Culture safety and equality is essential to helping people thrive and businesses succeed

Gender-based discrimination is still a stubborn reality. In today’s new world of work, we know that people do best when they have the flexibility to work where and when they choose. Their productivity isn’t tied to location, or the traditional 9:00-to-5:00 workday so why should their gender identity? Unfortunately, people from across the gender spectrum have suffered more than others from conventional work constructs. Simply put: All people should feel safe and free to be their true selves at work.

Creating a positive environment for all enables employees to reveal their best selves and build a vibrant company culture. Thankfully, an increasing number of leaders today understand that diversity is more than checking boxes.

An equitable retention policy

A recent survey of 2,000 LGBTQ workers conducted by LinkedIn and YouGov found that for many workers, how workplace culture makes space for identity and self-expression can mean the difference between employee retention and turnover. Three in four respondents said it was important that they work at a company where they feel comfortable expressing their identity, and 65% said they would leave their current job if they felt they could not do so. That extends to a company’s public response to anti-LGBTQ legislation — 36% said they would leave their current job if their company didn’t speak out against discrimination.

So how do companies ensure they not only support people from across the gender spectrum but also create a welcoming in-person environment?

The answer lies in creating a meaningful DE&I program that helps to create a safe space in the physical and remote office.

How can HR prepare for more diverse hiring?

Even if your company doesn’t look so diverse now, you need to be sure you have the policies to support your diverse workforce when they arrive. Time off policies, benefits, and pay gaps can reveal a lot about inclusion at your company. For example, while crafting a benefits program, HR needs to think about their entire workforce and the challenges they may face—not just the majority. Are men allowed time-off following the birth of a baby? Or only women? Do you allow employees to take religious holidays off? Do you offer benefits such as prescription drug coverage or therapy? HR needs to think about these policies in advance of hiring a diverse workforce so that when new hires walk through your doors, they won’t have to battle for what they need.

It’s also essential to educate managers and recruiters about bias during the hiring process by making them aware of all the ways that this affects decision making and interactions.  Think realistically about how comfortable your managers are with hiring someone different from themselves.  Can you confidently say your managers would consider two CVs, one with she/her pronouns and one with they/them with impartiality?  No one wants to admit to bias but no one is immune.  It falls on HR to train managers and apply safeguards, such as blind screenings to root out bias during the hiring process and promotion process.

Take a look around your office. Are people comfortable dressing the way they want to and expressing their unique personalities? Do you encourage individuality, or are there only a few archetypes of model employees that everyone else should aspire to?

Lead by example

Be an example of openness, respect, and tolerance. If someone on your team uses hateful or biased speech, take it as a learning opportunity and let your team know that there is zero-tolerance for that kind of behavior. Make sure your team members are comfortable expressing their opinions when it’s not the same as everyone else’s. Whether this is a discussion about politics in the break room or throwing ideas out during a team brainstorming session— employees should be encouraged to express themselves. Listen and be willing to accept a differing opinion.

What language do you use to address your team? Are you using “guys” even though half of the team identifies as women? Try to avoid language that is not gender-inclusive.  As a general rule, don’t use stereotypes or ask detailed or inappropriate questions. Be mindful of what you say and how it can make others feel.

Create a dialogue around inclusion

Get to know your employees. Learn their needs by asking them their interests, obstacles, and how they feel in the team and the organization. Acknowledge them and then create, together with HR or consultants, a plan that can support them through benefits, training, outside support, or other solutions such as subsidized therapy.

Create space for your employees for self-expression. It could be in a team meeting, an online platform, or a more formal setting. Real inclusion happens when everyone feels like they belong. Create opportunities for your people to lead with what makes them unique.

Remember, when groups of diverse people get together, they bring a “diversity of thought” to the table – the company’s greatest competitive advantage – because it encourages more innovation and creativity. Everyone benefits when companies find and hire forward-thinking people–no matter their gender–with the potential to be great leaders. Welcoming them onto the team also helps create an inclusive and encouraging environment that enables more people to advance.

Celebrate diversity and inclusion every day

In the workplace, when we embrace diversity and allow people to bring themselves and their voices to work, everyone benefits. It helps with self-expression and self-confidence and is just good for business. Diverse companies outperform homogenous ones in every area. Companies that demonstrate corporate responsibility towards social issues such as diversity and inclusion demonstrate to their customers and employees what they value.

Of course, there’s still a lot of work to be done. But, as long as we keep moving in the right direction, talking through the challenges, and recognizing gender inequality, we can work together to build a solid and diverse gender-inclusive workforce and make gender equity and equality a reality for everyone.

Natasha Shifrin is the DE&I Mentor at HiBob.