‘Tolerance doesn’t deserve a trophy’ – how employers should drive diversity at the workplace

As many companies the world over have taken a public stance in support of Pride Month throughout June, the discussions around diversity, inclusivity and acceptance at the workplace have been placed under the spotlight.

For Mark A. Smith, a business adviser and Chief Revenue Officer at Webware.io, diversity at work calls for employers to be champions for their people.

Sharing a personal experience of his own, Mr Smith recalled finding an employee sobbing through a panic attack at work, to later find out at hospital that he had recently “come out as gay and that he was still feeling difficulty from all areas of his life.”

“It wasn’t that he was feeling any direct attacks. His immediate family was supportive. His extended family was less than supportive, but they weren’t as important to him,” he wrote. “The issue was simply that he had spent 20+ years living in a world which rejected him, and new rejection lurked around every corner.”

The CRO says that most of his supporters were, “at best, ‘tolerant’. And no one thrives when they are ‘tolerated’.”

“As employers, we must show our people that, despite any struggles at home, for the 1/3 of the day they spend with us, they are safe from any adversity related to their sexual identity. Tolerance doesn’t deserve a trophy. Champions earn trophies. Let’s be champions for our people.”