5 Ways to Celebrate Pride in your Workplace
Around the world, June is recognized as Pride Month, which is a time to celebrate LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) culture and support LGBTQ+ rights. Celebrating Pride is an important part of any employer’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
Ways to celebrate Pride Month in your workplace may include:
1. Educational Initiatives
Have a lunch and learn and/or bring in speakers to discuss workplace inclusion. Topics can include the importance of using gender-neutral language at work; the correct use of pronouns; and supporting transitioning co-workers. You can couple this with more formal anti-harassment training and unconscious bias training.
2. Sharing Pronouns
Encourage workers to share their pronouns in meetings and in written communications. When members of management and your human resources team include their preferred pronouns in their email signatures, for example, it communicates to all – including prospective employees – that you have an inclusive culture.
3. Support LGBTQ+-Owned Businesses
The Company can do this, for example, by ordering meals, drinks, or desserts from LGBTQ+ eateries and circulating a list of local LGBTQ+-owned businesses that your employees can patronize.
4. Have Some Fun
Other fun ways to celebrate Pride Month may include decorating the office, changing Zoom backgrounds to a Pride theme or having a Pride themed office party.
5. Evaluate internal Policies and Procedures
Perhaps most importantly, employers should take this opportunity to evaluate whether they can do a better job at being inclusive when it comes to their own policies, practices and procedures. Pay particular attention to hiring procedures, anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies, dress codes and bathroom usage policies.