Demonstrating a commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community at Bromford

I joined Bromford as a senior manager in our Risk department in 2023 and I identify as non-binary and bisexual. One of the things that told me straight away that Bromford was going to be a good fit was the interview process.

Liz Walker​​​​, Head of Data Governance and Information Security, Bromford

I remember that part of my interview included a question about why I thought diversity and inclusion was a benefit to an organisation. Of course, I answered the question enthusiastically as I instantly thought of the 1995 anime movie Ghost in the Shell. The main character, who is a cyborg with a fully cybernetic body, talks about the benefits of working alongside human colleagues who don’t have any cybernetic parts, despite the perceived strengths of having a completely robotic body: ‘if we reacted the same way, we’d be predictable and there’s always more than one way to view a situation.’ In short, my answer relayed that thinking: diversity gives organisations a competitive advantage that breeds innovation because it brings a different perspective to the table.

That initial demonstration of commitment to D&I at my interview carried on through my induction: everyone at Bromford receives diversity and inclusion training as part of their onboarding, which is the first time I’ve experienced this at an organisation. I also received additional training as a leader on unconscious bias, which helped me to recognise that my brain may make assumptions about individuals based on certain characteristics. The course gave me the ability to identify that bias but also gave me the appropriate tools and knowledge to deal with it.

Once I had my feet under the table my leader encouraged me to get involved in our LGBTQIA+ community and allies group, which serves as our working group for sharing ideas on how to improve working life for our colleagues who are LGBTQIA+. The group meets regularly to discuss issues impacting the community at Bromford and communicating about events like LGBTQIA+ history month and Pride month. We also had members of the group attending Birmingham Pride last year as representatives of Bromford.

Outside of those elements, I’ve found Bromford to be a very welcoming experience. My appearance can be sometimes gender non-conforming, but I have found that it doesn’t cause an issue here. For example, I’ve had a lot of different hair styles ranging from shaved undercuts to entirely blue hair and I often describe my wardrobe as corporate gothic punk. At past organisations, I have been told to tone it down and look more professional but these things are an expression of my identity and they don’t affect my performance, which is what matters most to my leader.

I also use they/them pronouns, which I wear on a little badge on my lanyard for ease and both my colleagues and my leader use these when referring to me. I appreciate that it sometimes can take some getting used to but at Bromford, people are comfortable challenging pronoun usage – not in a chastising way but in an encouraging ‘oh remember this person uses they/them pronouns’ way.

Ultimately, my experience is reflective of Bromford living up to one of the values that make up our core organisational DNA, which is ‘Be You’. Colleagues are encouraged to bring their authentic selves to work and that includes their sexuality and gender identity and I’m glad to be part of it!