Pride Month 2024: Queer employees and their experiences!
June not only marks the start of summer, but is also a very special month for human rights and equality for the Lgbtqia+ community. Pride month is celebrated colourfully every year. With lots of glitter, colours, parades and a lot of love.
In everyday life, some people might think, why do we still need to celebrate this in such a big way these days? People are people and love is love, there should be nothing wrong with that. We agree, but unfortunately the discrimination against these people continues to this day. There are still countries in which same-sex love is considered a criminal offence. Even in Germany, many queer people still experience discrimination in everyday life.
Not being able to be yourself at work in particular, for fear of negative consequences for your employment or bullying at work, can be a huge psychological burden. At the Alpha-Consult Group, it is therefore all the more important to us that nobody has to hide.
Two of our queer employees tell us about their experiences in the working world as part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Rainer Zimmermann is the branch manager of Alpha-Med in Cologne. He tells us how he experienced this kind of discrimination himself during a previous recruitment. ‘Many years ago, when I started in central nursing, my colleague at the time was supposed to take me to customer appointments and told the customers in advance that he now had to come with the gay guy. Well, the customers were probably a bit more open than him, they didn’t care. This experience showed me that it’s always worth standing up for yourself and not pretending. Why should you? Now more than ever!’
The experience at Alpha-Med doesn’t come close to this, however. ‘At Alpha-Med, I feel that I have arrived and am accepted as a person, with my quirks and edges and not reduced to my sexuality. I feel comfortable.’
Rana Özsoy is a Social Media Manager from the marketing team in Cologne. Fortunately, she hasn’t had any negative experiences in her working environment, but she was afraid of coming out at work. ‘I only came out in private a few years ago, so I was nervous about mentioning at work that I was bi. I was all the happier when I realised that everyone is accepted for who they are. I quickly realised that I didn’t have to pretend at the Alpha-Consult Group.’
We are happy that our employees can feel comfortable with us regardless of their sexuality. Because at the end of the day, humanity is the most important thing. Mr Zimmermann’s and Ms Özsoy’s advice to all current and future employees at the Alpha-Consult Group: ‘Stay as you are, don’t pretend and stand up for yourself.’
We can only emphasise these words.
