Making the future a place for everyone
Pride Month means many things. Things we want to embrace, honor and actively stand by here at Magnopus. Something we decided flying a rainbow flag on social media for a month simply couldn’t do.
Pride is a celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community all over the world, a commemoration of the battle for acceptance, and a reminder that the fight for equality and inclusion goes on.
Yet, when it comes to the workplace, even something this big can be reduced to a box-checking exercise. While going all out to make a point can end up being disingenuous.
Being the change we want to see
This dilemma got us talking about how we could best show our genuine support for Pride and everything it stands for without falling into either of those categories. To show the LGBTQAI+ community we’re with them in spirit and in action, and tell the world we’re proud to be Pride allies.
So we took it straight to our people, asking how they show up as an ally in the workplace — and ways that we can all work together to better support colleagues who identify as LGBTQIA+.
The responses included things like “respect pronouns”, “celebrate diversity”, “be respectful”, “correct misgendering”, “listen with compassion when someone shares their story”, “accept everyone equally”, and “model the behavior you want to see”, “hire more queer people in general”, “call people out who use the wrong pronouns”, “using words that are more inclusive of a group rather than being masculine or feminine”, “getting to know each other better”, “celebrate different cultures and identifies in a non-performative way”, and “be a good human”.
Then it occurred to us. This dialogue within our organization was in itself something meaningful. Combined with the fact that everything we do and the way we do it is driven by guiding principles that promote inclusion, acceptance, and equality — and we realized we are doing the most powerful thing of all.
We’re trying to be the change we want to see in the world. Every day. Wherever we are. And we are open to learning more, and doing better.
Creating a culture of kindness
At Magnopus, our business might be built on tech. But it’s made by people, for people. And it’s always been that way. At a corporate level, being people-focused is complicated. But at a human level, we’ve discovered that it’s really quite simple.
It’s about being kind. Creating a community where everyone feels welcome, and truly part of who we are and all that we do. A safe place for people to be their authentic selves, every day. A place where diversity is celebrated and deeply valued, knowing that every strand of individuality goes into making our organization the vibrant tapestry of personalities, skills, and talent it is.
This thinking has become deeply embedded in our culture. The way we think and act. No matter where we work, what we do, and at what level. For a better workplace, and a better world outside our walls.
It starts with being a good human.
Being helpful to anyone who needs it. Having compassion and empathy for each other and the people we work with, and encouraging them to do great things. It’s striving for good, not searching for glory — going further together, not faster alone.
It’s about being respectful.
Of everything from ethnic origin, gender, gender identity, to ability, disability, religion, beliefs, age, and sexual orientation. And knowing that we don’t always know what someone’s going through, and what their journey is, but that we can always listen and learn.
It’s celebrating our differences.
Embracing diversity with enthusiasm and joy, and accepting everyone equally in the process. But without cultural or identity assumptions, which can end up excluding people. It means including people who are part of those communities in the process, so we celebrate respectfully as genuine allies.
It’s about being an ally.
Speaking up against anything that’s exclusive of anyone, using people-specific pronouns, encouraging others to do the same — and reminding others who don’t, that they should. It means supporting each other to make the world a better place, especially for those in the LGBTQIA+ community.
We’re proud to be an organization where these things are the norm, and we want to keep doing more. But we know it’s not like that everywhere. For people who identify as LGBTQIA+, the fight for equality isn’t over. So it’s even more important that we all keep being the change we want to see.
Building a place for everyone
At Magnopus, we work hard to unite physical and digital worlds, working together to build the future — the metaverse. But technology is only one part of it. People will always be at the heart of whatever comes next. The experience will be defined by the way we think and act. Everything that matters in the real world today, will matter there too.
It’s true. There are so many unknowns in the work we do. But when it comes to building the future, you can be sure of one thing: ours will be a place where everyone is welcome.
