversity Working Group is formed of Management Committee members who meet regularly throughout the year, and have instituted regional diversity committees comprising local senior leadership to act as a catalyst to evolve and develop regional strategies to drive the advancement of diverse professionals and raise the visibility of our leadership and diversity commitment at a divisional and regional level. In EMEA, the Senior Diversity Council is comprised of senior partners across the firm who are accountable for driving the promotion and retention of diverse talent in the region. As we seek to strengthen our diverse leadership pipeline, the Council works with divisional leadership to hold managers to account for the integration, retention and development of diverse individuals in their teams and provides strategic guidance for existing diversity initiatives in the region. Our Global Talent Development team within Human Capital Management supports the work of the Senior Diversity Council through numerous initiatives and partnerships with employee affinity networks, including the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Network. These efforts foster a strong sense of community and illustrate the belief that our success depends on having people who reflect the diversity of the communities and cultures in which we operate. The LGBT Network is open to all employees, including allies, and organises a series of events throughout the year to recognise the contributions of LGBT people to society and culture, and raise awareness of challenges still faced by the LGBT community. The Network was instrumental in establishing the Managing Director (MD) Ally Programme at the firm and provides ongoing support and guidance as the programme continues to evolve. In an effort to educate and engage the broader community at Goldman Sachs, as well as advance the Network s goal of providing a fully inclusive environment for all Goldman Sachs professionals, the LGBT Network launched its MD Ally Strategy in 2008 in the Americas. 6 Lead From The Top The Importance of Engaging Senior Allies

8 Section 3 MD Ally Programme at Goldman Sachs The Ally Strategy is a formal programme that engages senior leaders (partners and managing directors) across all divisions by inviting them to serve as visible LGBT allies and champion LGBT efforts in their division. As Sally Boyle, international head of the Human Capital Management Division and co-sponsor of the EMEA LGBT Network states, The impact and value of our MD Ally programme in creating an inclusive environment is clear from the feedback we receive from employees and candidates on campus. We want to be an employer of choice for the LGBT community and our network and allies help us work towards that goal. Since the launch of the programme, allies have joined the network as active participants, and engaged in network events across divisions. The LGBT Network drives the firm s global Ally Strategy and provides a support network so that LGBT employees feel that they can bring their whole selves to work. It also aims to help create a more inclusive environment by informing senior allies on LGBT specific issues and concerns to ensure that LGBT employees have the sponsorship and mentorship of the firm s senior leaders. In February 2012, Goldman Sachs received the Innovation Award for Workplace Equality from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation for its Ally Strategy. The success of the MD Ally programme saw the LGBT Network membership in EMEA grow from 100 to well over 500 members, increasing dialogue and visibility of the LGBT community. We expanded the strategy across GS offices in the US, India, APAC and EMEA. Lead From The Top The Importance of Engaging Senior Allies 7

9 Section 4 Engaging Senior Allies Setting Objectives When we first considered launching the MD Ally Programme at the firm, the diversity team worked with the LGBT Network steering committee to lay out the mission statement, goals and aims of the programme. Also included was a list of the top 10 actions an MD ally can take to give them direction and guidance of what was expected of them. We then looked for MDs who had been engaged with the LGBT Network previously and approached them to be allies. Identifying Allies Identifying which senior individuals to engage as allies can be approached in various ways. Some may be: Engaged in diversity initiatives already Have a personal reason for wanting to be an ally (such as having an LGBT family or team member) Nominated by other members of the firm The important consideration when starting off is to have a core set of passionate individuals who can act as role model allies to encourage others to engage as the programme grows. Training In order to provide our senior leaders with the right training, we developed Out in the Open ; a ground-breaking bespoke classroom training course run by an external vendor which articulates the reasons why and how sexual orientation and gender identity is a workplace focus. Mandated for all managing directors by our regional diversity committees, this global programme provides insights on the workplace experiences of LGBT professionals and guidance on inclusive behaviours that foster acceptance and enhance communications around diversity. 8 Lead From The Top The Importance of Engaging Senior Allies

10 Section 4 Engaging Senior Allies In addition to this training, individuals who are engaged as senior allies receive a welcome pack and meet with the co-heads of the LGBT Network to discuss their role as an ally. The welcome pack includes a summary of the Network / key stakeholders and steering committee members, information about the Ally Programme, historical information & context such as the Stonewall riots, the history of Pride and various awareness days, and the significance of the rainbow flag. Allies are also provided with a guide on useful terminology, specifically highlighting terms such as cisgender/transgender and transphobia. The final section of the welcome pack provides senior allies with perspectives from GS LGBT employees on challenges and their coming out experiences, and perspectives from other senior allies on how best to be engaged and impactful as a senior ally. By providing senior allies with the guidance and materials they need to be successful in the role, we feel confident that they can be impactful in their role as allies. Lead From The Top The Importance of Engaging Senior Allies 9

