DHL's Michelle Moorhead supports inclusion in the workplace

DHL colleagues are at the heart of everything the company does, and they excel in their daily roles to teach and live best practices.

Meet Michelle Moorhead, DHL Supply Chain’s Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator. Michelle talks through how DHL's LGBTQ+ community is supported at DHL, and how everyone can bring their true self to work.

Educating about diversity

"Our LGBTQ+ community at DHL is really well-supported. We have a Global Network called RainbowNet, but we have RainbowNet UK&I as well, supporting our colleagues learning about that diversity, because it really is a diversity within a diversity. It's so important that we educate on this, and we offer a safe space for our colleagues where they can be their true selves," explains Michelle.

"It is so important that we can bring our true selves to work every day, and we also celebrate by doing Pride and highlighting calendar events, not just for the LGBT network but for all three networks. It is so, so important to highlight these different days, which really are going to affect everybody within the company, be they our managers, our colleagues out on the floor some of which may not have come out as their true selves yet. So it's so important that we have visibility across the business that they will be supported for who they really are."

Being our true selves in the workplace

"Diversity and inclusion is so important to me," attests Michelle.

"I spent a lot of years not being who I really should be, so now I can come to work, and it's not an issue, it's really a non-event it's business as usual there. I am Michelle, and I'm transgender. It really makes no difference at all I hate so much of my life away for so, so long, far too long, but now I'm who I am, and I'm really loving the role I'm in because it's showing others that they can be their true selves."

Michelle highlights that it's so important that people can be who they really should be: "Nobody should hide away in silence from absolutely anything in their lives. I can't tell you how important that is. I can't even put it into words it is so, so important to be your true self.

"The things I'm learning is people are more diverse. I spoke recently at an event with the graduates coming into the business. I'm learning that there is more diversity as we go. The younger generations are naturally more diverse. It's really great that we can see that coming through the business. I'm learning that it is actually more important in that case, people are going to be more diverse as they go through the generations."

Being accepting of people's differences

"People are understanding, they're more acceptance of people's diversities," explains Michelle. "We need to take those learnings and turn that into a positive, so people can really be who they really should be - without question. That's the main thing, that people live their true selves, and their true lives here at DHL in the workplace, because we spend so much time at work.

"So can you imagine not being who you really should be? Or having to worry about your race or your gender or your sexual orientation? You shouldn't have to worry about those things. It's so important that it's a really non-event business as usual, and you can bring it to yourself to work."