Michael's story: A safe space

This article was created by Michael Fildes-Peace, Managing Director, Circles UK

When given the chance to design our workplace culture from the ground up, I was filled with excitement and possibility ౼ and above all, a sense of responsibility to create a place that gives every employee a sense of belonging.

A startup within a global powerhouse

After working for a number of organizations ౼ from large corporations to smaller businesses ౼ joining Circles UK was a breath of fresh air. Our clients hire us to provide personal wellbeing and community services to simplify the everyday lives of their employees.

Circle’s small, agile structure allowed me, for the first time in my professional career, to think of it as my company. So when I took the position of Managing Director, I began asking myself what do I want to be known for? What kind of environment do I want to create? The answer to these questions became a driving force that motivates me on a daily basis. I want to champion employee welfare, foster an inclusive environment and ultimately create a safe space for my employees.

The services we provide at Circles are very personalized ౼ our clients may ask us to help find a gift for a loved one or medical care for their children. Earning their trust requires a lot of empathy from our side ౼ which begins by fostering empathy within my own team. From the moment a new hire joins us, I meet with them face to face and I make it abundantly clear that this is a safe space, that we relish and promote their individuality, that they will be valued and there is always room for their voice.

Fostering a safe space

As a gay man, the idea of having a safe space, emotionally and psychologically, has always been very important to me. To know that whatever you say, whoever you are, you won't be judged in this space. This took on another dimension during Covid. When we were all locked down for various periods of time, many felt isolated and in need of mental health services and support. But from an LGBTQ+ perspective, this need was perhaps even more exaggerated. Imagine being closeted or shamed for who you are in your home environment, and then having to stay in that environment for months on end. For some, the workplace was their only respite during the day ౼ so if that place is toxic, what kind of life are they living? When we all returned back to work, I kept that realization top of mind. I’ve made it a point to have clear mandates stating what is acceptable in the workplace. The bottom line is that each and every employee is valued as an individual, treated with kindness and respect.

A tie back to my past

These convictions tie back to my own personal story. I grew up in a military family, where there was no real career path, it was just assumed that each generation, like the ones before, would join the military. At the time, homosexuality in the military was illegal ౼ it was literally the first question they asked in the interview process. I spent five years of my life in the service ౼ five years suppressing who I was. It was tough to emotionally connect with people on different levels while juggling the fear that I couldn’t even show certain aspects of my personality.

From that moment on, I promised myself, if I ever had the opportunity to influence someone, I’d want to ensure that people know my story, know I’m gay and know that I’m totally happy with that. I would be remiss to not acknowledge that we are currently living in quite a scary time for the LGBTQ+ community ౼ with law after law being repealed, right after right being overturned. It is comforting for me to know that we have overwhelming support from allies in the Sodexo community and that this is a place where we all come together, united in our collective strength.

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community and a senior leader, I believe it is my duty to promote our networks and individuality, open up to being vulnerable by sharing my story, and actually be a role model. My hope is that a queer person might see what I’ve done or where I’ve come from and realize that there are opportunities in senior levels at Sodexo for people from our community ౼ and every community for that matter.

I also want to ensure that we are setting a really good benchmark. A lot of our employees tend to be young and this might even be their first job. If or when they eventually leave us to move on to other opportunities, I want them to leave knowing what a good company looks like. It looks like Circles UK.

Find out more about a career with Sodexo!