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12.06.20

LGBT in the workplace

Stonewall have published research, at https://www.stonewall.org.uk/lgbt-britain-work-report, on the discrimination faced by the LGBT community in the workplace. Included in their findings, based on a survey of more than 3000 LGBT employees are:

• More than a third (35 per cent) have hidden or disguised that they are LGBT at work because they are afraid of discrimination.
• 18 per cent said that they were discriminated against when looking for work.
• Almost a fifth have been the target of negative comments or conduct from their colleagues because they are LGBT.

 

So, despite the knowledge that discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender reassignment are illegal (Equality Act 2010), we all have a lot more work to do. A report by Glassdoor, at https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/employers/blog/10-ways-support-lgbt-employees, explains how helpful that can be and offers some practical solutions. They also note that diverse businesses are successful ones; diversity helps draw top talent and foster innovation and people perform significantly better when they can be themselves.

Suggestions from Glassdoor include

• Take LGBT discrimination seriously. Establish a strong anti-discrimination policy and make sure that your staff acknowledged and understand it; any well drafted Staff Handbook will contain such a policy. Individual employees need to understand that they are personally liable for acts of discrimination.
• Promote allies of LGBT people who can help establish the message that diversity is a part of your organisation’s strength.
• Offer LGBT-friendly benefits. Benefits such as parental leave and time off to care for dependants can exclude LGBT colleagues so broaden those opportunities.
• Keep track of your successes.

 

Glassdoor point to Mi5 as being good at training more than people; they were recently named as one of the top employers for LGBT equality.

At SHU Law we recognise that the ongoing prejudice faced by members of the LGBT community can be far reaching and go beyond the workplace. If you need legal advice then please call our team on 0114255891 or 0114256666.