Lead at Any Level

Diversity

Welcoming LGBTQ+ Employees: 6 Strategies

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Why Should Companies Show They Value LGBTQ+ Employees?

Employers know that employees need to bring their full selves to work if they are to contribute at the highest levels. At the same time, research tells us that half of LGBTQ employees are still in the closet at work. (Source: Human Rights Campaign).  Many companies have created Resource Groups or a Diversity Council to provide a sense of community and safety for LGBTQ and other underrepresented employees. Even so, most companies’ LGBTQ professionals are still holding back, struggling to present themselves authentically, and leaving trust (and talent) on the table.

How Can Companies Make Their Workplaces Safe for LGBTQ+ Employees?

  • Include sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes in your non-discrimination policies.
  • Allow employees to self-identify as LGBTQ and track the retention, performance, promotion, and satisfaction of these employees as a group.
  • Provide equitable benefits for LGBTQ employees.
  • Provide training to all employees, and especially to managers, to ensure your workplace is inclusive.
  • Be careful what behaviors you tolerate. Encourage employees to be bystanders who say “We don’t do that here” when someone makes a derogatory comment about any group of people.
  • Offer specific training to help emerging and aspiring LGBTQ+ leaders see the unique value they bring to the workplace.

How Can Companies Be Intentional About Recruiting LGBTQ+ Talent?

­Organizations like Reaching Out MBA make it easy for employers to connect with highly motivated, high-potential LGBTQ talent. At Reaching Out MBA’s annual conference, dozens of employers woo potential employees in a trade show-style recruiting session.

How Can Colleagues Show Support for Their LGBTQ+ Peers?

If you seek to be an ally to the LGBTQ community, speak up. If you admire the courage it takes to come out at work, say so. Don’t delete your sister’s wife or your uncle’s boyfriend from your family’s stories or speak about them in hushed tones. Your LGBTQ colleagues are constantly watching you to see if you’ll supportive or hostile to them. When someone does come out to you, ask simply, “How can I support you?” Then, give them the support they have asked for. That’s what makes you a true ally.

To Be or Not To Be: Out at Work

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Many LGBTQ+ employees struggle with whether or not to be out at work. Being out is never a one-time event, but an endless process of social calculation and self-disclosure. On the other hand, staying closeted is exhausting and, for many people, feels dishonest. Clearly, there are no easy answers. If you’re wrestling with this decision, consider your environment carefully.

I’m an LGBTQ+ Employee. Should I Strive Be “Out” at Work?

I’d love to say that everyone should be “out” all the time, but the truth is that employers need to earn their employees’ trust.

First, look at your Employee Handbook.  Does your employer include sexual orientation and gender identity among the classes of employees it protects from discrimination? Does your employer offer domestic partnership and other benefits that provide some measure of equity for LGBTQ employees? Check the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) website to see where your employer ranks on HRC’s Equality Index.

Sadly, you also need to know your rights in your state. State laws vary widely. Even if your employer has a non-discrimination policy that prohibits mistreatment of LGBTQ individuals, you may still lack legal protections on these grounds. Sadly, LGBTQ individuals can still lose their housing and other basic rights in many states. Some may face physical violence for being LGBTQ.

Are There Other Factors I Should Consider as an LGBTQ+ Employee?

For some people, being a visible member of the LGBTQ community is a moral imperative. Being out ourselves makes the path a little safer for those who follow us. For many people, though, safety is paramount. Not everyone can be a trailblazer, at least not all the time. Remember that this decision is yours alone, and it’s both ongoing and fluid. Know yourself, be true to yourself, and let your conscience guide you.

Have you made a conscious effort to be out at work? What drove your decision? I’d love to hear from you!

Coming Out as Bisexual in the Insurance Industry

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In February 2018, I committed to out myself to over 50,000 people, almost entirely at once, as part of an education initiative at a Fortune 100 insurance company. In truth, I had made my decision nearly a year prior and was just waiting to be asked!

I don’t go out of my way to hide my sexual orientation. As a bisexual, though, the opposite is almost always true: I have to go so far out of my way to be seen that I typically don’t bother. After all, I’m a working mother, married to an amazing man. People assume I’m straight. Just as, if I were a working mother, married to an amazing woman, they would assume I was a lesbian. My identity as a bisexual is constant. My visibility as a member of the LGBTQ community is another matter.

