At Acumen, we’re not interested in performative pride, or pride-washing during June. We believe inclusivity should be part of the everyday, not just the calendar moments.

That’s why we’re proud to support the launch of our very own LGBTQ+ Collective, a grassroots, team-led initiative designed to make our workplace safer, braver, and better for everyone. 

We caught up with Rachel Pound, the brains behind the idea to dig into what sparked it, what it hopes to achieve, and why it matters to the work we do, not just in our offices, but in the wider world of fieldwork too. 

What inspired the creation of the LGBTQ+ Collective? 

Generally, I wanted there to be something structured and visible that supported LGBTQ+ people in work and something that people knew existed right from the beginning of starting to work at this company. This idea was shaped by a couple of moments, over the last few months that led to the LGBTQ+ Collective.

Inside work, I felt encouraged by the words said by SLT at the last All Company meeting, about really showing up for the staff this year, and by the ideas behind the new Culture Book and beyond. Outside of work, I was motivated to get the LGBTQ+ Collective started at this specific time period because of the recent UK Supreme Court ruling around the legal definition of ‘women’ contributing to increased transphobia in the UK. The timing of this felt even more important to give people a chance to speak up about how we can make sure work is more inclusive and is a safe working environment. 

  

What are the main goals of the Collective, both short-term and long-term? 

A mix of some easy fixes, and some bigger long term challenges to face! Here are some things I had in mind: 

• Clear LBGTQ+ friendly company policies, e.g. Anti-discrimination, harassment or bullying specifically including language about LGBTQ+ people, with clear language about trans inclusion, or encouragement (but not enforcement) of using pronouns in email signatures. 

• Education e.g. sending round educational emails/posts on socials on how we can both, in the workplace with our colleagues, and outwardly with our clients and participants, be better allies. 

• Training, e.g. about how to be an ally for our colleagues and our participants 

• Creating an open culture from the beginning of working here for LGBTQ+ staff and for allies. Setting the tone from the first day on the job. Also hoping to encourage everyone to be confident talking about topics they aren’t confident on! 

  

How do you hope it will help improve inclusivity in the day-to-day work life? 

The LGBTQ+ Collective will hopefully encourage people to speak up on topics they otherwise may have felt they weren’t able to. This works for LGBTQ+ people who, for example, weren’t clear on LBGTQ+ friendly company policies but also allies who, for example, weren’t confident on inclusive language. 

It’s also a chance for us to be consistently forward thinking in our workplace but also with our recruitment practices. Our aim is to hear the opinions of as many different people as possible, so the more inclusive our practices are, the more chance we have to hear from everyone. This makes recruitment more successful, of higher quality, and more interesting! 

The LGBTQ+ Collective is still in its early days, but like all good ideas at Acumen, it’s built on action, not just intention. By creating space for open conversations, challenging the status quo, and championing diverse voices from the inside out, we’re shaping a workplace (and an industry) where everyone has a seat at the table. 

Because better fieldwork starts with better people work. And we’re just getting started. 🌈