A place for everyone at GSK

 

Liam has worked for GSK since graduation and is co-lead for Spectrum UK, the company’s LGBTQ+ employee network – he talks about the importance of diversity and inclusivity in a supportive organisation.

 

I joined GSK straight out of university in a temporary role as an archiving assistant. Since then, I‘ve had an interesting career path, training as a safety advisor; in health and safety, supporting research and development; looking after our sites in West London and Weybridge, before embarking on a secondment in pharma compliance, with a role in compliance and risk analytics.

In addition to my current role as a Third-Party Risk manager, the other equally important voluntary part of my work with GSK is as co-lead for Spectrum UK, the UK chapter of the company’s LGBTQ+ employee network.

Spectrum UK is one of four GSK UK employee resource groups. It was founded in 1996 and has made a huge impact in that time. We have nearly 3,000 global GSK members, including about 500 members in the UK alone, made up of LGBTQ+ employees and allies. We work closely with our UK members and global inclusion and diversity teams.

In practical terms, Spectrum UK is very active in GSK’s policy space. We assist GSK to continue to be a forward-thinking, inclusive company for LGBTQ+ employees and support work for positive change. It is important that senior leaders feel confident to speak about LGBTQ+ diversity.

Emma Walmsley, the CEO of GSK is very supportive of our work – we had two opportunities to speak with her this year, which I never thought was going to be on my 2022 bingo card! It was amazing the way she pulled us into the conversation and had real enthusiasm for the LGBTQ+ space. To have her ear is so important to us and GSK as a whole.

Events are very important too. This year, we have focused on specific identities that need more attention within the LGBTQ+ community. We held several trans-specific events and programmes, including Transgender Day of Remembrance, as well as events for the bi-plus community. Transgender Day of Remembrance was especially important, as it is a community that continues to be victimised.  We want to make a strong visible statement of support – so our head office, UK manufacturing and R&D sites flew the trans flag to mark the day, which was amazing.

Many of our events are attached to the LGBTQ+ calendar, such as an event to mark World Aids Day on 1 December. Pride is always an important event, this year we focused on regional parades, such as Brighton, Grampian, Newcastle and Herts. These events felt less corporate and more family-focused, which was great.

Another success has been LGBTQ+ role model breakfasts – a lot of people in the business have shared experiences, whether they are a member of the community or an ally. We also have external speakers talk to colleagues, such as Jake and Hannah Graf, a trans married couple with two children – 300 people joined that event to learn and ask questions.

On a personal level, I am passionate about LGBTQ+ issues. I identify as gay, but I come from a generation where the word “gay” was bandied about if something was not good – everything from a missed goal to someone’s backpack might be described as gay. It wasn’t like the outright homophobia or transphobia that many people in the community have faced, but it was something that was built into my psyche.

When I became a full-time employee at GSK, I joined Spectrum UK, but it took some time to feel confident enough to take a leadership role. I challenged myself to not just sit back without contributing. Instead, I put myself in the position where I can bring my experience and perspective and, hopefully, help other people who might be feeling similar.

Providing support for LGBTQ+ people is important at GSK. If someone needs to talk, we can help start those conversations. If we are not qualified to help, we can direct people to so many great resources, to occupational therapists, the employee assistance programme and to medical professionals via private health insurance

Data coming out of the UK and the US shows that approximately 20 percent of Generation Z now identify as LGBTQ+. It is essential that GSK  continues to be a fantastic, forward-thinking, inclusive workplace so we can attract and retain diverse talent. I am passionate about this – at GSK, we enable people to thrive and I want the next generations to have these opportunities, so we can keep building on our fantastic history as a company.

 

This is a personal article and is not published on behalf of GSK

GSK is committed to fair, equal employment opportunity and inclusion of all employees regardless of race/ ethnicity/ national origin, gender/gender identity, disability, neurodiversity, sexual orientation, religion/ belief, marriage/ civil partnership status, age and / or socio-economic status.