Advice from LGBTQIA+ employees on how to navigate the workplace

Statistically, between 6% - 10% of the population in Europe and the US identifies as part of the LGBTQIA+ community and it’s very likely that around the same number of people in your organisation identify as LGBTQIA+ as well. How do you ensure that you create an inclusive working environment for all your employees?

In this article:  

• The number of people who identify as LGBTQIA+ is growing yearly  
• More than 20% of Gen-Z identifies as LGBTQIA+, what does that mean for the future? 
• Vital details to keep in mind when creating your LGBTQIA+ inclusivity strategy 

1 in 5 Gen-Z generation identifies as part of LGBTQIA+  

It’s important to stress why you should care about people from the LGBTQIA+ community, so let’s dive into the statistics! According to a study done by Gallup in 2021, the amount of adults who identify as LGBTQ+ has doubled over the past 10 years. Poll results released in the same year show that 7.1% of adults identify as LGBTQIA+, jumping from 3.5% in 2012.  

What is interesting is that the largest group of people who identify themselves as part of the community are Generation-Z (or Gen-Z for short). More than 20% of the Gen-Z generation identifies as LGBTQIA+. Gen-Z , also known as ‘Zoomers’, are the demographic cohort succeeding Millennials. Researchers and mass-media refer to Gen-Z as people born between 1997 and 2012. 

The growing number of people who self-identify as LGBTQIA+ is a reflection of both increasing cultural acceptance for LGBTQIA+ people, and the fact that people from Generation Z, are increasing in the national population of adults whilst members of the older generations are dying.

According to Gallup senior editor Jeffrey Jones “They’ve really grown up in a culture where being LGBTQIA+ was more normal than previous generations, and not something that people had to be embarrassed about or try and hide. He continues: “Certainly there’s still discrimination, but it’s nothing like it’s been when the older generations were growing up … it’s both things happening — the behaviours and the attitudes are changing, and it’s also the population changing.”  

Now, we are no researchers, but it’s not rocket science that the LGBTQAI+ community is becoming more present in the workplace! More and more people who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community will enter the job market. If they reflect 20% of the new Gen-Z generation looking for a place to work, you must ensure that you have an LGBTQIA+ inclusive workplace if you genuinely care about your employees. Moreover, having an inclusivity strategy in place becomes hugely important to attract, retain, and grow talent in your organisation.  

Keep in mind that there is diversity within the LGBTQIA+ community as well 

Most people might think of gay people when talking about the community. The LGBTQIA+ community is waaaay more than that. LGBT is an initialism that stands for ‘Lesbian’, ‘Gay’, ‘Bisexual’- and ‘Transgender’. The terminology is widely used since the 90s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality, sexual orientation- and gender identity. As time evolved, more letters were added to ‘LGBT’ to include ‘Queer’, ‘Intersex’- and ‘A-sexual or a-gender'.  

LGBTQIA+ inclusivity is about diversity and inclusion 

Because the rainbow community is remarkably unique, it’s important to realise that creating an LGBTQIA+ inclusive workplace, is about embracing and celebrating differences in the company. It’s about diversity and inclusion. 

Asad Dhunna, former Director of Communications at London Pride, founder and CEO of The Unmistakables, and most importantly, our very own ‘Diversity & Inclusion Masterclass’ host says: “There are a number of communities within the holistic ‘LGBT+ community’, as most people know it. It’s important for us to understand one another – the life of a mid-30s gay man is quite different to an early-20s trans person. Therefore, people from within and outside of the community must realise that there is inequality within it. We must work collectively to improve outcomes for everyone." 

Often, teams at the work floor are quick to say ‘let’s march at Pride!’ or ‘let’s change our logo to a rainbow!’ However, doing the work on the outside of the organisation through brand, marketing and communications can only be authentic when work is being done on the inside to make the experience and careers of people from the LGBTQIA+ community equitable and equal to their straight peers. 

“The main tip I would give companies is to truly listen to colleagues – to understand what their lived experiences within the workplace are like and understand how this can be improved.”  

Giving LGBTQIA+ at GoodHabitz a voice:   

Taking Asad’s tip directly to heart, we gathered insights from inside our company. We at GoodHabitz asked colleagues from GoodHabitz about their first-hand experiences, and some said they would love to share their experiences with HR professionals as well.  

We interviewed Nadine Pohle (Customer Success Manager DACH), Kevin Lamers (Content Marketing Strategist), Felipe Nyland (Marketing Manager Brazil), Linda Kilders (Senior Sales Manager Germany), Robert Geerken (HR Manager). 

Next article: Advice from LGBTQIA+ employees on how to navigate the workplace

Together we created an article with tips and experiences from within the community to give a helping hand to HR professionals. You can read the full article here. 

We discuss: 'defining the LGBTQIA+ inclusive workplace', 'coming out’ at the workplace', and 'why microaggressions matter'