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Around the world in the month of June, you’ve likely seen the rainbows and parades that celebrate Pride Month – a month where LGBTQ+ identifying individuals and their allies come together to celebrate and advocate for freedom to be themselves. At Cologix, we are continuing to create a workplace that is a safe place for employees from all backgrounds, nationalities, orientations and abilities. To that end, we are working diligently to build positive ESG (environment, social, governance) and DE&I (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiatives and strategies across Cologix. We join the LGBTQ+ community in celebrating Pride Month this June and throughout the year. For Cologix, Pride Month connects deeply to our value of Respect. Dawn Smith, President and Chief Operating Officer shared,
“Respect is beyond just respect for ideas, it means respect for the whole individual, respect for who they are as a person, not just what they do at work.”
The technology industry has made phenomenal strides in LGBTQ+ inclusion in recent years. In fact, real estate and technology are rated #1 and #2 respectively by Glassdoor in providing the most inclusive experience for LGBTQ+ employees globally. It is our goal to champion that progress and continue to develop inclusive practices at Cologix that show employees they are safe to bring their whole selves to work and have allies who believe in building an open, respectful and welcoming community.
Despite the technology industry’s excellent work though, approximately 1 in 4 LGBTQ+ individuals have undergone discrimination at work. As many as 30% of transgender employees have reporting discrimination, including being fired or not receiving a promotion because of their gender identity. Cologix’s Chief Sales Officer Chris Heinrich shared,
“I know there is a long way to go to ensure our LGBTQ+ colleagues have full equality in the workplace. But I’m encouraged and inspired by the work of some of Cologix’s biggest partners – Microsoft, Google and many others – who have been leaders in LGBTQ+ inclusion. Their work provides a roadmap for all businesses to implement strong DE&I programming.”
As we all celebrate Pride Month, we’d like to draw your attention to some resources for LGBTQ+ individuals in the technology industry. We hope these resources will spur ideas and actions for you as an individual and in your role at Cologix.
- Read here for information from Glassdoor about the LGBTQ+ Employee Experience.
- This article from CIO.com highlights 13 organizations supporting LGBTQ+ technology employees.
- LGBTQ+ employees still experience discrimination in many workplaces and impact on career progression. Read more in this study from McKinsey.
For those reading our blog from outside the Cologix family, we invite you to consider applying for one of our open roles. Cologix welcomes individuals from all backgrounds to join us as we grow.
In early 2022, we launched the Cologix Women’s Connection Network (CWCN) and continue to operate our Culture Club as two important groups focused on engagement, diversity, equity and inclusion at Cologix. We look forward to growing these groups and expanding to include additional groups that can bring us all together around key topics like Pride Month. Corinne Shalvoy, Senior Director, Talent, Employee Engagement and DE&I says,
“I want to see all Cologix employees involved in our employee resource groups. Reach out to me if you want to get involved in CWCN or Culture Club, or help us start a new resource group.”
