Be Proud: Maintaining LGBTQIA Inclusive Workplaces
Creating an inclusive culture for all LGBTQIA colleagues is essential.
J.K. Rowling offended trans individuals and groups on Twitter with an offensive definition of women. Pride parades were cancelled across the country due to COVID-19 safety concerns. New research shows workplace discrimination against LGBTQIA employees is prevalent.
Listen to Take The Lead’s podcast on “Pride in The Workplace”
To be truly inclusive, diverse, equitable and fair to all persons, company and organization leaders have work to do.
“To be truly inclusive, diverse, equitable and fair to all persons, company and organization leaders have work to do. #LGBTQWorkplace #Pride2020”
Read more in Take The Lead on LGBTQIA fairness at work
According to PR Newswire, while 79 percent of human resource professionals believe their company is diverse, according to new data from Clutch, their employees tell a different story.
According to the Clutch study, “one in five workers say they value hiring more women into leadership positions, and 17% value increased recruiting of underrepresented groups. Only 14% of employees value heightening LGBTQ awareness and sensitivity at their company.”
Workplace culture in this country is notoriously ineffective on the inclusion of LGBTQIA persons.
“#WorkplaceCulture in this country is notoriously ineffective on the inclusion of LGBTQIA persons. #PrideMonth”
According to MEAWW, “According to a 2017 Harvard opinion survey, 90 percent of LGBTQ+ Americans believed that they are still prone to discrimination in the present day. Some 59 percent of respondents said that they were unlikely to obtain any employment in the area that they live in because they are queer. One in five revealed that they faced hardships in the job application process. The unemployment rates among individuals that identify as transgender are three times higher than the general population, per data from the National Center for Transgender Equality.”
Read more in Take The Lead on equality updates
As COVID-19 has drastically affected unemployment rates, some of the sectors hardest hit such as restaurants, hotels, events and entertainment have larger representations of LGBTQIA persons.
“#COVID19 has drastically affected #unemployment rates in industries that have larger representations of #LGBTQIA persons, such as restaurants, hotels, events and entertainment.”
“Only 22 states and the District of Colombia have specific laws that prohibit workplace discrimination against LGBTQ+ staff, which means in 28 out of 50 states, there are no state-level protection or legal recourse if they are fired or harassed for being LGBTQ+. According to Catalyst, a global nonprofit that works to build workplaces for women, nearly 3.9 million LGBTQ+ workers, out of an estimated 8.1 million population, aged 16 or older live in states that don't render them any statutory protection,” according to MEAWW.
Read more in Take The Lead on LGBTQIA leaders
In the United Kingdom, research on discrimination and lack of inclusion practices have similar results. The 2018 “LGBT in Britain – Work Report” based on YouGov research with 3,213 LGBTQ+ employees “revealed several key areas where employees feel unsupported and discriminated against because of their sexual orientation,” according to This Week in FM.
“Almost one in five LGBTQ+ staff (18 per cent) have been the target of negative comments or conduct from work colleagues because they're LGBTQ+. One in eight trans people (12 per cent) have been physically attacked by customers or colleagues in the last year because of being trans. One in 10 black, Asian and minority ethnic LGBTQ+ staff (10 per cent) have similarly been physically attacked because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity, compared to three per cent of white LGBTQ+ staff,” This Week reports.
Read more from Gloria Feldt on LGBTQ pride in the workplace
“Almost one in five LGBTQ+ people (18 per cent) who were looking for work said they were discriminated against because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity while trying to get a job in the last year. One in eight black, Asian and minority ethnic LGBTQ+ employees (12 per cent) have lost a job in the last year because of being LGBTQ+, compared to four per cent of white LGBTQ+ staff. More than a third of LGBTQ+ staff (35 per cent) have hidden or disguised that they are LGBT at work in the last year because they were afraid of discrimination.”
And many fear reprisals and retribution, so they do not report discrimination behaviors.
