There are too many examples, both worldwide and in the UK, where the conversations around LGBTQIA+ rights seems to be moving backwards instead of forwards.

Progress previously felt secure, but is increasingly being challenged in a febrile social, political and cultural context. After Pride month celebrations, it is also a reminder that equality is not inevitable, and must be continuously protected, reinforced and encouraged.

From a business perspective, there are uncomfortable but necessary questions to be asked: what role are we playing in sustaining equality? Workplaces are not separate from these dynamics, and can either reflect the status quo, or work towards making progress.

True inclusion, not just acceptance

Progress can often be measured in terms of acceptance, or a list of policies, awareness campaigns or statements. While these are important, the picture is broader, and the true test is whether people feel able to be themselves without compromise or hesitation in their environment. 

Establishing that environment needs intention at the heart of it, but also requires consistency, accountability, and a willingness to listen, even to uncomfortable conversations. Individuals need to see themselves reflected in leadership, ensuring a workplace is somewhere everyone feels seen, heard and able to succeed as themselves.

We’ve worked to embed inclusion in everything we do at HaysMac, and it shapes our recruitment, day-to-day team dynamics, and opportunity. When you look at the wider UK landscape, the context is more complex. Research from Stonewall shows that almost 40% of LGBTQ+ employees still say they feel the need to hide their identity at work.

It’s a striking statistic that reflects a lack of visibility, but also the reality of the gap between visibility and lived experience. A business can parade a catalogue of awareness campaigns, but if employees do not feel empowered to be themselves, then the meaning of the campaign and policy is lost. Inclusion is not defined by what is visible from the outside, but how people feel, and whether they believe they can truly belong.

Greater commitment from professional services

This is a defining issue for professional services firms. Corporate commitments continue to be made, but this contrasts with the reality where many LGBTQ+ individuals do not feel fully able to be themselves at work.

This impacts each day: decisions about how open to be, how much to share, and where being authentic could present professional challenges.

This matters when the whole profession is built on trust, relationships and judgment, and having to hold back at a personal level affects confidence, collaboration and ultimately, performance.

Progression is impacted as well, and one of the most persistent challenges in professional services is the lack of diversity at senior levels. When representation at higher levels is limited, individuals are not presented with the same evidence of a path forward, and don’t have the same feeling of belonging, or believing that progression is truly equitable, and fundamentally possible.

As part of our efforts in this vein, we’ve worked with FAIRER to revitalise our DEI strategy, ensuring that there is space to listen, challenge assumptions, and better understand the lived experiences of those throughout HaysMac.

This process provides far greater clarity and has sharpened the internal understanding of where progress is being made, and where further progress is needed.

Inclusion cannot be defined once and then left unchanging. Instead, it must be continually tested, shaped and strengthened to evolving needs and expectations. That’s why we continue to work with FAIRER, delivering a programme of workshops for our leaders and staff to embed inclusive behaviours across the firm. Crucially, this work has not stopped at the point of audit but continues to evolve and embed across the firm.

Personal perspective

From a personal standpoint, as a queer, Black man from South Africa, living and working in corporate Britain, there was a time when I would walk into work and quietly decide which parts of myself were allowed in the room.

Today, I walk into work as my whole self. The full version. The loud laugh, the strong opinions, the pride in where I come from, the unapologetic queerness - all of it. Being able to show up this way is not just about confidence. It is also about the environment you’re in, and I have been genuinely lucky.

The leaders I work with at HaysMac have shown me, not just told me, that who I am is not a problem to manage. They show up with openness, make space for real conversations, and lead with humanity first, and that trickles down in ways that actually change how people feel at work. That is not something I take lightly, because not everyone in professional services gets to say that.

Leaving a lasting impact

Pride month reminds us that visibility matters, but beyond visibility, consistency is what truly defines progress. The next challenge is to step beyond those moments of visibility to everyday experience in order to create workplaces where inclusion is felt throughout all aspects of an organisation.

By getting that balance right, we leave an impact far beyond our own organisations, creating workplaces where no one has to choose between their personal identity and professional progression. Moving beyond intention to responsibility, we can turn inclusion into something tangible and consistent.

About the author

Thabiso Matsau CA (SA) (pictured running the London Marathon) is senior learning & development manager & chair of the DEI committee at HaysMac