Lucky number 7
Seven is considered by many as a lucky number, and I would definitely agree as we launch our lucky #7 episode in the INSPIRE 20 Podcast series, with this episode’s honored guest Sander van ’t Noordende, Micro Focus Board Member, Board Member at Out & Equal and former Group Chief Executive of the Products Operating Group at Accenture.
The best decision
When Sander was in University, he came out to his friends and family about his sexuality, but it wasn’t until he started a job at Accenture a few years later that he was faced with another difficult situation – should he bring his partner to a social work event and come out to his co-workers, or should he hide that part of himself? When Sander made the decision over 30 years ago to bring his partner to the event and let his co-workers know he is gay, he says it was the best decision he could have made. But this decision was not an easy one for him, which is why he is so passionate about his work at Out & Equal.
Out & Equal – promoting an inclusive workplace
Out & Equal is the world’s premier LGBTQ workplace equality organization, bringing people of various businesses and backgrounds together to advance LGBTQ conversations in the workplace and share best practices. The organization partners with large companies, like HPE, Bank of America, Deloitte and, we are proud to say, Micro Focus to help create a culture of belonging. Through his work as a Board Member for Out & Equal, and based on his own experiences, Sander encourages others to continue to “stretch” themselves in many ways, because it is only through stretching yourself and putting yourself out there that you can move forward.
Workplaces have come a long way since Sander’s work party, and we have seen a positive attitude shift towards our LGBTQ community and great movement towards equality, but there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure we truly have a culture of belonging and inclusivity. Sander shares his thoughts throughout the podcast on how we can help our LGBTQ community to feel 100% comfortable in the workplace. He also explains the importance of researching companies and their Inclusion & Diversity initiatives prior to joining a company, the need to set the right tone from the top and the need for organizations to truly look across all the details of their organization from pensions and benefits to the workplace environment itself across functions and geographies.
I hope you enjoy listening to the advice and opinions Sander has to share with us on today’s podcast, as we strive to make our workplaces 100% comfortable and inclusive for our LGBTQ community and many others. Be sure to listen today on Apple, SoundCloud or Spotify, and check out our post on TechBeacon.
