FreeWheel's Mike Munley on the Impact of LGBTQ+ Groups Within Companies

Mike why are you excited to be the new executive sponsor of FreeWheel PrideBecause I know from my own experiences that groups such as FreeWheel Pride can positively affect anyone early in their career who is unsure of how to navigate being LGBTQ in the corporate worldThe last time I worked for a company with an ERG was early in my career at the start of the 2010s At the time I was deep into my own personal journey of coming out and while I knew full well of the existence of the LGBTQ ERG I was scared to join the group or even attend an event I thought quotWhat would be the impact to my career if I were a visible member of the communityquot quotHow would my peers or management reactquot quotDo I really need to make my sexual orientation known to anyone at workquot I had no indications that the experience would be a negative one but my fear of the unknown took overAs it turned out my fear was entirely misguided After all my company created the ERG as a way of indicating its support for people like me I missed an opportunity to use the ERG to become more confident in who I was and even to advance my career Worst of all I now see I lacked what so many other people in this community have demonstrated time and time again over the years courage Talk about a jarring disconnect between selfperception and realityI used what I came to realize to chart my own path of becoming a more visible member of the community At Beeswax while we weren39t large enough to have anything like an ERG we threw a heck of a good Pride party But after the acquisition of Beeswax by Comcast I was determined to become active in FreeWheel Pride I wanted to build on my network of LGBTQ professionals and our allies make an impact through volunteering and frankly have some funLo and behold when I was offered the chance to help steer FreeWheel Pride39s future success even though I had no experience with an ERG I drummed up that courage and jumped at the chanceHow do you feel supported at FreeWheel as a member of the LGBTQ communityI feel supported most strongly by the individuals who are FreeWheel Pride This organization has existed for five years and was fostered under the leadership of Connor Hays and Krystin Arrigo They deserve major kudos for having the courage to not just join an organization but to start one And extra special thanks to the current Executive Sponsor Mike Lawlor for his allyship and support of my transition into this roleIn 2021 they along with another one of our leads Justin Boykin ran a very wellreceived virtual Pride Month in June replete with a movie night a quotPride Jeopardyquot competition and my first FreeWheel Pride event a lovely cocktailmaking class I think employees will be seeing this again The efforts of these wonderful people greatly enhanced my initial months at FreeWheel and brightened many others39 spirits as wellWhat39s in store for FreeWheel Pride in 2022As is natural after these last two insane years it has become clear that FreeWheel Pride is in a state of transition going into 2022 Some of our original leaders have moved on to other companies while others have grown into more demanding roles that command more of their time Meanwhile FreeWheel has welcomed many newbies or quotnewbeesquot as we called them at Beeswax like me who are ready to give their time and talentsAs we look to the new year our current leaders are looking to the greater Comcast Advertising LGBTQ community and our allies for renewed participation and leadership in FreeWheel Pride We need new perspectives and energy to ensure this organization continues to thriveWe are looking forward to the eventual return of inperson events While Pride in June is undoubtedly our high season we are also looking to have consistent programming throughout the year We have begun to engage the broader Comcast Advertising organization to increase both the size of our network and our impact And with allyship as a focus for Comcast we39ll be leaning into our Ally Network for compelling new programming and initiativesDo you have any advice for teams who want to make sure they are providing a safe space for LGBTQ employeesIf my experiences have taught me anything it39s that great things often begin with small individual actions If you39re LGBTQ or an ally and your workplace already has any kind of ERG or employee special interest group ask its leaders for advice and contacts If there is no such organization find a friendly colleague in HR or an equivalent department and ask for support to organize and promote an introductory exploratory meeting Then invite any interested teammates LGBTQ and otherwise to attendIn other words jump in and make waves The water39s fine And to those allies who don39t identify as LGBTQ remember that you don39t need to be to belong Every ERG at Comcast like FreeWheel Pride is open to allClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet

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FreeWheel's Mike Munley on the Impact of LGBTQ+ Groups Within Companies

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