Pride Month at WPR

WPR marked Pride month 2023 with a series of activities designed to champion belonging for the agency’s LGBTQ+ colleagues, who together form 16% of the current team. 

Led by the agency’s 17-strong DEI committee, Pride celebrations included gender identity and diversity training with Mermaids – a charity dedicated to helping gender diverse children, young people and their families since 1995. The session covered a broad spectrum of topics including language, terminology and how to step up as allies.

Pride month also saw the introduction of pronouns on email signatures and a commitment to create unisex toilets by the end of the year, as part of an office refurbishment plan.

To increase visibility of important themes, the agency purchased artwork by LGBTQ+ artists, which is now displayed around the office.

Rebecca Williams, people and planning director, said: “We want the WPR team to feel able to be their authentic selves.

“It is essential that people feel respected and valued within the workplace. So, the more we can do cultivate understanding across the team, demonstrate our support, and recognise the unique contribution everyone makes, the better.”

The month has also seen one WPR team member, Amelia Woodward, pass her level 2 certificate in LGBTQIA+ Inclusion in the Workplace.

Passionate about the subject, Amelia’s qualification has allowed her to develop her knowledge of language, stereotyping and assumptions relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people in the workplace, LGBTQIA+ history and culture, organisational policies and legislation that affects LGBTQIA+ people at work, and how to promote inclusion in the workplace; giving her valuable insight that she is now proactively sharing with the DEI committee and wider agency.

Last year, WPR undertook a diversity, equity and inclusion audit to better understand the team’s characteristics and develop a benchmark against which future progress can be measured.

Armed with the knowledge that the agency over-indexes for several groups, including the LGBTQ+ community, WPR has been taking action to champion those groups, while also creating a roadmap to address the groups that are under-represented.