CONOR BREEN, the Global Lead for the LGBTQIA+ and Allies Network at AMS explains how the network has widened its reach and helped foster a sense of belonging.
Conor Breen is the Global Lead for the LGBTQIA+ and Allies network at AMS, a role he took on last year. The network supports employees based in America, Europe, Asia as well as in the UK and Ireland. He says he became involved because he “wanted to create opportunities for people to be themselves and bring their full selves to everything they do.”
One of his key aspirations as Global Lead is to elevate some of the sub communities within the network. He says, “We have a great representation of core communities particularly gay men but I wanted to increase the visibility of Trans people, Intersex and Lesbians who are still marginalised.” The network has focused on hosting bespoke events for these communities to ensure they have had a space to connect and talk openly about some of the issues they face. Conor says, “We invited Switchboard, a leading LGBTQ charity to speak at a Lesbian event and during Pride Month, we also hosted a discussion between UK Trans activist, Max Siegel, and our Global Head of People, Nikki Hall, on navigating misconceptions about Trans people. “
Conor says that he is committed to supporting under-represented voices globally. A powerful example he shares is in Poland where the company has a strong footprint. He says “ the country has a difficult relationship with the LGBT community and so it is really important to use resources to allow colleagues there to speak, particularly when they feel marginalised. We have specific champions and ambassadors for Poland, with two of our regional leads based in the country. We also make sure to host events that cater for the needs of our community within Poland.”
The network has been involved in delivering the Global Trans policy for AMS which supports managers who have team members transitioning, to understand the guidelines and the resources available. Conor says that they update the policy every year to ensure it remains relevant, adding, “we advocate for strong visibility of lived experience and integrate this into the policy where we can. We were devoted to making sure that we produced a document that could be used firm-wide to reassure our Trans community of our support, whilst also providing managers, team members, and colleagues resources and facts to help them better support and understand their Trans colleagues.“
Intersectional work is integral to the network’s strategy and is something they are doing more of. Conor says that during Pride month and other key annual events, they have ensured a wide representation of diverse voices in panel discussions and internal conversations.
Conor explains that networks have evolved and gathered momentum over the past few years and there has been a steady increase in people joining and becoming more active within them. “ They are very much part of the landscape, and we are lucky to have dedicated resources and a central EDI team supporting them ” he says. In a few cases such as his, roles for Global Leads have been newly created. Conor says “ I am proud of getting the network going internationally and of some of the processes I have set up ”. He adds that alongside the networks, there is also a big drive to create focus groups and niche communities to ensure they have a presence in the company.
He believes that networks are more important than ever as the nature of the workplace has changed over the past decade. He says that employees are increasingly placing more value on feeling welcome in the workplace and networks help to provide a space to nurture that. This has been reflected in the company’s bi-annual survey which has shown an improvement in employees’ sense of belonging. He says: “ People imbue their work with energy from their network and if they feel part of a community, they will feel committed to delivering something greater in their work-life too ” . He adds, “ the impact is wide reaching, not just in terms of performance and productivity but mental and physical health too.”
Conor hopes that networks such as his will empower people to bring the best version of themselves to work. He says, “ It is incumbent on all of us to create and support spaces that allow us to be ourselves and connect with others with similar lived experiences.”
