"What is straight? A line can be straight, or a street, but
the human heart, oh, no, it's curved like a road through mountains."
-Tennessee Williams. Streetcar Named Desire
Shame on me! It`s been like forever since my last post…one
post about how we must learn to manage time, and here I am being absorbed by
the daily obligations.
Of course the first months of the year are the most hectic
for almost every accountant in this part of the world, but that´s no excuse to
forget to improve other areas of our life, such as entertainment, sports,
reading, learning, traveling and so on.
Last week, the one that will remain in history as “the-week-everybody-went-crazy-with-Pokemon”,
something unusual happened at the office. One of the guys, just activated an
“incense” in the application and shouted “hey guys, get your phones ready, Pokémons are coming”. And during half an hour more than 20 different creatures
(mostly repeated) started popping up (virtually) in every corner of the office.
Besides taking advantage of those precious 30 minutes, that also got me
thinking…
How do we handle the diversity of people in our office? I
wish it would be that simple. People just coming with their different
backgrounds, ethnicities, sexual orientations, colors…. everybody working
together without any prejudice.
Of course the multinational companies proudly state that “diversity” is
not an issue. They have come a long way creating “Diversity Managers”,
“Employee Resources Groups” (ERGs) and painting in every wall their “Equal
Employment Opportunity” (EEO) policies. Even we can check the “Top 50 Companies
for Diversity” at DiversityInc (www.diversityinc.com/the-diversityinc-top-50-companies-for-diversity-2016).
However, for other small and medium companies is more complicated to be
open to diversity, especially when it comes to LGBTI groups. This is the new
challenge, as in former years were other minorities (and in some places still
are, unfortunately).
So here are some steps that may help you as a manager to
create a more including workplace:
1. Identify organizational issues that affect
LGBT employees
-Are
you married?”
-Yes, happily married
-How is your wife?
-Ehem...it`s husband…
-Oh! it`s quite rainy today, ain´t it?
Sometimes we forget that a simple question as that may
generate an awkward moment. It is important for organizations to stay aware of
the issues that may need some variance when it comes to LGTI collaborators:
2. Review and update company policies
Are our mangers, our HR department
and our employees fully aware of the company policies? Are they well
communicated? Do we have a “look-and-feel” approach?
It is important that the following
policies are well shown all along the company:
- Code of Conduct
- EEO Statement (Equal Employment Opportunity)
- Anti-harassment policy
- Dress and Grooming policies
- Other HR policies and procedures
3. Review company’s training and make sure
LGBT issues are covered
Once
we define the current issues regarding diversity, how do we tackle them?
Companies
may offer training on how to deal with harassment and discrimination, hire a
“Diversity Manager”, establish a “hot line” to report cases anonymously, and
set Employee Resources Groups
(ERGs).
The
latter are groups of employees who join together in their workplace based on
shared characteristics or life experiences, and are generally based on
providing support, enhancing career development, and contributing to personal
development in the work environment
4. Respect and ensure employee privacy
If we
want this to work, companies must make it work! CEOs and top level managers
need to embrace the policies and look after their fulfilment.
Besides,
all this LGBTI issues must be treated issues as confidential. If the company
needs to disclose any of the information should be on need-to-know basis and
with total knowledge of the employee.
5. Evaluate benefits offered to employees and
make sure to include LGBT employees
Finally, and kind of related to point one,
companies need to review if all employees are treated equally. Sometime we take
for granted some benefits, that may be an issue for LGBTI employees:
It is almost mandatory that the whole process is accompanied
by an effective communication.
CEOs and managers must play an active role on communicating the new policies
and standing for a more inclusive workplace. Regular meetings between HR and
directors should take place at least once a month to evaluate this case, or
every time one diversity issue arises.
The benefits of a more inclusive workplace are countless,
both personal and economical:
Even though in some countries or organizations might be more
difficult to establish this kind of policies, the benefits of trying will be
more than beneficial. And at the bottom of our hearts and managerial minds, we
will know that we are doing our bit towards a more equal society.
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