Increasing productivity, improving the image of the company, accessing a group of more and better candidates and generating job satisfaction are some of the benefits of a work culture that does not discriminate against the LGBT+ community
Discrimination in the workplace has a long and broad history: it has affected people because of their gender, their physical abilities, their age, their ethnicity and their nationality, among other reasons. Creating an inclusive workplace would obviously improve the lives of many individuals. Less visible is that a fair and respectful employment culture, with access to the same opportunities and resources throughout the work team, also constitutes a great contribution to the success of a company.
About 35% of LGBT+ Mexicans have experienced discrimination at work. In the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean, the statistics are equally high, with also significant rates of violence: shortly before the pandemic, Colombia experienced a threefold increase in attacks based on gender identity or sexual orientation.
The same thing happens on the other side of the Atlantic. In Spain, a 2021 study revealed that only 38% of employees who identify themselves among sexual minorities express their sexual orientation or gender identity in the workplace: the rest fear that this will affect their careers and their relationship with bosses and companions.
After months of remote or decentralized work due to the pandemic, companies are rebuilding their work culture. Considering the inclusion of minorities removes uncertainty in productivity and provides great benefits to the organizational structure. In the case of the LGBT+ community, these are some simple considerations that also improve the image of a company.
Shirley Engelmeier, founder and CEO of InclusionINC, a Minneapolis consultancy, explained that companies can benefit from nurturing an inclusive work environment: “Actively engaging the ideas, knowledge, perspectives, approaches, and styles of each employee,” she told Forbes, allows “maximizing business success”.
That, in principle, generates a deeper understanding of the markets. By increasing empathy, it creates a strong sense of belonging, intensifies engagement, and improves productivity. When coexistence in the workplace becomes a source of security and acceptance, the attitude of the workers is more positive.
A company known for its culture of inclusion will attract more and better non-binary candidates. “Which translates into accessing the best talent in the market and achieving a competitive advantage through the potential of collaborators,” the Colombian human resources consultant Acsendo explained on her blog.
The United Nations Organization (UN) has warned that “discrimination and abuse based on sexual orientation or gender identity and expression occurs at all stages of the employment cycle: recruitment, hiring, training, compensation and termination. ”.
It is important then that all organizational processes are reviewed, from the selection of personnel. This implies the creation of policies to end the visible or invisible discrimination of the LGBT+ collective. For example, not asking for gender on job application forms and not pigeonholing people into an occupation are steps to ensure employment fairness.
Of course, there is a need for an anti-discrimination policy in force. Beyond defining its position on diversity, the company must make it clear that harassment or bullying will not be tolerated, and that when it does happen, sanctions will be applied. This anti-discrimination policy must be clearly communicated in internal exchanges.
It never hurts to reinforce training on LGBT+ issues for staff working in human resources. A study by the Centro Nacional de Consultoría found that more than half of employees in the area did not know how to approach sexual diversity issues. A starting point could be the creation of a diversity and inclusion council, with community partners and company staff, that organizes trainings to prevent any discrimination against LGBT+ people.
Given that the members of this group not only have difficulties integrating into the labor market but also during their years of study, both because of their teachers and their peers, their educational potential is diminished. Strengthening your training can improve not only your skills and productivity, but also your level of job satisfaction.
The operation of the companies varied from the global crisis of COVID-19, and among the adjustments made is the incorporation of corporate benefit programs. Since they strengthen ties with the company, they should be continued, and one option is to customize them for different groups, including LGBT+ workers.
The impact of an inclusive workplace goes beyond business: according to the International Labor Organization (ILO), “when the LGBTQ+ community cannot have equal participation in society, there are negative consequences on the level of economic development of countries” . The barriers faced by the members of the group, added the international institution, cause more general problems: loss of work time and productivity, mainly.
The opposite is also true, the organization pointed out to underline the importance of multiplying inclusive work environments: "Economic growth and a better integration of the LGBT+ population in society complement each other."
Article taken from infobae.com
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