Although there has been significant improvement over the last several decades to improve the experiences and inclusivity of LGBTQ people in the workplace, there is still so much work to be done. Around half of LGBTQ employees in the United States have reported that they have not come out at work and almost three-quarters are still experiencing negative interactions relating to their identity almost daily.
But what can you do to make your recruitment process more friendly towards the LGBTQ community? Here are seven ways you can make your recruitment process more friendly for the LGBTQ community:
1. Show your support
Something you can do to attract more LGBTQ talent to apply for jobs with your company is to publicly show support for the community. However, this does not just mean turning your company logo into a rainbow for the duration of June and then changing it straight back on July 1st. Candidates are likely to research potential employers to identify those who are inclusive and considerate of LGBTQ employees. Show acknowledgement of pride month however you can, but use it to show ways that your company is supporting members of the community throughout the year and long-term. Support charities and community causes that are working to improve the lives of LGBTQ people.
2. Be transparent about workplace policies
Although most employers have already made the effort to make their workplaces inclusive for LGBTQ employees, it is important to make sure this inclusivity is reflected in your company policies. Be sure to include language which prohibits discrimination based on elements such as gender identity and sexual orientation and take time to examine any company benefits you offer to insure they are inclusive of all employees. This includes factors such as medical coverage including transgender employees and insurance policies which are inclusive of partnerships of any genders. Communicate these policies to all employees and make sure that all staff know that discrimination reports will be taken seriously.
3. Be vocal in your support
Be clear and explicit in your support for the LGBTQ community by including this in your mission statement and on your website. Be vocal about your support of diversity and inclusivity in the workplace and make it easy for any potential employees to quickly see where you stand on these kinds of issues whether they are looking at your website, your social media or even in job adverts.
4. Use gender-neutral language
When it comes to job descriptions, you may think that simply including both the terms “he” and “she” is enough to cover all bases. However, swap out these gendered terms for “they” or even appeal directly to the candidate with “you” to be inclusive of non-binary and gender nonconforming candidates.
5. Ask candidates for feedback
If you are working on improving the inclusivity of your recruitment process, why not as candidates directly? Ask candidates to fill out a survey or leave feedback on your recruitment process and try to identify any steps in the process that may have made them feel singled out or discriminated against to allow you to improve this in future.
6. Develop a plan to support transgender employees
Support all employees by formulating a plan for providing support to transgender employees in the workplace, whether or not you know of any who already work for you. Have a plan in place to support any workers and educate all staff on appropriate terminology. Put a formal process in place which would cover how name changes, pronouns and any other information may be communicated in the event of an employee transitioning, but be sure to discuss this with any relevant employees before talking to the rest of your staff. Where you can, implement gender-neutral bathrooms, or at the very least communicate openly to your staff that all employees are welcome to use any bathroom they choose.
7. Ask for feedback from current employees
As well as asking potential candidates about how their job application experience was in terms of inclusivity, consider asking your current employees about how well they feel the company’s inclusivity efforts are going. Put together an anonymous survey and ask employees their feelings on how well they have felt supported and how much support they feel is given to LGBTQ employees, as well as any suggestions they may have for improvement.
WRAPPING UP
Improving your recruitment process to make it more inclusive is about so much more than just a rainbow infographic for pride month. Talk to employees and candidates to identify areas that you can improve on as a business both in the workplace and as a company as a whole. Be proactive and vocal in your support and take actionable steps to support people, such as donating to charities and working within your community to provide support. Take any feedback on board and commit to making your business a safe and inclusive space for all LGBTQ employees.
To find out how to make your workplace can be more inclusive, contact us today.