It’s time to shatter the rainbow ceiling in the workplace once and for all
The following is an excerpt from Breaking the Rainbow Ceiling: How LGBTQ+ People Can Thrive And Succeed At Work by Layla McCay, available now from Bloomsbury Business.There are currently only four out LGBTQ+ CEOs across all Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies, and just 0.8% of Fortune 500 board positions are filled by LGBTQ+ people.
This deficit, occurring across sectors and around the world, reveals a diversity gap playing out in today’s workplace: LGBTQ+ people are less likely to reach the top jobs. But what is holding LGBTQ+ people back at work–and what can be done?
Breaking the Rainbow Ceiling provides a compelling look at the challenges facing LGBTQ+ professionals as they navigate their careers – with advice from many senior figures who have smashed their own rainbow ceilings.A post shared by Layla McCay (@laylamccay)Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.More than half of the people I interviewed used exactly the same phrase about their experience of coming out at work: “It felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.”Pips Bunce explained the impact of ceasing to hide being non-binary: “It affects how I interact with people and how I am perceived –I’ve noticed before I was out, I was a lot less assertive, proud and confident.
A lot of people commented on the shift within me when I became authentic. When you’re concealing a part of your identity, you’re never entirely genuine.