Now You See Me…

When my employer’s LGBTQ Employee Resource Group (ERG) launched, I got involved right away. I posted messages of support on the company intranet. I sent thank you notes to ERG and corporate leaders. Although, at that time, the ERG focused on employees and events at the company’s headquarters, I kept showing up to meetings. I consistently pushed for more programs for the Midwest. As an Indianapolis-based employee, I felt we had a significant need for education, advocacy, and home office support. I became as involved as possible, coordinating our first-ever entry in the Indy Pride parade. I attended ERG leadership meetings, planning events, and even a very fancy East Coast gala.

…Now You Don’t

It wasn’t long before other ERG leaders complimented my “allyship.” Despite my passion and persistence, they didn’t see me as part of their tribe. I didn’t know if I should correct them or just say “thank you.” I felt like such a fraud as I struggled to be out at work – even within the Pride ERG!

To be fair, my experience with coming out as bisexual has always been a stressful one. Many gay men and lesbians have told me bisexuality doesn’t really exist. Many straight people have told me bisexuality is deviant and hedonistic. People, both gay and straight, tend to assume that I’m confused, attention-seeking, or “being political.” They ask awkward questions like, “So…how does that work, exactly?”

For those thinking this only happens in the Midwest, think again. I’ve had these conversations in Indiana, sure, but also in New York, Massachusetts, and California. In my personal life, as a working professional, and even at LGBTQ events, I am almost always compelled to address damaging stereotypes about my marital fidelity and mental health.

Many people tell me my identity is not relevant. Well-meaning people tell me I should keep it to myself, even when it feels dishonest to do so. I am told to step back into the closet, as though my identity and lived experience were shameful or imaginary.

Finding Courage and Inspiration

But in April 2017, I attended the Out Women in Business conference, a one-day gathering of professional LGBTQ women and nonbinary individuals. This event triggered a turning point in my career. In one session, Out Leadership’s Stephanie Sandberg presented a “supermodel slideshow” in which she highlighted a series of lesbian and trans women business leaders around the world. Then she told us about Inga Beale, then CEO of Lloyd’s of London.

What got my attention was not that Ms. Beale and I worked in the same industry. It was the fact that she is an out, bisexual woman – who happens to be married to a man. In her experience, colleagues were more accepting of her after she married her husband than they were when she was in a prior relationship with a woman. Feeling that she should be accepted on her own terms, and not as a function of her partner’s gender at any point in time, she decided to be more visible. By forcing the conversation, she makes a conscious effort to shed some of her privilege. In doing so, she makes the world a little safer for people like me.

For the first time in my professional life, I had a role model for being honest about myself to others. It is hard to overstate the impact of seeing someone like me who made it. All the way to the CEO spot. In a conservative industry, no less! I resolved then that I would no longer “keep to myself” about who I am. Because I, too, want to make this journey easier for the next person, and the next, until we can all be easily seen. So when young people look for role models, they can see themselves in us.

Veterans: A High-Potential Talent Pool

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In response to my article Job Descriptions: 4 Tips for Attracting Diverse Candidates, reader Jamie Costello asked to write about the importance of hiring veterans in the private sector. His article appears in its entirety, below.

Any manager or business owner will tell you that trying to get the right talent for their business is difficult. Hours of flicking through CVs and conducting interviews before you’re able to find the right one. It’s a challenge that all businesses have. One solution: hire more veterans.

According to the British Legion, around 120,000 veterans in the UK (Editor’s note: 326,000 in the United States) are currently unemployed after serving the army, with many desperate to find work. If we consider the qualities that veterans gain from the army, they could be the ideal employees to add to your workforce. Especially when you consider that government schemes have also been introduced to encourage taking on veterans at their work.

Business owners still have doubts about whether they should hire veterans. Here are five solid reasons why military veterans could benefit your business:

Veterans Are Goal-Oriented

It’s most likely that your job advertisement will involve achieving some sort of objectives or goals whilst working at your business. It can be difficult to find individuals that are driven by goals and objectives but you can assure Military veterans are encouraged when goals are in place. Their training is constructed around meeting objectives and achievements through cooperation and collaboration and personal development to achieve will occur as a result.

Veterans Are Responsible

Being serious about their role in the military is something that will be drilled into the heads of military personnel. They’re unlikely to make silly mistakes or bad decisions because they know that the consequences can be very serious. Due to how much it’s drilled into them, they’re likely to be rather particular and precise with their work.

