Majority of line managers not receiving LGBT inclusivity training, research finds
Posted on 16th July 2022 at 21:31
Experts warn action is more crucial than ever as hybrid working risks face-to-face support ‘falling by the wayside’ Most businesses are not providing line managers with LGBTQ+ inclusivity training, research has found; Do you think this is important in whatever size business you are in?
A poll of 1,183 employees, conducted by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), found three-quarters (74 per cent) said their line managers were not given training around inclusion of LGBTQ+ workers.
The survey also found a lack of support for LGBTQ+ individuals in the wider organisation: just half (49 per cent) of respondents said that senior leaders championed LGBTQ+ inclusivity in their organisation, while two in five (39 per cent) said they had visible LGBTQ+ role models.
How can businesses better include transgender workers? Is this a case of educating management in the workplace further to understand inclusive cultures and trans specific policies are in place?
Melanie Green, research advisor at the CIPD, added that employers needed to provide targeted management training to raise awareness of LGBTQ+ issues, and to support managers with good practice on inclusion.
Ann Francke, chief executive of the CMI, said the fact that so many employers did not have what she described as “basic DE&I schemes” needed to be a “wake-up call”. “If employers remain stuck in the past, they will suffer when they can’t recruit and retain the diverse talent that every business needs to grow and succeed,” she warned.
With the move to widespread hybrid working becoming more and more common, its critical that your business understands that not having policies in place which support the organisation’s culture of inclusion and allow a psychologically safe space for staff to report inappropriate behaviour, such as bullying on the grounds of sexual orientation.
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