You may believe that your workplace is inclusive to everyone and their needs, but is it truly?
LGBTQ+ inclusivity isn’t only about making sure your business is keeping up to date with LGBTQ+ laws. It’s also about making sure that all your employees feel comfortable in the workplace and believe that they are truly included. To mark Pride month, this article looks at tips on how to make your workplace more LGBTQ+ inclusive to help your employees and business. And it looks like many workplaces have a long way to go.
According to research by Stonewall, more than 35% of LGBTQ+ workers in the past year have hidden that they are part of this community in fear of discrimination. With over 1.3 million open vacancies in the UK, more than ever employers need to be inclusive to retain talent and avoid the extra time and cost of replacing those that may leave if they don’t feel comfortable.
What is being LGBTQ+ inclusive?
Being LGBTQ+ inclusive means making sure everyone in your company feels like they can be themselves whilst at work and that there isn’t any discrimination towards them. Unfortunately, many are finding the reverse in their workplace. A survey conducted by the CIPD found that more than one in five respondents (23%) experienced a negative or mixed reaction from others at work because of being LGBTQ+.
What’s more, many who are “out” at work are often harassed and asked personal prying questions which can negatively impact the employer brand. New research by Glassdoor found that LGBTQ+ employees in 2022 are 128% more likely to discuss discrimination in their reviews on Glassdoor compared to non-LGBTQ+ employees. Creating a workplace that is well educated and with allies to the LGBTQ+ community could help address much of this.
Benefits of an inclusive workplace:
Although organisations shouldn’t have to put a business case together for a more inclusive workplace there are some recognised advantages to it. These are:
- A more inclusive workplace attracts a broader range of skills and perspectives. The organisation becomes more talent rich and productive.
- Innovation and creativity improve – thanks to employees feeling more comfortable to share their ideas.
- Diversity and inclusion in the workplace advances company reputation and positive brand awareness. The UK spend of the LGBTQ+ community was estimated at £6 billion in 2019. That’s a powerful economic group that organisations would want to attract as customers as well as employees.
- Higher revenue. Increasingly customers want to buy from organisations that look like them and share the same values as they hold.
What does it mean to be an LGBTQ+ ally?
An ally is someone who tries to uplift the LGBTQ+ community. They educate themselves and those around them, constantly advocating for minority groups. In a workplace it is essential for there to be at least someone who is an ally and supports the LGBTQ+ community to help people feel included and supported in the company they work for.
How can my workplace be more inclusive?
- It starts at the top. An organisation’s leadership needs to be seen (and believed) to have a desire to build a diverse culture and recruit people who are open to working with people of all different nationalities, skin colour, gender and sexual orientation.
- The use of gender-neutral pronouns. It has been seen that the constant misgendering of non-binary and transgender people adds stress to their daily lives.
- Create a safe space for your workers. You can do this through appointing allies who can become a support system.
- Educate your workers. Either doing this through doing a seminar where people are taught about the LGBTQ+ community or through a programme developed in-house or bought in.
- Create gender neutral toilets. The use of gender-neutral toilets helps non-binary people to feel more included in the office, as they don’t conform to a singular gender.
- Go beyond the law. And therefore creating a more inclusive and safer place to work. There are few laws specific to the protection of LGBTQ+ people but that shouldn’t stop you to protecting them and their rights further in your company.
In conclusion
Whether in the workplace or not, we should be inclusive to everyone in society – not just those who fit the norm that we have been accustomed to. This isn’t just because it is something that is right, creating a more inclusive and productive workplace brings significant business advantage through retained talent, customer loyalty and increased profits.
Further reading
https://cordellhealth.co.uk/blog/why-is-creating-inclusive-workplaces-such-an-effort/
https://www.stonewall.org.uk/system/files/lgbt_in_britain_work_report.pdf
Photo by James A. Molnar on Unsplash
