Pink Friday 2021
Pink Friday 2021
19/11/2021
This year, *Pink Friday was done in a spectacular fashion with many of our colleagues participating in the Trivia Quiz and wearing pink. Thank you everyone for being supportive of building a LGBTQ-inclusive workplace.
A personal message from Christina Ang, Head of Culture, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
In 2021 the LGBTQ+ community continues to spotlight on visibility, unity and equality, bringing a focus on a multitude of battles this community has to face during the pandemic.
Communicating with intent to colleagues is therefore the first and most important step of our organisation’s journey towards a LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace. It sends a powerful message to all our colleagues, suppliers, clients and potential employees that we are committed! Fostering an inclusive workplace for LGBTQ is not only the right thing to do, it is a business imperative. A 2017 UNAIDS study estimated the global economic cost of LGBTI discrimination at $100 billion per year. Businesses have an important role to play in respecting and protecting human rights through fostering workplace inclusion for LGBTI people.
By showing our support in our words and actions, we show our colleagues we are embracing everyone regardless of their sexual orientation. That we will continue to strive to build a psychologically safe workplace so everyone can bring their best selves to work and contribute to their full potential. So colleagues, as a group, we can forge ahead collectively.
Thank you,
Christina
*Pink Friday Overview
Pink Friday first began in 2014 when a group of Goldman Sachs Hong Kong SAR employees wore pink Tshirts to show their support of an LGBTQ-inclusive work environment. In the following years it expanded across other divisions and offices across Asia Pacific and then into Europe. In 2019, 60 organizations in Hong Kong SAR participated in the inaugural multi-industry event, and in 2020 it expanded to 65 organizations in Asia Pacific. This event brings together companies that are passionate about diversity and have worked hard to promote inclusive work environments in Asia Pacific.
The primary objectives of the Pink Friday are:
Celebrating LGBTQ+ inclusion by making the invisible truly visible through a collective community effort to have employees in organisations from different industries to wear pink shirts on the same day
Raising corporate awareness of LGBTQ+ issues by organising events
Giving back to the community by donating to LGBTQ+ organisations