Keep Track of SuccessĬelebrate your successes and monitor your progress by tracking things such as number of employee grievances, completion rates of diversity training, LGBT hires and promotions, and how many new employees have come out. Foster a Gender-Neutral EnvironmentĬreate a gender-neutral environment by making bold changes such as establishing unisex toilets and using gender-neutral language, like 'partner' instead of husband or wife.
Make your benefits inclusive of all employees by being conscious of what words you use in your coverage and favouring gender-neutral terms. Remember, gendered language can cause parental benefits to unintentionally exclude LGBTQ families.
Offer equal benefits to all employees, regardless of their sexual orientation, including parental leave, adoption leave, and time off to take care of dependants.
Offer LGBT-Friendly Benefitsīenefits packages and non-discrimination clauses are some of the most important considerations for job seekers, yet can unintentionally exclude LGBTQ families and transgender individuals. Show your support the local LGBT community by providing information to employees about local events and groups, sponsor a Pride Party, celebrate National Coming Out Day, encourage volunteering at LGBT events like Pride Month, and invite speakers to share their experiences. Gain the support from the very top and promote senior staff champions, who can help implement diversity initiatives, mentor junior LGBT colleagues, and act as sponsors of employee network groups. Promote Allies of LGBT Peopleĭrive initiatives to promote the allies of LGBT employees, who can act as support networks to LGBT employees and help champion the message that diversity is part of your organisation's mission. Having open and consistent dialogue with your LGBTQ resource group will improve employee engagement, company culture and provide valuable information on ways to further innovate in the workplace.
PRO TIP: Many successful ERGs have an executive champion, a leader in the organisation who connects an ERG to upper management, according to the Human Rights Campaign. You can also support employees with measures such as climate surveys, LGBTQ competency trainings, and employee resource groups (ERG). Mentoring, employee networking groups, seminars, and conferences all go a long way in becoming a more inclusive place to work for LGBT employees. Develop Support Programmes for LGBT Employees Take LGBT Discrimination SeriouslyĮstablish a strong anti-discrimination policy in your recruitment & promotion practices, and be sure all employees know what is not tolerated in the workplace, and in cases of homophobic bullying, promptly recognise the problem and take action. Develop a Clear Mission for Supporting LGBT in the WorkplaceĬommunicate a clear mission to all of your employees, including managers and senior staff, through education and diversity training about your inclusion policies and strategies for supporting LGBT employees. So, what can businesses do to demolish career barriers, reduce workplace discrimination, and better support employees who identify as LGBT in the workplace? 1. In fact, gay and lesbian job seekers are 5% less likely to be offered a job interview than heterosexual applicants with comparable skills and experience. And many more Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer (LGBTQ) senior executives have not come out at the office.įear of homophobia, exclusion, being passed over for promotions and job interviews are still very real for many LGBT people. However, many LGBT people in the UK still choose not to disclose their sexuality at work. Diversity helps draw top talent and foster innovation, and people perform significantly better when they can be themselves at work. The evidence is clear: companies that embrace LGBT policies outperform their competitors. "Companies are urgently interested in making sure that they understand and support our community," says Erin Uritus, CEO of LGBTQ workplace advocacy non-profit Out and Equal. This year, it was named one of the top employers for LGBT equality.ĭata from Glassdoor shows one in three hiring decision makers anticipated increased investment in diversity and inclusion measures. And it turns out that the MI5 is good at more than training secret service. Over the last decade, organisations in all sectors have made huge strides in supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees and creating an inclusive workplace.īig British brands like Barclays have established programmes such as Barclays' Spectrum, designed to support LGBT people within a huge corporation.