Pride Month is a time of recognition, celebration, and fun. It is also, regardless of your opinion on the matter of corporate involvement, a time of company statements, sponsorships, and rainbow logos.
One doesn’t have to look far to see that companies are increasingly aware of the importance of LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and all other identities) rights among stakeholders. With increasing pressure from customers, employees, and investors, many have made very clear commitments to respecting the rights of LGBTQIA+ community members, and fostering diverse and inclusive workplaces. It is also often the case that these commitments are formalised and reinforced by clear policies on human rights, diversity, and the like.
Some companies also make use of Pride Month to remind their stakeholders of their commitments. As mentioned above, marketing teams across the country race to give corporate logos a rainbow inspired glow-up, and in some instances crack open the petty cash tin to sponsor Pride marches.
So, we have commitments, we have policies, we have rainbow logos, and we have sponsorships. Great! Fantastic! Members of C Suites around the country can rest easy knowing that they’ve done their bit, that all is hunk-dory, and that discrimination of the LGBTQIA+ community is a thing of the past.
If only that were true.
Despite the efforts of employers, discrimination of the LBGTQIA+ community persists within the workplace. A 2022 survey conducted by Statista, for example, revealed that 47% of LGBTQIA+ individuals somewhat agreed, and 17% strongly agreed, that they faced discrimination in the workplace due to their sexual orientation. The same survey revealed that 43% somewhat agreed, and 26% strongly agreed, that discrimination occurred due to their gender identity.
Here at Ethical Screening, things such as diversity policies are our bread-and-butter, and so we are familiar with the spectrum of measures implemented by companies. From those which state the most basic commitment and do nothing more, to those which have well established programmes underpinned by clear governance and evaluation metrics, we have seen them all. As such, we thought we would use Pride Month to draw attention to the actions that companies can take to address discrimination of LGBTQIA+ employees, and increase diversity, equity, and inclusivity within their organisations.
So, for companies seeking to increase representation of LGBTQIA+ community members among their employees, what can be done?
First off, ensuring that language used in job advertisements is inclusive is a good place to start (this is an immediate green-flag), and companies can also choose to advertise roles with specialist recruiters or on specialist platforms to increase the visibility of their roles. Employers often have to evidence inclusive policies to work with these recruiters or be listed on such platforms, meaning that members of the LGBTQIA+ community (or any other minority group, for that matter) can identify positions in companies which meet certain criterion, without having to determine that themselves. Companies can also work towards ensuring that recruitment panels comprise diverse individuals. This means that, once a diverse candidate is through the door, their chances of being employed are based on their merit, and not any biases (unconscious or otherwise) held by those on the panel.
Now what about ensuring inclusion within a business, and by extension, ensuring diverse employees stick around?
Implementing a Zero Tolerance Policy is ideal in proving that companies are serious about discrimination, though any such a policy must of course be backed up by action - companies must practice what they preach, after all. Establishing employee resource groups (ERGs) is another option. As groups of employees with shared characteristics or life experiences, these ERGs can help to prevent feelings of alienation, foster a sense of inclusion, and allow for a sense of community-support among minority groups. Combined with feedback systems, ERGs can also help to ensure that the individual and collective voices of LGBTQ+ and other diverse employees are heard.
It is also important that companies do not stop here; continuous improvement is rarely a bad thing. As the saying goes, you can’t manage what you can’t measure, and so; establishing procedures for the measurement and evaluation of performance against KPIs is another action that can be taken. When used alongside a system based on the plan-do-check-act cycle, companies can utilise data to ensure they are continuously keeping up with changing trends, improving what can be improved, and ensuring that representation and inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community within their businesses continues.
To conclude, lots can be done by companies in regards to ensuring representation and inclusion of minority groups, including the LGBTQ+ community. For ESG investors, identifying those companies which are doing such things as addressed above, and engaging with those that aren’t, might be a good thing to highlight this Pride Month.