Introducing Campaign.
Why I’m teaming up with the competition for my fellow LGBT+ recruiters – introducing CAMPAIGN.
Enough is enough. Inclusion is an inside job, so rather than fighting alone, I’m teaming up with recruiters (and forgetting we’re technically competitors) to unite our community. So welcome to Campaign – recruitment’s first-ever UK based peer to peer LGBT+ network.
Like most ideas, this came from asking an obvious, but completely unaddressed question: how can an organisation create inclusion when there’s only one person who’s LGBT+ in the company? I was asked this by a listener during APSCo Embrace’s LGBT+ Inclusion Webinar. I sat there and wondered what the right answer was. It niggled me. Yes, it really was a dilemma and it got me thinking: in a sector full of boutique recruitment firms, how many only have one or two LGBT+ people working there? And how on earth are they dealing with that?
I thought back to my own journey. It was painful. It was scary. And I too went through most of it alone. We’ve come a long way with gay rights. Are we really doing our best in recruitment? Hand on heart? No. What can be done to make the recruitment sector inclusive?
I can’t speak for everyone, but the everyday reality for many who are LGBT+ is still one of risk. Or, if not an overt risk, uncertainty about how open they want to be about ‘being open.’ Our sexuality and how we can be our true, authentic selves is laden with fear. The recruitment sector has long been a straight, high-performance sector that’s fiercely competitive. When you face a siloed culture, how is psychological safety created? Who’s there for you? Who’s an ally when loneliness and anxiety set in? I didn’t see many answers at first but now I’m thrilled to announce one is coming with Campaign (our website will be launching soon for those curious to start a furious Google!)
Campaign is a soon-to-launch network of recruiters from the LGBT+ community and its allies who are generously sharing ideas, emotional support, and change-driven inclusivity strategies to improve the representation and inclusion of LGBT+ people across every facet of recruitment. We’re here to empower and advise all recruitment businesses on the best ways they can create a safe and inclusive workspace for their LGBT+ staff. One that promotes togetherness, friendships, and allies, no matter where we work – even with a direct competitor.
I’m delighted to say that some of my esteemed peers feel the same and we're joining forces to make Campaign a reality.
What can you do now to help us? It’s simple. Whatever your role is in the sector, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Let’s get talking, please DM me, Jake Freeman, Ellen Mulvey, Lucy Morgan, Marie Cuffaro, or Anthony Webster.
Need a listening ear?
Have something on your mind that is impacting your life as an LGBTQ+ person in recruitment, search, or selection? Email me personally at derek@wecampaign.co and I will listen, treat everything you say in confidence, and get back to you directly. Don’t feel alone.
Campaign is here so you feel you belong, have a voice that is heard, and we can work out a way for you to feel accepted, as the fabulous LGBTQ+ person that you are.
Author: Derek Mackenzie