"It’s important to me that where I work is reflective of my own values and I’ve found that at Santander." (Interview)
Hi Sophie, can you please tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi, my name’s Sophie, I work for Santander UK and I attended the University of Hull where I studied Politics and International Relations.
When in university, were you out to your university friends and/or your teachers? If yes, how important was that for you?
At university, I was always out to my friends, I was heavily involved in sport and played for an amazingly inclusive team where I could be myself without fear or prejudice. University is stressful enough without the fear of hiding such a huge part of yourself, so it was really important for me to be out. I wasn’t particularly close to any lecturers, so I don’t know if they knew but if any had asked, I wouldn’t have lied.
Do you feel your university supported LGBT+ students?
Yes of course! Overall, I think Universities are really liberal environments and open to anyone being their authentic self without judgement.
Do you feel that your university prepares you of what is to come as a future professional and a member of the LGBT+ community?
I think certain aspects of university help you prepare as a future professional such as the diligence needed to write and reference an essay whilst maintaining clarity, spelling and grammar. However, in my last year of Uni I had 8 contact hours a week and now I work more than that in a day… that can be a bit of a shock!
In terms of being of a member of the LGBT+ community, I guess as I was out at university, I just stayed that way when I left, it didn’t even really cross my mind to hide that part of myself.
How optimistic are you about LGBT+ inclusion in the workplace?
At Santander? Very. We’re an incredibly inclusive bank with multiple employee support networks. I’ve had other professional jobs before I started at Santander and I was less optimistic in those roles, but it ought be a valuable lesson about the need to check future employers inclusion policies and employee-led networks. It’s important to me that where I work is reflective of my own values and I’ve found that at Santander.
Are you out in your new job? If yes, was that the case from the start?
Rightly or wrongly I think people see me and just assume that I’m gay which often means I don’t really need to come out. If someone were to ask me directly or it comes up in conversation, I would never deny it but likewise, I don’t meet new people with “Hi I’m Sophie and I’m gay”!
How did you first come out at work and to whom?
When you start the Santander Graduate scheme, you attend a weeks’ worth of events to introduce you to the scheme and each other which is when I came out. As we were all Graduates, I didn’t see this as a huge hurdle to overcome so I don’t really remember who I specifically told first!
In your opinion how linked is coming out while in university with being out in the workplace?
I’m not sure they’re too directly linked, at least not for me as I’ve always been comfortable in myself and I have an amazingly supportive family. I can see that being out at University would be a good confidence boost, if you can be out there with no negative repercussions then you can work towards being out in more and more aspects of your life.
Before applying for a job, do you check their Inclusion and Diversity policies?
I do now! Like I said I’ve had other professional jobs where I didn’t feel as comfortable in myself or supported as someone who is LGBT+, it’s something I wanted from my next employer and I found that at Santander.
Is there an LGBT+ network in your organization? If yes, are you an active member?
Yes, I’m actually on the committee
From your experience so far, do you have any advice to share with students before they go into the workplace?
Don’t take it for granted that where you work will be supportive as Uni. Research the companies you’re interested in, not just their company website but how they’ve featured in the news and on professional websites. By doing this you’ll be able to determine if they’ll be the right fit for you.
