{"id":50470,"date":"2022-11-29T17:40:46","date_gmt":"2022-11-29T17:40:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shrm.org\/hr-today\/news\/hr-magazine\/winter2022\/pages\/how-employers-can-advance-lgbtq-inclusion-in-the-workplace.aspx"},"modified":"2022-11-29T17:40:46","modified_gmt":"2022-11-29T17:40:46","slug":"prevailing-over-the-perils-of-coming-out-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/squarehr.com\/index.php\/2022\/11\/29\/prevailing-over-the-perils-of-coming-out-at-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Prevailing Over the Perils of Coming Out at Work"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Getting to true inclusion for LGBTQ employees requires much more than an anti-discrimination policy in the handbook or rainbow branding each year for Pride month.<\/p>\n

Companies can make big changes, such as implementing inclusive benefits and policies for LGBTQ employees and intentionally recruiting for LGBTQ representation. HR can also take smaller steps like including personal pronouns in communications and HR systems and providing employee training to decrease the frequency of microaggressions such as automatically asking women about husbands or boyfriends and men about wives or girlfriends. Other steps include the following:<\/p>\n

Show Support<\/p>\n

<\/strong>Whether large or small, visible expressions of support let everyone know that you back your LGBTQ employees. \u201cSymbols and signals are really important,\u201d says Jeff Nally, SHRM-SCP, chief coaching officer and CHRO at CoachSource, a leadership coaching company in Franklin Lakes, N.J. \u201cEven having a rainbow flag flying all year round or having the workplace marked as a safe space with an LGBTQ symbol speaks volumes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Employers can sponsor Pride events, partner with relevant nonprofits, be conscious about how people are represented in marketing materials, and encourage LGBTQ employees and allies to share their stories. <\/p>\n

Mikal Kelaidis, a sales development manager at Limble CMMS, a maintenance software company in Salt Lake City, adds that any messaging expressing understanding of or allyship with LGBTQ workers is helpful, whether it\u2019s on social media, in company branding or in the employee handbook. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen talking to candidates, recruiters can speak to how the company supports LGBTQ employees, along with diversity and inclusion in general, by tying that support to values,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Nally says organizations that are truly successful at achieving inclusion consistently demonstrate their support\u2014at town halls and quarterly business updates, as well as in everyday interactions with employees. \u201cLittle things mean a lot,\u201d he says. \u201cBut they\u2019ve got to be more than just tokens. They must be backed up by action.\u201d<\/p>\n

Commitments to inclusion must be more than surface level, agrees Mike Spinale, SHRM-SCP, vice president of people at Blue Lava, an information security management platform in Menlo Park, Calif. \u201cMake the steps to be included on the HRC\u2019s [Human Rights Campaign\u2019s] corporate equality index. Be an advocate for legislation like the Equality Act, which would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity in employment.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Empower Affinity Groups<\/p>\n

They go by various names, but employee resource groups (ERGs) for LGBTQ employees and allies are a central element of an inclusive workplace. <\/p>\n

\u201cBeing part of a supportive group at work like an ERG is a huge lifeline for many in the LGBTQ community,\u201d says Ella Slade, who leads worldwide LGBTQ inclusion activities at IBM. \u201cBeing able to tap into a community of other LGBTQ people is so important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liberty Mutual\u2019s Pride@Liberty ERG was founded in 2014 and has more than 3,500 members. \u201cThe group engages members through programming topics like career development and the unique lived experiences of LGBTQ people of color,\u201d says Ron Oppenheim, director of marketing at Liberty Mutual and national co-chair of Pride@Liberty. The group\u2019s podcast, called Proudcast, amplifies their stories and highlights how the LGBTQ community intersects with others, he says.<\/p>\n

Data-sharing platform Splunk\u2019s ERGs are so effective because they\u2019re well-funded from the top, says Tony Vincent, senior manager of global partner strategy at the San Francisco-based company and leader of its Pride group. Splunk\u2019s Pride ERG focuses on social support of the LGBTQ community and also helps with sourcing talent, leading trainings and making recommendations to leadership, says Rolddy Leyva, chief diversity officer at Splunk. All the ERGs welcome allies, and each one has a C-suite sponsor.<\/p>\n

