BUSINESS PROFILE

Founders of my Gwork

myGwork’s Adrien and Pierre Gaubert

Twins Adrien and Pierre Gaubert run myGwork, the “pink LinkedIn”, which connects the LGBTQ community with inclusive and supportive companies seeking to create a diverse workplace.

What prompted you to create myGWork? Pierre:

We both had negative experiences in the workplace. I was not able to be out at work because the culture was very homophobic and sexist. So we decided it would be good to create a safe space for LGBTQ people to find jobs on our digital platform.

So you’ve had issues at other workplaces? Adrien:

Yes. It was when I was working for the French consulate in China. A colleague knew I was gay but still asked if I had a girlfriend, just to try to make me lie and then say, “Oh my God, he’s lying about his sexuality.”

Other gay French business owners have told me that France can be a difficult place to find investment for LGBTQ businesses. What has your experience been?

P:

As for investment on LGBTQ businesses, they wouldn’t give it to you. Even when I was giving a talk at the French chamber of commerce in London, two weeks ago, half of the people didn’t know what LGBTQ meant.

What persuaded you to leave France? A:

We found it difficult to be ourselves in the business culture of France. We both ended up in China and even there it is less homophobic than France. They just don’t have this negative sexualised view of gay people.

How do people interact on your site? A:

They can find jobs and see who works for which company, then you can talk to these people and ask what it is like at the company. People can also search for a mentor.

Do you ever get criticised for creating a platform for LGBTQ people?

P:

Many managers say they don’t want to discriminate between straight and LGBTQ. We then have to explain that it’s not about discrimination, it is just about making sure that LGBTQ people are represented in their workplace. For example, there was one guy who was part of a recruitment company who asked to join the firm’s football team, but the other players thought he couldn’t like football because he was gay, so they didn’t tell him where to go to for the next game. Both his manager and the HR director were unsupportive and he left the company.

A: Another person told us about how they made it through all the rounds for an engineering job application, but when they finally met people from the company face to face, they did not hire them because they discovered the person was trans.

Which countries have you found to have the best LGBTQ employment practices and which has the worst?

P:

The UK and the US are the best, and the Scandinavian countries are hard for us to target because their workplace policies are so good. The worst in Europe are France, Poland or Italy — all [ primarily] Catholic countries.

How would you suggest employers improve their support for LGBTQ employees?

A:

They need to provide training to their staff on diversity issues, then create and support LGBTQ employees with a good diversity and inclusion manager — not just an HR person. Also, their website needs to have a dedicated section on LGBTQ policies.

What other services do you offer? P:

We hold networking breakfasts every quarter, and anybody can offer mentoring online. Basically, you put yourself forward and say that you will accept people who reach out for career advice. It’s an informal set up, we don’t want people to be locked into a programme.

How do you earn revenue from the website? P:

Advertising, such as job postings for potential employees. We also create content for employers, including articles and they come to us to create events.

What are the main industries represented on your platform?

P:

Consulting, media, pharmaceutical, banking and the legal sector. However, our partners are from very diverse industries. We have, for example, interesting job offers in fashion and hospitality.

What were the biggest challenges when building your user base?

P:

We needed job ads to get users and we needed users to convince companies to advertise with us, so it was a bit of a chickenand- egg problem. We’re lucky that our first partners were very supportive. Having companies such as Reed Smith attracted a lot of users in the early days.

What has the growth been like? A:

We launched the website in 2016, then we created a new one in 2018. We had 30 companies at that point and that grew to more than 120 in six months. Those companies are spread across 90 countries — some where it’s illegal to be gay.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of working with your twin?

A:

From the beginning, we decided that Pierre would be the chief executive and I’m the chief marketing officer, so he gets the final decision which helps avoid arguments.

P: We argue as brothers do, but that can also bring us closer together. And, unlike friends going into business together, we will never split because we are family.

A: In terms of visibility in the media, it’s easier for people to remember us.

What changes would you like in the workplace? A:

We’d like people to be able to bring their whole self to work and so feel happier and perform better. In France, they work a 35- hour week but they are one of the most productive countries in the world. You don’t need to work from 8am until 5pm every day to be more productive: work less and work better. That way, employees are less likely to be stressed or feel anxiety, so tend to take fewer sick days.

What do you foresee will be myGwork’s biggest challenges over the coming years? P:

First, the goal is to go to the US to raise more money, more quickly, because they have the biggest market on Earth. In terms of technology, we have the challenge of always keeping the platform up to date, attractive and user- friendly.

A: Then the real challenge is to provide a safe workplace for all LGBTQ people around the world. We have to reach out to them and find them a job in a safe company.

“You don’t need to work from 8am until 5pm every day”