When I was 18 years old and came out to my mum, her first reaction was that I should be worried about my future. She believed being gay was a burden I would have to carry all my life. She told me to re-consider my “choice” and think about the consequences it could have on both my professional and social life. She said: “Who is going to employ you knowing you are gay? You will have to hide it. Society is not ready for that.”

The OutNow 2020 report on homophobia (pdf) shows my mother’s worries were not unfounded. The study found that 16% of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the UK have experienced harassment at work because of their sexuality. My brother, Pierre, who came out three years after myself, had a hard time in 2013 working for an IT company in Madrid because he was gay and had to handle homophobic comments from his bosses. I also had my own encounter while working for a French government department in China, with my boss telling me that I would be the perfect candidate to choose flowers for a diplomatic event.



In 2013, our mum passed away. Pierre left his job in Spain and we decided it was time for us to fight for what we believed in: tolerance. We therefore created myGwork, a social recruitment hub similar to LinkedIn where people can be open about their sexuality and can help each other to find employment at companies with strong diversity and inclusion policies.



Towards a diverse and inclusive work environment

People in the closet spend so much time and energy lying to their bosses and colleagues about their sexuality that they become less productive. I could give many examples of acquaintances that go out in gay places during the weekend but are extremely stressed just to think of the idea of coming out at work.



In this paper diversity consultant Bob Powers explains the issues LGBT people face at work: “People fail to address LGBT issues in workplaces mainly because of the managers’ lack of knowledge and resources. This failure has repercussions on the LGBT employees’ performance.



“First, as they do not feel involved in the organisation, their performances are not optimal. And second, employers encourage LGBT employees to hide their sexual orientation. Thus, the employees’ performances suffer from their efforts and time spent in avoiding sexual disclosure, they lose focus.”



The OutNow report adds that 45% of LGBT people in the UK and 47% in America think they are being treated differently in the workplace because of their sexuality. The recent wave of diversity and inclusion policies in companies are the best ground to change mentalities and give hope to people who are struggling at work because of their sexuality.



However, it is a hard task for HR directors to identify LGBT employees because it is not something visible, unlike when HR directors celebrate gender, age or race through positive discrimination.



Dr Manuel J Tejeda, professor of management and psychology of the Barry Institute for Community and Economic Development, claims the most difficult thing for LGBT professionals is to disclose their sexuality to their bosses.



Since starting myGwork, we have received emails to thank us for what we are doing. We also get letters from less fortunate LGBT professionals who live in countries where they do not have the chance to be themselves. We now have members from across five continents. We have seen a desire to improve equality in the workplace around the world.



Our world is full of smart and capable LGBT people who are just a step away from living a successful and fulfilling life. To do that they first need acceptance from society and we believe this starts from the professional sector. I wish one day parents will not have to worry about their children’s future because of their sexuality. I also wish that one day every single LGBT individual will experience the same treatment as heterosexuals do.



Looking for a job? Browse Guardian Jobs or sign up to Guardian Careers for the latest job vacancies and career advice