Employees spend several hours of their life in the workplace. Since they spend a significant portion of their lives in their jobs, it is essential to ensure that the office environment is comfortable and non-discriminatory. They are an innumerable number of employees who have not disclosed their LGBTQ identity to their superiors and often suffer silently.
Creating a program that helps your employees to appreciate themselves in the company is the best to respect the LGBT community who are likely to be discriminated against. You can also set up an inclusive workplace training that educates your employees concerning various issues. A good plan needs to support LGBT employees and assist them in feeling wanted in the working environment.
Best strategies to create an LGBTQ Inclusion Program:
Set up policies
Set up policies in the organization that defines your stand on the various perception of individuals’ sexual orientation. The guidelines should aim at protecting the rights of LGBT employees in the company. For the program to be robust and well-implemented, it is essential to have the policies written down. All employees should understand and implement them within and outside the working environment.
Seek to make adjustments in policies that may discriminate against the LGBTQ community, such as dress code policies, insurance policies, and sick family leaves. Also, look at policies that may exclude the LGBTQ employees and adjust them to be favorable to this community.
Involve LGBTQ employees in policy formulation
You cannot set up policies on things you don’t understand. Engaging the LGBTQ employees in the policy formulation helps them better air their concerns and systems they wish implemented. Although not all employees will want to be a part of the policy formulation, involve only those who are willing.
Punish the policy breakers
The only way the policies will have power is if stringent measures are taken for those who disobey them. As an employer, you need to punish any employees who ridicule or discriminates against the LGBTQ employees. If such measures are present in the organization, employees will be forced to adhere to the rules.
Constant training
All employees should be trained in ways to work harmoniously with LGBTQ employees. All employees need to be educated on various issues surrounding the LGBTQ community. Consistent training boosts an excellent working atmosphere in the office and accepts people of all sexual orientations.
You can set up conferences that seek to address the issues. For remote workers, you can set up mobile learning services that aim to reach those employees.
Employee Resource Group (ERG)
Employee resource group means that employees with the same beliefs and common interests come together and form a coalition. The group allows LGBTQ employees to better express their views and bond with other group members who have similar beliefs. Creating such groups show your support to the community and creates a better supportive environment.
Bottom Line
It is essential to offer the right environment that is not discriminatory to any employee despite their beliefs or sexual orientation. Such a working environment is favorable for all employees and will enhance the workers’ productivity in the long run.
