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By Annemarie Shrouder Diversity & Inclusion Consultant Building Equitable Environments - www.beeing.ca Although awareness of diversity is increasing in business circles, the emphasis is still mostly on culture, race, gender, and recently, ability. What about the other aspects of diversity? The things that make us unique and give us different perspectives on the world, but that you can't necessarily identify by sight, such as sexual orientation? Unlike religion (another often invisible diversity), being gay, lesbian or bisexual (LGB) doesn't require strict observances, but it does factor into who we are, the impact of comments and jokes, how we are affected by policies and procedures, and possibly our comfort level at company social events. Like all diverse identities, sexual orientation impacts how included we are and how welcome we feel at work. Heterosexuality is usually assumed, unless stated or proven otherwise (and "proof" is often based on stereotypes). But just because no one is "out" on your staff, doesn't mean everyone is straight. The result of such assumptions is that comments and jokes about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people are still common in the workplace, as are omissions. Omissions (like lack of same-sex benefits or automatically asking a new female employee about her boyfriend) send a message about whose reality is valued. Comments and jokes can poison the work environment. While these exchanges are often laughed about and forgotten, the gay, lesbian, or bisexual employee comes away feeling hurt, angry, and most importantly, unsafe. Feeling unsafe at work can result in hiding who we are; side-stepping personal questions; staying silent about homophobic remarks and policies and their effects; making up acceptable half-truths about our weekend plans to join the conversation; pretending we're single and leaving our partner at home for the company picnic; not to mention feeling invisible and excluded. This type of tight-rope walking is a significant source of stress. It also takes an exorbitant amount of energy - energy that in a safe and inclusive environment would be spent contributing to one's department or team and possibly helping the company reach the LGBT market by providing insight and/or a different perspective. While diversity in the workplace gains in momentum and awareness across the country, having a diverse staff is not enough. Creating an environment where all staff are valued for who they are and what they bring to your organization is crucial. Creating an inclusive workplace in both policy and practice creates an environment where all employees, regardless of their diverse identities, contribute to your organization's success. June marks the beginning of many Gay Pride celebrations across Canada and around the world. If you don't know if anyone is celebrating Pride in your office, maybe it's time to take another look at how safe and inclusive your workplace really is - and the market you could be missing out on as a result. Gay Pride dates (complete at time of printing):
© 2007 . All rights reserved.
As the Founder and President of BEE, Annemarie Shrouder has a strong vision of the strength and possibility of equitable and inclusive spaces, as well as the understanding and knowledge that is required to build and sustain them.
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