Truly inclusive workplaces can and should be created

livemint.com:

Workplaces have a vital role to play in Pride inclusion. Even as we see the number of Pride-friendly employers grow, let us examine how organizations can make the leap from tokenism to fostering a truly inclusive workplace culture.

Driving tangible change at workplaces: According to Accenture’s 2019 Getting to Equal Pride industry research, which surveyed 28,000 employees in organizations across 26 countries, only 31% of LGBTIQ+ employees were fully open about their gender identity, expression or sexual orientation at work on account of fears around acceptance. Even more worryingly, this figure fell to just 21% among those in senior leadership positions.

In order to make a tangible shift, organizations need to regard diversity and inclusion just as they would regard any other strategic business priority. Intent by itself may prove to be inadequate; it needs to be backed by clear and measurable goals, regular checkpoints to assess progress, leadership commitment and business alignment.

In order to tap talent from the LGBTIQ+ community, organizations should work with business teams to foster the proactive hiring of diverse talent in a meritocratic manner, scrub job descriptions of gendered language, conduct sensitization workshops for recruiters to eliminate unconscious biases, and tap the right avenues to access talent. Partnering with specialized non-profit organizations that support the community, participation in Pride job fairs and encouraging employees to refer candidates from the community are usually great ways of getting access to this niche pool of talent.

Skills gaps, if any, should be bridged through developmental programmes focused on the community. For instance, at Accenture, we have a six-month long