organisations have been criticised for using Pride merely as a marketing tool, similar to ‘greenwashing‘, polarisation is evident in the ongoing debate around transgender rights and women’s rights, and being LGBTQ+ is illegal in 71 countries.
What can you do in your workplace?
It’s important to understand what makes people feel included in your organisation. Looking at data from our Inclusion Diagnostic, we learnt that LGBTQ+ employees in particular felt that organisations should use more diverse recruiting sources. Data such as this points towards specific solutions to bring people in and improve workplace culture. GSK saw benefits across their LGBTQ+ networks, as well as engagement across their race, disability, and gender networks.
As seen with GSK, increasing LGBTQ+ representation among recruiters and developing LGBTQ+ employee resource groups’ involvement in recruiting can be an effective way of increasing applications from the LGBTQ+ community and showing support for current LGBTQ+ employees at the same time.
Further reading and resources:
- Why has LGBTQ+ inclusion seen such progress, while disability hasn’t?
- Learn from lockdown’s virtual Pride celebrations.
- GLAAD and Out and Equal in the USA.
- Kaleidoscope Trust and Stonewall in the UK.
- Human Rights Campaign and ILGA are global resources.
