What is you company's marketing plan for Pride Month this year? Coloring your logo and product with rainbow color and send a press release promoting your brand that is LGBTQ+ friendly or use the stereotype word "everyone is welcome". This is a rainbow-washing a brand should avoid falling into the trap to ensure brand reputation and authenticity.
During my keynote session at the 13th Poverty and Social Protection Conference [PSPC2023] hosted by Tomorrow People Organization, I shared 3 Strategies to Disrupt the Status Quo of LGBTQ+ Inclusivity in the Workplace
1. Chance for change: Business leaders and management team should be aware of their power that enables better changes. When there is a chance, let's do better changes by reframing on how to improve your workplace to be more diverse, inclusive and empowering. For
example, understand the intersectionality issues of your employees, assess and navigate possible solutions, create a platform where your LGBTQ+ employees feel safe to voice what the companies can do better. Or when restructuring teams or implementing new policies, consider how these changes may impact LGBTQ+ employees and ensure that they are included in decision-making.
2. From Parade to Paradigm Shift: while acknowledging and celebrating Pride month is significant, business leaders can expand more socio-economic impact by collaborating with external LGBTQ+ communities and industry partners to do more impact-based actions. For example, TransTalents Consulting Group is partnering up with some leading corporates to host Thailand's first Pride Hack Day to combat with bias with the power of innovative diversity, equity and inclusion. It is a one-day forum and workshop as well as corporate showcase on DE&I where thought leaders and innovators from public, private and communities come hack the possible solutions for a better change in paradigm on LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace. If any corporates are interested in joining us, you can contact us soon.
3. From Inclusion to Empowerment: while inclusion remains important, genuine empowerment for LGBTQ+ employees involves granting them access to positions of leadership and decision-making authority. This not only fosters a more diverse and dynamic business environment but also fuels growth and prosperity. To be an effective thought leader, one must grasp the nuances of intersectionality concerns while serving as an equitable guide who ensures that no individual is left behind.
Through utilizing these essential lessons, leaders in the business world are able to craft a work environment that is more fair and unbiased for those who identify as LGBTQ+, cultivating new ideas and triumphs within their company and ultimately empowering social impacts that strengthen brand value and community as well as relevant stakeholders. The better ecosystem of sustainable workforce or the statement "leave no one behind" can be better realized.
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