Improving LGBTQ Diversity in Business Leadership
Jackie writes about improving LGBTQ Diversity in Business Leadership!
Over the past 5 years, the number of people in the UK identifying as LGBTQ has increased by more than 33%. Despite an increasing number of people feeling comfortable enough to share their sexual orientation, the LGBTQ community as a whole still faces an astounding number of prejudices. Apart from falling victim to discrimination in a social context, many employers are not nearly as adept at creating an inclusive workplace as they should be, especially as far as leadership positions are concerned. Thankfully, there are a number of ways in which employers can make a workplace more inclusive for LGBTQ community members.
Education is key
Before a lack of leadership diversity in the workplace can be addressed, the entire workforce needs to be schooled in workplace inclusivity. It can never be expected of LGBTQ employees to educate their colleagues on inclusivity nor remind their employers that diversity needs to reach all the way to management levels as well. An inclusivity expert can be hired to run a series of workshops that not only present ways on how to boost diversity and inclusivity in the workplace, but also how to be more conscious in social contexts as well. It is important that these sessions are held on a regular basis and that any new employees undergo the relevant inclusivity training as part of their company onboarding.
Inclusivity has to be prioritised prior to employment
In order for business leadership to be more diverse, inclusivity has to be prioritised prior to an individual even applying for their first job. Members of the LGBTQ community and other minority groups often experience discrimination long before they even land their first job. MBA programs, such as those facilitated by some of the world’s top Universities, have a historical reputation of exclusivity. Thankfully, significant progress has been made to rid MBAs of their elitist label.Technology is one of the driving forces behind this change as more and more students are opting to pursue an online MBA that is free of the typical policies and prejudices.
Nurture diverse talent
The simplest way for employers to ensure that their management teams are diverse, is to make an effort to nurture diverse talent. The LGBTQ community consists of countless smart, talented individuals that have all the makings of superb leaders. When an employee possesses profound skills, it is important to harness and develop them as much as possible. Due to fear of being ostracised or discriminated against, LGBTQ employees may choose to act more demure in a work setting. Although it may therefore be more challenging to sport extraordinary talent, it is very possible with a bit of effort and genuine interest.
Despite the fact that the world is slowly becoming more accepting of the LGBTQ community, they still face a colossal number of challenges in the workplace on a daily basis. Thankfully, with a bit of effort, a workplace can become considerably more inclusive from the way employees interact with one another to the level of diversity in the management teams.