Comms strategy gives voice to LGBT staff at Banco do Brasil

Gender and diversity has been one of the priority axes of the communication strategy of Banco do Brasil in 2017. From the standardization of social name of transgenders workers to the disclosing of guides and leaflets on the subject, the issue has been deeply discussed in the company.

Banco do Brasil chose gender and diversity as one of its priority axes in communication strategy – along credit, service, digital world, agribusiness and others – and the issue has been deeply present in agenda of the sector. The first action on the subject in 2017 was the standardization of the social name of transgender workers – the first Brazilian bank to do so. On January 27, the Bank released a statement by the Agência de Notícias do BB (internal communication media). The pioneering of the action eventually caught the attention of the media and the agenda had wide repercussions in Brazilian outlets. Several employees began to share the hashtag #OrgulhoBB.

“There was a feeling that we were alone, but from the authorization to use social names, we began to perceive ourselves as a group, aiming at mutual support and a sense of belonging. This has been growing, establishing bonds and today we are more than 200 employees, fighting for our causes and celebrating the small victories of the day to day,” says Alexandra Castro, who works at Banco do Brasil, along with wife Rafa Silveira. After the repercussion of the news, Rafa, born Jonatan, realized the acceptance and respect for the company, and then left aside the set pants and T-shirt as a work uniform and adopted high heels, an accessory that already belonged to her identity. “We have seen an evolution in positive reactions,” says Rafa. “Supporting diversity is up to us all.”

According to research conducted by the group, “organizations that consider diversity in recruitment deliver better results than ‘non-diverse’ organizations. To bet on diversity is to bet on cultural enrichment for the company. People of different origins, beliefs, and ethnicities, coming from different social classes, share the same purpose, offer a rich and multiple approach, and hence find solutions that would not be possible if everyone had similar experiences. ”

The LGBT BB group was created at the beginning of the year, with the purpose of giving voice to all those who are part of the bank. The more than 200 staff members who are part of the group organize weekly meetings, for discussions of the agenda that “does not deal with privileges, but respect,” says Theo Linero, business advisor at the Capabilities and Investments Unit of BB and a writer for newspaper Valor Econômico and other outlets in the financial market. The group distributed explanatory leaflets on the subject throughout the country, highlighting the importance of discussing LGBT issues within the company.

Rodrigo Barbosa, a clerk in Rio de Janeiro, was one of the first employees to be part of the BB LGBT group. He os responsible for a kind of content curation, selecting links to external issues that are related to diversity in the job market, to share with colleagues. “Knowing, welcoming and respecting are the very footprints of the bank. This very firm position of BB shows that there is no turning back. It’s a non-negotiable value. Diversity is all about us,” says Rodrigo. Check below one of the internal materials.