The Aspiration of LGBT Inclusion in the Workplace (Guest Blogger, Wendy O.)

“Now more than ever, companies need to differentiate themselves to attract and retain the best talent. In a compressed job market, top candidates are looking for more than just the right job; they’re looking for a company that values them inside and outside of the workplace and encourages individuality and diversity. In order to stand out as a company and demonstrate how it values its co-workers, creating a diverse workplace and inclusive culture are critical, particularly when it comes to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals.  Reaching out to this large segment of the workforce is essential to remaining competitive.” said Melissa Donaldson, Director of Inclusion practices at CDW, LLC.

As humans, we live in a world of vast differences and backgrounds.  Our opinions of others begin in our private homes as children, spread into public places, and subsequently extend into the workplace as adults.  But, does being different mean we have the right to discriminate, judge, or prevent another from employment because of his/her individual differences, whether black or white, tall or short, young or old, gay or heterosexual?  The fact of the matter is companies face rising challenges inherent in hiring lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) employees.  Challenges such as self-identification, fear of retaliation, confidentiality, starting the process of awareness and creating a plan, influencing the right corporate culture throughout the organization, and providing equal benefits and policies, are but a few.

The purpose of this article is to shed positive light on the goal of companies to hire LGBT individuals because this is a large part of the workforce.  In order to remain successfully competitive, LGBT awareness and inclusion must be addressed, including having a best practice hiring plan.  According to the Human Rights Campaign, despite inconsistent laws regarding sexual orientation and gender identity here and abroad, thousands of employers are improving their employment policies, benefits, and other practices reflecting a more positive equitable treatment of their LGBT employees.  Keep in mind, however, unlike other diversity categories, such as race and gender, employers are not required to collect statistics on the number of LGBT individuals they hire for reporting purposes with the EEOC.  So, what can a company do to help identify existing LGBT employees?  Perhaps gather statistics through anonymous confidential employee surveys.  This way, the employee is assured that any disclosure of sexual orientation or gender identity is optional, voluntary, and strictly confidential.

Logically, understanding diversity, accepting differences, and including LGBT employees in the workplace is critical for any organization’s growth and long-term stability.  If you are not a team player, expect to be regarded as a company whose views are unfair and discriminative in nature.  You take the risk of losing your ground as a leader in your industry.  Remember, the key to a successful company is a company that has a solid plan to help recruit, retain, and promote diverse and LGBT employees.  This plan would be crucial to any business success in this evolving and diverse marketplace. 

Moreover, the advantages of having a diversified and LGBT workforce over your competitors can be evident in providing approaches towards team building, proactive problem solving, increasing creativity and productivity, employee loyalty, higher synergy and moral standards, increased leadership commitment and interest, stronger values and integrity, as well as integration of business and consumer support.  Additionally, with globalization as a motivator, the openness and acceptance of diversity and LGBT inclusion in your workplace helps broaden the mindset of global thinking and understanding.  All efforts to provide a fair work environment based on mutual understanding and consideration of LGBT employees must be carefully planned, cultivated, nurtured, and measured to ensure overall strategic success. 

In a May 2011 article written by Melissa Donaldson, Director of Inclusion practices at CDW, LLC, she reported the following on CDCW’s inclusion initiative.  In 2002, CDW’s executive committee, led by CEO John A. Edwardson, launched an inclusion task force.  The purpose of this task force was to benchmark and research best practices for diversity management – both internally and externally – as well as to identify areas of strength and opportunity already at play in the workplace.  The 10 member group met for 15 months, resulting in a key recommendation to establish a single point of ownership for overseeing diversity practices focused on leadership development, corporate culture and market outreach.  Building off this foundation, CDW developed its diversity and inclusion practice, formally called Connections@CDW.  With respect to LGBT, CDW made the following three components critical to its diversity and inclusion practice.

1. Shape the culture

In 2009, CDW formally launched the Gay, Lesbian Organization for Business Allies and Leadership (GLOBAL), a network built for LGBT employees, one of several employee resource groups within the organization. CDW calls these groups “connection nodes.”  By design, GLOBAL creates opportunities for leadership within the group and thereby gives those employees who feel passionately about developing an LGBT-friendly workplace the opportunity to spearhead programming, interface with senior leaders, mentor others with similar perspectives and network with peers.  The grassroots approach instills employees with a sense of ownership for the company’s position on workplace diversity and helps support CDW’s quest to offer progressive and meaningful programs that truly echo the needs and interests of employees.  With a strong foundational support for diversity within the employee community, the company’s leadership is able to addresses issues in the workplace facing LGBT employees, such as harassment.  CDW makes harassment-prevention training a part of its management diversity and inclusion training.

2. Influence policy

Equal benefits are the bedrock of any business espousing true support of its LGBT employees. LGBT equal rights lobbying organization the Human Rights Campaign’s annual Corporate Equality Index, which has rated private-sector companies on LGBT-friendly policies since 2002, has gradually evolved its standards to press employers for greater accountability beyond the usual medical, dental and vision care imperatives. Toward that end, CDW offers enhanced domestic partner benefits, which include elements like support during gender reassignment procedures.  Moreover, CDW’s policy has no ambiguity toward harassment; it clearly calls out protection of both gender identity and sexual orientation at each location.

3. Establish partnerships

CDW makes a point to partner with those companies that share its corporate values. For example, it partners with a health insurance provider that does not discriminate against gender reassignment procedures. Additionally, partnering with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce helps CDW identify strategic partners for supplier diversity initiatives that increase the company’s ability to meet unique customer needs and support the development of underutilized businesses.

Equality in the workplace is just good sound business.  If you create an environment where all employees feel respected, valued, and included, then you have established a best practice which can be simulated or modeled after.  Lastly, since the marketplace is so diverse and global, attracting, developing, and retaining the best talent from diverse backgrounds and the LGBT community is critical to remaining the employer of choice.

Wendy Oliveras is the Founder & CEO of Oliveras & Company, Inc.  She is also a columnist, author, search consultant, and career planning and development advisor.  She can be reached at (201) 947-6662 or via email wo@oliverascoinc.com.  Please also visit her at http://www.twitter.com/wendyoliveras; http://www.linkedin/in/wendyoliveras; http://www.examiner.com/x-22670-NY-Search-Consultant-Examiner; or http://www.oliverascoinc.com.