Five Ways to support a Culture of Safety for LGBTQ+ Employees at Work
There are many ways to build a culture of safety for LGBTQ+ and diverse employees. Although pride month is over, remember that LQBTQ+ employees are members of the LGBTQ+ community 365 days per year!
Some employees may feel safe being out and being their authentic selves in the workplace, while some LGBTQ+ employees are still in the closet at work because it does not feel safe for them to be out. Even if people are out with you personally, it doesn't mean they are out with everyone. It is never appropriate to out someone else.
You can support your LGBTQ+ employees by implementing the following practices:
Provide policies and benefits that match what non LGBTQ+ employees receive. This includes health insurance for domestic partners and for same-sex married couples.
Provide health insurance coverage that includes transition coverage for trans employees.
Introduce yourself and share your pronouns as a leader, if comfortable, at the beginning of all meetings to show that it is safe for others to share their pronouns.
Include more options than just male and female on any of your business forms.
Provide training for all leaders and employees on inclusion and microaggressions.
“When you know better you do better.” - Maya Angelou
What are some ways that you have supported a culture of LGBTQ+ safety at your workplace? What ideas can you add to my list? Comment below.
Looking for a resource to provide LGBTQ+ Leadership Coaching or Workshop Facilitation for your employee resource group? Contact me.
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About the Author:
Sarah Scala is a senior talent management leader and executive LGBTQ+ coach with 20+ years of experience providing organization development, change management, and leadership development solutions for diverse global and local industries. She is a collaborative consultant, coach, and educator supporting performance transformation of executives, leaders, and teams. Sarah is a methodical, results-driven leader recognized for helping clients reach their highest potential, increase revenue, reduce turnover, elevate business profitability, build competencies, and improve performance.
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