By Una Pulizzi, Global Head of Corporate Affairs, and Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data & AI at Kyndryl
The beginning of June marks the kick-off for Pride Month. Entering this season of celebration, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the parallels between our core mission at Kyndryl and the foundational work required for true LGBTQ+ allyship.
Global companies have long promoted LGBTQ+ rights. At Kyndryl, our culture and the leadership behaviors we seek to promote — a restlessness to innovate, empathy to serve and trust with transparency, and devotion to achieving shared success — compel us to commit to laying and maintaining a foundation of support for our LGBTQ+ colleagues. This is not an ancillary duty. It’s an integral part of who we are and what we strive to embody as a company.
The LGBTQ+ community has made tremendous strides worldwide in the last decades. But challenges remain. A Deloitte Global 2023 LGBT+ Inclusion @ Work Survey reveals that non-inclusive workplace behaviors continue to occur. A full 43% of LGBTQ+ employees actively avoid talking about their life experiences with their employers over concerns that their careers might be adversely impacted. On the positive side, LGBTQ+ employees also note that having allies and role models at work strongly correlates with greater comfort being themselves at work.
Simply put, the case for allyship is more necessary than ever to make a positive and tangible impact in the lives of our peers.
At Kyndryl, we are driving positive change by raising awareness — and receiving recognition along the way — by providing education, building strong communities, promoting well-being, and developing initiatives with our customers and partners to celebrate and support the LGBTQ+ community. Every ally has a unique opportunity and responsibility to make a meaningful difference by turning empathy and education into real action.
