Pride 2022: Creating an inclusive workplace at Peldon Rose

2022 marks the 50th anniversary since June has been recognised as Pride Month in the UK. Commemorating the events of the Stonewall Riots, each year the month provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the issues facing the LGBTQ+ community.

This year at Peldon Rose, we’re hosting events throughout June to bring our people together to learn, fundraise and celebrate. Thanks to Design Intern Ellie Hughes, graduate Designer Maria Popescu and Project Designer Caitlin Goble who kick-started Pride Month with a lunch and learn workshop where we discussed the importance of creating an inclusive workplace, as well as what we can do to support our LGBTQ+ colleagues.

The importance of creating an inclusive workplace

Stonewall’s LGBT in Britain Work Report revealed that almost 20% of LGBTQ+ employees have been the target of negative comments at work because they’re LGBTQ+. We wanted to create an open, safe space to discuss how we can overcome these challenges as a business, and to understand how we can be better allies to our LGBTQ+ colleagues.

An open space to share experiences and learn from each other

Over lunch, we started by exploring LGBTQ+ history since 1965, discussed the importance of inclusive language and inclusive workplace design before moving onto LGBTQ+ challenges in the construction industry.

Committed to promoting equality and diversity across the business, the success of our lunch and learn workshop allowed Ellie and Maria to host a discussion on site with one of our project teams. Together, they explored how to create an inclusive workplace for our teams working on site and how to help our LGBTQ+ colleagues break down barriers in the industry.

Construction News’s survey revealed that 60% of LGBTQ+ construction workers believed that their sexuality and/or gender identity created career progression barriers. Additionally, 54% do not feel comfortable being open about their sexuality and/or gender on site, so it’s clear that there’s work to be done

How can we become wholly LGBTQ+ inclusive?

At both of our workshops, we discussed how we can all help to make a positive difference across the business. From raising awareness, to supporting LGBTQ+ role models and embedding the importance of LGBTQ+ workplaces both at Peldon Rose and within the spaces we create, visibility is key.

What's next?

From cakes to cocktails, we’re continuing Pride activities throughout the month of June – stay tuned for more!

We’re pleased and proud to be supporting Pride Month, but it’s clear the work doesn’t stop here. We look forward to taking the learnings from June into the work we do, and the way we behave to be supportive allies to our colleagues, our clients and their people.