Some bosses choose to lead with fear, while others lead with kindness and show compassion for their employees who need it the most. Recently, one CEO showed how being supportive can make a difference in a person’s life, especially if that said person is about to have the biggest day of her life.
In a video posted by HSBC Bank in Taiwan (via Mashable) one of its employees, Jennifer, revealed that her parents don’t approve of her relationship with her girlfriend, Sam, and that they refused to attend their wedding.
“My parents are strongly against it,” Jennifer said. “Whenever my father sees Sam, he will push her out and tell her to get lost.”
The HSBC employee also said that she and her partner were afraid to come out as they thought that people would make fun of them. Moreover, Jennifer said that she was worried about her work, as she was concerned that clients would stop banking with HSBC if they found out that they have a lesbian employee. Soon, she realized that some clients were supportive, which gave her one less thing to worry about.
Jennifer said that her parents have stopped communicating with her and decided to boycott her wedding. However, her boss and her co-workers have been supportive of her wedding plans, and even the country’s HSBC CEO, John Li, offered to walk her down the aisle.
The video shows the brides waiting to make their entrance, with Jennifer holding on to Li’s arm. They were greeted with loud cheers, and the employee recalled that the CEO advised them “not to be nervous and to walk slowly.”
“We cried because we never thought we would make it this far,” said Jennifer.
Same-sex marriage is not recognized in Taiwan, which means that Jennifer and Sam’s wedding was symbolic. However, Jennifer said that the wedding is really for the LGBT community and they hope that their actions will encourage people and create respect among different communities.
HSBC is one of the few companies which openly supports LGBT couples. Last year, HSBC Hong Kong debuted two new colored lion statues they named Stephen and Stitt at the HSBC Main Building Plaza, saying that they stand for pride and unity. The lions have been painted in rainbow colors to show support for the LGBT community.
For more, check out Jobs & Hire’s report on how to lead with kindness.
