My homecoming at GE

I’ve moved around quite a bit in my life for education and vocation. And every move was like stepping out of my comfort zone, moving away from a known circle of friends and colleagues and once again coming out to a new set of people and forging new friendships with a hope to build trust and belongingness.

My last professional move in March 2020 was the hardest for a few reasons. One, I had stayed with my previous employer Capgemini for a decade where I perfectly fit into their culture and could bring my real and authentic self to work everyday. Two, I didn’t work from home and that gave me opportunity to build new relationships and meet more people at work. Three, I could connect my passion to further organization culture and contribute beyond my job description and responsibilities. Lastly, I had colleagues and managers who were inclusive and welcoming.

One cannot expect all workplaces to be welcoming and inclusive. To test waters, I proudly told Duncan Berry, erstwhile CEO of LM Wind Power during my interview about my role in lgbt+ inclusion at Capgemini. While he was appreciative of my efforts, I wasn’t sure if others in the organization would welcoming too.

From the day of induction, I was on the look out for rainbows and unicorns but working from home due to the pandemic made it impossible to meet people and experience the organization culture. In fact during the first few weeks, I reminded myself several times of the assurance given by the NA Sales head at Capgemini - “my door is open and call me if things don’t work out”.

Things took a positive and colorful turn during the pride month in 2020. My chase to spot a rainbow came to ended on a webinar where a colleague shared their lived experience. In the course of the month, I met several unicorns in the organization that gave me hope of being myself at work.

Immediately after the webinar, I reached out to the ERG lead and offered my service to further inclusion agenda at GE. My offer was readily accepted by the leadership and I was tasked to co-lead the Pride Alliance chapter for South Asia. Happily wearing the rainbow on my sleeve, I made grand plans for the year to create awareness and inclusion.

In the last year, I did over 30+ awareness session reaching over 1000 people. In the process I met so many new people and allies virtually and the fear of fitting into GE culture and going back into the closet vanished.

In a world filled with rainbow washing and tokenism that start and end with pride month, I could see GEs sustained commitment towards inclusion of LGBT+ people. The two-day annual Global Pride Symposium in May 2021 turned out to be a curtain-raiser to the pride month. It brought together employees and external speakers to share best practices and lived experiences to not only nurture the ally community but also showcase role models among LGBT+ employees.

One of the highlights of the symposium was recognition of allies and lgbt+ employees who furthered the inclusion in the organization. While I was eagerly waiting to learn and get inspired from the efforts of other people, I was left speechless when I saw my picture on the screen. It felt surreal when they read the citation and conferred me with Outreach Excellence award for the year.

While I came for a communications leader role at GE, the opportunity to co-lead Pride Alliance for South Asia and earning this recognition confirmed that I officially held gay job in addition to my day job.

May be it’s time for me to drop a note to the NA Sales head at Capgemini letting him know the leadership and culture at GE is similar to Capgemini and keeps me brimming with pride, happiness and gives me a sense of purpose and belonging.

As I celebrate my second pride at GE, it feels like homecoming. The home is where the heart is and it is also where I can be my real and authentic self.

Thank you GE, thank you Capgemini!

#GEProud #Capgemini