While in recent years, many major companies have come forward in support of the LGBTQIA+ community, there is still much more progress to be made in making the workplace more inclusive for all. Levels of LGBTQIA+ workers in management positions are considerably lower than the number of those who identify with this community — especially when it comes to C-suite executives.
And women are significantly worse off than men. While 3.9% of men in the U.S. identify as LGBTQIA+, they account for 2.9% of those in Senior Vice President and C-Suite positions. However, while 5.1% of women in the U.S. identify as LGBTQIA+, they only account for 0.6% of those leadership roles, according to McKinsey & Company.
Plus, a recent study of LGBTQIA+ workers revealed that nearly half (46%) of LGBTQIA+ employees reported that they experienced unfair treatment at work, and that the workplace is the second most common area where LGBTQIA+ people experience discrimination (after ‘public spaces’).
In our June Talent Talk, we invited three talent leaders to discuss best practices for recruiting, retaining, and supporting LGBTQIA+ employees — Jessie Cline of UKG, Jon Starling of Integral Ad Science (IAS), and Tammy Hart of RippleMatch.
You can watch the panel replay and see below for some takeaways from the discussion.
Engage With LGBTQIA+ Campus Clubs & Career Fairs
One of the best ways to connect with LGBTQIA+ talent on campus is to form connections to clubs and student organizations for students in the LGBTQIA+ community. You can offer to sponsor an event, or speak on campus about issues they care about, such as the state of inclusivity in the workplace, and how your company supports its LGBTQIA+ staff. There are also a number of career fairs you can attend that specifically target LGBTQIA+ talent, such as OutInTech and Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (oSTEM).
It’s also important that you offer an inclusive interview process that speaks to company values, which you can do by highlighting any Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) at your company, emphasizing your company’s D&I initiatives and actions you’ve taken, and by making sure to ask an employee’s pronouns before an interview.
Lean on the Experts
It’s also crucial that companies today employ HR and recruitment staff who are educated on LGBTQIA+ issues and advocacy, and who can be a resource for LGBTQIA+ employees and those looking to learn more about the LGBTQIA+ community. But don’t stop there. It’s equally as important that staff at all levels undergo continual training surrounding topics of inclusion, such as pronoun usage.
Shape the Environment Through Opportunities for Open Discussion
One of the biggest challenges companies face when it comes to supporting its LGBTQIA+ talent is creating that environment of inclusivity in the workplace. It’s extremely important that companies today have a culture that encourages employees to feel comfortable being “out” at work, and sharing their experiences with candidates and new hires. A few ways this can be accomplished is by hosting regular meetings in which the floor is open for employees in the LGBTQIA+ community to discuss issues that impact them the most both in and out of the workplace. It would be beneficial to not only allow LGBTQIA+ to share their concerns with each other and leadership, but also to their co-workers looking to learn more about the LGBTQIA+ community and how they can be an ally.
Encourage Feedback
Nobody is perfect. The only way to ensure that you’re making progress in your inclusivity efforts is to collect feedback from your LGBTQIA+ employees. If your company is doing something that is not supportive of the LGBTQIA+ community, allow your employees a chance to share their opinions, and then make the necessary changes.
This time of year is great for opening up the discussion on inclusivity in the workplace, and reminding your LGBTQIA+ staff that they have your full support year-round. To learn more, watch the panel in full here.
