Hong Kong
Pride in Our Workplace: Notes from Doug Jensen
Company Feature, Jun 22, 2017
A few years ago, after a colleague mentioned that I was the first gay person she met, I realized how fortunate I am to be living in a time and place where such conversations can happen openly at work. It’s easy to forget that within my generation it wasn’t always this way. As we celebrate Pride Month, it’s worth considering the gains we have made in workplace acceptance. I am particularly proud to be part of a team influencing such changes at The Estée Lauder Companies, a longtime supporter of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) equality.
Many companies, particularly large employers in the United States, have come a long way in terms of attitudes, acceptance and benefits for LGBTQ employees. I credit organizations like The Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index, a national benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices pertinent to LGBTQ employees — for boosting awareness and driving this transformation. Achieving 100% on HRC’s Corporate Equality Index earns a company the designation of “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality” — table stakes in terms of attracting and retaining top LGBTQ talent. At The Estée Lauder Companies we are proud to have achieved a perfect 100% rating on HRC’s 2017 Corporate Equality Index. I'm pictured below with Chad Griffin, President of the Human Rights Campaign and Irene Waxman, Executive Director of Inclusion and Diversity at The Estée Lauder Companies, proudly accepting the HRC award.
As one of the co-chairs of wELCome, the Company’s employee resource group for LGBTQ employees, I’ve had the great privilege of working with dedicated senior leaders to help elevate and maintain our standing in this important Index, while continuing to make our organization the best home for LGBTQ talent. Beyond influencing workplace policies, wELCome is committed to philanthropic initiatives, such as our volunteer efforts with the Tyler Clementi Foundation, whose mission is to end bullying for vulnerable youth. We drive professional development with our OUTSPOKEN Speaker Series, bringing in speakers like Nathan Manske, the founder of the non-profit LGBTQ storytelling platform “I’m From Driftwood.”
Through wELCome, we also help our brands identify opportunities for meaningful engagement with LGBTQ consumers. For example, we encouraged Lab Series, our men’s skin care brand, to participate in a Heritage of Pride booth at the New York City Pride Parade and, excitingly, M·A·C Cosmetics will be joining this year! We, in turn, benefit from relevant brand efforts – such as the chance to preview the new documentary More Than T, commissioned by M·A·C Cosmetics and the M·A·C AIDS Fund, about transgender people from all walks of life. (Premieres June 23 at 7pm ET/PT exclusively on Showtime.)
Inclusion and diversity are woven into the fabric of The Estée Lauder Companies and we want to be part of the ongoing dialogue with other companies who share our inclusive values. Collectively, we have made considerable advances in the U.S., but globally there is so much more work to be done. Looking to the future, I see great opportunities for corporations and a new generation of LGBTQ leaders to drive social change in areas of the world where being openly gay is not accepted. After witnessing progress that was unimaginable years ago, it’s encouraging to think of the workplace as a potential equalizer when it comes to human rights.
Doug Jensen is Vice President, Consumer Relationship Management (CRM) and Corporate Marketing Analytics for The Estée Lauder Companies, a position he has held since September 2013. As the leader of analytics in the Corporate Marketing function, Doug’s responsibility is to develop and drive the marketing data and analytics strategy for the company. Doug has 28 years of experience in the marketing analytics field, including prior positions with Avon Products, Inc., and niche magazine publisher Primedia (now part of Source Interlink). Doug began his career in marketing analytics delivering business value with statistical models for top CPG clients while at Nielsen and Information Resources, Inc. (IRi). Originally from Iowa, Doug holds a Bachelor’s degree in Statistics and Journalism/Mass Communication from Iowa State University. He has lived in Chicago, Toronto, San Francisco and Los Angeles before making his home in New York City with his partner, Brent, since 2001.
