#OneLennor's Pride: Celebrating People, Enriching Culture

Written by Trixia Policarpio?

Working in an inclusive setting is a pleasant experience. The simple logic behind this is that inclusion allows everyone to be heard and considered, which boosts productivity and creates exceptional performance. According to a Gartner report, employees who work in diverse and inclusive cultures thrive, revealing a 12% increase in performance.?

The essence of inclusion, however, carries a deeper and bigger significance: it accepts you as a human with equal rights and freedom and prevents all forms of prejudice. This promotes a healthy environment that fosters respect, acceptance, and support across all social dimensions, such as color, gender, sexual orientation, age, education, socioeconomic backgrounds, personalities, and interests.?

As workplace prejudice continues to be pervasive, it is high time that inclusiveness be promoted more within businesses and large firms. 70% of respondents to Ten Spot's survey reported experiencing discrimination or hostile behavior in the workplace. In addition, this rises to 86% among the younger working generation Z. For many years, job seekers around the world have faced numerous difficulties in the workplace, including sex discrimination. For instance, in the United States, research shows that 4 in 10 working women, or 42%, have experienced gender-based discrimination in their job. Minorities, mostly women and LGBTQ members, are always subjected to various forms of discrimination, such as unfair firing, verbal, physical, and sexual abuse, and unsafe and inaccessible comfort rooms and other necessities.

Lennor Group sees this issue and intends to change the way workplaces have been for their employees. We pride ourselves on being an inclusive organization and providing safe spaces for our employees. We have over 20 employees, each with their own background and uniqueness, who are all welcomed into the #OneLennor family.?

Last Wednesday, July 13, 2022, the Lennor Group hosted a virtual event called "Happy Hour with Pride" for its employees. This event served as the company's official celebration of Pride Month and its appreciation of LGBTQ+ members and allies.?

Pride Month is an entire month devoted to promoting LGBTQ voices, celebrating LGBTQ culture, and advocating for LGBTQ rights. Throughout the month of June, there are the widely held traditional activities of parades, rallies, drag performances, live theater, memorials, and celebrations of life for HIV/AIDS-related deaths. Pride Month is a time of empowerment for all people, and it is noted for combining political activism with a celebration of the LGBTQ community's achievements over the years.

The exciting and engaging company event initiative included a trivia game, virtual bingo, an online show, and a team presentation of their DIY projects, showcasing their inner pride. All attendees are welcome to participate in the Kahoot! game. They only had to answer 15 trivia questions, and the highest score was named the victor. Questions ranged from the quirky ones, such as the definitions of commonly used social media terms, to the serious and educational, such as facts about Pride Month. Rikki Dalisay, the company’s Marketing Specialist, won the game and received awesome prizes!?

On the other hand, all attendees participated in the virtual bingo game. Similar to how it is usually played, each player received their own cards. But there's a twist! Instead of numbers, the playing cards included LGBTQ-related terms and phrases. These were included in random clips that flashed on the screen, and the first participant to mark all the needed patterns on the card had to yell "PRIDE!" In this very competitive game, Nadine Esplana, a Creative Intern; Andre Ventura, the organization’s Group Marketing Lead; and Azel Hernandez, a Store Specialist; came out on top.

Everyone in #OneLennor is creative and possesses diverse talents. In the last segment of the virtual event, each participant presented the do-it-yourself project they had prepared in advance. It can be anything tangible, such as a painting, a calligraphy piece, a wallet design, or a T-shirt, as long as it was handcrafted by the member. Everyone showed fascinating and remarkable projects. However, for this game, Creative Intern Nadine Esplana once again won the game, along with JC Talastas, another of Lennor Group’s Store Specialists, with their Pride Rice and Watercolor Art. They were selected as the most creative, artistic, and resourceful members!

To make the event even more engaging, the People and Culture team produced a series of drag lip-synching intermission numbers made by JC Janairo, a Content Creator Intern from the Marketing team. Additionally, food is certainly always a great complement to a fun occasion. The company sent out delicious food and snacks to all of its employees, right in the comfort of their homes.

With jaw-dropping intermission numbers, entertaining games, and comfort foods at home, the event is a complete-package that brings #OneLennor closer together in the best way possible! Truly, there is no other company like the Lennor Group, as it ensures that everyone is seen, heard, and celebrated, even in the smallest acts!