Speaking with Daniel Partridge, Customer Care Support Manager at Glazerite UK Group shares why, even at work, it's important to take pride in who you are.
"In June, Glazerite hosted its very first Pride Day across the group, with employees wearing something rainbow-coloured in support of the LGBTQ+ communities, and its set to become an annual event for Glazerite.
This year marked 53 years since the Stonewall Riots, a time when being gay was classified as a mental illness in the US, and the gay community was regularly beaten by police and shunned by society. Half a century on, there's still work to be done to educate and raise awareness of the damage caused by homophobia. But gay rights have come a long way since 1969.
I have worked on and off in fenestration since I was a teenager, I had just come away from being a kitchen appliance fitter on building sites, which is stereotypically an alpha male industry. I was expecting something similar in fenestration and was very nervous to start in an environment where I thought I would have to hide who I was. But the team I worked with initially was very welcoming and made me feel comfortable and confident to be myself.
It wasn't all plain sailing though, and I have experienced discrimination. I've been overlooked for roles for which I have had far more experience, for example. There was also one occasion when I was taken aside by a manager prior to a company function and told to not "act gay" as they felt the customers wouldn't be very accepting. In actual fact, I believe this was more the opinion of the manager. That behaviour was damaging enough that it brought on a collapse in my mental health, and it had a negative impact on my career.
I do feel however that attitudes are changing and these kind of experiences don't happen as much as they used to. More people are talking about and including the use of pronouns on their CV's, for example, and celebrating events such as Pride. If employers show a welcoming, open and inclusive work environment during the interview stages and on websites and social media, more people from all areas of life will find they would be accepted in the industry.
Glazerite is very diverse. We have people of different sexualities here, and no-one is made to feel unwelcome because of this. Everyone is open about who they are, and the company and its leadership team is committing to investing in its people and encouraging involvement in the continual improvement of the business.
The culture being embedded is that we should be proud to work here and continuously improve through listening, learning and adapting, striving for excellence across the business as one team. As part of that, it's important to feel comfortable in your working environment. Pride is all about being proud of who you are, no matter who you love."