The 30-year-long fight for equality in Switzerland ends in victory this month, as on July 1st, same-sex marriages are legalized. I am so grateful to cheer alongside many of my Unispace colleagues at Zurich Pride, as we commemorate this historic moment together, as one unified team.

Supporting our LGBTQ+ community in our workplaces

We are on a journey at Unispace to achieve greater diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), and to make our offices a place of comfort for everyone to feel safe as their authentic selves, every single day.

It is the responsibility of organizations and leaders to drive awareness and help individuals be their authentic selves at work. Countless data shows that honoring this responsibility and creating inclusive work environments will lead to a substantial increase in job performance and a decrease in employee turnover. Building spaces where everyone feels a sense of belonging is a critical step in attracting talent, and those who fall short risk losing their best and brightest and impacting their bottom line.

For Unispace, this meant creating global training programs on Unconscious Bias (stereotypes individuals form about others outside of their own conscious awareness) and Psychological Safety (the ability to show one’s true self without fear of negative consequences). We have also established partnerships with key agencies and organizations that help us identify, engage, and hire diverse venders, through our Global Supplier Diversity Program. Our next priority is to launch an Employee Resource Group, acting as a safe forum to address LGBTQ+ issues.

Inclusivity in the workplace can be boiled down into two things:
1. Awareness of who your people are and their potential needs or challenges
2. Prioritizing culture and making sure everyone feels included

PRIDE month is an opportune moment for organizations to both raise awareness and prioritize culture but instilling true belonging in the workplace means continuing the effort every day of the year.