As June 2022 draws to a close, we have been looking back at the events that took place across IMI Critical Engineering to celebrate Pride month. From inviting inspirational speakers into the office to fun-filled drag events, a lot has been happening across the business.

Ruth Grant, Divisional HR Director for IMI Critical Engineering, explained: “At IMI Critical Engineering, we’re continually working to make our workplace as inclusive and diverse as possible. As well as celebrating Pride month, we aim to make a difference throughout the year by raising awareness of the issues faced by LGBTQ+ colleagues and steps that we can all take to support them.”

An hour with Nigel Owens

Colleagues at IMI Truflo Marine had a thought-provoking afternoon attending a session with Nigel Owens. The former international rugby union referee shared his personal story about how overcame challenges to become a proud part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Chris Curtis, Head of HR for IMI Critical Engineering UK, said: “It was amazing to have Nigel Owens at IMI Truflo Marine, it was a truly fantastic event to celebrate Pride month. He shared his inspirational story and reminded us how important it is to respect each other and be proud of who we are. We must speak up when we see inappropriate behaviour or discrimination and continue to support our friends, family, and colleagues – being accepted for who we are is crucial to being the best version of ourselves.”

Sharing stories and championing allyship

Our internal communications platform has a channel dedicated to inclusion and diversity, where staff from across IMI, including our colleagues at IMI Precision Engineering and IMI Hydronic Engineering, have been sharing local initiatives and fun facts that relate to LGBTQ+ inclusion. Some of our employees in legal roles across the company have also been sharing information about LGBTQ+ rights around the world, highlighting what work has been done, but what work still needs to happen in the future to make the world truly inclusive for all.

As well as this, staff have been invited to nominate allies. An ally is someone who actively promotes and aspires to advance the culture of inclusion through intentional, positive, and conscious efforts that benefit people as a whole. This extends beyond LGTBQ+ allyship, to support all staff who might be in need and to challenge behaviours where necessary. Staff have been actively nominating allies and sharing their nominations on our internal communications platform.

Events to celebrate the month of Pride

Staff around the world have been celebrating pride in various ways, including creating rainbow-coloured thought walls where staff can add notes about what Pride means to them, starting collections for LGBTQ+ charities, and attending a drag event in Birmingham, England. Whatever the event, staff have been encouraged to celebrate our differences and think about ways that they can support colleagues now and in the future.

We’re already looking forward to next year’s events to celebrate Pride! Until then, we will continue to promote an inclusive and diverse workplace in everything that we do.