LGBTQ+ Inclusion – Creating a Welcoming Environment

Creating a workplace with a sense of safety and belonging is a key element to retaining team members. While some companies have made progress in building a more diverse workplace for LGBTQ+ employees, we must consider how to also design workplace cultures that create a sense of safety and belonging. The gap between diversity (a company hiring more team members in the LGBTQ+ community) and inclusion (those folks feeling free and encouraged to bring their authentic selves to work) carries a steep price in terms of employee engagement and retention. In fact, according to BCG’s recent Inclusive Cultures publication: 

• In the past year, three-quarters of LGBTQ+ employees have reported a least one negative work experience related to their identity and over 40% have experienced more than ten negative interactions
• 40% of LGBTQ+ employees are not out at work and an even higher 54% are not out to their clients or customers
• Over one-third of LGBTQ+ employees have actively covered or hidden their identities at work in the past year

Why does this gap between diversity and inclusion matter? When team members work in environments where they are unable to be authentic and true to their identities, they can’t do their best work. In addition to missed opportunities for performance, this also leads to LGBTQ+ employees leaving their jobs. Annually, it costs businesses $64 billion to replace employees lost to workplace discrimination. 

Here are ways that your organization can improve your workplace inclusion to provide a better sense of belonging for your LGBTQ+ employees: 

• Develop systems and policies that create an inclusive culture offering clear and safe ways for employees to speak up when they are discriminated against. This should include policies for discrimination from both internal team members as well as clients and customers. 
• Ensure your leaders and team members have the resources necessary to be inclusive and then hold them accountable. Quite often, this means addressing knowledge gaps around LGBTQ+ inclusion and vocabulary. 
• Create an environment that allows team members to self-identify and to be “out.” If your organization size allows for it, allocate resources for employees to create an LGBTQ+ employee resource group to further build fellowship and a sense of community. To be clear, while you should create a safe environment for LGBTQ+ employees to share their identity, there are a variety of reasons someone may not be out and they should never be forced to be out publicly. 
• Acknowledge that the LGBTQ+ community is diverse and consider how other identities (generation, race, ethnicity, and immigration status) and life experiences (veterans, caretakers, personal religion, and socioeconomic status) cause each LGBTQ+ employee to have a unique experience. Avoid making broad decisions and policies for such a diverse community. 

As workplaces become more diverse, it’s vital to ensure our cultures continuously evolve to provide support for everyone on the team. While you can’t be responsible for someone’s experience outside of work, you can create systems and cultures that allow employees to show up fully and provide their best talent to your organization.