Veterans Exhibit Leadership

A great asset for businesses is being able to hire employees that will stay for the long-term. Hiring internally means your company can grow but be cost-effective at the same time. This makes veterans prime candidates to work their way up the ladder through promotions to more serious leadership roles because of the leadership qualities they would have gained through their training.

Veterans Have a Strong Work Ethic

During their military service, veterans would have gained a go hard or go home mentality. Taking work seriously will be a prime goal of veterans so their work ethic to meeting the demands of the business will be apparent. A business owner will always appreciate a hard worker so if it’s what you’re looking for, it may be worth considering hiring a veteran.

Veterans Can Work Independently

The qualities of a good candidate for a job role will include being able to work independently as well as working in a team. Training in the army, there will be several missions that involve cooperating with your teammates to ensure that the goals are achieved, but certain situations will also involve using initiative and making decisive decisions individually. This is where you’ll be able to benefit from hiring military veterans knowing that trusting your employees to get on with work won’t be an issue.

Here are just a few important examples of how hiring a military veteran can be a great asset to your business. They possess many transferable skills that can be beneficial to your workforce and you’ll be sure they’ll make the effort to achieve goals that are in place for the business, especially when you consider they’d prefer to spend less time sorting out their military personal injury claims and more time being productive as an employee.

About the Author

Jamie CostelloJamie Costello is an experienced business writer based in the UK. He uses his experience from education and work experience within several industries to help create his articles. His topics range from career advice to resolving disputes in the workplace.

Is Your Company Leaving Talent on the Table?

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Half of your LGBTQ employees are still in the closet at work. (Source: Human Rights Campaign)

Why should you care?

Employees need to bring their full selves to work if they are to contribute at the highest levels.

Perhaps you’ve already created Resource Groups or a Diversity Council to provide a sense of community and safety for underrepresented employees. Even so, most companies’ LGBTQ professionals are still holding back, struggling to present themselves authentically, and leaving trust (and talent) on the table.

What can you do about it?

Bring in experts to work with your Pride ERG and other emerging LGBTQ leaders!

In a new collaboration, John Tedstrom (Tedstrom Associates), Erin Passons (Passons Consulting), and Amy C. Waninger (Lead at Any Level) have combined their decades of leadership experience and thought leadership to help your LGBTQ employees be “Out & Outstanding” at work!

Out & Outstanding is a unique leadership development program designed to enhance the abilities of your corporation’s LGBTQ professionals to contribute and lead.

Together, we’ll uncover hidden leadership strengths of your LGBTQ work force, build a trusting and supportive professional cohort, and empower your leaders to tackle new, more complex and demanding assignments that have greater impact on your bottom line.

Read more about our new Out and Outstanding program here or contact us for more information!

 

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John Tedstrom, Founder & CEO of Tedstrom Associates, has held senior leadership positions in government, academia and business, integrating issues of national security, economics, and social justice. He served in the White House where he advised President Clinton on Russia and Ukraine, founded and led major international organizations fighting AIDS and other global maladies, and directed research and taught economics and national security policy at RAND and Columbia University.  Most recently he founded NextGen Leaders, to support the career advancement of younger LGBTQ professionals.

Dr. Tedstrom serves on the Boards of the Victory Fund, Equality California, and the Global Business Coalition for Education. He is active in Democratic politics and served on the Foreign Policy Committee, LGBT Policy Committee and National Finance Committee for the Obama for President campaign in 2008. He has lived in Munich, Moscow, and Kyiv and earned a Ph.D. in international economics and Russian studies from the University of Birmingham, England. He is the author of dozens of articles; his book, Socialism Perestroika and the Dilemmas of Soviet Economic Reform, was published in 1990. He is certified to teach Primordial Sound Meditation.

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Amy C. Waninger, CEO of Lead at Any Level LLC, works with organizations that want to build diverse leadership bench strength for a sustainable competitive advantage. She is the author of several books, including Network Beyond Bias: Making Diversity a Competitive Advantage for Your Career.

Amy is a Professional Member of National Speakers Association and a Prosci Certified Change Practitioner. Her other credentials include two degrees from Indiana University and a World’s Best Mom coffee mug.

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Erin Passons is the president and founder of Passons Consulting.  She has spent her career helping business leaders, managers, and employees improve their performance and effectiveness, and is an expert in coaching and facilitating workshops using StrengthsFinder.

Erin is also the founder of StrengthsNetwork San Diego, an association for StrengthsFinder professionals and followers in the Southern California region.  Erin earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of California-Santa Barbara and received her MBA from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.