LGBTQ+ Representation: Which companies have best practices
As we enter the home stretch to the end of Pride Month, it is time to discuss corporate best practices in representing the LGBTQ community in the business world. The focus of this blog will be on analysing how such applications have been introduced and implemented into the policies and practices of companies and evaluating their impact.
Best practices in media representation
One of the major and most influential industries responsible for the LGBTQ+ community's representation is the media. Society’s perception of LGBTQ+ members is extensively influenced by how media companies choose to portray them. A study from 2015 found that, when heterosexual and cisgender people are more exposed to homosexuals on TV, they become more accepting of gay equality. Moreover, a survey from 2020 conducted by GLAAD and P&G found that queer representation in media increased queer acceptance by up to 45%. Media representation is a powerful tool for shaping society's cultural understanding of LGBTQ+ communities. Such findings indicate the significance of media companies accurately representing LGBTQ + individuals within their best practices, rather than resorting to tokenism.
Tokenism vs best practices
Tokenism is one of the major challenges that are still existing within corporate and modern media industries. Tokenism is a practice of performing certain activities such as hiring a person who belongs to a minority group, only to prevent criticism and to establish a more inclusive brand image. It is critical to ensure that employees are not expected to serve as the sole representative of their entire group in order to combat tokenism and truly promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. If you would like to find out more about best practices that will allow your company to eliminate cases of tokenism from your organisation visit our blog, where we thoroughly analysed the challenge of tokenism in the business world.
How accurately representing LGBTQ+ can positively impact your organisation
One of the latest GLAAD and P&G’s reports found that, not only people have become more comfortable seeing LGBTQ individuals in media and advertisements, but they also look more favourably upon brands that are LGBTQ-inclusive.
Integrating LGBTQ+ representation into best practices will demonstrate the importance of inclusivity and diversity of a company to potential clients, customers, and employees. By introducing new policies and practices, not only in advertising but also on the basis of how the company operates, many businesses ensure equal opportunities for diverse applicants and staff members. A World Economic Forum survey revealed that 49% of people prefer brands that represent and include different groups of society. Embracing diversity is an essential part of best practices for all modern businesses to effectively resonate with their audience. The call for increasing awareness and demand to embrace diversity reflects how the corporate industry needs to change to address those requirements.
Champions for best practices for LGBTQ in the corporate world
To show which companies have been already recognised for their dedication to providing LGBTQ+ community members with fair representation and career opportunities, see our list below. These are examples of a few of the companies highlighted by Glassdoor for their exceptional equality hiring in 2022.
Intuit has the Intuit Pride Network as their flagship employee resource group, an important part of the company culture. It has been recognised by the Domestic Partnership Benefits.
Google has established various partnerships with LGBTQ+ ogranisations as a part of their best practices, to eliminate discrimination and promote inclusion in their marketing campaigns.
Visa has expressed support for the United Nations Standards for LGBTQ+, a best practice guide for policies and practices for LGBTQ+ employees to create an inclusive workplace. Visa has received a rating of 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index.
Baker McKenzie does pro bono work and promotes LGBTQ+ inclusion, diversity, anti-discrimination policies, and company best practices.
Best practices guide with Ikigai Authentic
Best practices that include representation of the LGBTQ+ community can be found across various industries. Certain establishments have become well known to embrace the acceptance of diversity and inclusion, such as Disney including LGBTQ+ characters in their modern film adaptations and new productions. For instance, the latest Pixar Animation movie, Buzz Lightyear, features a same-sex kiss scene, already facing criticism. This has also encouraged a few high-profile celebrities to be vocal and firmly supportive of LGBTQ+ community acceptance. Best practices, including LGBTQ+ community representation across different aspects of a company, can be a significant tool to shape society's cultural understanding and acceptance of diversity.
To fully embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion in your organisation, get in touch with us. We can support you in providing your employees with the best training and changes to gain a deeper understanding of how you can support your LGBTQ+ employees and create a well-functioning and healthy work environment for everyone.
