LGBTQ is the acronym commonly used to address the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender and queer/questioning community.
Workplace diversity has been en-vogue for some time but many companies are still grappling with defining what it implies for their organization, why communicating diversity is important and how to consistently and meaningfully include it as a priority in their talent management strategy.
Claims expert Dr Dexter Morse looks at the challenges faced by LGBTQ employees, the benefits of an inclusive workplace, and the key to creating an inclusive environment.
Better not tell?
Although substantial strides have been made in recognising LGBTQ issues more than 53% of LGBT workers hide their identity at the workplace. This identity struggle has detrimental impacts on their health, happiness and productivity as well as business talent retention and leadership development.
Research in the US suggests that openly gay job applicants are 40% less likely to receive job interviews. Transgender individuals have an unemployment rate three times higher than the national average.
LGBTQ employees often face hostility in the workplace. According to research by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 20% of LGBTQ Americans have experienced discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity when applying for jobs. LGBTQ people of color are even more likely to experience this type of discrimination (32%) as opposed to white LGBTQ people (13%).
LGBT Americans do not earn as much or progress in their career as quickly as their straight counterparts – 22% have not been paid equally or promoted at the same rate as their straight peers.
This was echoed in 2019 research by LinkedIn in the UK which suggests that the income of average UK LGBT employees is 16% less than their straight counterparts. 57% of respondents to the survey wanted to see greater transparency around their employers’ stance on diversity and inclusion while 55% wanted more supportive environments for coming out at work.
Transgender workers are especially vulnerable to discrimination. A 2015 US Transgender Survey revealed that 27% of the transgender population said they were not hired, were fired or were not promoted due to their gender identity or expression. 80% of the transgender population who were employed experienced harassment or mistreatment on the job or took steps to avoid it.
Straight colleagues often have a double standard approach to LGBTQ issues in the workplace – a US Human Rights Campaign Foundation report found that 81% of non-LGBTQ respondents indicated that their co-workers “should not have to hide their identity” yet 70% of the same respondents indicated that talking about sexual orientation in the workplace is “unprofessional.” There is a social pressure on all employees to reveal their identity through day-to-day casual conversations with co-workers.
Fear prevents most LGBTQ workers from being open forcing them to downplay or hide aspects of their true selves such as the nature of their personal relationships (i.e. referring to boyfriend as girlfriend) or changing the way they dress or speak. 46% of LGBTQ workers in the US are closeted in the workplace. Employees report feeling exhausted from spending time and energy concealing their sexual orientation and gender identity.
A New Zealand Workplace Equality Study conducted in 2019 by the Rainbow Tick a non-for-profit LGBTQ workplace support program revealed that 83% of LGB employees felt they can be themselves at work, 73% are out to their managers and 78% are out at work. A third of LGB employees commented that being out has made them more productive and a quarter believed that being out made a positive contribution to their career progression.
22% of LGBTQ are confident that their managers would address bullying/harassment of an LGBTQ employee. Among all employees 94% believe in and support LGBTQ inclusion initiatives in the workplace. 41% feel that their organisations should do more to support LGBTQ inclusion in the workplace and 58% of employees feel that their organisations should do more to promote LGBTQ champions/allies.
The Benefits of an Inclusive workplace
An organisation with a diverse workforce can draw on the variety of talent and different perspectives employees bring to their jobs. It can improve the company’s adaptability, enhance its ability to provide services to diverse audiences and inspire employees to think beyond their own experiences and push their boundaries.
Speaking in 2019, Chris Cummings, Chief Executive of the Investment Association in the UK said “Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people make an immeasurable contribution to society, the City and Investment Management.”
Companies with inclusive, supportive environments have better reputations and branding, they draw better candidates for open positions and retain top talent longer. People who feel secure in their workplace, supported by policies which promote acceptance and positivity will be more loyal, more focused on their jobs and less distracted and stressed. This ultimately means that the organisation will function better across the board, with greater efficiency and increased profits.
In New Zealand Rainbow tick provides a certification process to test whether an organisation understands and welcomes sexual and gender diversity. The process involves an on-going quality improvement process. They evaluate the company’s level of LGBTTQIA+ inclusion in five areas:
- Policies
- Staff Training
- Staff Engagement & support
- External engagement
- Monitoring
Current certified organisations include, Cigna Life Insurance NZ, Sovereign Insurance, Partners Life, Tower Insurance
Creating an Inclusive environment
A diverse and inclusive workplace is a happy, healthy, safe and productive one – it’s a matter of P.R.I.D.E. Here is how you go about it ….
Promote a zero-tolerance harassment policy and make it clear that employees will be disciplined or fired for wrongdoing. Encourage victims and those who have witnessed inappropriate behaviour to come forward and report it.
Recruit LGBTQ candidates. Job adverts should be clear about welcoming LGBTQ applicants and recruiters should discuss diversity and inclusion at interviews. All new staff should be invited to inclusion and diversity networking talks. Spread information and news about LGBTQ issues on social media and the internet as well as through adverts and public displays to show how welcoming the workplace can be. Pharmaceutical giant GSK adorned their UK HQ with massive rainbow flags and organised several Pride-focused events at their London office. This included pride stickers on cakes, coffee cups and uniforms, which they shared on social media. They won Stonewall’s Employee Network Group of the Year 2019 for Spectrum – a group with more than 1,000 members incorporating LGBTQ people across GSK’s UK sites. This year they ran a selfie day to mark International day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia as well as mentoring senior leaders across the business. Around the Pride Celebrations many companies display rainbow flags and change their logos to rainbow colours as a sign of solidarity. This is a great way to raise awareness but unfortunately some companies doing so have no diversity and inclusion policies in place so it’s merely window dressing or tokenism rather like putting out carved pumpkins for Halloween.
Identify priorities for action and highlight where strengths and weaknesses within the organization lie. Review the appropriateness and language of internal policies. Focus on inclusivity to explicitly include non-traditional families, create an inclusive dress code which avoids gender stereotypes and review internal communication for language and imagery which tacitly assumes heterosexual families and relationships as the “norm”.
Develop LGBTQ networks and allies at all levels of the organization. Establish mentoring programs which match participants across genders, races, ages and sexual identities. To be effective there must be “Buy-in” from the top of the organisation – CEO and Senior Management which will be parroted by the rest of the organisation. Some are onboard such as CEO of mobile communication giant Vodafone UK who commented at the launch of its new program to help recruit and retain LGBTQ candidates ”We are encouraging all employees to educate themselves and support LGBTQ colleagues to help create a truly inclusive workplace”. However, not all are as enlightened, research by Boston Consulting Group revealed that less than four in ten LGBTQ employees consider their organisation’s senior leadership team to be committed to diversity and inclusion.
Encourage discussions on diversity by establishing proactive diversity programs involving the entire organization, including diversity and inclusion training and advocate more inclusive language. Discuss with employees of various genders, sexualities and gender expressions about what would help them to feel more included. Whether it is goals or milestones which have been met, LGBTQ meetings which have taken place or the promotion of LGBTQ business leaders – don’t forget to celebrate your successes!
Dr. Dexter Morse is a Global Risk, Insurance and Legal Consultant (www.dextermorse.com). He has arbitrated numerous employment disputes and advised companies on intercultural issues and building inclusive workplaces.
