Pride in Practice

Vanessa Pain, Portfolio Manager at Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions, actively participates in LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and other identities) support, both within and outside the company. Her deep engagement is partly motivated by personal experiences, particularly her child's journey from coming out as gay to identifying as non-binary trans-femme.

Pride in Practice involves implementing practical support for LGBTQIA+ employees. It is not just a moral imperative, it can actually be a competitive advantage for a company or industry.

“Research has shown that diverse workplaces are more productive, they are more creative and more profitable”, says Vanessa Pain.

“It’s really important to create a culture inclusivity and psychological safety so that all employees feel welcomed and valued. This helps them to perform at their best at work. Pride in Practice translates to better employee engagement, retention, improved brand reputation and social responsibility delivery, and all of this fosters a culture of innovation and productivity that we need to meet our objectives.”

Vanessa Pain also gives some practical advice on how to create an inclusive work environment.

“My three top tips are to explore your own unconscious biases, be kind and open to new perspectives, and use inclusive and gender-neutral language. The terms “he”, “him” and “his” are very common throughout our documentation and training modules”, she says. “If we can switch those out for the gender-neutral options of “they”, “them”, “theirs”, we are not only spreading the message of inclusivity to the LGBTQIA+ employees, we are also wrapping that inclusivity around the women in our workforce. For me, that is a no brainer.”