8 November 2022

Workplace Pride’s second Member Exchange Session was held on November 8, 2022, on the topic of Embedding Leadership Support.

Thank you to our two presenters, Jose Nava from Unilever and Ronald Niewenhuis from KPN, for sharing some great insights, to the Workplace Pride Relationship Managers for organizing, and to our Director of Program Development, Yuli Kim, for moderating. Also, we would like to extend our gratitude to the forty-eight people who attended! 

We would like all Workplace Pride members to have access to what we learned from this session. Below, you can find the most important metrics and takeaways, including a link to the recording of the session:

Key takeaways:

Have a clear and compelling story about LGBTIQ+ Inclusion.
What is your strategic intent? Be clear about what you are trying to achieve, what you are doing, and why. Back this up with data/measures, for example, from the Global Benchmark and your own engagement surveys, to support. Be very clear about what you need from leadership – what is your ask of them? Position LGBTIQ+ inclusion as a business imperative with evidence, including data points, when engaging leadership.

Always connect LGBTIQ+ inclusion and related activities with your organizational values and business strategy.
Make it crystal clear that you support LGBTIQ+ people and do not tolerate discrimination. Do this with your code of conduct, policies, employment contracts, collective labor agreement, employee benefits, and leadership development programs and training. Refer back to these when you encounter resistance.

Find an active sponsor, advocate, or “cheerleader” at the executive level or board of your organization.
Listen for executives who are seeking information about diversity, equity & inclusion, and/or employee resource groups, and engage them. Do your homework and find out where they are in terms of their journey by using a stakeholder analysis so that you can adjust your approach accordingly. Some may know a little and need more education first, while others may be more informed and want to know what they can do to help.

Peer pressure can accelerate even more support. 
When you have executive support, don’t forget to ask them to speak on your behalf to gain support from their peers, who are most likely other executives. An intersectional approach can also be helpful. For example, joining forces with other employee resource group sponsors, as they probably “get” it and can join forces to support LGBTIQ+ employees as well.

Set clear goals. Monitor them and measure progress – and report among stakeholders.
Grassroots initiatives can help build awareness. Position yourselves to co-create the agenda and plans for the coming year(s). Identify what measures will help you grow leadership support and focus on actions that drive those metrics.

Future topics:

How do you engage the “floor”?
There was some dialogue in the Zoom chat (Gian Battista from Schiphol Group and Martijn van den Tillart from ASML) that this could be an interesting topic. Workplace Pride will add this to the list for a future session. This topic of the so-called “white- and blue-collar inclusion”  has had our attention for some time, so we will certainly put this on the agenda for subsequent topics in 2023 for the member exchange sessions.

There was a lot of good information in the dialogue – you can listen to the full meeting below:

Recording: Member Exchange Session – November 8, 2022 – Embedding Leadership Support

You’ll hear more about the next Membership Exchange Session topic, time, and date as we get closer to the next event. We’ll keep you informed!

We held our first Member Exchange Session on March 15 on the topic of Creating a Transgender Policy, and we would like all our members to have access to what we learned from this session, here are the most important metrics, takeaways and the link to the recording of the session.

• 42 people attended
• >80% of attendees joined to learn
• >60% of respondents either have no Trans policy or are just getting started
• 96% of respondents learned something that will help them and found the session a good use of their time.

Key takeaways:

• Get sponsorship from the top – it’s “good to have HR or DEI officer intrinsically motivated” so that they be visible in their support and help you get the time and resources needed. Research shows that 1.2% – 1.5% of the population is transgender – even if no one has come out in your org, data says that they are likely there but in the closet.
  
  
• Learn what is needed and educate your stakeholders – “don’t assume you know”, connect with the Trans community in your org or with a Trans CSO/organization to learn (Workplace Pride L&D, Corporate Queer, Transvisie as NL examples).  Let ERG educate the business about what is needed and why. Create a guiding document that helps everyone understand what is needed to support Trans people in the workplace.
  
  
• Make it practical and take concrete steps – taking on a whole policy may be daunting, focus on smaller steps like “what it needed to change gender and name in IT systems” or “get the required medical procedures for transitioning added to health insurance benefits – either private or government depending on location”. 
  
  
• Location/region-specific assessments – looking at what medical and health benefits are covered will differ by location.  What you as an organization need to do will depend on how much is already covered by the government or social structures in a location. There is no known resource of which countries/locations cover which aspects, you will need to do that work with your local Benefits team. 

A link to the meeting recording is here: Recording: Member Exchange Session – Transgender Policy

Thank you to everyone who joined and participated in the Member Exchange Session on 4 April.  As we did not track the actual participants, we are sending this to all our member contacts who were included in the invitation to the session.  If others in your organization participated, please feel free to share this with them.

We had between 65 and 70 participants on the call, and there was good interaction via Menti and the chat. It was a dynamic discussion so there is much more to be found by listening to the recording of the session (link to recording is below the summary).  This is one of the benefits that Workplace Pride offers to our members, so we ask that you not share the recording and summary outside of your organization.

Special thanks go to our presenters for their impactful stories:  Louise MacDonald (Edrington) and Thom Widdershoven (KLM), and of course thank you also to Yuli Kim for moderating the session.

