Why Reckitt is a Great Employer for LGBTQ+ People

Lisa Cowling reveals 5 reasons why she thinks Reckitt is a great employer.

Hello, I’m Lisa Cowling, my pronouns are she/her, I’m on the R&D graduate programme at Reckitt, and I’m queer. My current role is R&D Operations Associate for Dettol EU, and I’m about to move into a new role as an R&D Associate for Front End Innovation for Intimate Wellness. I am driven by the belief that people are people, and deserve equality, respect and freedom to be themselves, always. This makes me proudly a feminist. Alongside my “day job” I’m also the co-lead for Reckitt’s LGBTQ+ ERG in the UK.

I’m going to share some of the key reasons Reckitt is great as an employer, particularly for LGBTQ+ people.

1. Freedom to bring your whole self to work

That’s the first reason I’d recommend exploring Reckitt as an employer. We encourage everyone to be themselves and be proud of whoever they are. We’re building a culture of authentic inclusion that celebrates diversity. We recognize that there’s still work to be done (and realistically, there always will be) but we’re committed to making Reckitt a place that’s safe, welcoming and supportive.

2. An active LGBTQ+ ERG

Before I started at Reckitt, I had no idea what an ERG was, so to explain a little bit, an ERG is an Employee Resource Group, but what that really means for us is a place where we centre the conversation on LGBTQ+ people, issues and joy. We share information and host events to inform, empower and celebrate LGBTQ+ people, and involve allies across the organization in the conversation. I am so proud to be leading our ERG to make real change for LGBTQ+ people at Reckitt. I feel empowered and supported, and it’s not always easy but it’s so incredibly worth it. 

3. Real equality for LGBTQ+ parents

This might not have crossed your mind, but it was one of the first things I noticed when I googled Reckitt. I previously worked in an HR role in the charity sector, and I know how rare it is to find equity in parental leave for LGBTQ+ staff. Seeing that Reckitt offer the same leave, pay and shared parental benefits, regardless of how colleagues become parents meant a lot to me. If you, like me, are a future LGBTQ+ parent, or are planning to adopt, it’s a big deal.

4. Touch brands with real, global impact

At Reckitt, we work on some powerful brands with incredible heritage. I’ve been lucky enough to work on Dettol, Strepsils, Mucinex, and I’m about to start working with the Intimate Wellness portfolio, including Durex. We move fast, and yes, sometimes that’s hard, but It’s always rewarding. This means that we’re evolving into new spaces, putting better products, more responsible packaging and creative solutions into consumers hands, globally. As part of that, we’re empowered to lead innovative projects and take ownership of change right from the start.

5. Our compass and #FreedomtoSucceed

I found the transition from the charity sector to the private sector hard because I found it hard to change my mindset from one of scarcity to one of “abundance” – by which I mean, we have more resources available to us in Reckitt, and also different priorities. That being said, while we’re a for-profit organization, we’re lead by our compass, which is a set of principles, in the middle of these is “Do the right thing. Always.”. With that in mind, we’re empowered to do the right thing for people, to do the right thing for our planet, and to make access to high quality health, hygiene and nutrition a right and not a privilege. Sometimes, it really helps to re-centre our conversations in Reckitt around what our core purpose is, and it’s a great framework when we’re making tough decisions. We have the tools to make an incredible global impact.