How Offices Should Be Supporting LGBTQ Employees After Pride Month

How Offices Should Be Supporting LGBTQ Employees After Pride Month Every June, companies celebrate Pride Month with parades and parties with rainbow flags. Its a month when companies can reflect and reinvigorate to continue the fight for LGBTQ rights. And there is indeed a number of companies, large and small, pushing the envelope for LGBTQ employees.Take for example, Starbucks, which has made it clear that the LGBTQ community is important to them. During a 2013 compay meeting, CEO HowardSchultz fielded a shareholders question about Starbucks helfende hand of gay marriage. The shareholder asked if the company was concerned about losing business, to which SchultzresponsedNot every decision is an economic decision. The lens in which we are making that decision is through the lens of ur people. We employ over 200,000 people in this company, and we want to embrace diversity. Of all kinds.Likewise, Ben Jerrys has been supporting the LGBTQ community for years. In 1989, the ice cream compa ny was Vermonts first major employer to offerhealth insurance benefits to same-sex couples. On its website, the company writes that the decision didnt feel like a revolutionary gesture at the time itjust knew it was the right and fair thing to do.On a similar note, HM donates 10 percent of sales from its Pride Out Loud collection to LGBTQ charities, J.Crew donates 50 pecent of the purchase price of its pride T-shirts and Nike has donated almot $2.7 million of its proceeds from its Be True campaign since 2012, according to Vox. But, of course, many consider just donating to charities slacktivism, or an easy way to show support without actually supporting the community with regards to the day-to-day issues they face.In other words, some companies claim to support the LGBTQ community, but some of their decisions and practices are contradictory. For example, just a few days after the companytweeteda rainbow picture of its yogurt containers with the caption, Naturally Powering Everyone, Chobani CEOHamdi Ulukaya,toldMSNBC We are against all laws and practices that discriminate in any way, whether it be where you come from or who you love for that reason, we oppose Russias anti-LGBT law. This conversation came in the midst of the2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, aa country with anti-LGBTQ laws.Flash forward to 2018, and Budweiser is sponsoring both Pride Month and the World Cup in Russia.Another example is Adidas, which sold rainbow merchandise to honor Pride Month, but is also a major sponsor for this years World Cup in Russia. And while HM doesdonateto LGBTQ charities, it also has a manufacturing plant in China, another country witha history ofanti-LGBTQ legislation.Studies show that when companies truly do support the LGBTQ community, it benefits both the community and the company.The Human Rights Campaigns2018 Corporate Equality Index (CEI)quantifies how inclusive organizations are of LGBTQ employees,reviewingnon-discrimination policies, benefits for LGBTQ personn el and their families, and public commitments to LGBTQ equality. And the report suggests those that scored highly in the Index are also top-performers in their industries. Specifically, an impressive 83 percent of the Fortune 500 include gender identity protections in their nondiscrimination policies, 97 percent of companies offer explicit gender identity non-discrimination protections. Another 58percent of the Fortune 500 and 79 percent of organizations fromthe survey also offer transgender-inclusive health care coverage.But, as general support for LGBTQ rights grows, as does the corporate incentive for companies to positon themselves as supporters. So, now thatPride Month is over, LGBTQ employees are questioning, is Pride Month anything more than a marketing ploy?If not, what will companies do to not only talk the talk, but also walk the walk and be consistent in their support of the community well beyond June?We spoke with LGBTQ workers to share what they want to binnenbinnensee companies start doing all year round.1. Do More Than Support Pride as a Marketing PloyI actually really dislike when a lot of these companies show support for Pride because they only do walk the walk, says Josh Griffiths, a PhD student.Take Budweiser for example.They sponsor Pride but they are also sponsoring the World Cup in Russia, a country that has some of the worst anti-LGBTQIA laws in the world. If theyre willing to do more than just support Pride as a marketing ploy, they should first have some strong anti-discrimination policies in place for the hiring process. There should be clear anti-harassment policies in place, too, once people are hired. LGBTQ folks are often targeted for workplace harassment. Something needs to be put in place to protect those employees who were fairly hired. Im a cisgender, gay, white male, so I do have a lot of privilege in comparison to my LGBTfamily. There can be little things done for the rest of the spectrum that show me that a company really c ares such as gender neutral bathrooms for employees and clients alike.2. Offer Support LinesI work for a gay friendly company, so I dont think theres anything more they could do, says Tyler, a tech consultant. More time off, better pay, more staff, but that doesnt relate to anything... I like our chat channel. We have a designated LGBTQ room.3. Host More EventsI wish they would offer more sponsorships and events, such as happy hours and networking events after Pride monthon a regular basis, says Kyle, an environmental teacher.4. Promote LGBTQ LeadersI want to see more open LGBTQ people in leadership roles, says Kelsey, a production assistant. When I see that, its clearer that a company supports the community because its willing to promote LGBTQ employees and have them as the faces of their leadership.5. Practice What You PreachCompanies should do more than just celebrate Pride if they actually want to support LGBTQ employees, says Daniela, who works in hospital administration. Its g reat if they want to support Pride month and jump on that bandwagon, but it cant stop when June ends. These companies need to be cracking down on anti-discriminatory hiring processes, anti-discriminatory review processes and be working on diversity and inclusion programs. That said, just having a diversity and inclusion agenda isnt enough they need to actually be exercising the practices theyre preaching so theres actually no more discrimination against sexual orientation.--AnnaMarie Houlis is a multimedia journalist and an adventure aficionado with a keen cultural curiosity and an affinity for solo travel. Shes an editor by day and a travel blogger at HerReport.org by night.