Watch Take The Lead Virtual Happy Hour on Pride In The Workplace
“One in eight lesbian, gay and bi people (12 per cent) wouldn’t feel confident reporting any homophobic or biphobic bullying to their employer. One in five trans people (21 per cent) wouldn’t report transphobic bullying in the workplace,” the report shows.
Yet, there is encouraging news and reports emerging.
Swaddle reports that the LGBTQ Inclusion in Advertising and Media study from GLAAD, of 2,000 non-LGBTQIA+ Americans shows that “movies, TV shows and ads can change perceptions, and erase prejudices towards the LGBTQIA+ community.”
“@TheSwaddle reports that a study from @Glaad of 2,000 non-LGBTQIA+ Americans shows that “movies, TV shows and ads can change perceptions, and erase prejudices towards the #LGBTQIA+ community.” #Representation”
According to the report, “non-LGBTQIA+ people exposed to LGBTQIA+ depiction on media had become up to 48 percent more accepting of gay and lesbian people compared to other responders, who had not seen the community represented in the media. In addition, 80 percent of responders from the first set also admitted to being more supportive of equal rights for the community,” Swaddle reports.
“When you have greater visibility of people who are LGBTQ, then you increase acceptance. It’s human nature that familiarity can lead to a greater degree of acceptance,” Marc Pritchard, Chief Brand Officer at P&G, said.
““When you have greater visibility of people who are #LGBTQ, then you increase acceptance,” said Marc Pritchard, Chief Brand Officer at @ProcterGamble. #Pride #Representation”
Efforts are in the works to raise the visibility of LGBTQIA persons in the advertising community with representation in ads as well as employment numbers.
“Efforts are in the works to raise the visibility of #LGBTQIA persons in the advertising community with #representation in ads as well as employment numbers. ”
Read more in Take The Lead on why fairness is good business
Campaign reports, “Even though LGBTQIA+ people make up 4.5 percent of the U.S. population, they don’t receive 4.5 percent of marketing budgets, ad spend or representation in ads. Take that and add it to the fact that nearly half (46 percent) of LGBTQIA workers remain in the closet at their professions – and 72 percent of LGBTQ+ individuals find queer ads to be tokenistic – and it’s more than clear that adland has a systemic problem.”
“Do the WeRQ is a new organization, movement and platform on a mission to: unite the LGBTQIA+ community across adland; increase queer creativity, representation and share of voice; and create tangible diversity and inclusion progress in the industry,” Campaign reports.
Read more in Take The Lead on preferred pronouns .
"The power of queer creativity to impact culture mirrors the power that queer creativity has to impact business. Until the promise of inclusion is fulfilled, across the industry, ideas are lost – and that means lost opportunities for business," Graham Nolan, co-chair of storytelling and partnerships at Do the WeRQ, tells Campaign.
““The power of queer creativity to impact culture mirrors the power that #queer creativity has to impact business,” @GrahamNolan, co-chair of storytelling and partnerships at @Dothewerq tells @CampaignLiveUS.”
Read more here in Take The Lead on ways to support LGBTQ employees.
To create an inclusive and welcoming culture for LGBTQIA colleagues, suggestions include creating policies that firmly state intolerance for discrimination based on orientation; offering resources for all employees; creating a safe environment where colleagues can share experiences; supporting local and national organizations related to LGBTQIA issues.
“To create an inclusive and welcoming culture for LGBTQIA colleagues, create policies that firmly state intolerance for #discrimination based on orientation. #LGBTQWorkplace”
Of course awareness and inclusion must exist beyond June, that is Pride Month. One-time discussions or luncheons have to be more than token attempts to display the look of inclusion. Welcoming efforts need to last all year and beyond in order to hire, cultivate, retain, promote and reward LGBTQIA colleagues in the workplace in order to achieve true parity in the workplace.
“Welcoming efforts need to last all year and beyond in order to hire, cultivate, retain, promote and reward #LGBTQIA colleagues in the workplace and achieve true #parity. #Pride2020”
