Ultimate Guide to Queer & Trans Inclusion in the Workplace
- Kristy Aldridge
- Dec 21, 2020
- 12 min read
Updated: Jan 13, 2021
Workplace discrimination has and continues to be a significant problem for LGBTQ+ employees worldwide. This is especially true for those who also hold other marginalized identities like Queer and Trans People of Color. Not only does discrimination in the workplace affect these communities’ well-being but also their ability to build wealth and have access to career success.
Attention towards this issue increased in June 2020, when the Supreme Court of the United States decided to extend the 1964 Civil Rights Act’s workplace protections to sexual orientation and gender minority employees. This means that just like many other social minority groups, LGBTQ+ individuals now have federal protections against discrimination in the workplace.
What it also means is that organizations need to update their policies, human resource management practices, leadership, and organizational practices so that they may effectively comply with the act. In doing so, organizations will reduce their risk of discriminating against Queer, Trans, and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) employees and therefore, will also reduce the likelihood of having to face litigation. Furthermore, as organizations create more inclusive workplaces for all of their employees, they will reap the benefits that come from having a workforce that feels included and supported in the workplace.
In this post, we will provide an all-encompassing rundown of Queer and TGNC inclusion and diversity in the workplace. We will include an explanation of what inclusion and diversity initiatives are, why they are important, and the reasons that have prevented this social justice issue from being ameliorated. Finally, in this article, we will address the inclusion and diversity strategies that organizations can implement to create more inclusive workplaces for their LGBTQ+ employees.
What is Workplace Inclusion and Diversity?
Most people have heard the terms diversity and inclusion before. However many are not completely clear on their meaning. Thankfully, although these concepts can be challenging to execute, their definitions are easy to grasp. In an organizational context, workplace diversity means that a group of people working in an organization represent a variety of identities, backgrounds, and experiences. Therefore an example of a diversity initiative implemented by an organization would be to create a recruiting strategy that attracts more People of Color to apply for a job in their company.
However, focusing on diversity efforts is not enough. To reap the benefits of having a diverse workforce inclusion efforts should be incorporated. In an organizational context, workplace inclusion happens when employees are and feel like actively valued and respected members of their team. That they have a feeling of safety in the workplace and can be their full selves without fear of facing negative social or professional repercussions.
Why Is It Important?
Understanding the meaning of inclusion and diversity and applying D&I practices can help facilitate business and personal implications. Research continues to show that homogeneous workforces yield less innovation and lower performance than heterogeneous workforces do. Although more managers are now understanding this concept and recruiting more diverse individuals, if they do not implement deep-level inclusion practices they will not reap the benefits. This is because discrimination or the lack of inclusion in the workplace often leads to feelings of ostracization which translates to a lesser commitment to the organization, increasing stress, and decreasing performance.
This resulting behavior and impact on their morale and performance often lead employees to be offered fewer opportunities for development and career advancement despite their actual capabilities. Since LGBTQ+ employees often miss out on these opportunities, organizations also miss out on talent that can take their company to the next level.
The History of Queer and Trans* I&D in the Workplace
The struggle for LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion in the United States dates back to 1924 when Henry Gerber founded the first documented gay rights organization, The Society for Human Rights was inspired by Gerber’s service. At the time the organization focused on the rights of white gay men, including (with little success) the right to work without the threat of firing. Years later the movement faced a giant setback when in 1953 President Eisenhower signed an executive order that officially banned people guilty of “sexual perversion” (including Queer and Trans people) from federal jobs.
The law was reversed 20 years later except for the U.S. military who continued the practice as it stood until 1993. On this year, the ban was not lifted, but with the passing of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) Queer military personnel could continue working as long as their identities were kept under wraps. The law was later repealed by the Obama administration but not for Transgender people who continue to face legal barriers to serving openly.
In 2015 the Supreme Court ruled for same-sex-marriage but at the time of the ruling Queer and TGNC employees could still be fired for their sexuality and gender identities in 29 states. It was not until 2020, with a new Supreme Court ruling, that federal protections were finally expanded to the LGBTQ community.
