Celebrating Pride with Jamison Warren
As the Director of Global Sales & Strategic University Partnerships, Jamison Warren understands the importance of building relationships. He believes it’s this passion for connection that draws so many members of the LGBTQI+ community to the travel industry and that will, hopefully, keep them pushing for change.
Would you describe FCM as an inclusive workplace?
Absolutely. I’ve never felt uncomfortable or marginalised because of my sexuality. Honestly, it never even comes up. Some people can be precious about who they are, but here we focus on egalitarianism. Don’t take yourself too seriously. The fact that I’m gay is irrelevant to my co-workers and it goes both ways. It’s just not a big deal. So of course, I can’t recommend FCM enough as a place to work.
Do you think there are any ways the business could improve?
FCM does inclusion really well up to a point. As a gay, white man I absolutely feel respected, but I think we could take that further with some other groups in the LGBTQI+ community.
Our Peopleworks Team do an incredible job - the best in the business. Many organisations struggle with this, including FCM, as I don’t know that we have many differently-abled people in our organisation and I think that’s something we should look at. We as a business could potentially become better at expanding some of our recruitment processes, and find ways to attract and promote our inclusionary nature.
How do you think the travel industry as a whole compares to other industries in terms of inclusivity?
I’ve worked in retail, which is traditionally very inclusive. I’ve also worked in manufacturing, which is definitely not. The travel industry does have a lot more people from the LGBTQI+ community than many others. I think that’s because people who work in this industry want to connect, want to build relationships with people. So they tend to be more open. If travel is your passion, you’re all about connecting with other people regardless of their sexual orientation or colour or whatever.
You obviously travel a lot, both for work and leisure. Do LGBTQI+ people still face discrimination while travelling or are things changing?
I remember travelling with a former partner many years ago in Asia and when we arrived at the resort, our room was made up with two single beds. Every night we would push them together and every morning housekeeping would push them apart. I think we’ve moved on from that, but there are some places in the world where two men travelling together draws attention. There are certain countries my partner Benn and I still won’t go to, whether it’s because we don’t want to give them our money for ideological reasons or because we simply wouldn’t feel safe. And there are still places in Australia where we will consciously choose not to hold hands or kiss in public. Things are definitely changing, but there’s still a way to go. That’s why it’s always so important to talk about diversity and inclusion, in the workplace, at school, with our friends.
