Part of the Global EA Pride network, the UK employee resource group (ERG) was founded in 2019 and aims to support a space of belonging where LGBTQ+ employees & allies feel safe to bring their authentic selves to the workplace, to promote an inclusive culture that provides opportunities to develop the skills and confidence of our employees, to attract top LGBTQ+ talent, to strengthen LGBTQ+ representation in our games, and support organisations that provide resources to the LGBTQ+ community through volunteerism & outreach initiatives. Over the past 12 months, the group has run a number of activities for the group and wider EA community including;
Pride Month 2023
Delivered a series of events and communications over the month, including;
17 Slack posts (shared on Pride and local site channels) across the monthly theme (Stronger Together) which had 4 sub-themes;
Family
Charity
Allyship
Community
First Fridays virtual meet (regular monthly event)
In person meet-ups in both our Guildford and Birmingham offices
Pride Quiz to round out the month with a range of questions for both fun (pop culture, Eurovision, Drag Race) and education (LGBTQ+ rights in the UK)
The Pride activities during the month saw membership of the ERG increase by 30% as we hosted our first in-person gathering since the pandemic which saw simultaneous drop-in sessions in both our Guildford office where Pride was already well established, and our Birmingham site where it was the first official ERG event.
Festive Gatherings – December 2023
Arranged in-person meet-ups in our Guildford, Birmingham and Southam offices to create festive greeting cards and decorations
LGBTQ+ History Month 2024
Shared information on why we celebrate LGBTQ+ History month in the UK, along with celebrating the official theme of Medicine – Under the Scope. Local sponsor included some of these as part of the weekly studios meeting, which engages our largest group of employees in the UK.
Trans Awareness Session with Mermaids – March 2024
Following the success of a similar session delivered by Gendered Intelligence in 2021, brought in Mermaids to deliver a Trans Awareness session. Th session was open to all UK based employees, not just members of the ERG, and covered a number of topics on trans inclusion such as language, terminology, and pronouns; understanding gender identity; the social and societal challenges facing the trans & non-binary community; trans people across history and cultures; and stepping up as individuals and allies.
From the post session survey, when asked to rate the extent to which the session had increased their knowledge of trans issues (1 being low and 5 being high), 75% stated 4 and 25% a 5. And 25% rated themselves as feeling slightly more confident in have a conversation on trans issues while 75% felt much more confident.
Pride Month 2024
Partnered with the local Workplaces teams in our 4 UK sites (Guildford, Birmingham, Southam and Manchester) to deliver a series of events and communications over the month, including;
Members from our Birmingham office to part in Birmingham Pride in partnership with the charity Papyrus
Collaboration with Guildford office film club to host an LGBTQ+ themed screening night
Shared daily communications on internal Slack channels on the the 4 themes of the month; Pride in our Past, Pride in our Allyship, Pride in our Present, and Pride in our Future
Pride themes and key highlights for the week shared on all office display screens around the buildings
Pride takeover of the office Wednesday cake club for the month
Pride flag scavenger hunt in the office – employers needed to find and correctly identify a selection of Pride flags hidden around the building
A Pride Bake Off in our Manchester office to raise money for Mermaids
Monthly First Fridays
Regular connection time for Pride members and allies to get together virtually, regardless of site location or work type. Provides a safe space for discussion of current issues, suggestions for future Pride events and priorities, and to get to know others in the community.
Cross ERG collaboration
The Pride group is leading the way for raising awareness of employee resource groups at Electronic Arts in the organisations that have been acquired in the last couple of years (Codemasters and Playdemic). Promotional activity in these locations serves to highlight all of the groups in operation in the UK/Europe region, not just Pride. The Pride team also leads the UK cross-ERG working group, bringing together the different ERG to allow networks to collaborate on events, avoid clashes and boost each others’ messaging. We believe in an intersectional approach and that building Pride should not come at the expense of our other networks.
