Are you #OutOnLinkedIn?

Although I officially came out to family and friends when I was 22, I was never vocal about it in a professional setting. In fact, like 62% of Gen-Y graduates when they start work, I actively hid my sexuality from colleagues and clients. This created a daily level of angst similar to having your finals tomorrow morning. You constantly worry about what other people might think. You worry about every word you say, and watch your every move. It’s very hard to be your authentic self and definitely limits your professional success and productivity.

Then, in 2014, I read ex-BP CEO Lord John Browne’s book, The Glass Closet: Why Coming Out is Good Business. It was a revelation, and I had an a-ha moment. I thought “if he can do this, I can too.” Suddenly, as a leader at LinkedIn, I was in a position to help others become more comfortable with themselves. I was so inspired that I shared my reflections about it on in my first publisher post on LinkedIn.

It’s my belief that people should be able to come to work every day, and to be at their best, feel that they can be their authentic self - and not hide any piece of their lives.

As we welcome June this week, the LGBTQ+ community and its supporters are getting ready to celebrate Pride all over the globe.

It’s an incredible, positive demonstration of the freedom of diversity, and the solidarity between members and allies of the community. It’s a signal of the progress our community has made, but also an opportunity to highlight the restrictions we still face.

But for many people, the very place where they spend the majority of their waking hours is still not somewhere they feel comfortable openly identifying themselves as out. Some may feel that this would jeopardize their employment prospects, or that they would be discriminated against in the workplace.

Research shows that people who are their authentic selves at work are more satisfied, enthusiastic and proud compared to people who are not open about their personal lives. For me personally, coming out at work has enabled me to inspire others to be their authentic selves at work, and I think this transcends sexual orientation, gender, race and other differences. Even now, it can be hard to share a window into my personal life, even if I know it’s helping others; I’m still getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.

This month, LinkedIn are encouraging those who feel comfortable doing so to share their own stories of coming out at work, to help this become a more widely and openly discussed topic. We hope these experiences will help to inspire employers to make sure inclusive policies are at the top of their agenda, creating a more diverse and inclusive environment within their organisations.

Whether you’re a manager who can tell us how supporting your LGBTQ+ colleagues has impacted the culture in your workplace, an ally who wants to demonstrate their support, or a member of the community with advice for anyone looking to come out at work, we’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

Publish a post, an article or video to your LinkedIn profile explaining why you are your authentic self at work, or advice on how you create a more inclusive environment for staff — whether as a member or ally of the LGBTQ+ community.

Be sure to include the hashtag #OutOnLinkedIn.

Happy Pride!