At the time of this article, in the diversity and inclusion literature, little has been written about creating inclusive workplaces for LGBTQ+ employees when compared to literature about gender and race in the workplace. This is despite discrimination and feelings of ostracization in the workplace being commonplace for all individuals who hold marginalized identities.
Why Queer and Trans* Inclusion and Diversity Continues to Be an Issue
There are several reasons why the inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals into the workplace continues to be a problem. Organizations have normally emphasized “one and done” diversity efforts, such as conducting yearly unconscious-bias training, instead of doing the day to day work. This means that many companies are falling into the delusion of being inclusive when the reality faced by their employees is otherwise. This belief in “already being inclusive” makes it so that organizations are less motivated to expand their practices or track the results of their diversity efforts.
Similarly, as a society, we have fallen into the “illusion of societal inclusion”. This means that people in general feel like LGBTQ+ individuals are no longer discriminated against. This could be because over the years, marriage equality became the law of the land, and people have seen an increasing number of Queer individuals in pop culture. This has historically led leaders in organizations and in HR to exclude LGBTQ people from diversity initiatives because they “don’t need them”.
Although some of these challenges will be addressed by the Supreme Court’s decision to extend workplace protections, some rising roadblocks may still get in the way of solving this problem. Now that there are protections, there still may be issues arising from companies citing their religious rights as an excuse for engaging in discriminatory practices. This is an argument that can be defended under the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act. This act makes it legal for someone to discriminate against a Queer person due to religious reasons. The result of this could be that these two rulings will come head to head and that religious freedom may win out. Therefore discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in the workplace may still be allowed.
Another future challenge may come from the Covid-19 virus. Now that more people are working from home, and many companies have decided to do this permanently, it may be difficult to implement and follow through on current and deeper-level inclusion practices. Further research on how remote work may affect diversity and inclusion practices is necessary. It is still unknown if it would provide a benefit to LGBTQ+ employees or if it would create greater challenges.
Diversity and Inclusion Strategies
The field of diversity and inclusion has begun to shift to an approach that values a focus on deeper-level inclusion strategies. Based on this new research and findings, the following strategies have been identified as providing more effective and sustainable inclusion in the workplace. These strategies take a comprehensive look at every aspect of the organization to identify opportunities for deeper level inclusion while keeping the employee life-cycle in mind.
Although organizations can attempt to implement the following suggestions on their own, it is recommended that they seek the support of an Industrial and Organizational practitioner. An expert on industrial and organizational psychology can help organizations identify what they are doing well in regards to diversity and inclusion but also opportunities where diversity efforts can be expanded or improved. This will allow organizations to channel their time and resources in a more impactful and efficient way. Furthermore, Industrial and Organizational practitioners can provide guidance on how to manage the change management process among other things.
Recruitment
Deep-level inclusive recruitment practices are addressed in this section. One powerful suggestion is creating a pipeline of LGBTQ+ talent and having transparent hiring and recruiting practices. Although gender and sexuality minorities face similar barriers during the recruitment process as other minority candidates, many companies have strategic recruitment plans to attract and hire members of these minority groups- which is often not the case for Queer and TGNC people. To eradicate this discrepancy, creating a talent pipeline that explicitly invites LGBTQ+ individuals to apply to a company is recommended. This can look like partnering up with LGBTQ+ community resource centers to share employment opportunities and creating internship opportunities for high school and college students who identify as Queer.
However, creating a pipeline is not enough if a company’s recruitment material is disingenuous about valuing Queer employees. Given that the job-hunting and interview process is particularly stressful for LGBTQ+ people, (because gender and sexual minorities worry about disclosing their identities and working in a place where they face discrimination) it is important to create a sense of psychological safety from the beginning. There are many things that employers can do to ease these fears. Some of those solutions include creating recruitment materials that genuinely express a commitment to diversity rather than the general and tired “this is an equal opportunity workplace” disclaimer. This can be done through the use of inclusive language in the copy and having other recruitment material that shows the organization’s commitment to the Queer community. Furthermore, it is important to train talent managers to be sensitive to the challenges LGBTQ+ individuals face during job searches so that they can help potential employees feel comfortable during the hiring process.
