Pride Month is celebrated every June around the globe. This year, let's continue to fight for everyone to feel like they can be fully themselves, and be proud of who they are.
Every year in June, countries across the world celebrate Pride Month. It's a time for celebrations, marches, protests, parades and more. It goes without saying that we should work all year round to make the world a better, more inclusive and more welcoming place for LGBTQ+ people - but starting with work is a great way to enact that change.
However, according to Forbes, "a challenge companies face is assimilating people from various backgrounds and gender identities to feel included in the overall company culture."
While Pride celebrations include plenty of fun for the whole team, the process of making working environments more inclusive for LGBTQ+ colleagues shouldn't just be led by your HR or People teams - it takes a whole company to make a difference.
Read on for a variety of ways for teams to celebrate Pride at work:
1. Educate, learn and discuss as a team
Take this month to learn more about the LGBTQ+ community, the history of Pride, key figures and how to be an ally.
Your company could host a lunch and learn, an informal roundtable or discussion session to get people talking and learning from one another. You could also set up a series of short education and celebration pieces that you can post on your internal comms platform throughout the month. In this, you could highlight important and influential LGBTQ+ figures, for example, or share reading/watching lists for your colleagues to use in their own time.
Be sure to invite your own LGBTQ+ colleagues to take part in the event planning or in leading discussions if they'd like to.
2. Keep your policies & hiring practices up to date and inclusive
Your company's HR, People, and Talent teams should take some time to go through company policies and hiring practices thoroughly to ensure that there's no room for discrimination.
According to the CIPD's report on LGBT+ working lives, LGBTQ+ employees are "more likely to experience workplace conflict and harassment than their heterosexual, cisgender counterparts". Off the back of its report, the CIPD recommends actions that people professionals can take, including setting clear policies of what's acceptable and not, building peer support and allyship networks, collecting meaningful data on staff, providing targeted and effective training, and more.
Overall, it's important to build and foster an inclusive workplace culture where employees feel they can bring forward any concerns they may have and know that their company will take it seriously.
3. Hold a focus group for your LGBTQ+ employees
Even with zero-tolerance policies in place, LGBTQ+ employees may face discrimination at work. So, if you want to know how LGBTQ+ colleagues feel and what they are experiencing at your company, there's no better way to find out than by asking! You could hold a focus group, led by an LGBTQ+ employee to ensure it's a safe space for colleagues to discuss their experiences. One person should be present to take notes, keeping opinions and experiences anonymous (if participants want that) so that attendees feel more comfortable sharing.
Once the focus group has finished, draw up some key themes and actions to pass onto your HR/People team or senior leadership. This can help guide your company to be more actively inclusive and tackle any issues or observations that attendees have brought forward.
4. Encourage employees to include their pronouns wherever possible
Pronouns and gender identity are important to all of us, whether we identify as LGBTQ+ or not. One way to be an ally to trans and non-binary people is to include your own pronouns (she/her, he/him, they/them, etc.) in your email signatures, Slack bios, LinkedIn profiles and more.
Including your pronouns wherever possible helps to normalise the practice and can make spaces safer for trans people to share their own pronouns. You might also consider implementing gender-neutral language recommendations in the workplace, as well as gender-neutral bathroom facilities where possible.
5. Donate to charities that support the LGBTQ+ community
There are lots of great charities doing important work to support the LGBTQ+ community. So, during June (and beyond) your business could set up a donation or start a fundraiser that colleagues can participate in and donate to. If you're looking to get the whole team involved, why not organise a fitness challenge, bake sale or a fun run to raise money for an LGBTQ+ charity?
If you're looking for inspiration, take a look at the British LGBT Awards top 10 charities and community initiatives.
6. Throw a party and decorate your office
Give the office a little Pride makeover in June with some rainbow flag bunting? Keep it eco-friendly by purchasing recyclable decorations that you can use time and time again, order in some sweet treats or a team lunch, and organise a donation to an LGBTQ+ charity (see some recommendations above!) You could also order some Pride lanyards or pins for employees to wear if they'd like.
7. Enjoy Pride-themed treats together
At Just Eat for Business, we love to celebrate with food - and Pride is no exception! How about some fudgy brownies from EK Bakery (who donate 10% of their Pride profits to the LGBTQ Youth Homelessness Charity AKT), or some vegan cookies from The After School Cookie Club?
Get in touch with us to order!
Happy Pride! 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🌈
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