Home About Us Services Meet Sam Social Responsibility Contact Us News Job Opportunities Had an Accident Action 365 Embraces Transgender Pride in the Workplace Inaugurated in 2009, every March 31st is now celebrated as Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV). Founded by US-based transgender activist Rachel Crandal, the day embraces the global transgender community and crucially raises awareness of the discrimination that members of the transgender community face in their everyday lives. LGBT rights charity, Stonewall, has also launched their Come Out For campaign, a main part of which is the Come Out For Trans Equality campaign the premise of which is to raise awareness of the prejudice that transgender and non-binary people face. Ahead of TDOV, here at Action 365 our very own Debbie Cannon who is a campaigner for LGBTQ & Transgender rights gives her perspective of being an out transgender woman in the work place. “Once I transitioned my identity at work wasn’t an issue. I started my transition at LV= and, once I got over my initial nerves, I can honestly say that I flourished both personally and professionally. People around me were extremely supportive and it was the best move I have ever made.” Debbie not only supported her previous employers in setting up their Pride Network she also works passionately in the LGBTQ community to raise awareness on transgender issues working as a support worker, helping to organise trans awareness weeks, and even co-founding the charity Communi-T. Her great work didn’t go unnoticed and in 2017 she was awarded with 2017 Woman in Finance Awards for Insurance Leader Of The Year recognition. Shortly after which her journey with Action 365 began. Debbie and our very own CEO, Sam White, were both invited to take part in a photo shoot for an Insurance Post article on Diversity within the Insurance Industry. Within a few minutes of meeting Sam, Debbie was so inspired by Sam’s vision for the future of insurance and her plans for the future of Action 365, just nine short weeks later Debbie left LV= and Bournemouth for Action 365 and Cheadle. On making the move to Action 365 Debbie says, “Sure the move was difficult. I was coming to a new company, from a very established and successful insurer. I was going from the comfortable to the relative unknown – from somewhere where everyone accepted me, to a place where I didn’t know how others would react to my being a transgender woman.” Her worry, whilst understandable, was unfounded. At Action 365 we pride ourselves on accepting people from all walks of life. Sam operates a true meritocracy and promotes diversity throughout her businesses. How people perform and behave is far more important to her than the sex they identify with. Debbie agrees. “On my first day whilst I had typical first day nerves, I wasn’t even concentrating on the fact that I was transgender. Everyone I met I introduced myself to and that was it. I treated everyone with warmth and respect and was treated with the exactly the same in return. My gender identity has never been an issue at Action 365. I realise that I’m one of the lucky ones, but having worked here for six months I know unequivocally that I made the right decision to move. Action 365 are like a big family and everyone supports each other. That’s one of the main reasons why we’re so successful.” The team at Action 365 welcomes people from all walks of life, we fundamentally believe that diversity drives innovation and with innovation comes fantastic results! We’re glad Debbie is part of the Action 365 family too. Interested in finding out what it’s like to work for a truly inclusive employer too? Click here for our latest vacancies. © Action 365 Ltd 2021 Action 365 Ltd is registered in England and Wales, Company number 3839322. The registered address is BizSpace, Cheadle Place, Stockport Rd, Cheadle SK8 2JX. Action 365 Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, registration number 306011. View Privacy Policy View Terms and Conditions