How coming out at work changed one engineer’s perspective on allyship

“Mental and physical well-being are the number one factor in employee satisfaction and productivity,” says Tim Tan. He is a Business Systems Engineer at Fitch Ratings (part of Fitch Group), and spoke with myGwork about the standards of inclusivity at Fitch, the meaning of authentic LGBTQ allyship, and the future of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Growing up in Singapore in the late 20th century, where LGBTQ lifestyles were immensely frowned upon, Tim explains that this was an incredibly challenging environment to grow up in for anyone questioning their sexuality or gender identity. In his mid-20s, he moved to the US and acquired a citizenship after serving in the military.

Despite a few fond memories of riding Chinook helicopters above the Hawaiian Islands, this was a particularly difficult period to identify as LGBTQ, in an environment where discretion is encouraged. It wasn’t until he settled down in New York and joined one of the major credit rating agencies in the world that he could be his full authentic self at work.

“Sometimes we need allies, and sometimes we can be the ally”

As Business Systems Engineer at Fitch Ratings, Tim plays a role in creating sales opportunities and managing customer data, helping to develop the company productively and socially. As one of the top three credit rating agencies, Tim’s position at Fitch Ratings is quite the role to land straight after military service. It is thanks to talent development program CreditPath that Tim was valued as a worker and offered his role at the company.

Though he is proud of his career to this point, he believes that his greatest contributions to the company lie within the future as he continues to work hard. “I’ve lived many professional lives,” he says. “I’ve only been in my current role for a brief time. So I’m hoping my best years are ahead of me, not behind!”

Having grown up in the challenging environment Singapore provided, Tim has found himself taking extra care when approaching coming out. “Context is important and so is taking the temperature of any situation,” he explains. Despite this, he details the diversity and inclusion within Fitch Group. He praises the company’s ability to work with LGTBQ staff and allies across multiple countries and cultures. As well as recently being deemed a “best place to work for LGBTQ+ equality”, the company also features support programmes and volunteer opportunities for activism. Unfortunately, LGBTQ figures and role models were rare to come by during Tim’s position in the military. But he expressed an encouraged optimism at making connections at Fitch in the future.

What can organisations do to improve work conditions for LGBTQ people? Tim reflects upon the impact of the pandemic. And on the focus on caring for employee mental health. He explains that the lockdown put the mental and physical wellbeing of employees into perspective. It also put particular emphasis on the stress and struggles of the LGBTQ community. It’s perhaps a combination of both his military years and the impact of experiencing the Covid lockdown that employee health and wellbeing is of great importance to him. He further explains that it is the responsibility of the workplace to make sure that access to healthcare is available. “Companies should make resources available at all levels to champion a holistic picture of employee health,” he says.

“Managers can and should take the lead in indicating welcoming attitudes”

Strong allyship is also an integral part of supporting LGBTQ employees at work. Tim truly understands the importance of being an active ally. He recognises that even members of marginalised communities need to be active allies to other communities. “Sometimes we need allies. Other times we can be the ally to someone. Or to another marginalised group.” And he also advises managers to be proactive instead of reactive when supporting their LGBTQ employees.

Tim shares the view that it is the role of a manager to make sure all their staff feel included. Instead of simply ignoring the issue or solely relying on other employees to provide support. “Managers can and should take the lead in indicating welcoming attitudes. Rather than relying on employees to do guesswork or making up excuses.”

Looking to the future of diversity and inclusion, Tim wants to put a spotlight on intersectionality in the LGBTQ community, to break the barriers between identities and provide resources and opportunities for a wider range of people. For example, rather than only having two groups dedicated to LGBTQ equality and veteran support, it would be great to see another group added for those who fit both criteria. 

“Helping someone out there like myself down the line would be awesome. Maybe I should start one!” he adds. Tim hints towards helping to create future projects at Fitch Group, opening opportunities for veterans and under-served jobseekers. Ultimately, Tim firmly believes that by practicing diversity and inclusion techniques, companies can improve retention, reduce imposter syndrome and stress, and steadily improve business success overall.

Fitch Group are a proud partner of myGwork, the LGBTQ+ business community. Find out more about jobs at Fitch Group.