Canadian HR Reporter

Moving from diversity to inclusiveness for LGBT employees requires action – and delivers rewards By Melissa Campeau In most parts of Canada, it would take some effort not to assemble a diverse workforce. And almost certainly, that diverse workforce includes members of the LGBT community. While diversity has been a strategic focus for many organizations in recent years, assembling a group of employees with differing experiences and perspectives is really just the fi rst step. To drive innovation, improve retention and realize all the promise of a diverse workforce, it takes something more. "Inclusiveness takes diversity a step further by creating an environment where people's differences of thought and experience are actually appreciated and viewed as a business advantage," said Alison Grenier, head of culture and research at Great Place to Work Canada. Without a culture of inclusion, diversity is largely unrealized potential. "Many well-meaning organizations have jumped on the bandwagon to hire for diversity without having the programs and structures in place to truly bring diverse perspectives into the fold," said Grenier. That's particularly true for many members of Canada's LGBT community. A 2014 study by Pride at Work Canada found 30 per cent of LGBT-identifi ed respondents felt they experienced discrimination in the workplace, compared to just 2.9 per cent of the general population. In addition, 4.1 per cent reported some type of daily discrimination in their workplace, compared to just to 0.8 per cent of the general population. Legally, Canadian employers are required to ensure their workers are protected from harassment and discrimination based on sexual orientation. There's a specifi c protection for gender expression and gender identity in some provinces, and in others that protection is implied. As of press time, Bill C-16, which would amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to add gender identity and gender expression to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination, is on its second reading in the Senate. Inclusion is not simply the absence of discrimination, however. Colin Druhan, executive director of Pride at Work Canada, points out more than half of Canadian LGBT workers aren't out to everyone they work with. "That's the majority of an entire community not talking about their families at work, not making meaningful connections with their coworkers," said Druhan. "Being out at work is as simple as people knowing the name of your spouse or who the other parent to your kids is, whether or not you have kids, what kind of organizations you volunteer with, or just who you are as a person. These are details a lot of people don't have to think twice about sharing at work, but many people from the LGBT community feel they have to hide even these simple parts of their lives." This presents an obvious obstacle to teamwork and engagement, and casts a shadow over an employee's relationship with their employer. Research by Great Place to Work indicates even at the best-rated workplaces, there are gaps between how different groups of employees rate the organization. For example, senior managers might give an organization a high ranking, but entry level workers – who feel less included and less valued – might have a different experience and give it a lower mark. The research shows that while disconnect between diversity and inclusion is experienced by women, Aboriginal people and ethnic minorities, it's most pronounced for the LGBT community. For organizations wanting to do the right thing and develop a competitive edge, that's an opportunity in waiting. Evidence says the more consistently all people in an organization consider their workplace great, the more that company can outpace competitors in areas including retention, extra effort and growth. Get A Policy In Place While creating a more inclusive workplace is more of a cultural commitment than a short-lived initiative, there are still concrete steps an organization can take. Great Place to Work Canada and Pride at Work Canada co-authored Beyond Diversity: An LGBT Best Practice Guide for Employers, a publication that highlights several strategies for making a more inclusive workplace for LGBT employees. As a fi rst step, the guide points out the importance of a formal, written policy one that seeks to protect the entire LGBT community. "A lot of organizations have policy language around harassment and discrimination as it relates to sexual orientation, but no specifi c language on gender identity and gender expression," said Druhan. "This leaves out a huge part of the community." Training For All Organization-wide diversity training is a fundamental step to help educate employees on the expected code of conduct within the organization. "If employees are receiving that message regularly and consistently, it will get through, especially if it's modeled by the most senior people in the organization," said Grenier. Google, for example, offers Unconscious Bias at Work training to all Googlers on their fi rst day of employment – setting the tone early to create inclusiveness from day one. Beyond the organization-wide education, people managers require specifi c training. BMO, for example, runs a multiyear program called Learn From Difference, designed to engage the organization's people managers and employees in conversations about inclusion and to take action against bias. "It's a people manager's responsibility to make sure they know the organization's discrimination and harassment policies, and also accept their specifi c role in ensuring compliance," said Grenier. People managers – rather than HR professionals – are often the fi rst point of contact when employees have questions about such things as health benefi ts, dress code or which washroom to use for someone who has just transitioned. "The thing I hear over and over again is, 'I don't want to say the wrong thing, I don't want to offend somebody, so I just won't talk about it,'" said Druhan. "The more people who have the tools to actually have effective conversations and ask and answer questions in a thoughtful, confi dent and respectful way, the more progress we'll see on this." ...continued WHEN DIVERSE WORKPLACES AREN'T INCLUSIVE

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