Pride Month 2024 celebration is among one of the most anticipated company events at Home Credit Philippines (HCPH). As an equal opportunity employer and an organization known for its workplace diversity programs, the company’s Pride Month festivities this year were nothing short of colorful.
Spearheaded by the Pride Club, the company’s LGBTQIA+ employee resource group launched in 2023 and considered to be as the HCPH’s representative body for the LGBTQIA+ community within the company, the theme for this year’s festivities was #AtHomeKaDito.
The celebration kicked off in May with a general assembly for the HCPH Pride Club’s more than 400 members across the Philippines. This event introduced the club’s new set of officers, showcased the organization’s milestones, presented the roadmap for the year, and concluded with a SOGIE Talk by renowned queer artist and advocate, Floyd Scott Tiogangco.
Following the initial assembly, HCPH Pride Club launched its first-ever search for its pride ambassador and initiated the Pride Make-up Challenge for its employees on Tiktok to encourage participation among its members and promote greater visibility for the diversity, equality, and inclusion (DE&I) advocacy of the company.
The organization also held its first Pride Townhall where a Pride Talk series took place with speakers such as Chris Eugenio, Board of Trustee of the Philippine Financial Inter-industry Pride who talked about pride and workplace inclusion; Ronn Astillas, Director of the Philippine LGBT Chamber of Commerce who talked about pride and business, and Ico Johnson, President of Project Red Ribbon who talked about pride and the HIV/AIDS advocacy.
During the townhall, the grand finals for the HCPH Pride Ambassador search, where eight contestants from various departments competed, showcasing their poise and advocacy, was also held. The event concluded with dazzling drag performances from Corazon Filipinas (RuPaul’s Drag Race Philippines Season 1) and her drag daughters, Kitty and Curvidilol.
Marching with Pride
As part of the Pride Month celebration, HCPH participated in the #LoveLaban Pride Festival at the Quezon City Memorial Circle. This annual event is a vibrant celebration of the LGBTQIA+ communities in the Philippines, and HCPH was represented by its 100 employees who joined over 200,000 marchers fighting for recognition and equal rights.
“Pride, for me, is a protest because we all know that the LGBTQIA+ community is not heteronormative. Pride means protesting that wrong conception that some people might have. Pride, for me, also means acceptance; because if you do not accept who you are and not what society thinks who you are, then it can be very detrimental to you,” Hannie, HCPH’s IT Business Analyst mentioned on the importance of pride.
“Whenever I hear the word pride, I always think of freedom and equality because I believe that whatever it is that the heterosexuals can do, we members of the LGBTQIA+ community also can. I am very happy that I joined Home Credit because the company is open-minded and is very friendly to the community. From there, it trickles down to my bosses and to the other employees. I’m one of the lucky ones whose boss never really minded my sexuality for as long as I do my job,” Jhustin, one of HCPH’s payment operators added.
Fostering a safe space like home
More than the festivities to celebrate the Pride Month, the key and anchor to HCPH’s successful DEI programs is its tagline, No Small Roles, Everyone is Important—a fitting representation of its push to create a safe and supportive workplace where everyone is welcome and celebrated.
“At Home Credit, we believe that everyone is important, regardless of their background or identity. Each one of us, from every letter of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum brings a unique color to this beautiful rainbow of identities. Pride is more than a celebration, it’s a stand for respect, acceptance, equality and freedom.
DE&I is a part of our DNA, and we’re proud to support initiatives that make our employees feel valued and empowered, allowing them to thrive and be proud of who they are and the work that they do,” Alpha Omega Aquino, HCPH Chief People Officer, said.
A part of the company’s continuous support for its LGBTQIA+ employees are initiatives that enables eligible workers to include their same-sex partners as dependents in the company’s medical benefits plan. The company also provides them with other inclusive initiatives such as wellness leaves, and gender-neutral restrooms in its office spaces that they can use.
Apart from internal efforts to champion the LGBTQIA+ community, HCPH has also formed partnerships with relevant organizations such as the Philippine Financial Inter-Industry Pride, Philippine LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and the Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (PBCWE) to ensure the incorporation of the best practices in the company.
HCPH has also completed the Gender Equality Assessment, Results and Strategies assessment in 2023, an evaluation that provides insights for the development of an organization’s Workplace Gender Equality strategy. The first of its kind for HCPH, this assessment helped the company to further understand the gaps, opportunities and strengths of its practices and strategies, and even further enriched its data to allow for the designing and offering of more relevant people programs.
“More than anything, Home Credit pushes to promote overall wellness and inclusion through our DE&I campaigns, wellness fairs, as well as employee clubs. We have also established partnerships with organizations such as PBCWE, Investing in Women, and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency to help us enhance DE&I in the workplace and ensure that we implement the best programs and initiatives for our employees.
While many DEI efforts are already being implemented and sustained, we recognize that much is still to be done. As we remain committed to championing diversity, equality, and inclusion, and as we celebrate this Pride Month, Home Credit continues to nurture diverse talents and create a workplace where everyone is valued and supported.” Aquino concluded.