In 2009, Nadeem Shamim from London to Hong Kong Standard Chartered Bank. Although eager to make achievements on the new job, but his enthusiasm is diluted by grief. His spouse, the network marketing expert Peter can't receive the visa in Hong Kong with Shamim, can only stay in the UK.
Gay for the work of multinational executives, with the visa authorities's one of many troubles is that they don't feel strange. Although many multinational companies claim to treat all employees equally, but their business to homosexuality and bisexuality acceptance in the host country is a huge difference, often either gay, lesbian and bisexual men and bisexual women, which makes them hard to deliver on the promises of all company employees are equal.
Although there are more and more countries admit that same-sex unions and gay marriage, but most of the country is still not recognized.
Lesbian or bisexual executives deliberately to destination for social and cultural progress seems to solve this problem. However, executives sometimes worry that if they for some places, such as part of the Asia, Africa and the Middle East - existence against homosexuality and bisexuality, and avoid the strategic importance of the market, their careers will be stagnant, even if their employers guarantee this won't happen.
Gay and bisexual people lobbying group Stonewall workplace project director Simon Feeke advice, don't anticipation, but listed a number of destinations for the selection of employees, let them decide for themselves which destination for you. He said: "if the opportunity is rare, a few gay and bisexual people willing to travel to the countries with serious punishment to homosexuality and bisexuality."
"Stonewall", according to data from about a quarter of the gay and bisexual employees to colleagues conceal their sexual orientation. Staff worried that if they refuse to accept the secondment, employers can force their reasons. In order to solve this problem, to some extent Simmons & Simmons changed the company policy, allowing its lawyer asked companies gives an alternative to appointed destination outside, and do not need to explain the reasons to the company. The firm lesbian, gay, bisexual people and transgender (LGBT) network co-head of David Stone said: "we realized that employees rebuffed secondment reason is that they don't want to be sent to a specific country."
Sometimes, seconded employees have the opportunity to change the social culture from conservative colleagues view on gay and bisexual people, best proceed with caution.
However, in the case of no widely accepted, gay employees need the latest intelligence, where to make the work and how to ensure safety of wise decision. Cimo, back home in a law firm secondment staff made a destination city guides. These guidelines provide information including: local laws about homosexuality, and deduce from the local law compared to local residents and law enforcers are more can or cannot accept same-sex relationships.
Shamim has now returned to London. He plans to start a gay and bisexual dating sites, can let gay employees seconded overseas with their full trust in his hometown of people connect with each other.And help them meet bisexual people. Though he lives in Hong Kong is the true identity, but he still remember early in his career suffer when they hide their sexual orientation.