#LifeAtHireRight: Celebrating Our LGBTQ+ Community – Part 2
Hear what #LifeAtHireRight means for our team members – in their words. This June, we are featuring members of our Pride affinity group. Hear from Lindsay Watts, an account executive, and co-president of the group, in our latest blog post.
Here at HireRight, our teams work hard to build the future of screening services while striving to put the customer first. Internally, we rally around a culture committed to collaboration, service-first mindset, sense of ownership, and other corporate values to help employers get it right – every time, everywhere. But what is it like to work here? And who are the employees behind our background screening and workforce solutions?
We are continuing to spotlight what #LifeAtHireRight means for our team members – in their words. During the month of June, we are featuring a series of blogs highlighting team members involved in our PRIDE employee affinity group – including Lindsay Watts, co-president of our PRIDE employee affinity group and an account executive based in Nashville, Tennessee. You can read our first blog in the series, featuring her co-president Rob Reid, here.
Our team asked Lindsay to share a little about her work at HireRight, her role within our PRIDE employee affinity group, and why observing PRIDE month is important.
How long have you worked at HireRight, and what do you do?
I started at HireRight in September 2017, so I’ve been here for just over three and a half years. I was initially in Operations as a Public Records Investigator, which I did until about a month and a half ago, when I transitioned into the Account Coordinator role. I’m still very new and learning more about the role each day, but I’m excited to get closer to our clients and learn more about our organization as a whole.
What attracted you to a career at HireRight?
I majored in Criminal Justice in college, so I had an interest in the field from that perspective. A lot of my courses had been about the justice system and how having a criminal record impacts people’s ability to find employment, so I was really interested in continuing in that direction. Starting in public records, I really got to immerse myself in that concept of the relationship between criminality and employment. Now that I’ve moved to my new role, I spend a lot less time working with criminal records, but I’m learning and growing in new ways all the time, which is great. HireRight has so much opportunity for growth, which I have really enjoyed during my tenure here.
At HireRight, we’re committed to putting the Customer First. How do you see this in your role?
As an account coordinator, I feel that my role is super important in the idea of putting the customer first. We get all sorts of escalations, questions, frustrations, and more thrown at us, and it’s our job to help our clients through them. The attention to detail we give our clients when these things arise has a direct impact on their experience with us, so I feel really privileged to be in a position to make such a difference for them. It’s really rewarding.
Why did you feel it was important to become involved in HireRight’s PRIDE employee affinity group? What are some of your current projects within the group?
I joined the group immediately last summer after HireRight President & CEO Guy Abramo introduced it to our global team. We didn’t have anything like affinity groups in my previous job, so I was thrilled that we had a space for members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies to talk about issues, get to know each other, learn about different parts of the community, and just have fun. It wasn’t really until about January that we formed a leadership group, and the direction of the group started to take shape, and I’ve been acting as president in partnership with Rob Reid ever since.
I knew I wanted to be on the leadership team because it seemed like it was an opportunity for me to come out of my shell. I’m very shy and reserved, so it felt like a great way and get to know people, develop some new interpersonal skills, and help make the group into something great. Currently, we are focused on Pride month and have been sharing educational materials and hosting some events around them. We are also working with the other affinity groups to have combined meetings surrounding things that impact all of our communities. I’m excited to see it all taking shape and to be able to work with the other groups to reach a wider audience.
What does PRIDE month mean to you and why is it important?
This is a great question because I feel like I’ve learned so much about our community in the past several months, so it’s really changed the way I think about things to be much more global. I’ve always been aware of how lucky I am to live in the U.S. in terms of LGBTQ+ rights and tolerance, as opposed to many other parts of the world, and that has really hit home for me as we have been working to develop the PRIDE group on a global level within our organization. I always like to reflect during Pride month on how far things have come for this community and how thankful I am for the activists and allies who have come before me that got us where we are. I’m also reminded of how far we have to go because although the world is a more accepting place today, there is still a great deal of progress to be made to achieve equal rights in the U.S. and even more so around the world.
HireRight strives to be a diverse and inclusive workplace where employees feel comfortable being themselves. What has your experience been like working here?
I’ve never been someone who talks a whole lot about themselves, so taking on this role as a leader in our Pride group has been really different for me. I wouldn’t say I was ever closeted at work, but it certainly was not something I discussed a great deal until recently, as we have been working to connect with the group and engage in discussions that are often very personal. Overall, it’s been a really positive experience for me. We have such a diverse group of people working here, and our core value, “Grounded in Respect,” is something I see a lot in the interactions I’ve had.
As HireRight celebrates Pride Month, what would you like to share with colleagues?
I think the biggest thing I can share with my colleagues is how important it is to have allies for our community, especially in the workplace. The LGBTQ+ community has made the progress it has in part because we had allies to help us. It’s always really meaningful to anyone in this community to be surrounded by people who accept and support them for who they are. We are extremely thankful to have some great allies as part of our Pride group, which is open to anyone who is interested in learning more about the community.
Our corporate culture is important to us here at HireRight, and we view it as an important differentiator as an employer. What do you appreciate most about HireRight’s company culture?
I have really enjoyed seeing HireRight’s culture progress and adapt over the years that I have been here. I think the affinity groups are my favorite part. I am a member of three, and I love that we are encouraged to take time and engage in discussions and learn about minorities and different challenges that face different groups of people. Learning makes us all more compassionate and loving people, so being part of a company that encourages that and gives us so many opportunities to grow in those ways is amazing.
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At HireRight, our team members are innovating together to build the future of screening services and personal data. Experiencing #LifeatHireRight means working with great people on inspiring ideas to help employers get it right – every time, everywhere. Check out our opportunities across the globe at HireRight Careers today!
Release Date: June 22, 2021
HireRight
HireRight is a leading provider of on-demand employment background checks, drug and health screening, and electronic Form I-9 and E-Verify solutions that help employers automate, manage and control background screening and related programs.