Happy Pride Month! 🌈 Yesterday so many organizations updated their branding for the month to a rainbow 🌈 to show their appreciation and celebrate with the LGBTQ+ community. However, a pretty rainbow logo is as far as many organizations will go. Fortunately, in the last few years we’ve seen more and more advocates push these companies to go beyond words and simple sentiment to more substantial demonstrations of support even though many still have a long way to go.
How can your organization support the LGBTQ+ community more authentically and inclusively? As an HR professional and an ally, here are a few things to consider and evaluate if you want to be a more inclusive, LGBTQ+ friendly organization.
- Support your LGBTQ+ employees all year long. 🗓️
- Pride Month falls in June, but what about the other 11 months of the year? As that adage goes, actions speak louder 🗣️ than words. Creating an inclusive environment for everyone means consistent action throughout the year.
- Create awareness through training and learning 💡opportunities for employees and managers.
- Support and donate 💰to nonprofits that are doing meaningful work in the LGBTQ+ community.
- Lastly, sometimes it’s about just listening👂 and understanding the unique needs and challenges this population faces.
- Create an inclusive and welcoming environment that top talent wants to join.
- Review your hiring practices and company policies. Do your job ads include a diversity statement? Is the language used in the ad and your policies inclusive? Do you ask candidates for their preferred pronouns?
- If there is interest from your employees, support employee resource groups (ERGs). Executive sponsorship for ERGs is key! Allow employees time and resources to participate in and develop an ERG. They are a great way for employees to develop leadership skills in the workplace.
- Hire LGBTQ+ leaders! New perspectives and experiences only help enhance your team.
- Highlight LGBTQ+ employees and their relationship with the organization. Showcase how people can bring their full selves to work.
- Review your benefit plans. Are they equal or equitable?
- Do you offer paid parental leave? Some states have been proactive and enacted paid leave benefits, but a majority of the country is still without them. Paid leave programs are great, but if a heterosexual 👨 👩 👧 couple receives more paid leave than two fathers 👨 👨 👧, as an example, then your benefits aren’t inclusive as building a family can look many different ways today.
- Have you ever had a medical claim denied 🛑 after you were told it would be covered? This is just one of the many services a healthcare advocate can help employees with. From fighting an appeal to helping employees find a doctor that understands and provides gender-affirming care, a healthcare advocate can help patients navigate the often difficult and sometimes discriminatory medical system, and will speak up to get them the resources they need.
- Does your medical coverage include any sort of fertility 💉treatments? If so, that’s fantastic! However, did you know that LGBTQ+ individuals face heightened barriers to accessing fertility care, as they often do not meet definitions of “infertility” that would qualify them for covered services? Benefits such as fertility treatments or assistance with adoption fees are great ways to support your employees in expanding their families.
I’d love to hear from you! How does your employer support the LGBTQ+ community?
