Leveraging Partnerships to Drive LGBTA Inclusion Erica Fessia, David Whittaker, Erica Worthington

Agenda

•  Introductions •  Qualcomm’s D&I strategy •  Transgender benefits: why it’s important •  Ally program: calling all allies •  Future work: business resource groups

Introductions

Erica Fessia Director, Global Inclusion & Diversity

David Whittaker President, eQuality Employee Network

Erica Worthington Champion & Partner, Transgender Education at Qualcomm

From social groups to employee networks

•  Email lists for sharing •  QClubs for socializing •  Employee Networks for

affiliation •  Collaboration of

Employee Networks+ for advocacy and impact

Our D&I engagement strategy Core Team Partner Champion Advocate The core team sets strategy, liaises with partners and provides resources

" Set overall strategy with D&I Council

" Initiate core programming " Develop and deliver toolkits " Provide budget support " Offer consultation

An employee whose job includes a role in implementation

" Shares responsibility for the execution of D&I strategies

" Provides feedback and input to D&I strategies

" Cascades messaging " Rolls out programming &

initiatives

An employee who plays an active role outside of regular job responsibilities

" Actively fosters a culture of inclusion & diversity

" Engaged in the execution of the D&I strategies

" Executive sponsorship " Employee Network

leadership

An employee who supports and promotes programming and messaging

" A voice for inclusion & diversity initiatives

" Active participant in programming

" Involved in Employee Networks

Our D&I framework

Internal Culture

Talent Development

External Outreach

Talent Acquisition

Policy & Regulatory Requirements

Disrupt unconscious bias

Women’s leadership programs

Thinkabit Lab & FIRST programming

University and conference

participation

Transgender benefits: Why this is important for inclusion

Inclusion in the workplace: the “why”

•  Balance between sense of belonging and uniqueness •  Employees can be honest and open about who they are •  Mutual respect & understanding •  Open communication •  All bring their whole, authentic selves to the workplace •  Loyalty, cooperation, trust

Bottom line: inclusive teams result in more innovation, productivity, and efficiency, and fewer missed workdays.

Levels of inclusion Uniqueness Valued (perspective, knowledge, information)

Belonging

Exclusion -  Not treated as an insider -  Not valued for uniqueness

Assimilation - conformity -  Treated as an insider -  Not valued for uniqueness

Differentiation -  Not treated as an insider -  Uniqueness (creativity) is

valued by the organization

Inclusion -  Treated as an insider -  Uniqueness is valued

by the organization

Adapted from “Inclusion and Diversity in Work Groups: A Review and Model for Future Research”, Shore, Randel, Chung, Dean, Holcombe, Ehrhart, Singh SDSU, 7/2011

Obstacles to inclusion in the workplace

•  Transfolk are often harassed or fired, and a majority attempt to avoid discrimination by hiding who they are or by delaying gender transition

•  Some transfolk leave jobs to transition •  >50% report being harassed at work •  26% lost their job because they were transgender/GNC •  45% repeatedly referred to by wrong pronoun •  22% denied access to appropriate bathrooms •  20% removed from client contact

Percentages are even higher for people of color

From Eric to Erica: my story

•  1961 – 2007 “big hetero dude” ElecEngr, MBA, Patent Atty

•  Everything’s great, so why was I so unhappy?

•  2008 – Got involved with QCOM LGBT group

•  2009 – Began crossdressing and exploring femininity

The “in-between” time

Androgynous - confusing to many, and to me too Oct 2011 Mar 2012 Dec 2011

13 hours of facial feminization surgery

Cheek implants

Upper & lower blepharoplasty

Scalp advancement

Chin re-contour

Nose job & deviated septum fix

Trachea shave

Face lift, neck lift

Brow bone re-contour

Hair transplants (Dec)

April 2012

The hard costs of happiness

–  Facial Feminization Surgery $35k –  Electrolysis (700+ hours) $35k –  Hair transplant surgery $12k –  Body hair removal (several years) $10k –  Breast Augmentation ~$7k

Total ~$100,000 (!)

Result: A very happy

ERICA

In 2015, Qualcomm started covering TG healthcare

•  Mental health counseling

•  Hormone replacement therapy

•  Not much else at the time

•  Psychotherapy •  Hormone replacement therapy •  Surgery to change the genitalia and

specified secondary sex characteristics –  Reduction of the Adam's Apple –  Bilateral mastectomy

•  Augmentation mammoplasty •  Limited to $75,000 max benefit (typical)

2012 Now

Still needed: facial feminization surgery and hair transplantation

Lessons learned

•  Open communication – being open to explaining things that many are oblivious about

•  Working closely with HR/EAP •  Making myself available as a

trans resource in the company •  Giving a heads-up to coworkers

with guidance on how to transition along with me

•  A couple people needed to be told after 1-2 years to use my new name and the correct pronouns

•  I should have addressed unconscious bias head-on

What went well What could have been better

Lessons learned about transfolk

•  Transgender, like LGB, is NOT a choice •  Gender identity and sexual orientation are independent •  Chromosomes, genes, “biological sex” are not the whole

story! •  Transgender is a natural part of life (many species exhibit

trans attributes for one reason or another) •  There’s increasing evidence that trans brains are unique

and different from male or female brains*

“The Sexual Spectrum: Why We're All Different” - Olive Skene Johnson, PhD

Ally program: calling all allies

•  Partnership with PFLAG

•  Ally program: stickers, magnets, signs

•  Turn out at Pride largest ever

Our first ally program

Ally assets

Link leads to a website that provides resources for allies

“Ally 101” training conducted by PFLAG

Jean-Marie Navetta Director of Equality & Diversity at PFLAG National

San Diego Pride 2016

Largest turnout ever: >250 Largest showing of executive support: CEO, CFO, CIO, CHRO Supported Orlando with ribbons

From employee networks to

business resource groups

•  Expanding executive involvement

•  Alignment of EN objectives to GID business strategies

Thank you!