This piece is authored by Mel Woolfenden, Jon Hardy and Rohan de Silva.
A sense of inclusion is a human necessity. It has been ever since we have had the skills that made us capable of living in social cohesion.
To this day, inclusivity has remained an essential part of our wellbeing and our sense of self-worth.
But the isolation and discrimination of people whose identity or experiences may be different from our own has been just as prominent throughout history and sadly still in present day. In particular, it’s positioned the LGBT+ community as outsiders.
This is why Pride has become such an intrinsic part of the LGBT+ community. It’s not just a celebration, but it’s an event that cements solidarity and support. It shows those in the community that their experiences are not isolated. They are not outsiders, they belong.
Obviously, this year has put a stop to the rainbow-filled streets of major cities around the world. But the feeling of inclusion and community doesn’t have to be foregone, and neither should it be limited to a singular event.
The workplace is one area of people’s lives that should strive to constantly strengthen and support the ongoing inclusion of LGBT+ community. Not least because everyone is entitled to feel comfortable and safe in their workplace.
But also, the workplace is where employees spend most of their time. And it’s been well-documented [1, 2] that those who feel they can be entirely themselves in the workplace are more productive, energised, dynamic and effective in the hours they spend at work.
Now social contact is limited due to the pandemic, the virtual workplace has been the biggest source of interaction for many people, and that too comes with a responsibility to ensure LGBT+ employees remain included.
For example, their living situation may have cut them off from their usual support networks, or it may be that they’re quarantined with a household that are unsupportive of their sexuality or gender identity. In these cases, its vital businesses bolster employees with the support they are no longer receiving from elsewhere – and this continues even when support networks do return.
Making a real difference with support
There are many ways businesses can support LGBT+ employees.
An initial step is to ensure policies don’t discriminate against the community. Check that your parenting, carers and health insurance policies are not geared only towards heterosexual couples. A simple change in these policies can go a long way in making sure same-sex couples have equal rights.
Creating an LGBT+ network which has a virtual safe space to express views and feel included is also another great way to let employees know that your business wants to listen and act upon their experiences. This could take the form of lunch time learning bursts or virtual social events.
However, you’ll also find that some employees will not feel comfortable sharing their experiences or views. Of course, this is a personal choice and it’s fine to remain private.
But sometimes, quietness will be due to past experiences of bullying or judgement around their identity. And in this scenario, ensuring visible role models within the company can go a long way in demonstrating that it’s ok to be yourself at work.
Role models also provide an opportunity to share experiences with employees outside the community, which is incredibly important as it builds allies. LGBT+ inclusion in the workplace is not just a discussion for those in the community, but for everyone in the workplace.
By having allies participating in LGBT+ networks - listening, understanding and supporting – it propels a culture of change across the workplace. This in turn helps to address unacceptable behaviours and challenges discriminatory mindsets.
One way we aimed to strengthen our own ally network was to host virtual Pride Coffee. This was an opportunity for employees to meet someone working in a different location and share their culture and LGBT experiences. The creation of a Pride Wall was also effective in displaying messages of support and what Pride means to people around the world.
Collecting demographic data can also be a good way for businesses to recognise where they could further improve their inclusivity of recruitment, retention and career progression of LGBT+ talent.
However, this is a challenge that many companies are still facing because employees are hesitant to share personal data about themselves.
At Fujitsu we’re working to overcome this by increasing employee understanding about what the data will be used for, who has access to it and what value it will bring to diversity within the company. We’ve done this by creating digestible learning assets like this video.
The momentum of Pride
The spirit of Pride can be a good way to magnify or start discussions around diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
This year, we’ve seen many businesses transform efforts to online panel discussions, Zoom parties and webinars.
We collaborated with our partners and customers to celebrate virtually through a series of events including a virtual Pride parade, competitions, coffee events, and even a #passtherainbow social media trend.
We hope to continue digital pride celebrations for years to come because we’ve found it’s a great way to include those who are unable to travel to cities to celebrate Pride, or may be in a country where LGBT+ lifestyles are oppressed or illegal.
Being authentic with your brand’s support
Some businesses have faced criticism for supporting Pride for purely commercial reasons. And this highlights a really important point around authenticity.
Brands that participate in Pride need to prove that their support isn’t constrained to an annual timeframe. Businesses should support the LGBT+ community beyond the event by implementing the changes we’ve mentioned above, and funding LGBT+ initiatives.
If brands collaborate to show visible support like this, I truly believe we can propel workplaces into a more diverse and LGBT+ friendly future.
