Meet Sumit: Embracing authenticity in the workplace

At ServiceNow, we're continually inspired by our colleagues who courageously bring their true selves to work every single day. Sumit B., talent acquisition optimization recruiting lead in the UK, epitomizes this ethos, embracing authenticity in the workplace.

Raised in a strict family, Sumit often felt like he was leading a double life, hesitant to come out as LGBTQ+. Over time, he gained the strength and courage to accept and embrace his authentic self with his family and has never looked back. That genuineness spills over into every area of his life.

Accessibility note: The video is transcribed at the end of this blog post.

Paying it forward

During the past three years, Sumit spearheaded the Pride at ServiceNow employee belonging group in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and represented ServiceNow at Dublin Pride events. He also completed a three-month secondment with our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) team, leading and coordinating DEI initiatives in EMEA.

Sumit believes asking questions is the key to understanding how individuals navigate their lives. His guiding principle is simple yet heartfelt: "If you don’t know something, ask the question," he says.

His journey to self-acceptance serves as a model for others. The process of coming out is deeply personal and should never be rushed. ServiceNow is committed to providing a supportive environment through resources like Pride at ServiceNow, which offers vital assistance to those grappling with difficult decisions.

Fulfilling personal dreams

Being his true self has empowered Sumit to go after his dreams. He’s grateful to ServiceNow for giving him the opportunity to move into his current role, something he’s always wanted to do, based on his success as a senior talent acquisition partner.

Personally, he embarked on the UK’s National Three Peaks Challenge, a quest to hike 23 miles (37km) to the highest peaks of Scotland, England, and Wales. Although he and fellow ServiceNow colleagues fell shy of completing the last 5% of the third peak due to inclement weather, they enjoyed the journey.

“It was such an awe-inspiring experience that I can’t put into words,” Sumit says. “Although the stoppage due to the elements of nature made us feel really disappointed initially, we are incredibly happy with what we have achieved.”

Undeterred, Sumit plans to continue to aim high, knowing that through support and acceptance, individuals can truly thrive and embrace their genuine selves in both work and pleasure.

Join a company where you can be your authentic self and live your best life. Explore ServiceNow careers.

Video transcript

Being LGBT from a Southeast Asian background is really hard. I was always told that you need to do well and build a life for yourself, and you’re eventually going to get married. And a path was laid out for me from the very start.

But deep down inside, I always knew that I would have to eventually come out at some point. And I bucked up the confidence to tell my parents, and that affected me on a mental level quite a lot, having been through the struggle of coming out and quite a lot of pushback that I got from family members.

ServiceNow to me has been a company where I have been my authentic self from day one. That's why when I was looking for job opportunities and ServiceNow came up, I think one of the key things I always asked was around, you know, “What support is available for employees who are LGBT?”

I've been in organizations in the past where I was not myself, which led me to underperforming. I think if you're not able to bring your whole self to work, it can be really difficult for you to be able to do well in the workplace. Because imagine having to lead two lives.

There is a Pride at Now network here, and that was an incredible experience just getting to meet fellow LGBT colleagues within the organization as well. It's really hard when you don't have family support immediately available to you.

For me, a lot of the figuring out has happened by myself, but having been able to talk to people at work and tell them this is what I'm going through, it's nice having that ear that I can have an honest conversation with.

At the end of the day, it's all about making sure you're bringing your best to everything that you do, everything that you embody. I want to try and make sure that the experiences of what I have had don't dictate my life moving forward. And I think with the way ServiceNow as a company is, I think it sort of helps me achieve that as well.