Time to Walk the Talk: Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace
Pride month is a great opportunity to highlight LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the workplace but only talking about it once a year and replacing the corporate logo with a rainbow version of it on social media channels won’t be enough to show welcoming company culture.
Being an ally is not a marketing tool but it is still an important part of your employer branding to attract new talents and retain your diamond employees. Let's put it this way, nobody cares about your rainbow flags if that's all you do. Therefore, if you want the walk the talk about your pride month communications, changes should go hand in hand with both improvements in your recruitment process and necessary updates on your current HR policies. Within this perspective, let us tell you how you can walk the talk all year long when it comes to LGBTQIA+ diversity, equity, and inclusion in your company.
Kind reminder: Don’t forget that you by no means need to headcount employees who identify as LGBTQIA+ to be an ally and create an inclusive workplace.
How can you ensure a diverse and inclusive company culture, HR policies, and recruitment process in your company?
It all starts with a written acknowledgment. Many traditional companies with strict hierarchical structures and with poor internal communication models often overlook the importance of this. Taking a step forward in a corporate manner can help employees to feel seen and accepted while encouraging them to talk about their needs and observations you can use later as points for improvement. Therefore, having an open and inclusive policy toward all current and potential employees regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity can be the first step you can take.
The feedback you will get is going to be crucial for the development of your company culture and making sure you provide your employees with a great place to work. With every improvement made in the company culture, the commitment and sense of belongingness of the team will increase and the power of word-of-mouth will do the job of talent attraction.
Meanwhile, work on the diversity and inclusion improvements in your recruitment process. This can be done by ensuring that all job descriptions and advertisements are inclusive and welcoming to all applicants by setting up an interview process that is respectful and fair to all candidates. Additionally, provide training for your recruitment team on how to uncover and avoid any implicit biases during the recruitment process.
Starting from your people and culture department, extend the education and communication on inclusion and sensitivity across departments to address any hidden matters and potential discrimination in the workplace. Make sure leadership training includes a section specifically on this topic while providing all employees with the necessary resources on the topic available online. Start normalizing preferred gender pronouns in both internal and external communications.
As in any other special day you celebrate at the workplace, make sure the pride month gets its own committee, activities, and inclusive events. Don’t forget to include other LGBTQIA+ awareness periods in your internal calendars to create an open space for your employees to communicate with each other and build their own safe inner networks regardless of team structures. Stand up against discrimination whether it’s a violent practice or a small remark. Be an ally all year long!
Investigate further: Is diversity dispersed among seniority and leadership levels? Are people comfortable enough to embrace their full potential to reach higher levels of positions within the organization? Do you offer your employees workplace solutions to enjoy gender-neutral spaces and practices? Do you set expectations (i.e.: dress code, workplace etiquette, behavior, etc.) equally? Is your benefits package inclusive?
Measure your actions, observe the results, and ask for feedback!
What are the benefits of Diversity?
Attracting talents: Job seekers are no longer just looking at salary and job functions. The values of a company and its social commitment toward people and the environment are becoming more of a reason for job seekers to choose or reject a job offer. In fact, 76% of employees and job seekers in the US are looking at how inclusive a future employer is when evaluating job offers.
Retention rate: reducing workplace harassment and being more open and inclusive toward the LGBTQIA+ population will have a significant impact on whether your current employees stay or start searching for other opportunities.
Be a Leader, not a Follower: lead the way and show others how it's done! If your competitors are not doing it yet then it's your chance to be the frontrunner and set an example!
As an international recruitment agency, equality of opportunity is a topic we are sensitive about. If you are representing a company that is open to listening to the needs of its employees and ready to take the necessary steps let’s have a chat, we’d be happy to help you in your talent acquisition journey!
