Showing Up For Your LGBTQ+ Workers
My trans son, Mick, and I have led some webinars during Pride Month to share our family’s journey, to provide ways that businesses can be supportive of employees and customers, and to share resources. The experience of sharing our story has been affirming for both Mick and me and we hope informative and hopeful to others.
Following are some highlights from a recent survey conducted by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) that we hope you find interesting and helpful.
After years of diversity and inclusion work, many corporate leaders believe that the work experience is pretty good for LGBTQ. However, BCG surveyed 2,000 LGBTQ employees and found that 40% of LGBTQ employees are closeted at work and 75% report experiencing negative day to day workplace interactions.
People who feel they need to hide an important part of their identity while at work cannot do their best work.
There have been two important generational shifts.
The makeup of the LGBTQ workforce has changed dramatically. The number of women identifying as bisexual is 57% in Gen Z compared to 22% age 65+. There is more racial diversity in the younger LGBTQ workforce, where the majority of those age 18 to 24 are non-white (53%) versus just 7% of those aged 55+.
Second, young straight employees are increasingly attuned to LGBTQ issues – thus a larger audience who care about inclusion. Straight employees under 35 are 3 times more likely to find value in their LGBTQ colleagues.
The culture breaks down when it comes to an employee’s daily touch points. These are comments or actions that highlight prejudice, demonstrate a lack of empathy, or make an individual or group feel isolated or unwelcome. For example, assuming LGBTQ colleagues do not want children or discouraging them from leading a client meeting because they lack “presence”. Some must deal with colleagues who passively refrain from networking with them.
Initiatives to create a more inclusive culture:
Allow employees to self-identify as LGBTQ and select their pronouns on internal systems, including during the hiring process.
Ally programs raise awareness and create shared accountability to drive inclusion. Educate straight people and provide them with tools to intervene. Strong managers set the tone and can credibly intervene if culture breaks down.
Many LGBTQ employees who experience an incident receive a second insult when they report it and nothing happens. Create a confidential resource that will take some action to build a more inclusive culture.
Establish pronoun guidelines. Strive to use gender neutral language. Forms should include chosen or preferred name, not just legal name.
Show your support of LGBTQ all year long, not just during Pride month. Donate to local resources such as JASMYN – a Jacksonville group that supports and empowers LGBTQ young people by creating a safe space for youth development opportunities.
Prominently post a non-discrimination policy that includes sexual orientation and gender identity.
Companies need to advance their D&I approach to one of changing the culture and recognizing evolving trends. This will lead to employee engagement and retention and better business performance. And besides, it’s simply the right thing to do.