Onboarding
During the onboarding process is very important to implement strategies that can increase psychological safety for these employees. One research-based recommendation is to include diversity training during the onboarding process. All employees should be made aware that the organization values diversity and inclusion and that it expects them to be respectful to all of their colleagues. The material in this training should include information about the LGBTQ+ community and how cisgender and heterosexual employees can help to create a more inclusive workplace. Having this type of training from the beginning will signal to new Queer employees that inclusivity is important to the organization allowing them to feel more confident in their decision to work for the company.
Furthermore, onboarding should include an orientation of resources available to employees who identify as part of a minority group, including LGBTQ+ employees. This can look like a simple welcome packet with information on any affinity groups the organization may have. It can also include benefits that LGBTQ+ employees can access and the processes employees can follow to address any discrimination issues.
HR Policies and Practices
Current human resource management initiatives for gender equality in the workplace focus heavily on the experiences of white, cisgender, heterosexual women. This leaves gender and sexual minorities vulnerable to gender-based discrimination and violence. Therefore to create more inclusive workplaces, Human Resource departments need to employ deep-level inclusion policies and practices. Some suggestions include implementing inclusive language policies, having a gender-neutral and flexible dress code, and having a zero-tolerance policy against homophobic or transphobic remarks and harassment.
Furthermore, HR managers need to push for the expansion of benefits for Queer employees. These include having competitive benefits packages that include parental (rather than maternal) leave and fully affirmative healthcare for Trans and Genderqueer employees. HR Departments should also push organizational leaders to consider gender-affirming treatment as sick leave, just like any other medical reason. Providing mental health resources to current employees is another helpful strategy. Because they are outside of the heterosexual and/or cisgender norm, gender and sexual minorities often face greater amounts of stress before and after starting their new jobs and therefore need additional support. Finally, a safer and inclusive climate can be achieved by having a process that specifically deals with discrimination. Together these policies can increase feelings of acceptance and psychological safety for LGBTQ+ employees.
Finally, Human Resource departments can help create deep-level inclusion by “queering the training curriculum”. This means adding LGBTQ+-specific content to already existing training. This practice can look like speaking about same-sex sexual harassment in the workplace during sexual harassment training. It can also look like providing retirement planning education for employees which makes a point to focus on issues specific to LGBTQ employees. This last example can be really helpful as Queer people are less likely to save enough for retirement due to pay-gaps or inability to find work. They are also more likely to have to retire early due to poor health or having to care for a partner with poor health. Together these HR practices can help LGBTQ+ employees feel more included.
Workplace Culture
Research shows that to retain LGBTQ+ employees, the workplace climate should help LGBTQ+ group members develop a sense of belonging. This can be done by creating an environment where they can strike a balance between being accepted and maintaining their unique identity. In other words, creating an environment where they feel safe to express their own opinions and who they are without fear of repercussion. One way to do so is by creating group guidelines where everyone is allowed to participate in decision-making and to share information. Also, by ensuring that all different approaches and perspectives are taken seriously and are respected within the group. This can be achieved by developing a learning culture within the organization and by providing ample opportunities for employees to share their opinions during meetings and team projects.
Other strategies for creating an inclusive workplace climate include being mindful of LGBTQ+ employee’s other intersecting identities. This is important as many Queer individuals have additional minority identities which can cause them to face multiple forms of discrimination. Therefore, it is important for employers and team members to understand that the experiences of Queer individuals are not the same across the board and therefore employees should not be treated like they are. One way to honor this is by not treating diversity dimensions separately in diversity and inclusion initiatives. This could look like celebrating queer people of color or queer people with disabilities during pride month. Interpersonally this can also look like respecting a Queer employee’s decision not to come out to their parents because of cultural or religious reasons.
