Out on Bay Street | Follow-up with David Grisim
A follow-up conversation with David Grisim
By: Christine Wach
CW: What does being ‘out’ at work mean to you?
DG: Being ‘out’ at work means to me that I can be comfortable bringing my “whole” self to work everyday, that I can operate in the style that I am most comfortable with, and that I will be judged solely based on my performance. I’ve found it to be incredibly liberating. Being “out” means I can freely talk about my partner and our lives together as important elements of what makes me the unique person I am. This also helps me to develop stronger relationships with my colleagues and direct reports, never having to edit stories about my life outside of P&G. As with most people, coming out to me wasn’t a one-time thing, nor did it involve a grand proclamation, but is an ongoing process of having the confidence to just be myself and not worry whether someone might be judging me. My experience tells me the vast majority of the time (especially with people who matter the most), people respect me even more after I’ve come out. They feel privileged to be let into my life a bit more and they also feel more comfortable opening up with me about themselves.
CW: How comfortable can people who work in your sector feel being ‘out’ at work?
DG: I’m told by my LGBT colleagues at P&G that they feel extremely comfortable being ‘out’ at work, especially by the younger employees who grew up in a much more open and tolerant society than those of us who came to terms with our sexuality in the 1980’s or before. I’ve found the greatest barrier is usually one’s own comfort with being oneself, versus attitudes of others in the company. I was not open when I joined P&G over 13 years ago, but I learned that it was really my own issues that were keeping me from being out at work, not anything others said or did. Once I realized this, and had strong role models and mentors who supported me for who I was, I found coming out to be a surprisingly easy process. It really helps that P&G invests in Diversity Training and that employees fully embrace our Purpose, Values and Principles.
CW: Do you think there are enough corporate training programs in place in private sector educating people on how to create LGBT positive work spaces?
DG: I think P&G’s mandatory 2-day Diversity Training program is outstanding. There is a module on LGBT issues with role play exercises to ensure that employees internalize how to create an LGBT positive work environment. Managers are also measured against their ability to fully leverage the diversity of their teams. We have the resources and cultural ‘will’ to create and maintain this training. However, many of my friends and business colleagues, especially those who work in small and medium sized companies, tell me nothing like this exists at their place of work. Some of these people don’t feel comfortable being out work, expressing concerns that it could affect their ability to get promoted. Even in this current era of greater acceptance, not everyone works in companies with enlightened employees. As a result, I believe more training is required in the private sector.
CW: Procter and Gamble seems to have a very thorough Diversity training program. Could you tell us a bit about how this was created and implemented?
DG: P&G’s Diversity training has been in place for many years. It was created because diversity is embedded within P&G’s purpose, values and principles, and is necessary to take our company to the next level in a competitive business environment. We connect and develop diverse knowledge, skills and experiences into new insights that drive more creative solutions, more innovation and better choices for consumers and employees. P&G’s Diversity training program was created and implemented by P&Gers as an in-house training program. This was important, because it was developed to reflect the unique diversity within P&G, and then role modeled through its facilitation by P&G’s own leaders.
CW: Where does Procter and Gamble need to go next in terms of its diversity initiative?
DG: I believe we’re on a great path! At P&G we have an active LGBT organization, leaders rewarded based on their ability to value and leverage diversity, and an organization that has been fully trained on LGBT issues. Despite the great efforts internally, Lesbians and Gays are under-represented in our company. We’ve made great progress in our outreach efforts, with a dedicated LGBT recruiting team, LGBT recruiting events and sponsorship of Toronto’s Family Pride and Out on Bay Street. But I believe we need to do more to let people know that P&G is a company that really values diversity and that we’re an LGBT positive place to work. I hope we continue to refine and build on our diversity training, as well as make a bigger impact in the broader community.
David Grisim | About:
David Grisim is a P&G Marketing Manager, with responsibility for the Canadian Oral Care business. David joined P&G 13 years ago after completing his MBA at Rotman School of Business. His roles have included managing various beauty care categories, as well as an assignment as Global Design Marketing Manager based in NYC. David leads P&G coaching development for Canada. He was a founding member and served as president of the Fraternity gay men’s business group for 2 years, and has been an active member of P&G GABLE for 10 years. David and his partner have been together 19 fantastic years.
Out on Bay Street | About:
The name Out on Bay Street highlights Toronto’s Bay Street as the symbolic focal point of business in Canada and how the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community is working towards reshaping the way businesses operate in the marketplace by promoting change and openness.
It is organized by the students from various business schools in Toronto area. The Organizing Committee are supported by the founding members of the conference and several volunteer advisers from various backgrounds.
For more information, please visit: http://www.outonbayst.org
More conversations to come… next week Christine talks with Amy Hanen.
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