Pride in the workplace

Sydney WorldPride is currently underway, running from 17 February to 5 March. Therefore, it’s a perfect time to discuss LGBTI in the workplace.

The Diversity Council of Australia discussed the importance of providing an inclusive workplace for employees. According to the Inclusion@Work Index 2021–2022, those who are part of an inclusive work environment are:

• Four times less likely to leave their job in the next 12 months.
• Ten times more likely to be very satisfied.
• Four times less likely to feel work has a negative or very negative impact on their mental health.
• Five times less likely to experience discrimination and/or harassment
• Eleven times more likely to be highly effective than those in non-inclusive teams.
• Ten times more likely to be innovative.
• Six times more likely to provide excellent customer service.
• Four times more likely to work extra hard.

The Diversity Council of Australia said that language is a crucial aspect of LGBTI inclusivity, and care should be taken to address staff correctly.

The Equality Project released the Australian LGBTIQA+ Policy Guide 2020 to give individuals, organisations, and the government relevant information.

The guide centres on five core principles:

• Fairness
• Human rights
• Equality
• Intersectionality
• Self-advocacy

In relation to businesses, the Australian LGBTIQA+ Policy Guide 2020 provides guidance for removing bullying and harassment in the workplace and offering ways to be more inclusive and understanding.

The Equality Project said this could be achieved through the implementation of standards and programs to help identify and rectify issues. This could be achieved by integrating policy OHS/WHS regulations.

Providing support within the workplace is also important, as employees should feel comfortable and safe within their place of work.

UN Women is another organisation actively standing up for LGBTI rights in the workplace.

“We speak up against human rights violations everywhere, so it’s natural to us to support the LGBTI agenda … Women and people with non-binary gender identities must have their own spaces in which to speak, to exercise power, to act, and to own and drive their own movement,” said former executive director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.

According to UN Women, there is still a long way to go globally, as over 70 countries criminalise same-sex relations. UN Women said that “these laws are a violation of human rights and must be changed”.

UN Women said that the Sustainable Development Goals set by the organisation “can only be achieved if all people, especially marginalised groups such as LGBTQIA+ people, are included. Working on the full realisation of the rights of LGBTQIA+ people is central to leaving no one behind.”