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This Pride Month, evaluate whether your business is doing enough to ensure the needs and wishes of all team members are being met

Each June is International Pride Month, where the LGBTQ+ community and its supporters come together to celebrate love, friendship, achievements, solidarity, acceptance, and equality while also looking ahead to the future and the work that still needs to be done.
Many companies will show their support in an outward manner, adopting the rainbow colours within their logos, websites and social media channels. However, Pride Month is about more than parades and rainbows, it is a reminder of the diversity of the human race and the need to reflect upon the way we treat one another in a personal and professional capacity.
Therefore, Pride Month poses the perfect reminder to look within our workplaces and consider whether the needs of the LGBTQ+ workforce – both existing and potential – are being met. So, what can businesses do?

EVALUATE

Businesses that really want to make a difference will do more than change their logo, they will look within their organisation to consider whether it meets the needs of their LGBTQ+ workforce.
While a diverse team creates an environment where varying viewpoints, experiences and opinions can enrich a business, it also poses its challenges. With diversity comes inequality and discrimination, which can hugely impact the mental health of your employees.
It is the responsibility of employers to regularly evaluate the policies and standards within the business designed to tackle these issues. In doing so, you will be leading from the top by implementing the kind of culture you want to permeate throughout your business.

SUPPORT

The workplace should always feel like a safe environment and all employees should feel able to talk about any support needs they might have. Employers must understand that staff may have experienced a less supportive – or worse, a discriminatory – workplace in the past, which may cause a fear or anxiety around asking for help. Rather than having a policy of acceptance and assuming everyone knows this is in place, it should be actively promoted and discussed regularly as a team. This will ensure LGBTQ+ team members feel safe and supported, and that their concerns will always be taken seriously.

ZERO-TOLERANCE

There should be a zero-tolerance policy on bullying and discrimination within your workplace, which can be implemented with clear and consistent guidelines. These should be discussed with the whole team at regular intervals, and enforced as a rule. While it is not possible to prevent discrimination if someone really wants to take that route, you can make it difficult by ensuring the team will not tolerate or support any such behaviour, and you can set an example by dealing with it strongly at the earliest moment.

PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES

All minority groups will face challenges that can stunt career development and hold them back from opportunities afforded to others. As an employer you can ensure that all team members have access to a wealth of training and education resources to ensure they are able to progress within their career.
While we often think of Pride Month as a time for parades and parties, it can offer businesses so much more. It is the perfect chance to evaluate your current practices in order to create a more inclusive environment that attracts a rich and diverse workforce that can only be beneficial to the organisation.