Why is it Important to Ensure Your Business is LGBTQ Friendly?

According to Gallup, 7.1% of Americans identify as LGBTQ as of 2022. This is compared to 4.5% in 2017. Bearing in mind this percentage increase, the good folk at OutCoast believe it is important for employers to consider the number of LGBTQ people in the workforce as well as customers who may visit or purchase from your business. This is why it is essential to crucial that your business is. Below we will take a look at why your company should be inclusive as well as the different ways in which this can be done.

Why Should You Support the LGBTQ Community?

Becoming an LGBTQ-friendly employer brings many benefits to both staff and the business generally. Working for an inclusive company has been found to improve job satisfaction among colleagues and, in turn, ensures they are more likely to stay instead of heading for pastures new. Additionally, it has been shown to promote positive relationships between employees and decrease levels of stress among LGBTQ staff. All this encourages a positive environment within the workplace.

For businesses, there are a number of benefits to making sure your company is inclusive to the LGBTQ community. Ensuring your workplace celebrates diversity and encourages everyone to be themselves, helps to increase staff retention and attracts potential talented employees who share the same values as your business. Furthermore, customers are more likely to buy goods and services from a company with a positive attitude to those who identify as LGBTQ in comparison to those who do not actively support these people. 

What Ways Can You Support LGBTQ Staff?

There are several things that a business can do to ensure its LGBTQ staff feels included and comfortable. One of them is to re-evaluate workplace policies and set in place a strict no-discrimination rule. Introducing this means ensuring your employees are safe in their place of work without fear of facing harassment or bullying because of their sexual orientation/gender identity. This also means that those who harass colleagues at work because of these reasons will suffer severe consequences, proving to all that the company does not tolerate discrimination of any sort.

There are many celebrations for the LGBTQ community, including Pride Month, National Coming Out Day, and Transgender Awareness Week. As an employer, you can support your staff and honor them by celebrating these important events in the workplace. This will make your staff feel like they are valued and accepted by the rest of their colleagues.

It is essential to think about who the company does business with and see if they have a history of discriminatory opinions and values. If you find that a company your business works with does not have a good reputation within the LGBTQ community, then it would probably be beneficial to distance yourself from them and find another company that shares the same values as your business. People will be apprehensive to buy from or go to, your business if they know you liaise with a firm that discriminates against those identifying as LGBTQ.

Conclusion

To summarize then, it is important that your business is LGBTQ-friendly so as to ensure all people, staff, or customers feel valued and accepted when being involved with your company. It has many benefits for colleagues as well, such as increasing job satisfaction and encouraging positive relationships between colleagues. Benefits for the business itself include attracting potential employees and having high staff retention. There are a number of ways a business can support its staff such as introducing a strict no-discrimination policy, celebrating LGBTQ events, and distancing the company from those with discriminatory opinions.