11 Section 4 Engaging Senior Allies Encourage allies to specialise As the Ally Programme at Goldman Sachs has evolved, a number of our senior allies have taken on the role of specialising as an ally in a particular area of the LGBT strategy. An example of this is a managing director in our Legal division in London, who over the past few years has established herself as an MD Ally focused on the trans space. In addition to familiarising herself with historical context and language, she has moderated a number of the firm s trans-related events for Pride and Trans Day of Remembrance, in addition to attending external best practice sessions and events. Having subject matter experts across the LGBT spectrum is hugely impactful in raising awareness beyond the basics, as well as supporting the LGBT Network pillars with strategic priorities. This motivates allies and gives them a specific role and focus, enabling greater effectiveness in driving the inclusivity agenda. Subsequently this has led to the creation of a pillar in the LGBT Network with the managing director acting as an advisor. Making the invisible visible Come out as an ally It s extremely important for allies to come out as allies. Unlike some other diverse strands, being LGBT is an invisible characteristic and therefore unless someone chooses to actively disclose, you will not know. The role of an ally is to be visible and vocal, which in turn signals to someone who may be hesitant or unsure of the reception that this is an inclusive workplace and as an organisation we want to create an environment where you can bring your authentic whole self to work. One way we encourage allies to be more visible is to invite them to come out as an ally to their team and divisions on occasions such as National Coming Out Day, Spirit Day and International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia & Transphobia. You may wish to provide your allies with a template communication, encouraging them to talk about why they became an ally, how they approach their role as an ally and what they would like to achieve as an ally. 10 Lead From The Top The Importance of Engaging Senior Allies

12 Section 4 Engaging Senior Allies Template: Coming Out As An Ally In the spirit of National Coming Out Day and for those of you who might not be aware, I wanted to come out to you as an LGBT ally. Why did I become an ally? [Make it personal] I attended a work panel discussion about five years ago when four people I knew well discussed their personal stories about the challenges they experienced when coming out to their family, friends and colleagues. It was absolutely inconceivable to me that sexual orientation could cause that much distress and sadness. I wanted to ensure that there was not any reason for anyone I worked with to have to experience those stresses in the workplace as a result of their sexual orientation or gender identity. How do I approach my role as an ally? [Make it actionable] For me, the key to being an effective ally is to be really active about my participation in the network and to find opportunities for other allies and members to get involved. I make a point of referencing events broadly where I can and I try to create community initiatives where it makes sense. I also try to meet with other people actively involved in the network, to enable us to swap ideas about what we are doing and keep the topic active day to day. What would I like to achieve as an ally? [Make it inspirational] Personally, I would love to have a much larger and more active LGBT Network in EMEA. I think it would also be quite an achievement if we could have everyone in the firm signed up to the network as a member or ally. It is more critical than ever to hire the best people, and have the people we hire happy and successful in their work environment. Lead From The Top The Importance of Engaging Senior Allies 11

13 Section 5 The Impact of Senior Allies At Goldman Sachs, we have seen various elements of the senior ally programme which have reinforced its importance and continued to drive the success of the programme. The case studies below give an insight into some of the mechanisms by which we have ensured a strong foundation for the ally programme and continued to evolve the programme to ensure it remains successful. Lead from the top CEO engagement Lloyd Blankfein, chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs is a visible and vocal advocate of LGBT rights and creating an inclusive environment, and was one of the very first CEOs to publically support marriage equality. As the firm s most senior ally, he has a role to play in encouraging other senior leaders within the firm and externally to act as allies to the LGBT community. In 2012, Lloyd Blankfein participated in the Human Rights Campaign s Americans for Marriage Equality Initiative. In his video, he shared his perspective America s corporations learned long ago that equality is just good business and is the right thing to do. In 2011, he and 24 other business leaders signed a letter urging New York State to enact marriage equality legislation. 12 Lead From The Top The Importance of Engaging Senior Allies

14 Section 5 The Impact of Senior Allies His stance on LGBT equality has not always had a positive reaction externally. As Blankfein explained at the Out on The Street conference in 2013, the firm had lost clients due to its support of LGBT rights, however he did not change his stance and continues to speak out for LGBT equality. The firm hosted the Out on The Street Summit in 2013 which examined cultural change, recruiting and client development from the perspective of the LGBT community. During a session on the role of senior leaders in creating inclusive work environments, he reflected on the speed with which LGBT rights had progressed in the past year: Equality is not only a civil rights issue, but also an important business issue for Wall Street and the broader business community. Our clients depend on us to provide top-quality advice and execution. An open and inclusive work environment is the best way to ensure that we are drawing from the broadest pool of talent, and giving our clients and our firms the best chance for success. In 2014, Lloyd Blankfein was recognised by OUTstanding, a nonprofit professional network for LGBT executives and their allies, on the organisation s annual Top 20 Allies list. Going global The importance of allies across regional offices There are challenges for global businesses like ours with offices in many countries, each with their own unique laws and cultures. An example of this is our large presence in India with our Bengaluru office of ~5000 employees. In December 2013, the Supreme Court of India reversed a 2009 decision and upheld the validity of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, criminalising homosexual acts. However as a firm, we remain committed to supporting an inclusive environment for all of our employees, including our LGBT employees and allies. Lead From The Top The Importance of Engaging Senior Allies 13

