More than 40 percent of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people experience conflict at work, such as being undermined, humiliated or discriminated against, according to a recent report. This figure rises to 55 percent for transgender and non-binary staff, compared with 29 percent for their heterosexual colleagues.
The report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), suggests that these issues are often left unresolved and more needs to be done to protect and support LGBT+ people within the workplace. While some progress has been made, there remains a particular and significant lag in the inclusion of trans workers and understanding of the specific challenges connected with gender identity.
Concrete steps are needed to build a more inclusive workplace culture. One way of doing this is to engage in a concept known as “allyship.” The idea refers to everyday acts that challenge behavioral norms and support members of marginalized groups through an awareness of the issues being faced by others.
An important first step is self-education, which might involve exploring free resources available from organizations such as Gendered Intelligence and Stonewall. There are widely available documentaries, films, podcasts and social-media campaigns where trans experiences are explored with nuance. This can then influence long-term everyday language and behavior which may cause a person to feel included rather than excluded. One example could be the use of preferred personal pronouns in email signatures and during meetings.
An LGBT+ staff network group might also be useful to help workers feel more included, as would a move away from one-off grand gestures (such as investing heavily only in pride month) toward regular smaller supportive acts, particularly visible role modeling from managers and leaders.
Employers should consider too how they cater for different gender identities within Human Resources (HR) policies such as recruitment, leave arrangements and dress code. What training and guidance is given to line managers about how they support trans workers for example, particularly during a period of transition? Are web sites and internal communications properly scrutinized for problematic gendered language or images?
The pandemic has meant drastic changes to how many people work, and altered the social dynamics of the workplace, perhaps for the long term. Businesses should take this time of adjustment as an opportunity to remember the importance of adapting broader policies and practices to specific minority groups.
Allyship presents a good opportunity to build a stronger sense of community for the organization and society as a whole.
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