Sunday marked the 32nd anniversary of National Coming Out Day. Although many members of the LGBTQ+ community may come out to their friends and family, this is often a more difficult conversation to have in the workplace.
When you get to the center of it though, it really is all about the culture that you choose to create in your organization. What have you done to make an inclusive workplace where people feel like they can be their authentic selves? Many of the business owners and leaders that I chat with on a regular basis quickly chastise me saying, “This isn’t something we should be talking about at work” or “This has nothing to do with their job.” My retort to that is you cannot simply stop being human when you enter the workplace. Furthermore, how would you feel if you could not honestly answer someone when they asked how you spent your weekend or even fear reprisal for bringing your partner to the office picnic? If we want people to be truly engaged at work then we need to engage their true self.
Click HERE to listen to our HR:30 Pride webinar as we discuss some of the history that brought us to where we are today and what we can do to support an inclusive workplace.
