In this blog post, we hear from Chief Information Office, Nick Broughton, who tells the importance to him of being an ally to the LGBTQ+ community, its impact on individuals, and how we foster a supportive environment for everyone.
Understanding Allyship
Allyship refers to the active, ongoing support and advocacy of marginalised groups, including the LGBTQ+ community. It goes beyond tolerance and acceptance, emphasising the need to challenge discrimination, promote equality, and amplify voices. Being an ally means educating and understanding about issues and hot topics and taking action to create a safe and inclusive space for all, something Nick is proud to be an advocate of:
“I’m delighted to be an active ally to our LGBTQ+ community here at Novuna. It is important to me to encourage and invest in our top talent and support people in their careers, so I jumped at the chance to be the Executive Committee Sponsor of our PRISM Community.
“We spend much of our waking hours at work, so the workplace needs to be a place of safety, support and with a caring culture; be that home working, one or two days a week in the new hybrid working environment or fully on-site. At Novuna, we do have that caring culture. We care about our colleagues, and we care about our customers.”
The Impact of Allyship
When individuals feel supported and valued, they can bring their authentic selves to work, leading to a stronger sense of belonging a belief that is shared by Nick:
“For me being an active ally means opening doors for my colleagues within the PRISM group, to make sure they have a cross-business voice, and there is funding available to support their activities. From a personal education viewpoint, I aim to positively encourage other active allies across the business by ensuring that events are well publicised, attended and supported - from the top leadership tier outwards. PRISM regularly shares aspects of LGBTQ+ history and how relevant current affairs affect the group, and consequently wider society. As active allies, the more personally informed and supportive we can be, the better.
“Novuna recognises and can see the power of encouraging and supporting its diverse communities. We know that we are more successful as a business, and we grow stronger together with shared knowledge and understanding. I would encourage anyone from the LGBTQ + community to consider working at Novuna… It’s great!”
Pride Month is being celebrated through out June at Novuna with events taking place across all our sites. To find out more about PRISM and all our communities, visit the Inclusion & Wellbeing page.
- colleagues
- inclusion
- recognition
