The Gifts of the LGBTQ+ Employee Journey

Imagine Belonging at Work

Why build spaces of belonging at work? After all, your company is likely investing in technology products to reduce overhead and increase returns. It’s investing in new products and services to increase market share. It’s also likely investing in advertising to increase brand awareness and positioning. In short, you invest in building belonging at work, because the people working at your company are at the end of the day, your greatest asset.

Tragically, most of the people working in U.S.-based companies (64%) experience “non-belonging,” and suffer from what the current U.S. Surgeon General labels an “Epidemic of Loneliness.” Left unchecked, this form of exclusion comes at an annual price tag of $1.05 trillion dollars due to lost productivity, high turnover, and employee disengagement. This is a problem that is especially vexing for LGBTQ+ employees, and a spirited commitment to building belonging at work can help solve.

So what will it take to build this kind of culture and prioritize the people in your business & innovation strategy? It starts with creating a shared foundation of psychological safety and trust, particularly for those within your organization most likely to experience the sting of social exclusion. These foundational prerequisites for building belonging are necessary to ensure that more of our workforce experiences the coveted emotional outcome of belonging.

It’s for this reason I sat down with Natalie Le. Natalie knows what it takes to benefit from a workplace prioritizing building spaces of belonging at work for their LGBTQ+ employees. Natalie currently serves as the Growth & Development Director at Northwestern Mutual in San Jose. As a dedicated leader, Natalie is a strong advocate for multicultural and LGBTQ+ communities within the corporate sphere.

Recently, Natalie was a featured speaker at the 2024 Multicultural Affinity Summit, where she participated in the "Playing Bigger & Multiplying Impact" Leadership Panel. Alongside two other successful LGBTQ+ leaders, she shared her personal experiences and challenges, inspiring attendees to amplify their local impact and gain effective tools and language for advocacy. Natalie's commitment to inclusion and development continues to uplift and empower those around her.

This interview was designed to support people like you - visionary leaders, and those on their way to joining us. Savor this insightful talk, and if you’re looking for more ways to connect with inspiring leaders like Natalie, be sure to join our Belonging Membership Community - a community of practice committed to putting our values of belonging, community, and collaboration into action. Members have the unique opportunity to connect with guests like Natalie for 1:1 laser coaching sessions.

Imagine belonging with fellow visionary leaders when you join the Belonging Movement Newsletter: www.rhodesperry.com/subscribe.

For LGBTQ+ friendly financial planning services, get in touch with Natalie at: https://www.northwesternmutual.com/financial/advisor/natalie-le/