What LGBTQ+ Employees Really Want From Employers
Pride is one thing. Inclusion is another.
June 20, 2023 | By Kalev Peekna, Chief Strategist, One North
Pride Month is a special time of year. Communities and found families all over the world throw the biggest bashes they can to celebrate themselves in a world that often leaves them feeling isolated. It’s only natural for organizations to want to get in on the fun, but it must be done thoughtfully. And it can’t end when June ends. Making your LGBTQ+ employees feel safe is a year-round endeavor that often shows up in the smallest of ways.
It can be lonely at the end of the rainbow
Exclusion isn’t always intentional or malicious. However, in our world today, being seen as a “professional” often means following a strict set of rules about appearance, cadence and life style. Individuals who exist outside of that mold can feel both an external friction from uncomfortable interactions with peers and an internal pressure to conform. Being a member of the LGBTQ+ community means existing in a sexual minority, one where finding your people can be an incredibly isolating journey.
Just from my own experience, I remember an important meeting when One North, a full-service digital agency and a TEKsystems company since 2019, first entered talks about being acquired by TEKsystems. After a critical meeting, a colleague who I had known for years questioned how I dressed for the meeting. The offending article? A floral print button down instead of the standard blue. I remember thinking, “It’s just a shirt. And I’ve been wearing shirts like this for years.” If all it took was a printed shirt to make someone uncomfortably aware of my sexuality, imagine what goes through every queer employee’s head when they try to determine if it’s safe to bring up their same-sex partner or their gender identity at the company happy hour.
In the end, the acquisition went through without a hitch, and I was very reassured by TEKsystems’ commitment to inclusion. But the reality remains: When something new is introduced to a homogenous group, it causes disruption. Those of us in a group have a choice. We can view that disruption as either a moment of discovery and potential change, or we can view it as a threat to what we’ve already built. For my part, I try to remember that few people actively seek out the unfamiliar, which is why I think it’s critical for leadership to be responsible for cultivating a diverse workplace by focusing on what we can learn from new additions to the group.
Inclusion must be intentional
There’s a certain mentality within organizations today where leaders believe they can simply wait for diverse talent to come to them. They might even take extra care to put that talent on the path to leadership. But even in the best of circumstances, that results in a generational rate of change. But as we’ve discussed, the responsibility for cultivating an environment where professionals from different walks of life feel safe lies with existing leadership. You can’t ask LGBTQ+ people to take on the burden of changing your company from within; you must lead the charge. This doesn’t mean taking hard political stances or sponsoring the flashiest parade float. It’s actually a lot more mundane than that.
We’re at a point now where employee safety is the standard. Thankfully, law states that you cannot fire someone because they’re gay or trans. But the employee experience encompasses so many aspects of our lives, and a quality workplace should go above and beyond to show up for their teams. Parental leave is a good example. Has your HR team taken the time to figure out how to offer support when a same-sex couple is adopting? Do you only grant maternity leave if your employee is the birthing parent? Thinking of these things and being willing to ask questions will mean more to your LGBTQ+ team members than any amount of rainbow swag you give out around the office.
The true meaning of Pride
From the outside looking in, Pride celebrations might just seem like a bunch of flamboyant party people throwing glitter everywhere. Part of that is true—there is so much glitter, and most of us spend the next two months complaining about how difficult it is to get out of our clothes, furniture and rugs. But fun is not the reason we hold Pride. What we’re really doing is much more important. When you’re queer, you experience this constant feeling of knowing you’re on the outside of normal. You’re never the default position. But during Pride? We create a space, howsoever temporary, where we are the default. For one brief weekend in the summer, we center our own experience; we make ourselves the mainstream. Any LGBTQ+ person can tell you about the immense psychological relief that community offers.
Organizations that want to show up for their LGBTQ+ employees have the chance to help make that normalcy, that feeling of acceptance, last long after June ends. By cultivating a workplace that makes space for them and understands their unique needs, you create an environment where they can be exactly who they are no matter what time of year it is.
