Key Takeaways
- Despite LGBTQ+ individuals making up 4% of the US workforce, half choose not to disclose their identity at work due to fear of discrimination - highlighting the critical need for better workplace inclusion practices.
- Companies can demonstrate meaningful support for LGBTQ+ employees through concrete actions like standardizing parental leave policies, using inclusive language, and fostering internal LGBTQ+ networks - not just making superficial statements.
- Creating an inclusive workplace has clear business benefits - research shows the US economy could save $9 billion annually if organizations effectively implemented LGBTQ+ diversity and inclusion policies.
Approximately four percent of the United States workforce identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, and more (LGBTQ+), according to a 2016 research survey by UCLA's Williams Institute. While this number may seem small, note that a reported 50 percent of LGBTQ+ workers choose not to disclose their sexual orientation at work out of fear they might miss out on promotions, be discriminated against or treated differently.
When it comes to workplace diversity, this fear of self-identification poses real challenges for company leadership. While inclusive policies have improved, corporate America still has a long way to go. In 2002, only 13 employers earned a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, which rates workplaces on LGBTQ+ equality; in this year's report, 517 out of 5,228 major brands received a perfect CEI score.
Supporting and attracting diverse employees has a strong business case, too. A recent report from research and marketing consultancy Out Now, "LGBTQ+ Diversity: Show Me The Business Case," found that the US economy could save $9 billion annually if organizations were effective at implementing diversity and inclusion policies for LGBTQ+ staff.
Here are four things your company can do to ensure that all employees feel comfortable, respected and included in your company culture and workforce community.
Parenting is hard no matter how it happens. Companies that have more than 50 employees are required to offer up to 12 weeks of unpaid medical leave as part of the Family Medical Leave Act, but other companies are going far beyond that. Netflix and other Silicon Valley heavyweights have begun offering unlimited parental leave for all of their employees. A policy like this makes a statement that a company values all employees, regardless of their role as a parent. This leads to increased employee retention and more support for employees during one of the most stressful family transitions of their lives.
One of the most important and often overlooked pieces to the employee retention puzzle is friendship and mentorship among colleagues, peers and team members not just in a department, but across the organization. Companies should help foster and encourage an internal LGBTQ+ network community within their organization. While this seems small, it is important, especially when you consider that 23 percent of LGBTQ+ workers surveyed said they believe they were discriminated against at their workplace.
It's not enough just to write a press release or a corporate email notice proclaiming an organization's commitment to inclusiveness. You need to walk the talk by providing extensive employee leadership training in this area. Employee policies should be updated, revised or created to reflect the new focus within the organization. This change requires more than adding a 20-minute video into your new hire orientation. The message that you are an inclusive company and will not tolerate negativity or harassment at work needs to be reinforced everywhere—from the break room to leader meetings and employee conversations.
Use inclusive language
In 2019, AirCanada changed its scripted greeting to “welcome everyone” instead of “welcome ladies and gentlemen.” The airline made the change to acknowledge and include other genders. It may seem like a small action, but this language change helps create a more inclusive environment.
At your workplace, you can use inclusive language that puts people first. Words like “salesman” and “chairman” exclude women and non-binary people. Instead, use terms like “salesperson” and “chair” that are gender-neutral.
Try this simple act: instead of starting emails with “Hey, guys!” say something like “Hey, everyone!” or “Hey, team!”
You can check out The Diversity Style Guide for even more ways to improve your organization’s inclusive language.
Ask for pronouns
About 1.4 million adults in the United States identify as transgender, meaning their gender identity is different from the gender assigned to them at birth. Since pronouns reflect gender identity, we need to make sure we’re using the correct pronouns for our coworkers.
The easiest way to find out someone’s pronouns is to simply ask, “What are your pronouns?”
If you don’t feel comfortable asking, you can say something like, “Hi, I’m Samantha, and my pronouns are she/her.” This statement allows the other person the option to offer their pronouns if they want. If you use incorrect pronouns for a coworker, apologize and correct yourself.
Remember: Pronouns are personal. Using someone’s correct pronouns is a sign of respect
Employers who truly want to make a difference and be inclusive—not just within their organization but also in the communities they serve—should begin supporting local LGBTQ+ events and issues. This could be as simple as encouraging team members to march in the local Gay Pride Parade, or taking a stand on a local law or ordinance that might impact their LGBTQ+ employees.
The key to providing great benefits to any employee population starts with understanding the wants, needs and expectations of your employee population and how those intersect with your employee culture. With any company culture, it's important that a foundation is built on respect, admiration and a commitment to inclusion for all team members. Diversity helps foster creativity, growth and innovation, so investing in diversity means investing in the future of your business.
Other examples of how organizations can be inclusive leaders and support LGBTQ+ initiatives are:
- Start or join your company’s LGBTQ+ and allyship group(s)
- Participate in Pride organizing this month and continue the work throughout the year
- Attend or help schedule listening sessions to hear from your LGBTQ+ coworkers
- Create informational toolkits to help educate the people you work with
- Offer to contribute to other employee resource group projects or spread the word about them
By supporting LGBTQ+ initiatives, you can help create systemic change in your organization.
Photo: Creative Commons
