Like every year, the month of June bears the colors of the rainbow: it is Pride Month! The opportunity for us to take stock of the current situation in business for LGBT people (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender).
Some numbers
- 34% of employees believe that their company is not sufficiently committed to the diversity and inclusion of LGBT people, according to a Hays survey of more than 2,200 respondents in June 2021.
- 1 in 4 LGBT people have been the victim of at least one assault related to their sexual or gender identity at their workplace, according to the IFOP barometer for the association L’Autre cercle on the inclusion of LGBT people in the workplace .
- 41% of employees hear LGBTphobic expressions in their organization (FIFG).
- Only 1 in 2 LGBT people are “visible” in their professional circle, that is to say that they do not conceal their sexual or gender identity. The other half prefer to remain discreet, in particular by putting in place strategies to conceal their sexual identity.
- 51% of civil servants and 46% of private sector employees believe that “revealing their homosexuality to those around them at work contributes to making work colleagues uncomfortable” (Insee).
- 20% of LGBT people say they have felt discriminated against when looking for a job (Insee).
- Pay gap: homosexual men earn on average 6.5% less than heterosexual men in the private sector and 5.6% less in the public sector (INSEE). These wage differentials increase even when the employer perceives with certainty the homosexuality of his employee.
An invisibility that undermines the mental health of employees and their professional development
Hiding your sexual orientation or gender identity, not talking about your private life, being afraid of being “discovered”, or even inventing a heterosexual couple life, such is the reality for many LGTB people, and this still today.
However, hiding your sexual orientation, and therefore part of your private life, can ultimately affect relationships with colleagues within the company. Indeed, to avoid talking about their intimate life, some people end up avoiding moments of conviviality (coffee break, afterwork, lunches, etc.) and sometimes also conversations. This lack of interaction can affect their integration into their company, and it can also affect their network of professional relations and therefore career development opportunities.
The fear of being discovered, having to hide or withhold part of one’s private life causes additional stress which can have a significant impact on performance at work. Indeed, having to stay on guard, remain vigilant about what one says, develop strategies to hide exhausts and creates an additional mental load. Concentration and reflection mobilized on something else, it is more difficult to concentrate on one’s tasks, which then affects productivity. Having to hide and therefore not being able to really be yourself at work, where you nevertheless devote a large part of your days, can also affect commitment and motivation.
As a result, this invisibility can have repercussions on the mental and physical health of LGBT people who suffer more from anxiety, isolation, discomfort, low self-esteem or even depression.
On the business side, this invisibility, and therefore this lower performance and commitment, comes at a cost. Establishing an inclusive, open and benevolent work climate in which all employees feel respected and where everyone has a sense of belonging and can truly be “themselves” is essential, in particular to avoid this loss of productivity and psychosocial risks .
So how can companies act to make all their employees feel included and free to be themselves?
What actions to take?
Take a stand and formalize your commitment
Formalizing officially your commitment in writing to fight against LGBTphobia in the workplace makes it possible to specify the objectives and actions, but also to encourage employees to make themselves “visible” within their company, instead of hiding their identity and live in fear that it will one day be revealed.
For example, Hays France is a signatory of the Diversity Charter and thus undertakes not to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. This charter is updated every year and Hays is also committed to affixing the diversity logo in as many of its communications as possible.
In addition, Hays France makes a donation each year to the association law 1901 SOS HOMOPHOBIE, which fights against discrimination and homophobic and transphobic attacks.
Communicate on your commitment
The company must make known its commitment to diversity and the fight against discrimination against LGBT people in the workplace. For this, the employer will communicate both internally with its employees, and externally, with its customers and partners. It is also up to the company to repeat this communication regularly to make sure that the message is well received.
Internally, the company can organize communication campaigns, posters, internal publications and make reference documents available to its employees on its Intranet site. Pride month (in June) or the international day against homophobia and transphobia (May 17) can be an opportunity to highlight this commitment and launch the discussion.
Externally, you have to show the general public, partners and customers your commitment, in particular through a press release, a posting on the company’s website, a post on professional social networks such as LinkedIn, or even via blog posts.
Go beyond words and take action
After having formalized your commitment, you must act and materialize your declarations through concrete actions.
Thus, the company can put in place various measures to fight against invisibility and LGBTphobia, including:
– carrying out a survey to better understand the real situation and the feelings of employees,
– the promotion of means of redress in the event of discrimination, aggression and / or harassment
– the development of dedicated communications,
– training of managers and HR teams to recruit without discriminating,
– the drafting and dissemination of a code of conduct,
– the organization of events to celebrate Pride month.
Other concrete actions to promote employee equality within the company can be measures in favor of homoparentality. Thus, at Hays, male couples benefit from the same provisions as in the case of an adoption, namely 3 days at the time of birth and 10 weeks of leave. For female couples, the non-biological mother is entitled to “paternity and childcare leave”, namely 28 days from July 1, 2021.
Provide remedies for victims
According to article L. 4121-1 of the Labor Code, the employer is required to take all the necessary measures to ensure the safety and protect the physical and mental health of his employees.
To fight against discrimination and free the victims’ voice, it is up to the company to communicate on the means of redress and the people likely to help them: hierarchical superior, HRD, staff representative, occupational physician, Defender of rights, associations of defense of victims, etc.
It can also set up an alert system to collect, record and process employee complaints. The employer must also communicate on the penalties incurred in the event of discrimination, harassment, homophobic or transphobic insults, etc.
Pressy Gunasekar, Communication & Marketing Director, in collaboration with Noémi Capell.
With a Master’s degree in Foreign Languages, Literatures and Civilizations (LLCE), Pressy Gunasekar joined Hays in 2010 as a junior communications officer.
In 2012, Pressy took on the position of Communication & Marketing Manager and thus manages the internal and external communication part of the company.
In 2016, she was promoted to the position of Marketing & Communication Director and thus took over the management of all the divisions and the entire team.
In 10 years, Pressy has developed solid skills in its field.
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