#workplace behaviour

Businesses can have cultures that focus on particular goals, such as innovation, inclusion or safety. They can have aggressive cultures, that worship competition and cutthroat negotiations, and they can embrace diversity. Similarly, if harassment, discrimination or bullying goes unnoticed or unaddressed, these issues can become part of company culture too.  

Company culture is especially important for queer employees.

The micro-cultures of our businesses, organizations and universities can often unintentionally recreate the  larger cultures they belong to - so we can often see issues of discrimination and disadvantage that happen in larger society happening in our businesses too. Queer employees are particularly vulnerable to harassment, discrimination and abuse at work because often our larger culture is slow to react to these types of abuse in life, and this vulnerability can compound with issues regarding race or gender. This makes queer women of color particularly vulnerable to violence, especially if they are trans.

Did you know, research shows that 90% of queer people experience anxiety and stress when it comes to work? This ranges from coming out stress, to being misgendered, to harassment and lack of accessibility to safe bathrooms (1). It's not surprising when you consider the range of social stigma and discrimination that make navigating life difficult for queer people - but it does make it our responsibility as leaders to respond.

And whether we're front line managers, executive board members or company CEO's, our employees learn what rules matter and which rules can be disregarded through observing us. We transfer information on our values and attitudes towards others, ourselves and the company to our staff in three major ways:

Where do we allocate time and resources? We either have enough time or money, and what we do with both says plenty about our organizational values. Leaders that talk frequently about diversity without any follow through will struggle to get employees on board with inclusion initiatives. Funding mentorship programs, being transparent with pay discrepancies and creating spaces and avenues for people to return back to work or get re-skilled are all good ways to put our money where our mouth is (2).

What do we tolerate? Leaders who tolerate harassment, discrimination or bullying only create breeding grounds for these unacceptable behaviors in their workplace (3). Stamp it out when it's brought to you, don't wait for it to make your workplace sick.  

We influence our staff through role modeling (4). Employees interpret what's actually important by paying attention to what matters to us. When we behave inclusively, when we make an effort to promote initiatives around equality, and when we encourage diversity, employees see where we put our effort and understand that those actions and behaviors are valued by the company.

While it may be convenient, the old phrase "do as I say, not as I do" is often ineffective - therefore, being an authentic leader might be the best thing you can do for your company's culture.

Belonging to a tribe is an innate human need, and it is a survival skill that has kept us alive through most of human history. It's the feeling that we are part of a group. There is a theory in scholarly literature called optimal distinctiveness theory (5), which explains this need with a caveat - that we also need to be appreciated for uniqueness within that group. Every employee has an optimal level where they feel as though they belong to a group that still appreciates them for their uniqueness outside of the group identity.

If people are too insular in the group, they can lose their sense of identity and this can sometimes cause friction. If a person is too unique, they can be excluded from the group and their sense of belonging can suffer. This can be the case with queer employees who belong to organizations that still struggle with discrimination, incivility and micro-aggressions.  

So be an example to your employees, and show them that celebrating difference is part of your company culture. Attending diversity trainings, questioning hiring or promotion decisions when bias, and don't be afraid to let your employees get to know the real you. If you want a company culture that values diversity and inclusion, encourage belonging and authenticity in your team by (6):

Share decision-making, and ask for your employees opinions. Show them their individual voices matter.

Demonstrate fair treatment to everyone, be accessible to all your employees when they need you.

Don't tolerate discriminatory behavior, even if its from your partners or friends.

Practice having the courage to be transparent and authentic about who you are. Practice valuing your own uniqueness, and show how we're all different and that it is an advantage.

Be authentic to yourself when you show up for work so you can better show up for your queer members of staff.

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