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Do Some Spring Cleaning on Your Workplace Policies
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Posted: 04/22/2008 - 18:53
• The annual spring cleaning tradition is a great opportunity to examine your workplace policies and make some changes and updates to bring about LGBT equality.
By Jere Keys, Communications Manager, Out & Equal Workplace Advocates
As the winter chill fades away in North America, many of us take this time to clean out our homes. The annual spring cleaning tradition is a great opportunity to examine your workplace policies and make some changes and updates to bring about LGBT equality.
Update Your EEO statements. Does your company explicitly state that hiring, firing and promotion decisions will not involve discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression? This is especially important for small and growing businesses, even in states and communities where the law already provides such protections. By establishing an atmosphere of inclusion in writing, you will help set the tone for future growth and prevent problems from coming up as you expand into new areas.
Spruce Up Your Image. Spring is a great time of year to sponsor fundraisers and events. From charity walks to black-tie dinners, there is no shortage of national and local LGBT events taking place this time of year. And, of course, Pride season is just around the corner. Whether making a donation to your local LGBT community center, organizing a team for an AIDS Walk, marching in a Pride parade, or becoming a sponsor of a community awards dinner, you can tell the community that your business or organization is supportive of LGBT equality.
Brush Off Your Benefits Plan. Don`t wait until the end of the fiscal year to start investigating ways to make your benefits program more inclusive. Make the decision now to start looking for insurance coverage that includes domestic partner benefits and complete transgender health coverage. Take advantage of this time in the spring to ask where the current benefits program is unequal—are LGBT employees treated the same as non-LGBT employees in family matters such as adoption and medical leave? Are your LGBT employees being taxed unfairly for taking advantage of domestic partner health benefits? Does the language of your written benefits policy exclude people whose relationships and families might not receive full legal recognition?
Plant an ERG Garden. Many workplaces feel that the employee resource group (ERG) model is limited to large corporate companies, but this isn`t necessarily true. Even small to medium sized companies can encourage LGBT employees to meet socially and discuss ways the workplace could be improved to cultivate inclusion and fair-minded practices. For companies with large and established ERGs, this is a great time of year to make plans for celebrating LGBT Pride within your organization.
Organize the Wedding Invitations. This time of year, many couples begin thinking romantically about making public commitments to one another. If your office has a tradition of throwing bridal showers, recognizing anniversaries or giving gifts when employees get married, now is the time to make sure that LGBT employees aren`t feeling left out of the recognition. Encourage your coworkers to treat all employees` relationships the same.
Redecorate. During the Millennium March on Washington, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin famously said, “If you dream of a world in which you can put your partner`s picture on your desk, then put his picture on your desk and you will live in such a world.” Put more simply, the best way to achieve equality in our workplaces is for us to become visible and proud of who we are. If you`re not out at work as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or allied person, now is a great time to come out. You can do it in small ways like putting a picture of your family on your desk, hanging up bumper stickers or slogans that signal your support of LGBT equality, or simply talking about your views.
Pull Back the Drapes on Your Policies. For many workplaces, especially larger ones, the importance of LGBT equality within the work environment remains a mystery to many members of the team. Do your employees know that your company bars discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity? Does every employee know what sort of language and behavior is considered appropriate? This is a great time to get the word out. Ask a senior manager to write an article for the corporate newsletter explaining how diversity is an essential part of your culture. Invite employees to participate in training or discussions about the valuable role LGBT people have played in your organization`s success. In short, spread the word internally that your workplace commitment to diversity and LGBT equality is sincere and important.
Finally, It’s Time to Head Outside. If you are confident that your workplace is running a clean ship when it comes to LGBT equality, start looking beyond the office walls. Ask your employer to sign on and support LGBT equality legislation at the state or federal level. Have your government affairs representative lobby lawmakers for legislation that will eliminate the tax penalty faced by same-sex couples taking advantage of domestic partner benefits. Encourage your marketing and advertising team to use LGBT-positive images in mainstream campaigns. Those companies who “walk the talk” in support of LGBT equality both internally and externally enjoy the benefits of strong and loyal reputation among LGBT people and their allies.
If you have questions about how to proceed with any of these ideas, we encourage you to contact us by visiting www.outandequal.org or by coming to our annual Out & Equal Workplace Summit scheduled to take place in Austin, Texas this coming September 10-13.
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