Pride Month: How to make your workplace more LGBT-friendly

For many LGBTQIA+ employees in India, discrimination is a way of life. As getting into job market is a daunting task, as per reports, more than 92% of transgender people experience employment discrimination and mistreatment once they get employment. 

According to Section 9 of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, transgender people are eligible for any employment opportunity and can contribute to the country’s economy.  No government or private entity can discriminate against a transgender person in employment matters, including recruitment, and promotion. 

An unfriendly work environment can adversely affect the mental health and productivity of queer folks at work. A safe workplace for the LGBTQIA+ community has the potential to become a lifeline. 

Here are some practices that can help make the workplace more inclusive and LGBTQIA+ friendly:

• Set up specific policies that outline your company’s position on LGBTQIA+ rights
• Include LGBTQIA+ awareness as a part of the sexual harassment training sessions
• Sensitise employees about the LGBTQIA+ community 
• Create awareness of the harmful effects of homophobia or queerphobia
• Recruit people from the queer community with the help of queer support NGOs and placement cells
• Set up gender-neutral insurance policies for the LGBTQIA+ employees 

Also watch: Queerness and Social Media: What it means to be LGBTQIA+ on the internet today