Inclusion Round Up | October

October brings us more diversity awareness days than days in the month, so I am sure everyone has been extremely busy. As well as lots of people sharing their stories as part of Black History Month, World Menopause Day, Dyslexia Awareness Day, ADHD Awareness Month, World Mental Health Day and many others, there have been two major reports published in October.

Rainbow Britain

This month LGBTQ+ rights charity, Stonewall, published a new report Rainbow Britain: Attraction, Identity and Connection in Great Britain in 2022. The report is worth reading in full, but I wanted to spend some time reflecting on my reaction the report’s findings.

I am tremendously privileged to be surrounded by LGBTQ+ people who share their lived experiences with me and feel safe to be themselves at work, and I don’t underestimate that for some of them it’s not always been easy to do so. I am sure many of my colleagues will continue to face societal judgement, barriers and worse but reading the Rainbow Britain report gave me hope for a future where all LGBTQ+ people are recognised and celebrated. It also reminded me how thankful I am to work with LGBTQ+ people, so here is a shout-out to them. Thank you for educating me and sharing your whole self with me.

The report shows that there has been a generational shift in openness with only 71% of Gen Z identifying as straight, compared to 91% of Baby Boomers. The identity that has seen the biggest shift is bi or pansexual people with only 2% of Baby Boomers identifying with these sexual orientations compared with 14% of Gen Z. Bi and pansexuality has a long history of erasure where bi and pan people have endured microaggressions and had their existence questioned or denied. The increase in Gen Z people identifying in this way will hopefully mean the voice of the community is stronger and therefore will become increasingly recognised and legitimised. Writing in the Gay Times, Hannah St. George says “Authentic bisexual representation isn’t something you see a lot of – so many shows fall into the tropes of negative portrayals or sexualised stereotypes. Growing up I didn’t see any bisexual characters onscreen, so I didn’t even know bisexuality existed until I discovered it within myself.” As Gen Z enter the workplace, move up through management into leadership and decision-making roles within the Media may be bi and pansexuality will finally be authentically represented.

What did surprise me was that only 39% of people say they had a friend or family member who was lesbian or gay. From a workplace perspective, this insight is really enlightening. Over half of the people that we are training, communicating with or trying to influence won’t know anyone personally who is gay or lesbian and therefore may not understand the challenges that their gay/lesbian colleagues are facing to feel included at work. When we think about who signs up for Allyship courses or LGBTQ+ history month webinars, it tends to be people who are already informed (to some extent) about LGBTQ+ experiences. The people we really need to connect with are the 61% of people who don’t have a personal connection but with understanding have the capability to be future allies.

The final thing I wanted to pick up on is that the researchers conclude that there are no statistically significant differences by sexual orientation across ethnicity or social class. This highlights the importance of better representation of LGBTQ+ People of Colour and from different social backgrounds. The understanding of the intersectional identities of individuals is key to providing services and workplaces that a truly inclusive. So often when we see and hear of an LGBTQ+ person, we imagine or expect that person to be white. But according to Rainbow Britain, there is no statistical reason for that to be the case. This highlights the continuing need for events and movements such as UK Black Pride which highlight the need for safe and inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ People of Colour. It is essential for any inclusive employer to make sure that LGBTQ+ networks, events, awareness raising, and communications actively include and represent People of Colour.

Women in the Workplace, 2022

The report, conducted by McKinsey & Co and LeanIn.Org is the largest of its kind. Involving 333 organisations and 40,000 women. The key learning from his report is that women, even those in leadership positions, are leaving their jobs “in unprecedented numbers”. The reasons for leaving include difficulty with progression including feeling that men progress more easily. Experiencing microaggressions, particularly belittling and having their judgement questioned, and a desire to work for an organisation that priorities flexibility, wellbeing and I&D. “If companies don’t take action, they risk losing not only their current women leaders but also the next generation of women leaders. Young women are even more ambitious and place a higher premium on working in an equitable, supportive, and inclusive workplace. They’re watching senior women leave for better opportunities, and they’re prepared to do the same.”

For a long time, when you said, ‘workforce diversity’ the assumption was you meant ‘women at work’. This has changed in the last 5-10 years to now included people of all different identities and backgrounds. This is a welcome and positive change. However, this doesn’t mean we can forget about women in the workplace within the I&D agenda. The report clearly shows that the challenge of retention of women is widening. There is the possibility that recruiting women and, to some extent, promoting women has taken all the focus in gender diversity work and organisations have forgotten that if we don’t retain talent all efforts to recruit and promote become fruitless.  

When thinking about retention I&D is our best ally. In general, women want to work in organisations that are flexible and value the differences they bring. Here are some actions organisations can do to retain women (in addition to flexible working hours):

1. Remote or hybrid working – the report shows that women experience less microaggressions when working remotely and can balance their home lives better
2. Management training – managers don’t know how to meet the changing needs of young women who, if retained, could be future leaders
3. Company benefits – paid maternity leave, childcare schemes, and annual leave days are all reasons why women may stay with an organisation
4. Equitable development opportunities – shadowing, secondments, training, and coaching

If you feel your organisation has a retention problem then consider gathering data through exit interviews, focus groups or surveys to find out what the drivers are for women leaving. This will enable you to make a strategy for sustainable gender equality.

Finally, if you need any help or support in the topics covered in either of this month’s reports, Rainbow Britain or Women in the Workplace 2022 reach out to your account manager at Inclusive Employers who will be happy to help. We also have a general enquiries form you can submit questions to.