#TeamGuidant celebrates Pride Month: Miro’s story

By Miro Dunham, Help Desk Specialist

​To close Pride Month 2021, #TeamGuidant’s Help Desk Specialist, Miro Dunham, shares advice on encouraging open and honest LGBTQ+ conversations with fellow colleagues.

The world of work can present a mixed bag of experiences for LGBTQ+ members.
Navigating the workplace as a member of the LGBTQ+ community has been (and I’m sure will continue to be) an interesting and sometimes difficult challenge to face. As someone who identifies as transgender and gay, in previous workplaces, I have been faced with awkwardness and on occasion, blatant discomfort from colleagues and managers who were unsure of how to ‘deal with me’.

This usually raised itself in the forms of misgendering, assumptions of my feelings, and often, an avoidance of me, so that they would not have to encounter the issues they were building up.

Embracing inclusion, honesty and care at work.
My experience at Guidant Global and Impellam Group have been entirely different from what I have experienced in the past, and I am so thankful for the people I work with. I have been met with nothing but kindness and open arms, which it is so comforting to know that I have co-workers, managers and friends within the company who will always have my back and protect me if need be.

Of course, where there have been instances of slip ups, my colleagues have addressed it expeditiously, taking great care of my feelings and wishes.

A word of advice for those who may not have had to interact with members of the LGBTQ+ community at work:
Listen and learn with open arms and an open mind. Don’t be afraid to ask questions (politely)! There are also a ton of great resources out there (thank you, Google!) for more information on gender and sexual identities.

I highly recommend everyone take some time to read up on things they aren’t familiar with and become the best allies they can be.

To put it simply; we’re just like you.
We want our thoughts and feelings heard and respected, and we want to feel safe and comfortable in and outside of work.

Thank you to everyone that has been a great ally to the community!

Embrace diversity and join our inclusive team today, where work is done #ABetterWay >