The history of Pride month comes from the Stonewall Riots in June 1969, these riots served as a catalyst for gay right movements across the world. Since then, the celebration of Pride and the advocacy for LGBT+ rights have gained significant momentum. As society becomes more inclusive, it is crucial for leaders and managers to understand the importance of embracing diversity and fostering an inclusive work environment. In this blog post, we will explore why Pride and LGBTQ+ issues matter for leaders and managers and how they can support and empower their LGBTQ+ employees.
Leaders play a pivotal role
According to Mind (2023), individuals that identify as LGBTQ+ are more likely to develop mental health problems like low self-esteem, depression, suicidal feelings, and anxiety. This can be caused by experiencing homophobia, discrimination, social isolation, and rejection. By being a leader promoting a sense of belonging and psychological safety, allows LGBTQ+ employees to thrive, increase confidence, resilience and contribute fully to their teams. Leaders and managers play a pivotal role in creating an inclusive workplace culture. By actively supporting Pride and LGBTQ+ issues, they send a strong message that diversity and acceptance are valued within the organization.
Implementing inclusive policies and practices
There are small ways to show your support for Pride, such as, changing your logo for the month to incorporate the rainbow, changing your Teams/Zoom background, or decorating the office. These ideas show surface level allyship, but there is more you can do through reviewing your organisation’s existing policies and practices to ensure they are inclusive of LGBTQ+ employees. This includes updating anti-discrimination policies, implementing gender-neutral restroom facilities and offering comprehensive healthcare benefits that cover LGBTQ+ specific needs. By actively supporting inclusive policies, leaders create an environment that values diversity and actively works to remove systemic barriers.
Navigating the non-binary world of pronouns
Generations of our population have grown up with a limited choice of pronoun when addressing colleagues. This has now changed, and with it comes a few things to think about – try not to assume someone’s gender identity, normalise introducing yourself with pronouns so that you can create an environment where people can embrace their own identities. Leaders can lead by example and incorporate pronouns into email signatures and use gender neutral terms like “everyone” or “folks” when talking to the team. Sometimes mistakes happen and you may get it wrong, this is okay, just acknowledge it, apologise, and move on.
The key is to challenge this behaviour, not the opinions, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and it isn’t your role to change these. However, when they are expressed in a professional environment where they stand outside of the organisational values and fall short of the British Values of respect and tolerance, this is where it affects the working culture and can lead to a divisive and toxic culture. Not to mention harm to an individual’s wellbeing – everyone has the right to be respected and feel safe in the workplace!
Try taking the AID approach to those difficult conversations.
Action – Address the comments made, reinforce what you stand for as an organisation and how these comments do not represent your organisation. If someone is not aligned to company values, then this is cause for a performance management review, involve HR.
Impact – Draw attention to the damage that can be caused by making these remarks as it is a form of bullying, include a statement from the person/s affected so that they feel heard and the impact on them is recognised or introduce a mediation between the two parties if the individual/s affect feel they can attend.
Desired outcome – The desired outcome is for the individual to recognise that they need to change their behaviour and attends to inclusivity and diversity training. This should be something that forms the basis of your yearly training package. Ensure a formal apology is received for the actions/comments made to individuals and groups for the hurt caused.
Identifying and acting on this type of behaviour is a way to ensure zero tolerance as a leader. Gender identity and sexual orientation are protected characteristics in the Equality Act (2010), any violation of these is a huge concern. The damage of not addressing these is untold for an individual, and for an organisation with potential claims being bought against them and reputational damage.
Open the dialogue
Creating a safe space for open dialogue is essential for LGBTQ+ employees to feel heard and understood. Leaders and managers should encourage open conversations about LGBTQ+ issues and actively listen to the experiences and perspectives of their team members. This fosters a culture of respect, trust, and mutual understanding, leading to increased employee satisfaction and productivity.
Celebrate pride in the workplace
Here are some ideas and suggestions of how you can incorporate Pride celebrations into the workplace. Activities shouldn’t feel forced, encourage your LGBTQ+ team members to lead the way on these:
- Set up networks to allow staff to connect, socialise and celebrate with other LGBTQ+ members throughout the organisation.
- Bring in an LGBTQ+ guest speaker for a company event.
- Include Pride in your company newsletters – list the local community events.
- Host wellbeing events – lunch and learns.
- Sponsor a local Pride event and make that your work social for the month.
- Have a stand at a Pride event – it’s a great opportunity to talk to LGBTQ+ people and understand barriers.
Understanding the flag
This is the Progress Pride flag. You may have seen this flag before and it’s evolved over time, but have you ever taken a moment to understand who and what it represents?
The yellow with a purple circle – this represents the intersex community. The arrow moving forward to progress and inclusion. The white, pink, and light blue within that arrow are the colours of the trans flag which also represents those that live with HIV/AIDS. The black and brown colours are a representation for often-marginalised groups of LGBTQ+ people of colour.
The classic elements of the Pride rainbow are a symbol of hope. The red represents life; orange is for healing, yellow represents sunlight, green symbolises nature, blue is for serenity, and violet for the Spirit (Victoria and Albert Museum, 2020).
The month of Pride celebrates LGBTQ+ equality but it is also a reminder that leaders and managers shouldn’t just be aware during this month, but to be imbedded into your organisation’s core values all year around. Pride and LGBTQ+ issues have a profound impact on leaders and managers, as they hold the power to shape workplace culture and support their LGBTQ+ employees.
By promoting inclusivity, educating themselves, encouraging dialogue, implementing inclusive policies, and investing in training and development, leaders can create an environment where LGBTQ+ individuals feel valued, respected, and empowered to thrive. Embracing Pride and LGBTQ+ issues are not only the right thing to do, but it also leads to enhanced employee engagement, improved morale, and ultimately, a more successful and inclusive organisation.
References
Mind (2020). About LGBTQIA+ and Mental Health. [online] www.mind.org.uk. Available at: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/lgbtqia-mental-health/about-lgbtqia-mental-health/
Victoria and Albert Museum. (2020). V&A · The Progress Pride flag. [online] Available at: https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-progress-pride-flag