15 Section 5 The Impact of Senior Allies When the India Supreme Court decision regarding Section 377 happened, a particularly impactful action taken by our Bengaluru Operating Committee was that they held a meeting with our LGBT Network as a matter of priority to discuss the ruling and determine the impact to the firm. Leadership confirmed that we remain committed to supporting an inclusive environment, including for our LGBT employees and allies. Our LGBT network has continued in the region, and we continue to have senior leaders serving as allies, and expect everyone to contribute to a culture of inclusion. An FAQ document was published on the internal Goldman Sachs website for employees to refer to, including specific questions around how allies can best be supportive. 14 Lead From The Top The Importance of Engaging Senior Allies

16 Section 6 Best Practice for Organisations, Networks & Allies As an organisation or LGBT Network, there are a number of ways you can maximise the impact of your senior allies, which we have broken down into three sections below: 1. EDUCATE Provide senior allies with the tools to be successful in the role and make it easy to engage Run bespoke training sessions for senior allies to educate them on the key challenges in the LGBT space and highlight their roles as an ally Create an ally pack / toolkit to provide to all senior allies Match senior allies with a member of the LGBT Network committee to ensure they have a specific point of contact for any questions 2. MAKE IT TANGIBLE Provide allies with regular updates on the LGBT community, Network activity Ensure allies have guidance on how to react and respond to external matters. An example of this would be creating speaking points / communication templates for senior allies to share with their teams in the case of a tragic event such as Orlando Give allies materials which they can use to raise their profile as an LGBT ally such as desktop monitor flags / badges 3. KEEP IT FRESH CONTINUOUSLY DEVELOP PROGRAMMING TO KEEP ALLIES ENGAGED Keep it fresh and ensure training and resources are current when there are changes in the law / external environment, make sure this is reflected in resources / training As the number of allies in your organisation grows, have one or two lead allies per division who are responsible for overseeing divisional ally activity and engaging other allies within the division Lead From The Top The Importance of Engaging Senior Allies 15

17 Section 6 Best Practice for Organisations, Networks & Allies Top tips for senior allies As a senior ally, there are a number of ways you can maximise your impact, which we have broken down into three sections below: 1. SUPPORT Come out as an ally to your team / division Be mindful of the language you use Use the terms Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender and sexual orientation / gender identity Familiarise yourself with key terminology relating to the LGBT community. Stonewall has a glossary on its website that you may wish to reference Do not assume that everyone is heterosexual or cisgender When communicating with colleagues, use terms like partner instead of only husband / boyfriend / girlfriend Respect and treat everyone equally Facilitate an inclusive environment by getting to know your team and allowing conversations about personal lives to occur naturally If someone is openly LGBT, feel empowered to ask about their lives in the same way you would with a heterosexual or cisgender colleague If someone is not out, allow for an open and supportive environment, but do not ever force someone to come out Ensure the people around you behave in an inclusive manner Call out homophobic, biphobic and transphobic comments or banter When reacting to / challenging non-inclusive behaviour, do so directly and promptly. If you are unsure how to approach this, check with HR 16 Lead From The Top The Importance of Engaging Senior Allies

18 Section 6 Best Practice for Organisations, Networks & Allies 2. EDUCATE Familiarise yourself with issues facing the LGBT community Join the LGBT Network Attend LGBT Network events and encourage your colleagues to attend Seek out resources to further educate yourself e.g. watch TED Talks, read Stonewall information guides, follow LGBT organisations on social media Request a reverse mentor within the LGBT community so you can ask questions and develop an understanding of your colleague s experiences Be visible Display an ally flag / rainbow in your office or on your desk to demonstrate your support for LGBT equality Be clear about why LGBT equality is important to you. Examples of this include posting a message on internal social media on days such as Trans Day of Remembrance or Spirit Day, or sending an to colleagues letting them know you will be attending Pride events 3. PARTICIPATE Be an advocate for LGBT issues within the firm. Serve as a resource for LGBT Network activities including mentoring, recruiting, etc Be a role model what senior leaders say and do resonates across an organisation and can set expectations for others of appropriate behaviour Take ownership sponsor a divisional diversity plan (recruiting, retention, career development). Recruit and oversee other newer allies in the division Lead From The Top The Importance of Engaging Senior Allies 17

19 About Goldman Sachs Goldman Sachs is a leading global financial services firm providing investment banking, securities and investment management services to a diversified client base. Our business principles are founded upon integrity, a commitment to excellence, innovation and teamwork. At Goldman Sachs, we know that without the best people, we cannot be the best firm. We aim to hire, retain and motivate individuals from many backgrounds who can offer fresh perspectives. Our Global Talent Development team supports this approach through numerous initiatives and partnerships with its employee networks, including the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Network. These efforts foster a strong sense of community and illustrate the belief that our success depends on having people who reflect the diversity of the communities and cultures in which we operate. For more information about our commitment to diversity and inclusion, please visit Goldman Sachs. All rights reserved. 18 Lead From The Top The Importance of Engaging Senior Allies

20 2016 Goldman Sachs. All rights reserved.