Today organizations recognize that creating a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) inclusive workplace is a competitive advantage. By successfully recruiting, retaining, developing and advancing LGBT employees, finance and accounting organizations increase their ability to compete effectively for talent, minimize attrition costs and gain wider access to LGBT consumer markets.

LGBT employees face a host of unique barriers that are often deeply rooted in dominant heterosexist cultural norms not obvious to the non-LGBT community. Moreover, when some people hear about LGBT inclusion, they think it is a discussion about sexual behavior in the workplace. As a result, people may see an individual’s LGBT identity as a sensitive and private matter that falls outside of the concern of an employer and should be left at home.

These beliefs often lie at the heart of resistance to LGBT inclusion. Therefore, it is important to emphasize that the term “LGBT” refers to a person’s sexual orientation, and/or gender identity and mode of gender expression. It does not refer to an individual’s sexual behavior or activity. For both LGBT and non-LBGT individuals, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression are defining individual characteristics that we all bring to work.

What Does “LGBT”  Mean Anyway?

LGBT is a commonly used acronym to describe people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, as well as individuals who identify themselves as transsexual, queer, homosexual or any other sexual minority. However, the terms “LGBT” and “gay and lesbian” cannot be used interchangeably; bisexual and transgender individuals are an important and different — though frequently neglected — part of the LGBT community. 

Language describing sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression can change across cultures. In the United States, the terms straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender are among the most common, and they have specific meanings and history based on their linguistic use. Terms used in other countries and other languages can have widely different meanings.

LGBT individuals are considered invisible minorities — a non-majority group not easily recognizable to others, the way racial minorities are. Because it is often difficult to discern an individual’s LGBT identity, many LGBT employees have a choice to make about disclosure. Some choose not to disclose their LGBT identity at work at all, while others choose to disclose to all or only a select number of coworkers. It is important that all LGBT employees, regardless of disclosure, feel safe at work. 

LGBT Employees: A Diverse Population

The LGBT population is extremely diverse. The group includes people of different genders, races, ethnicities, ages, national origins, locations and generations. LGBT individuals can have vastly different challenges and expectations for what it means to be a “woman” and a “man” depending on the culture in which they live.

Catalyst research has shown that women in the United States and across the world face both subtle and overt barriers to advancement in the workplace, including stereotypes, lack of senior or visibly successful women role models, inflexible workplaces and lack of mentoring.

Research suggests that women who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT women) face barriers that are attributable to both their LGBT identity and their status as women. Exacerbating the issue, discussions on the LGBT population in the popular press consistently focus on men. Moreover, empirical evidence indicates that perceptions, experiences, and overall satisfaction in the workplace differ between LGBT women and men. Specifically, LGBT women are more likely than LGBT men to report feeling less included, having fewer social networking opportunities and being less aware of company diversity efforts.

Do Not Make Assumptions
 
People often think that LGBT employees are always recognizable by their social interests, clothing, personality traits or their friends and family relationships. People also assume that LGBT employees have a particular lifestyle — that LGBT people are often single, do not have children and are not close to their families. These assumptions are based on stereotypes — generalizations we make to differentiate categories or groups of people. Although these characteristics are sometimes true, they are potentially true of any employee. There are employees in many organizations that do not fit these common stereotypes. Just like non-LGBT individuals, there is a wide variation among LGBT employees. It is important not to assume that people are LGBT or non-LGBT unless they clearly state it.

Who Is Affected by LGBT Inclusion? Everyone

LGBT inclusion affects not only LGBT employees, but also their families, friends, co-workers and straight allies/LGBT supporters. Research shows that approximately 70 percent of heterosexual adults in the United States know someone who is LGBT.

This example shows that many individuals are affected by LGBT inclusion in the workplace; in reality, there are probably more.

No matter what your identity is, becoming aware of the issues around LGBT inclusion will help you, as an employer, better understand your coworkers, friends and family.

Founded in 1962, Catalyst is the leading nonprofit corporate membership research and advisory organization working globally with businesses and the professions to build inclusive environments and expand opportunities for women and business. To download free copies of Catalyst research reports, visit www.catalyst.org. You may also sign up to receive our monthly e-mail updates at news@catalyst.org.