A Guide to LGBTQ+ Inclusion in the Workplace
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, inclusion is an incredibly important topic for me, and one that shouldn’t be treated lightly. While we’ve made great strides in recent years, and I’m happy to celebrate every bit of progress, there’s still a long road ahead of us.
The push for LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace has seen great momentum over the last few decades in the UK. It’s one of a great many battles being fought today to stamp out discrimination against those marginalised in our society, and ensure a safe working environment for all.
In this article, I give you a clear guide to implementing LGBTQ+ inclusivity strategies in your workplace, so all your employees can feel welcomed, respected and represented at work.
What Is LGBTQ+?
LGBTQ+ is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and further identities related to sexuality and gender. It essentially functions as an umbrella term for all who consider themselves outside the limits of heteronormativity.
Some of the other sexualities and gender identities that are part of the LGBTQ+ family include intersex and non-binary people, pansexuality, asexuality, and two-spirit.
What Does LGBTQ+ Inclusion Mean?
Every one of your employees or potential candidates, regardless of their sexuality or gender identity, should receive the same opportunities and services, and feel safe in their place of work.
This is really what LGBTQ+ inclusion is all about. Treating everyone fairly and making sure your working environment doesn’t discriminate, be it consciously or unconsciously.
“When we listen and celebrate what is both common and different, we become a wiser, more inclusive, and better organization.”
– Pat Wadors
Strategies and Tips for LGBTQ+ Inclusion in the Workplace
Let’s look at the many ways we can ensure LGBTQ+ people are supported and included in their places of work.
Review and update your policies for LGBTQ+ inclusion
Your company must have policies and guidelines in place that promote inclusivity and diversity, especially when it comes to your LGBTQ+ employees. Your policies on areas such as parental leave, adoption and pensions must also take LGBTQ+ inclusion into account.
This should all be part of your Equality and Diversity policy, and implemented throughout your entire organisation. It’ll be down to you to make sure that everyone is aware and oriented about these policies.
If your organisation’s lacking in this area, then check out our DEI consulting services to see how we can support your leaders and HR professionals in building a pioneering workplace culture that champions diversity, equity, and inclusion at every opportunity.
Provide LGBTQ+ training and education initiatives
We all have prevailing attitudes towards one another, whether we like it or not. Recognising this is paramount to educating ourselves.
You may find that some of your employees have old-fashioned views on topics of race, gender or sexuality. These long-held attitudes and beliefs can hold back organisations that want to promote greater inclusion of LGBTQ+ members in their workplace. By offering training, which we offer as part of our Learning and Development Consulting, you can help orient them towards accepting LGBTQ+ inclusivity as well as the issues facing the community.
Educating your employees on LGBTQ+ issues can take many forms, such as:
Workshops
Seminars
1-on-1 Training Sessions
These educational activities should focus on the topics of inclusivity and diversity, as well as reinforcing your organisation’s LGBTQ+ policies (including how they’re implemented), attitudes and values.
Promote appropriate use of language in the workplace
A major part of educating your employees will be making them fully aware of how language is essential to creating an LGBTQ+ inclusive workspace.
Remember, you can still be gender-insensitive, even as an LGBTQ+ ally.
A lot of our language at work tends to be automatically gendered, with employees usually defaulting to masculine or feminine pronouns (e.g. ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘him’, ‘her’). By incorporating gender-neutral or gender-sensitive terms such as ‘they’, ‘we’, and ‘our’, you can help promote unity with everyone around you, whoever they may be.
Don’t worry, nobody gets it right 100% of the time. But there are simple steps you can take to create a safer and more comfortable environment for your staff. For example, asking which pronouns your colleagues prefer, or creating a policy for staff to include preferred pronouns in something like your email signature or work profile.
Don’t expect anyone to ‘out’ themselves
Putting an obligation on your employees to ‘out’ themselves is a giant red flag. Some of your LGBTQ+ staff simply may not feel the need, or in some cases just won’t feel comfortable sharing this information with their colleagues.
Think about the number of times you’ve heard your heterosexual colleagues announce their sexuality to everyone around them (zero, I hope).
This is why these inclusion programmes should be rolled out universally to everyone, whether they’re ‘out’ or not.
Designate an expert in your organisation
Make sure that you have an expert in your organisation with regards to the issues surrounding LGBTQ+ inclusion. Also, depending on whether your company is big enough, having a dedicated help desk will definitely help.
Their main roles will be:
Promoting inclusion and gender sensitivity
Ensuring proper conduct towards LGBTQ+ members of staff
Building confidence and trust
Making sure everyone feels secure and protected
Updating company policies and guidelines
Informing employees of current LGBTQ+ trends and issues
Spotlighting LGBTQ+ celebrations and occasions
Of course, a big part of this will be done by talking to and engaging with employees on the topic of LGBTQ+ inclusivity. The Pride in London parade, for instance, is just around the corner and would be a great thing to celebrate with your teams.
They will also be in charge of investigating any acts of misconduct towards LGBTQ+ members of staff, and making sure your diversity and inclusion policies are upheld. Their expertise should be utilised if a case becomes severe enough that disciplinary action is needed.
Set up an LGBTQ+ network or community
Creating a network where LGBTQ+ employees can come together and discuss issues they’re facing is a must for thriving organisations. It gives LGBTQ+ employees a safe space to talk while also giving them the chance to build support groups.
They can even work with your designated support desk to identify and improve upon issues affecting LGBTQ+ staff.
Create gender-neutral bathrooms
If possible, you should give your employees a gender-neutral bathroom option. By removing gender markers from your single stalls, you can help dispel the notion of a gender binary in everyday work life.
Not to mention that gender-neutral bathrooms are cheaper and can drastically reduce wait times.
Don’t place the burden on your LGBTQ+ staff
It’s not down to your LGBTQ+ staff to personally educate your organisation on inclusivity. The onus is on you to create a safe and comfortable environment for everyone, no matter their identity.
Conclusion
One day, I hope that the trials and tribulations of the LGBTQ+ community will be a thing of the past. But for now, we still have a lot of work to do.
We need to keep fighting and promoting equal rights and opportunities for everyone, especially in the workplace. I understand that it can feel like an uphill struggle sometimes, but know that you can make an impact today just by taking the time to make your staff feel seen, heard and celebrated.
As a consultant and HR business partner, I am more than capable of guiding you through this delicate matter. I can work with you to create LGBTQ+ corporate training programmes that support change and help your leaders grow and evolve. I can even share my experiences as a member of the community through my fully customisable keynote speaking services.
Find out more by getting in touch today!
Written by Michael
Michael Mauro is the founder of a forward-thinking organisation specialising in leadership, HR and employee development. With over a decade of global experience, Michael has become a leading voice on topics such as culture, inclusion, wellbeing, and the future of leadership.
