Ireland has been on a remarkable journey when it comes to equality and inclusion for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Article by Eimear O’Reilly, Programme Officer Workplace Diversity at GLEN.
With the upcoming marriage referendum in Ireland this May, 2015 is proving to be an incredibly significant year for LGBT equality in Ireland. Ireland will become the first country in the world to introduce civil marriage equality by referendum if passed this May. Ireland has come a long way. It was just 22 years ago, in 1993 when homosexuality was decriminalized in Ireland. Since then sexual orientation was included in the employment and equal status legislation.Ireland will finally join every other EU state this year by enacting the Gender Recognition Bill which will provide a legal mechanism to recognise gender identity. In company boardrooms in Ireland, executive leaders like Sodexo Ireland’s Margot Slattery, EY’s Mike Mc Kerr and IBM’s Peter O’Neill are discussing workplace diversity and inclusion and the benefits to business. They are committing their companies very clearly to being lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) inclusive.And they are not alone, more and more employers in Ireland see the value of investing in LGBT diversity and inclusion at work.
Just over two years in existence, GLEN -Gay and Lesbian Equality Network’s, LGBT Diversity Champions network of LGBT inclusive employers has 25 member companies who employ over 76,000 people in the Irish workforce. At the recent launch Ireland’s Workplace Equality Index GLEN were joined by employers employing over 1/2 a million people in Ireland, that’s ¼ of all those at work in Ireland.
75% of the employers GLEN work with are international companies with strong track records on LGBT inclusion. Many companies in the UK are members of our international partner Stonewall and are connecting their Irish sites with GLEN’s Diversity Champions programme. In the Irish context, GLEN’s Diversity Champions programme is providing local expertise, thought leadership and a programme of best practice seminars, networking events, annual graduate recruitment guides and opportunities to connect with new customer bases.
These companies understand the positive and tangible impact an inclusive workplace has for business and LGBT people alike in Ireland. Research consistently shows that LGBT people who are out are more engaged and stay longer in organisations.Employersknow that their most sustainable resource is people and attracting and retaining a diverse workforce is key. International companies understand the business case for LGBT inclusion and are keen to replicate this success in Ireland.
GLEN’s Thought Leadership Research findings on LGB experiences in Irish workplaces brought some new key findings to light:
– 90% of those who felt they could be out in the workplace reported no negative impact on their professional relationships.
– Lesbians and bi people experience the highest levels of discrimination and harassment in the workplace.
– Young LGB people are less likely to be out in organisations when they start in a company if there aren’t visible out LGB role models at every level of the organisation.
While Ireland has a largely positive story to share, there are still challenges faced by many LGBT people in the workplace. One of LGBT people in Ireland’s biggest concerns is workplace equality. Just this year, Minister for Health Leo Varadkar became Ireland’s first serving minister to come out. The Irish public welcomed this news and the Minister’s leadership on the issue. The minister is one of approximately 170,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the Irish workforce. For many of his colleagues in health organisations and schools with a religious ethos (which is over 90% of all schools), the fear of being dismissed because of their LGBT identity is still a legal reality. Similarly, the EU fundamental rights agency research in 2013 showed that almost half of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are rarely or never out in Irish workplaces.
These challenges extend to the corporate world where an exclusive culture, lack of LGBT visibility or in some cases discrimination is still a reality in some Irish companies. Many LGBT people are concerned that their career progression and day-to-day relationships with colleagues will be negatively impacted by being out in the workplace.In Ireland 1 in 4 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have experienced bullying and harassment at work and 1 in 10 have missed work as a result. 50% of trans people are unemployed and face significant barriers in finding a job in Ireland. Many LGBT people in Ireland are still navigating their way through workplaces that prevent them bringing their best to work.
Human Resources in companies in Ireland are playing a significant role to meet these challenges and ensure workplaces are LGBT inclusive. We know that when LGBT people are out at work, it is more likely to be to their peers than to their line manager. And yet the relationship between line managers and employees is critical in managing, retaining and engaging employees. There is a significant cost to businesses where line managers are not communicating strong leadership messages and embedding LGBT inclusion in their business strategy. Human Resources are not only ensuring their recruitment and policies are inclusive but that management is LGBT inclusive, too.
GLEN is supporting employers to change the landscape of every workplace so that a person’s LGBT identity is no more or less important than any other aspect of identity amongst all employees.
