Pride Month is an opportunity for many 2SLGBTQIA+ communities around the world to come together to celebrate visibility, diversity, acceptance, love, community and the power of connection.
Pride Month gives us many reasons to celebrate, but its also a reminder that there is still much more to do on a global scale and that the fight for acceptance, inclusion and equality is far from over. And that rings true, especially in the workplace, where many members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community still experience discrimination, discomfort and barriers to equal opportunity and advancement.
These statistics compiled by the job website Zippia show that harassment, mistreatment and barriers on the job for members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities are still common:
Other findings, according to this Catalyst report, reveal that 23.7% of LGBT Americans have experienced discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity when applying for jobs and those experiences further vary by race and ethnicity.
Pay can also be affected. LGBTQ+ employees in the U.S. earn 90% for every $1 the typical worker earns. Transgender employees make 32% less per year than their cisgender counterparts.
The report also claims that fear prevents LGBTQ+ employees from bringing their full selves to work and that their decision to come out at work can differ by gender and rank. About half (50.4%) of LGBT workers in the United States are not out to their supervisors. One-quarter (25.8%) are not out to anyone at work.
For people outside Europe and North America, its more difficult to come out at work, according to this McKinsey & Company report. Three-quarters of North American respondents and 78% of European respondents were broadly out at work compared to only 54% of respondents from other regions.
The importance of fostering a culture of inclusion is, as SAPs Director of Solution Marketing writes for Forbes, a business imperative, not a trend. The article also shared Deloitte insights that reveal that inclusive cultures translate into value: Organizations with inclusive cultures are twice as likely to meet or exceed financial targets, three times more likely to be high performing, six times more likely to be innovative and agile and eight times more likely to achieve better business outcomes.
Inclusive work environments often determine whether 2SLGBTQIA+ employees leave or stay in their jobs. According to Catalyst, 25% of LGBTQ employees reported staying in a job due to a LGBT-inclusive work environment and 10% left a job because the work environment did not accept LGBTQ people.
How can you build a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace? Find out how in this blog.
4 Ways To Celebrate Pride in the Workplace in June and Beyond
Pride Month is an ideal time to celebrate diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace, but its also the perfect opportunity to reflect on how you can support your 2SLGBTQIA+ workforce all year long. Here are four ways your organization can celebrate pride in June and beyond.
Its important to show that your efforts are authenticduring Pride Month and beyond.
Promoting, sponsoring and participating in Pride Month events is a sure way to show employees, prospects and partners that your company is supportive and welcoming to members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. But if you truly support this community, why not show them your support and ongoing commitment all year round?
As more companies are rainbow or pink washing (jumping on the Pride bandwagon as an advertising opportunity or to sell products), its important to show that your efforts are authenticduring Pride Month and beyond. This means truly walking the walk in how you look inward as an organization and reflect on not only representation in your company, but also how your employees get to experience a sense of inclusion and community in your workplace.
At Vena, for instance, Spectrum, our 2SLGBTQIA+ Vena Resource Group (VRG), holds learning labs and workshops throughout the year with The Get REAL Movement, a Canadian nonprofit focused on combatting 2SLGBTQ+ discrimination, racism and bullying in schools, summer camps and workplace. Weve also supported and attended an annual conference hosted by Venture Out, Canadas first and largest tech and social impact nonprofit organization connecting LGBTQA2S+ people in tech to career opportunities, mentors and each other.
Being a champion for 2SLGBTQIA+ equality in your workplace includes:
Making sure your branding and corporate designs and images reflect diversity.
Hear what Camille Dundas, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Canadas largest Black online magazine ByBlacks.com, says about why intersectionality is important to diversity, equity and inclusion. Click the video below.
Showcasing diverse voices in your company not only gives everyone the freedom to be themselves in their professional lives, but it also helps develop 2SLGBTQIA+ allyship.
Oftentimes, members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community can feel tokenized or like an only within an organization (the only one on a team or in a meeting with their gender identity, sexuality or race). McKinsey & Companys report on how the LGBTQ+ community fares in the workplace revealed that LGBTQ+ women face more inappropriate comments and sexual harassment at work and that LGBTQ+ womenespecially women of colorare dramatically more likely to experience being an only.
To avoid being an only in the workplace or on a team, employees often alter their behavior at work to avoid or minimize attention to stigmatized traits. This is known as covering and over time, can negatively impact the health and well-being of employees in the workplace. Catalyst reported that About two in five (40.7%) of LGBT employees are covering at their current jobs and that transgender employees are more likely to cover (57.7%) compared to cisgender LGB workers (39.0%).
How can you assist your 2SLGBTQIA+ workforce, create an inclusive environment for them and encourage them to bring their authentic selves to work? By providing them with a support system. This includes encouraging them to share their stories and experiences (only if they are comfortable doing so), giving them the opportunity to speak up for change and leading by example.
Showcasing diverse voices in your company not only gives everyone the freedom to be themselves in their professional lives, but it also helps develop 2SLGBTQIA+ allyship, inspires all of your employees to thrive in the workplace and provides minority and underrepresented groups with hope for the future.
3. Recognize the Achievements of 2SLGBTQIA+ Employees
Companies have risen to show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community through campaigns, but theres still a long way to go to ensure all efforts are authentic.
Highlighting the representation and achievements of your 2SLGBTQIA+ employees and sharing this messaging in your branding sends prospective talent a strong message: your workplace has a welcoming, inclusive and diverse culture.
But according to The Drum, although an increasing number of companies have risen to show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community through campaigns, theres still a long way to go to ensure all efforts are authentic. The article quoted research commissioned by the Gay Times and Karmarama which found 64% of adults think its positive for the LGBTQ+ community to be visible in advertisements, while 72% of the LGBTQ+ community think the way they are represented is tokenistic.
In todays world where authenticity is becoming increasingly important to consumers, brands need to be careful, as this article says, to ensure that their Pride initiatives are flying the flag in a way that actually drives change and supports LGBTQ+ causes in the process.
2SLGBTQIA+ employees are 85% more likely to be out at companies where senior executives are also out.
Catalyst reported that just 26 of the 5,670 (0.5%) board seats in the Fortune 500 are held by openly LGBTQ+ directors. And it was only in 2018 that Beth Ford, CEO of Land OLakes, became the first openly gay woman to run a Fortune 500 company.
Having visible 2SLGBTQIA+ leadership at your company not only encourages employees to bring their true selves to work, according to the World Economic Forum, it also can have a major impact on engagement. As EYs Global Vice-Chair of Public Policy writes for WEF, 2SLGBTQIA+employees are 85% more likely to be out at companies where senior executives are also out.
Let that rainbow flag fly all year round.
Pride doesnt start and end in June. Let that rainbow flag fly all year round. Supporting the 2SLGBTQIA+ community is an ongoing commitment and shows those inside and outside of your workplace that your company not only supports 2SLGBTQIA+ community, but that it is truly an inclusive environment that welcomes all.
This is an updated version of this blog (previously published in 2021).