Leadership
Inclusive leadership is the practice of having leaders model comfort with diversity, set rules and enforce rules for acceptable behaviors, and create opportunities for dialogue about LGBTQ+ identities, homophobia, and transphobia. To model these practices, leaders must authentically demonstrate an interest in learning about their sexuality & gender-minority employees. However, it is important that leaders do not put the burden of teaching onto their Queer employees. Inclusive leadership also involves strategically monitoring patterns of hiring, promotions, and resignations of their LGBTQ+ employees. Then they should use that information to improve inclusion.
Leaders should also work on creating policies that close the pay-gap between LGBTQ+ and cis and heterosexual employees as well as provide coaching and mentoring opportunities for their minority employees. These strategies can help level the economic and professional playing field. Finally, leaders can also think about having policies which provide supply-chain opportunities for LGBTQ+ owned business and vendors. This strategy can show commitment to the advancement of the Queer community. When implemented effectively, inclusive leadership lowers the perception of status differences which improves team performance and motivates employees to improve their individual performance.
Affinity or Resource Groups
The creation of LGBTQ+ affinity or resource groups in organizations is another effective deep-level inclusion practice. Not only should they exist, but they should also be sponsored by higher-ups in the organization to show support for their employees. Affinity groups can provide social support for employees who may be struggling with discrimination in the workplace. They also create networking opportunities for LGBTQ+ employees, which may lead to their professional improvement and advancement. This is because it may allow Queer entry-level employees the opportunity to interact with an LGBTQ+ identified leader in the organization.
Furthermore, these groups can also lead change at the organizational level and the interpersonal level, helping to make workplaces more inclusive. However, it is important that organizations not rely solely on LGBTQ+ affinity groups or Queer employees to spearhead inclusion efforts. The consequence of this could be imposing a “minority tax” on your employees. The term “minority tax” represents the burden that minority employees face when fighting for equality and calling out discrimination on top of the challenges they already have to face. Oftentimes, this taxing behavior comes from “minority outsourcing” where employers pass on the work of actually implementing diversity efforts to the minority employees themselves. This behavior can look as harmless as asking minority employees or groups to lead diversity training or diversity events. This often takes away from the individual’s time, effort, and mental strength. Instead, organizations should provide resources, support, and incentives to make more inclusive workplaces rather than putting the burden on their minority employees.
Analyzing Inclusion and Diversity
A crucial part of any I&D strategy is keeping track of changes and metrics as your organization goes through the process. Some things to keep track of include:
Data on Queer and TGNC employee retention
Employee satisfaction data
Data on the distribution of career advancement opportunities
Numbers of employees who have received a raise or a promotion and how many are LGBTQ+ employees
Return on Investment
Create a scorecard with this information and analyze it to improve your efforts.
3 Tips and Reminders for Implementing LGBTQ+ Inclusion and Diversity in the Workplace
Remember that this is a process and like all processes mistakes and setbacks are bound to happen. This is okay as long as you learn from your mistake and move forward.
Including the voices of your Queer and TGNC employees in this process is crucial. Having their perspective will help catch any holes in your strategy and help to make it more robust. If you do not currently have LGBTQ+ employees working for you, reach out to an expert or LGBTQ+ group in your community for advice.
Many LGBTQ+ individuals can also hold racial, ability, and other minority identities. Therefore it is important to create an organization that is inclusive in all aspects.
Closing
Although LGBTQ+ individuals now have federal protections against discrimination in the workplace, the delay of federal protection means that there is much ground to make-up before most Queer and TGNC employees can feel truly included by their organization. The most effective way to create this feeling of inclusion is by ensuring that every aspect of your organizational practices takes into account the needs and struggles of your LGBTQ+ employees.
To learn how Aldridge Consulting can help you make these changes contact us.
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