Finding the best suited job is difficult enough, but being a member of the LGBTQ+ community can make it even more difficult. LGBTQ+ is an umbrella phrase for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer persons. By- Ms. Sonica Aron, Founder and Managing Partner, Marching Sheep. The LGBTQ+ umbrella encompasses a wide range of sexualities and gender identities. While in the recent past, there has been increased awareness around inclusion of people from LGBTQ+ community in the workforce, LGBTQ professionals and employees, still get judged, face stigma and repercussions in terms of reduced chances of getting selected if they are open about their gender orientation and gender identity on the job.

Tips to Assess a Workplace for LGBTQ+ Inclusion

Coming out for members of the LGBTQ+ community can be a difficult process due to the fear of condemnation, rejection, or facing insensitive, and ignorant people. However, when seeking for work, it is critical that members of the LGBTQ+ community come out of their closet, not for the benefit of the organization, but for your own.

• Do Your Research

Before assessing the recruiting manager’s and HR’s acceptance response, you should enquire about the company’s LGBTQ+ policies, procedures, health benefits and infrastructure if they are gender neutral. Also, review companies’ websites, publications, and social media. Pay keen attention to initiatives focused on diversity, including any value statements, non-discrimination clauses, sponsorships of programs and events, and general diversity initiatives. These will help you refine your job search and identify organizations that support inclusion of LGBTQ+ community.

• During the Interview

You don’t have to mention, “By the way, I’m homosexual!” during the interview. That can be embarrassing and, based on the flow of the conversation, somewhat out of place. Instead, you can ask questions to see how they answer, and then reveal your identity proactively if and when it makes most sense. For example, you may remark, “I saw on your website that your organization appears to be very committed to issues of diversity, which is important to me. Could you elaborate on that?” Alternatively, you may inquire, “Do you have a workplace resource group for LGBTQ+ employees?” Alternatively, if you would like to appear more direct, you may say, “How is it for LGBT employees here? I’d like to make sure it’s a good cultural fit.”

During the interview itself, pay careful attention to the people you’re meeting with, how they conduct themselves, and how questions are phrased like:

• Do they use “guys” and “dudes” or otherwise stray from gender-inclusive language when referring to groups at work?
• Do they ask you questions that could be about your sexual or gender identity? For instance, do they ask you how you handle being misgendered?

Though none of these alone can encapsulate a company’s attitude towards LGBTQ folks, but together, can give you a good sense of the culture, and help you make a more informed decision.

There are numerous strategies to guarantee that LGBTQ+ people are supported and included at work. They deserve to be included not just as a social imperative but also as contributors, learners, and challengers at different stages of the employee life cycle. Before coming out in the interview, asking questions about these four aspects of personal psychological safety is therefore critical.

The Importance of Psychological Safety

Psychological safety is a state in which people feel involved, safe to learn, safe to participate, and safe to challenge the status quo—all without the fear of being ridiculed, marginalized, or penalized.

The four stages of psychological safety represent the normal growth of human requirements in social circumstances. When teams, companies, and social units of all types go through the four stages, they create deeply inclusive settings, speed learning, improve contribution, and drive innovation.

Inclusion Safety

The underlying human need, to interact and belong, is met through inclusion safety. Everyone wants to be accepted, whether at the workplace, classroom, home, or in other social environments. In fact, the want to be accepted comes before the desire to be heard. Inclusion safety enables us to join a social unit and interact with its members without fear of rejection, embarrassment, or punishment, thereby increasing confidence, resilience, and independence.

Enabling a person with inclusion safety is a moral imperative. We accept our shared humanity and reject erroneous ideas of superiority and arrogant strains of elitism when we establish inclusion safety for others, regardless of our differences. 

Learner Safety

Learner safety satisfies the fundamental human desire to learn and progress. It makes us feel comfortable while we engage in all areas of the learning process, including asking questions, providing and getting feedback, experimenting, and even making mistakes.

Learning is both cognitive and emotional. We are more inclined to be vulnerable, take chances, and develop resilience in the learning process when we perceive greater safety. A lack of learner safety, on the other hand, activates the self-censoring tendency, forcing us to shut down, retrench, and manage personal risk. When we establish learner safety for others, we encourage individuals to learn in exchange for their readiness to learn.

Contributor Safety

Contributor safety meets the fundamental human drive to contribute and make a difference. When contributor safety exists, we feel comfortable contributing as full members of the team, utilizing our talents and abilities to engage in the value-creation process. The more we contribute, the more self-assurance and expertise we get. Providing contributor safety can provide individuals with liberty, direction, and support in exchange for their labor and results.

Challenger Safety

Challenger safety satisfies the natural human need to improve things. It gives us the confidence and support we need to address questions such as, “Why do we do it this way?” or “May I make a suggestion?” It gives us the confidence to challenge the status quo without fear of punishment or jeopardizing our personal standing or reputation. 

In conclusion, LGBTQ+ inclusion has a significant commercial benefit for firms as well which they are tapping by introducing inclusive and gender-neutral initiatives. While coming out as part of your interview or at work gives you a sense of the company’s commitment to fostering individuals regardless of their identities or manifestations, you need to look at the whole picture and ask yourself if you really believe you’ll be able to thrive in the environment you see. If you want to be out or can be out, is this a place that will accept you? If you don’t want to come out or can’t come out, is this a place where you won’t experience discrimination? You are the only person who has answers to these questions.