Being out at work isn’t just good for business – it’s good for you!

By Julia Sheppard, Vice President, Commodities and Global Markets at Macquarie Group Limited

If I’d realised the full benefit of being out at work when I started in the City 20 years ago, the first half of my career may have gone very differently.

Instead, I thought that hiding this part of me was necessary to not only be accepted within the team and wider department, but also to be in with any chance of promotion.

Back then, trading floors were dominated by young white males all dressed in matching suits – and whilst I may have had the suit, that is where the similarities ended!

So I assumed that the only way to get anywhere was to be more like them. What I didn’t realise was that my differences were my strengths.

So I spent my time avoiding being drawn into chats about what I’d done at the weekend, and if I had to talk about it, ensuring I used words like ‘they’ or ‘we’ when referring to my partner. The effort was immense, and it was exhausting – not to mention isolating.

The result was never really building any close relationships with people as, looking back, I guess they didn’t feel like they ever really knew much about me outside of work.

In retrospect, this was largely driven from my direct manager at the time. I never really had an indication from them that it was okay or acceptable to be gay. I constantly looked for a sign which never came. So, my effort, which I could have been putting into my day job, was spent trying to conceal my perceived barriers to career success.

The huge change came with a change of manager. Someone who I instantly felt I could be myself with. They made it very clear that a diverse team was a strength, that I could be myself and it wouldn’t in any way affect my career. I saw them openly challenge homophobic office ‘banter’ and use inclusive language when talking to the team. I felt like this was the time to wipe the slate clean and be honest with my manager. They were fantastic, reassuring, and supportive.

This gave me the confidence over time to start to reveal my authentic self to my colleagues. The energy I once put into maintaining this work persona could now be directed into more productive channels and I began to flourish in my role. I started to create bonds with colleagues that I’d worked with for years, colleagues I’d previously hadn’t connected with on a personal level.

It is clear to me looking back that the real catalyst for change came from that one manager who made me feel it was acceptable to be myself at work – who encouraged it.

We should never underestimate the ‘tone from the top’ in an organisation and if you are a manager reading this, know that you can have a real impact on creating an inclusive culture and supporting LGBT+ individuals in the workplace!