Dive Brief:
- Inclusive measures, both companywide and public-facing, make a difference for LGBTQ employee well-being, Deloitte says. About 1 in 5 respondents told the research firm that they are not out to anyone at their place of work; 34% are out only to their closest co-workers. Within that latter group, 36% said that their immediate team made them feel comfortable disclosing their sexuality even while their organization did not.
- About half (42%) of the Deloitte survey respondents said they had experienced noninclusive behaviors at work, including unwanted sexual comments (33%) and unsolicited comments regarding gender identity (25%).
- In turn, 70% of the respondents said they’re more inclined to stick with their current employer because of their LGBTQ inclusion approach — such as the establishment of employee resource groups and visible company allyship.
Dive Insight:
Most survey respondents (95%) expressed their belief that these initiatives create “meaningful support for LGBTQ+ employees” across their organizations, with 80% reporting their employers rolled out LGBTQ inclusion measures. Over the past few years, many types of outreach have gained traction in HR’s diversity, equity and inclusion conversations.
Working fathers, mothers and genderqueer parents are continually advocating for gender-neutral parental leave. Managers are fine-tuning their pronoun practices and transgender name etiquette. Like many DEI issues, it’s imperative that managers and HR leads continue to crack open bias and systems of oppression.
In a 2018 Human Rights Campaign survey regarding LGBTQ inclusion, responses were telling. Thirty-eight percent of queer respondents said the possibility of being stereotyped stopped them from being open about their gender identity or sexuality; 36% worried about making their coworkers feel uncomfortable, 31% were worried about losing peer relationships and 27% didn’t want people to think they were attracted to them solely because they were LGBTQ. Notably, straight and cisgender respondents did express discomfort at the idea of LGBTQ colleauges discussing dating or their identities in general. A problem HRC researchers noted is that “non-LGBTQ+ workers don’t recognize that we all have a sexual orientation and a gender identity.”
Along with HRC’s report, Deloitte’s insights provide an equally revelatory climate check. “The goal of Deloitte’s global research was to provide a snapshot of the lived experience of LGBTQ+ people in the workplace across 12 countries to better understand their daily realities,” Deloitte Global Inclusion Leader Emma Codd told HR Dive by email. It was meant to answer what organizations are getting right and what can be done better. The verdict: Queer people feel like progress is being made “in terms of talent/HR interventions and narratives,” Codd said. “We hope that the insights from this research will help organizations better understand the positive impact [of] addressing LGBTQ+ inclusion… and the steps that can be taken to create and maintain a truly LGBTQ+ inclusive culture where everyone can thrive,” she said. But the report shows there’s more to be done.
Interestingly, anti-LGBTQ harassment isn’t limited to any particular medium: 20% of workers experienced noninclusive behaviors in remote environments and about half (47%) experienced the same in physical offices, with discriminatory behavior reported by 33% of survey respondents working in hybrid environments. The latter finding is echoed in an earlier report wherein HR pros noted implications for racial inclusion and belonging in return-to-work mandates.