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Coming Out at Work<\/a>
True equality for LGBTQ employees is an ongoing struggle, but employers can help. Read More<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Jon Mu\u00f1oz, chief diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) officer at strategy and technology consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton in McLean, Va., says much of the company\u2019s progress on LGBTQ inclusion\u2014which includes accomplishments such as being recognized for 12 consecutive years with a perfect score on the HRC corporate equality index\u2014began with the creation of resource groups in the 1990s.<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s LGBTQ resource group is \u201caligned with the firmwide DE&I strategy and action plan, provides support to the talent acquisition function, builds support and programming for engagement and retention, does volunteerism outreach, manages some external partnerships, and stays very involved in support of the community overall,\u201d Mu\u00f1oz says. <\/p>\n

ERGs can be valuable resources to support LGBTQ employees, but only if they\u2019re resourced and funded and ERG leaders are given the autonomy they need, says Bryce Celotto, founder of Swarm Strategy, a DE&I consulting firm in Charlotte, N.C. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe companies that treat ERGs as social clubs or add-ons without the appropriate budget can do more harm than good and increase the level of burnout among employees trying to support the community,\u201d he says. \u201cThey must be treated as real organizational priorities.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Provide Education<\/p>\n

Many people want to be allies of their LGBTQ colleagues but may have questions and feel curious to learn more. And some business leaders are still wondering why it matters if someone can bring their authentic self to work.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe \u2018why\u2019 must be addressed before the \u2018what\u2019 and the \u2018how,\u2019 \u201d says Josh Saterman, CEO and founder of Saterman Connect, a consulting firm in New York City that supports HR leaders with DE&I strategies, professional coaching and leadership development.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo when someone on the team comes out, team members can feel more comfortable and prepared to move from bystander to upstander,\u201d Saterman says. \u201cEducation provides moments of recognition and acknowledgment that are powerful. Creating a welcoming, inclusive environment begins with education.\u201d <\/p>\n

Celotto adds that making sure middle managers\u2014the people responsible for the day-to-day implementation of DE&I practices\u2014are held accountable for modeling a culture of inclusivity is what often gets lost. \u201cYou can have leadership buy-in, trans-inclusive health care and the best ERGs, but if the managers aren\u2019t modeling inclusive actions and aren\u2019t fostering psychological safety, then DE&I goals will not be met.\u201d<\/p>\n

Offer Inclusive Benefits and Policies<\/p>\n

This is often where the rubber meets the road\u2014where commitment to inclusion goes beyond well-meaning statements and symbols. <\/p>\n

\u201cA foundational piece to supporting the LGBTQ community is providing benefits tailored to include LGBTQ employees,\u201d Oppenheim says. \u201cWhen we consider policies at Liberty Mutual, we recognize that families come in a variety of forms. From health insurance benefits such as gender-affirming care or adoption and surrogacy benefits that do not require a medical diagnosis of infertility, to parental-leave policies that are inclusive of all, our policies reflect the multidimensionality of our employees and their relationships and families.\u201d <\/p>\n

Mu\u00f1oz proudly shares that Booz Allen\u2019s milestones of inclusion go back decades: a full suite of benefits for LGBTQ employees in 1997, family-leave programs for LGBTQ families in 1998 and gender transition benefits in 2010. <\/p>\n

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Associated Bank, Wisconsin\u2019s largest bank holding company, headquartered in Green Bay, is another HRC perfect score recipient. The gender transition support Associated provides was critical to Elizabeth Byers, a product analyst and assistant vice president at the company, who underwent gender-confirmation surgery in December 2021.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was on the cusp of coming out at Associated back in 2018, I was apprehensive, nervous and scared,\u201d Byers says. \u201cI didn\u2019t know of anyone else who had ever come out as trans at Associated and wasn\u2019t exactly sure how it would go. It was the biggest leap of faith I\u2019ve ever taken.\u201d<\/p>\n

Byers\u2019 fears evaporated as she was greeted with \u201copen arms and smiling faces,\u201d she says. The company supported her throughout her transition journey, which was especially consequential during a difficult post-surgery recovery. <\/p>\n

\u201cAssociated has been there for me through every struggle and every success and assured me that I would have the time and space to take care of any post-op requirements I would need to fulfill,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Coming out at work can be formidable. But breaking through that pivotal moment carries a payload of fulfillment for both the individual and the organization, measured in well-being, productivity and retention. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s truly liberating to be out at work\u2014to be myself,\u201d says Natasha Getler-Porizkova, brand inclusion leader at LivingHR, an HR services firm in Tampa, Fla. \u201cIf you work at an organization that does not approve of or is not accepting of you being out, then you\u2019re in the wrong place. There are a lot of organizations that create safe spaces for LGBTQ employees and will accept you with open arms.\u201d <\/p>\n

Roy Maurer is an online writer\/editor for SHRM who focuses on talent acquisition and labor markets.<\/em><\/p>\n