Celebrating Pride Year-Round
In the mid-2010s, an aspiring group of less than 10 LGBTQIA+ employees and allies banded together to represent IGS Energy at the Stonewall Columbus Pride March and Festival parade. Each year, the group continued to grow, eventually blossoming into the IGS Pride Community — now about 80 members strong.
“Celebrating Pride at IGS is so meaningful because it fosters a culture of acceptance, respect, and representation throughout the company and shows how much we value inclusivity and diversity,” said Nadia Zahran, HR compensation partner and current leader of IGS Pride, one of seven IGS Energy Communities.
An Important Resource for IGS-ers
The IGS Pride Community has three main goals: to offer a safe space for connection and belonging, serve as an educational resource for members, and share with the company about issues and topics relevant to the Community. “In addition to providing employee morale and engagement benefits, celebrating IGS Pride also has external benefits, such as standing out as a company that truly cares about our employees and customers, and not only accepts but celebrates our differences,” Zahran said.
After launching IGS Energy’s Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion (DEBI) commitment in 2021, the Social Impact team heeded the call for IGS Pride to become an official IGS Community. “The folks who had started as the Pride parade group said, ‘This is what we've been wanting for years,’” shared Lorena Gonzalez, Social Impact specialist. “And the Pride parade that Social Impact helped coordinate is now coordinated by the IGS Pride Community.”
“I want to give a huge thanks to the Social Impact team because we've only had the Pride Community for a few years,” said Norm Hall, senior HR business partner and member of IGS Pride. “Social impact’s been leading the way. And even continuing now, we wouldn't be where we are without them.”
Commemorating Pride Perennially, Nationally
From the annual parade and festival to the new balloons in the Columbus office lobby, Hall loves it all. And while the Community especially shares his excitement during Pride Month, the group stays engaged year-round with celebrations, support, and resources.
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As part of her vision for IGS Pride, Zahran said one of her main passions is expanding the Community’s participation with members across the U.S. In addition to continuing their educational Lunch & Learn sessions with Community leaders and activists, she’s piloting a monthly Pride Support Group to discuss any issues affecting their Community and organizing social activities.
Zahran plans to pump up participation wherever the Community can: from nationwide, in-person meetups, to IGS Energy's Viva Engage social network, to their new Spotify Playlist, sharing photos and events. “This will foster a culture of connectedness, even while we’re all spread out across the country!” Zahran said.
While IGS Pride provides a place of celebration, they also offer a valuable support structure during harder times. Hall said the Community held a session after the 2022 mass shooting in Colorado, and last November, they met to discuss how to deal with what it means to be a member of the LGBTQIA+ community entering the holiday season when family, friends, and situations may not be accepting.
Creating Space to Be Yourself
Establishing IGS Communities has been a boon to DEBI initiatives since their inception. “The Communities play a huge part in increasing inclusion and feeling a sense of belonging,” Gonzalez said. “With the support we have from the leaders and everything to make this happen, I think it's what allows us to have these groups of people that can actually feel like they can bring their authentic selves to work.”
According to our 2023 Engagement Survey, 96 percent of employees reported, “People care about each other here,” while 95 percent of employees reported: “The IGS Energy Executive Team is creating an inclusive culture for all employees. IGS Energy provides me with the resources to learn about diversity and inclusion.” This is up 4 percent from the prior year with efforts from Communities like IGS Pride playing a critical role.
And Zahran said IGS Community leaders are hoping to further increase DEBI’s drive by banding together in a forthcoming partnership — planning group Community events to educate the company on IGS Communities and opportunities to get involved. “We’ve talked about the intersectionality of our groups and how employees could be a member of multiple groups and identify in multiple different ways,” Zahran said.
IGS Pride spans a broad spectrum of employees and allies. And with all they’re accomplishing for their Community and the company, their prismatic light shines bright.