Ensuring Workplace Inclusion for LGBTQ+ Employees

Creating an inclusive workplace for LGBTQ+ employees requires more than just having a written policy. It involves ongoing efforts, active engagement, and a commitment to fostering an environment where everyone feels valued and respected. This toolkit provides five actionable steps to help achieve a truly inclusive workplace for LGBTQ+ employees.

1. Develop Comprehensive Policies and Training Programs

In today’s workplace, ensuring inclusion for LGBTQ+ people is essential for business success. Employers that have inclusive practices for LGBTQ+ workers gain the support and respect of not only that population, but also of other minority groups that recognize the efforts as an indicator of an overall inclusive work environment.

HR executives can take the initiative to create better inclusivity in their workplaces. Ensure that all anti-harassment, anti-bullying, and nondiscrimination policies include LGBTQ+ individuals. Review other policies such as dress code expectations and make sure they do not promote gender stereotypes.

Employers should update anti-harassment policies to align with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC’s) latest guidance on LGBTQ+ protections, addressing virtual and social media conduct.

Leaders, managers, HR professionals, and anyone else interested in fostering inclusive work environments can earn the Inclusive Workplace Culture Specialty Credential from SHRM by completing three eLearning courses followed by a knowledge assessment on the topic of inclusivity and belonging at work.

Additional training materials and resources are available in the SHRMStore.

2. Create Safe Spaces and Support Networks

New SHRM research revealed that most LGBTQ+ workers perceive inclusivity and fairness at work, but findings also suggested that their companies still have a long way to go to fully embrace inclusion and diversity (I&D).

LGBTQ+ employees who said their companies’ senior leaders care about making meaningful I&D progress are more than twice as likely to agree that they are treated fairly at work, compared with those who don’t feel their companies’ leaders care about I&D progress.

In June 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Nevertheless, many LGBTQ+ workers still choose not to come out at work due to a lack of trust about what will happen if they share this information.

The SHRM research indicated that most surveyed LGBTQ+ employees are out at work, but about 1 in 4 of those who chose not to disclose this information felt it is somewhat or very likely that they would be excluded from activities they’d normally be a part of if they did so. About 1 in 5 said they believe they would not be promoted.

True equality for LGBTQ+ employees is an ongoing struggle, but employers can help.

Fostering a more inclusive workplace should include a framework based on psychological safety. Michael Baran, founder and CEO of Iris Inclusion, brought psychological safety to the forefront of the conversation during his session at the SHRM Annual Conference & Expo 2024.

He defined a workplace culture of psychological safety as one that exhibits the following:

• Mistakes are communicated quickly, employees learn from them, and adjustments can be made.
• Multiple unique perspectives are considered when solving complex problems. Feedback can be given candidly, saving time and avoiding miscommunication.
• Employees aren’t afraid to speak up—to contribute all their ideas, take risks, and point out problems.

3. Promote Inclusive Language and Communication

Many workers include personal pronouns in their email signatures or other written materials. This isn’t limited to those who are LGBTQ+; many cisgender allies also list their pronouns as an expression of support.

Inclusive employers remove gender-based pronouns from employee handbooks and other company materials. Replacing “he or she” with “they” indicates support and acceptance of nonbinary individuals who do not identify as male or female.

Using the name and pronouns that somebody goes by is an important way to show respect to your colleagues. See SHRM’s Pronouns in the Workplace Express Request.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) provides a glossary of terms to assist in the understanding of and communication about sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. LGBTQ+ people use a variety of terms to identify themselves, not all of which are included in this glossary. Always listen for and respect a person’s self-identified terminology.

4. Be Inclusive in All Areas

About 3 in 4 Generation Z job seekers who are LGBTQ+ expressed reservations about joining a workplace where they didn’t feel comfortable being out at work, according to a myGwork survey of 2,000 students and recent graduates from around the world. Inclusion is not just a luxury to young workers—it’s a requirement.

“Given that Gen Z will constitute a third of the workforce by 2030, with a significant portion identifying as LGBTQ+, organizations must prioritize LGBTQ+ inclusion to attract and retain this crucial talent pool,” said Adrien Gaubert, co-founder of London-based myGwork, a business community for LGBTQ+ professionals and inclusive employers.

New employees expect to see LGBTQ+ role models and allies in senior positions. Mentorship programs should specifically provide support and career guidance for LGBTQ+ employees.

Installing gender-neutral bathrooms could benefit employees and your company’s brand reputation in many ways, workplace experts said. Many companies that have the space provide both gendered and gender-neutral facilities so that every worker feels comfortable.

Employers should treat all employees with children equally in the workplace, regardless of how they became parents. Employers can demonstrate support by offering health care and leave benefits to LGBTQ+ employees who have children through surrogacy or adoption and by creating an inclusive work environment in which LGBTQ+ parents feel comfortable introducing their families.

5. Provide Ongoing Support and Resources

Incorporating LGBTQ+ identities into I&D efforts such as training sessions or hiring objectives can be an effective way to create an inclusive workplace for these employees, 2024 SHRM research suggested.

Companies that specifically include LGBTQ+ identities in their I&D efforts to some extent or to a great extent are over four times more likely than those that do not include them to rate their organizations’ I&D efforts as mostly to extremely successful.

A record 1,384 employers participated in the HRC’s 2023-2024 Corporate Equality Index, with 545 companies receiving a perfect score, according to the advocacy group’s latest report. Far fewer companies received a perfect score than did so in 2022 (842).

A record-breaking 95% of participating businesses have nondiscrimination protections specific to gender identity, up from 5% in 2002. But the rise in LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace comes as a record number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in state legislatures in recent years.

“What this tells us is consistent with what we’re seeing in other data: Your LGBTQ+ employees need to see more to know that you are a truly inclusive workplace,” said Ben Greene, an international speaker and CEO of BG Trans Talks.

According to Deloitte’s Global 2023 LGBT+ Inclusion @ Work report, one-third of respondents are looking to move to a more LGBTQ+ inclusive employer, a figure that is even higher for those from an underrepresented ethnicity.

Ask trusted LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies to provide feedback or make suggestions about ways to improve company practices. Fostering an inclusive workplace is not just the right thing to do; it’s also essential for a thriving, innovative, and compassionate organization.

Related Resources

EEOC Fact Sheet: Facility/Bathroom Access and Gender Identity

Being Transgender in an Election Year

LGBTQ+ Professional and Student Associations

SHRM All Things Work Podcast: Jillian Weiss on the Trans Experience at Work on Apple Podcasts