The run up to Pride this June is a celebration of how far the LGBTQ+ community has come, as well as a stark reminder of how far there is to go in raising awareness.

It is important for HR and organisations to support Pride each year in order to demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion for LGBTQ+ colleagues in the workplace.

Making a concerted effort also shows employees that your organisation is willing to invest in them and create an environment where everyone can succeed.

There are many ways for HR to play their part in promoting and supporting Pride events, with several outlined below.

By supporting Pride, organisations are helping to create  an environment in which everyone can succeed – not only for the month of June – but all year round.

By following these steps, or others like them, HR can show their colleagues that the organisation is invested in creating a more inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ individuals; an environment in which everyone can succeed – not only for the month of June – but all year round. 

• Bring in external speakers to inspire and share their lived experiences.
• Support and sponsor employee involvement in local Pride events and initiatives.
• Ensure that company policies are inclusive of all employees, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Provide specific training on LGBTQ+ inclusion for all employees.
• Create an employee resource group for LGBTQ+ employees.
• Actively take steps to understand the importance of identity for the community.

Identity

If a pronoun is simply a way to refer to someone instead of using their name, why does it increasingly need to be a consideration for HR professionals and employees?

Whilst the LGBTQ+ community still faces discrimination, isolation, and poor opportunities, the incorrect use of pronouns is also a growing issue and has a profound effect on inclusion in the workplace.

Many in the LGBTQ+ community may not align with typical gender stereotypes and choose to use alternative pronouns to avoid being misgendered. For example, non-binary individuals don’t identify as male or female so tend to use the gender pronouns ‘they/them/their’.

Using the correct pronoun is showing you respect and accept an individual’s right to be as they authentically are.

Using the correct pronoun is showing you respect and accept an individual’s right to be as they authentically are.
Misgendering me and not including me as a woman can make me feel like I am not allowed to be who I am and that I am not accepted, validated, included or good enough.

It can be useful to try looking at it from a different perspective. For example, if you are cisgender, imagine being called and referred to as a gender that you are not. No one wants that because we want to be identified as we truly are.

How can HR embrace a culture of inclusion using the right pronouns?

Normalise discussions about gender: This will help create an inclusive and supportive work environment for everyone. This is particularly helpful for transgender and non-binary people as it can reduce the burden on them to explain their identity repeatedly.

Respect that there are different stages of gender and sexual orientation: For some, sharing their pronouns is easy and they feel confident doing so. However,  others may fear discrimination or could be at a different stage of their gender identification, and may need more time before they are comfortable sharing their pronouns.

Using the correct pronouns is an important move towards better inclusivity.

It is important that the workplace adopts an ‘all are welcome’ business culture, where people at each of these stages can feel safe and accepted.

Find out a person’s pronouns: Using the correct pronouns is an important move towards better inclusivity. It shows that you don’t make assumptions about gender, that you are mindful of misgendering (accidental or not), and that you care about how each of us identify differently.

Add your pronouns to your email signature: More people are adding their pronouns to their email signature to avoid being misgendered. Alternatively, it can act as a signal that they will respect the email recipient’s gender identity and choices, or as a simple show of support and allyship to the community.

This is also becoming more popular on social media accounts, with LinkedIn providing a section on profiles so you are able to state your pronouns.

Make your staff aware that they can (if they wish) add their pronoun to their email signature: This means that anyone can clarify how they would like to be referred to and that all genders are respected. Society’s attitude is changing towards the LGBTQ+ community – respecting pronouns is a valuable way for businesses to stay current as well as inclusive.

Be language aware: For example, addressing an audience using ‘ladies and gentlemen’ is outdated and insulting for many people in the community. We need awareness about contemporary language.

Don’t question the use of ‘they’ as a singular pronoun: Be mindful not to question a person’s use of ‘they’ or tell them it’s ‘incorrect English’ – just accept and use what makes those individuals feel most included. If you accidentally use the wrong pronouns, just apologise and try your best not to do it again.

If you accidentally use the wrong pronouns, just apologise and try your best not to do it again.

Change your corporate wording: Update the wording in all marketing collateral and business material to encompass all gender identities, including providing an option not to say, as not everyone is comfortable sharing.

Create a safe space so everyone can bring their authentic self to work: This means that individuals do not need to censor or hide parts of themselves and will be able to bring their authentic selves to work. In turn, the business itself will benefit from better productivity, creativity and teamwork.

Celebrate people’s differences: Honouring diversity will not only provide support to your employees, but it will also increase productivity, creativity, and curiosity. Moreover, diversity helps promote new thinking, creates a healthier working environment, encourages respect, and reduces bullying and harassment.

The future of pronouns

This decade will increasingly see a movement towards greater importance being placed upon the use of pronouns – both for trans and non-binary equality and to increase discussions about gender, which is something that benefits everyone.

At a business level, this type of inclusion can represent a powerful cultural shift in organisations  – the need for and provision of a safe work culture.

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