Here is a high-level summary of some of the key points:

• reasons and benefits for collecting gender information

• To earn the trust of your employees, you should be clear and transparent about why you ask gender related questions and what you will do with the data.
• The opportunity is to educate decision-makers and the employees about the benefits of gender inclusive implementations.
• For example, you will gain insights into where there are inequalities, or where you need to focus and also where your D&I initiatives are being successful. 
• Data can also allow you to create special initiatives for LGBTIQ+ employees to help level the playing field where there are inequalities – like allocating seats in leadership training programs to high potential employees who have identified as LGBTIQ+ (KLM is planning to use self-ID to track career growth for LGBTIQ+ employees).
• This will be an ongoing dialogue; employees may withdraw their information if they do not trust that their privacy is being respected.

• sex or gender data collection
  • most organization collect this from employees as they are required to report on a gender basis to authorities (e.g., gender pay gap).
  • To be inclusive you need to offer more answer options than just male and female here – e.g., other, unknown (if completed by someone other than the person themselves) and undeclared. 
  • Keep in mind that the mandatory reporting may only allow female and male, so you need a plan for mapping date from what you have collected in your systems.
  • Simply having other options available makes it visible that you are thinking about this issue.  “Other’ is better that just the binary but is also not very inclusive.

• gender identity data collection
  • another option is to ask separate question about gender identity – next to the question about ‘legal’ sex/gender. 
  • possible options for this could be man, woman, gender non-conforming, non-binary, transgender-man,  transgender-woman, prefer not to say, and prefer to self-describe.
  • Since you are asking a question specifically about gender identity you may chose not to include the transgender-man and transgender-woman options in the list.

• global and geographical considerations
  • Your legal department or advisors should guide where you may not be able to provide more gender options. 
  • If there are laws against homosexuality or other anti-LGBTIQ+ related laws, then you may NOT be able to ask this information of your employees – it may not be safe to do so.  There was a helpful document shared via the chat (thank you Cass) – a copy is attached.
  • Where there are no legal concerns, you can still move forward – even where local culture may be challenging.
  • Questions should be optional/voluntary , and access to the collected data must be tightly guarded (Edrington’s approach). 
  • KLM shared the situation where they need to enter sex/gender of male or female for all passengers (customer) traveling to the UAE.  This is another example where you may need additional processes in place depending on the requirements.

• pronouns
  • facilitating employees to indicate the pronouns they identify with is another part of this puzzle. It can be seen as another data field to add to your systems, or how you manage email signatures.
  • Setting the example by sharing your own or adding pronouns to the registration for an event creates visibility and may generate questions which give you even more opportunity to educate or share reasons and benefits.
  • Sharing your own pronouns in an interview can already set the tone with candidates as they seek to join your organization.

• systems impact
  • HR systems and those used for hiring (candidates) are key and need to allow for country-level differences (see global considerations above). 
  • Fields and options for official (legal) sex/gender, gender identity (and sexual orientation if you collect it) should all be focus areas. 
  • Remember that what you collect and have in your systems does not need to be the same as what you need to report (tax or other statutory reporting), but you do need a planned mapping of your data to what is required by external authorities.
  • Data security is critical, access and visibility to the data needs to be tightly controlled. Consider also the pronoun preferences – for example in encouraging employees to update their email signatures with their selected pronouns (Edrington does this)..

 It was a dynamic discussion so there is much more to be found by listing to the recording of the session.  The link to the recording is below – please feel free to share with others within your organization.  This is one of the benefits that Workplace Pride offers to our members, so we ask that you not share the recording and summary outside of your organization.

recording link   https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/D_a1CnwP9MJnAJHPcNYDtJPOXTg6qAVP7uY938UdicQkgod_nZGPqNkR1ZqAR_F5.5XXijdPz3jFyND23  Passcode: Y@4.*12Z

The following sessions topics and presenters are still being planned, but we do have planned dates and times (we flex the time slots to be more friendly to other time zones). We will send an invitation for the next session as soon as we have more details worked out.

Session date/time (these times are in Central European time):

Feb 7     12:30-13:30 CET – complete

Apr 4     09:30-10:30 CET – complete

Jun 6     16:00-17:00 CET cancelled

Aug 15   12:30-13:30 CET

Oct 10    09:30-10:30 CET

Nov 28   12:30-13:30 CET

2022 Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity HR Guide

Thank you to everyone who joined and participated in the Member Exchange Session on August 15^th and thank you to our presenters and facilitator:

• Atlas Quelch (they/them) Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK Ltd. – [email protected]
• Gian Battista Marci (he/him) Royal Schiphol Group  – [email protected]
• Martijn van den Tillaart (he/him) ASML & Workplace Pride Board member & Tech community lead – [email protected]                

We had approximately 70 participants on the call, showing that this is a topic that is important to keep active. 

challenges

• operational sites are often remote and separate from (corporate) office locations
• D&I practitioners are not likely physically present in operational locations
• operational employees do not always have the same access to information (laptops, phone, intranet etc.)
• operational employees may not be as familiar with diversity and inclusion initiatives and may not know how to engage
• some operational employees may feel that office-based employees do not understand their challenges

support

• an established LGBTIQ+ employee network is a good place to start.
• get things in place at the company level – having strong policies to refer to, and senior level supporters helps.
• budget shows trust from the company – ask nicely
• leadership’s involvement and support is integral to foster trust.
• push for D&I presence or ambassador in the operational locations where possible.
• where appropriate – work with the unions to build knowledge and expectations in from the start.
• role models and allies are invaluable in building understanding and showing that it is safe and accepted. Make these visible (see Toyota ally logo below)
• recognize effort of network, board, role models and celebrate successes (even small ones) – e.g., thank-you dinner (ASML), annual board event (Toyota), offer cake and coffee (Schiphol)
  

communication and awareness

• build presence by getting on the agenda of existing events and meetings.
• check the language you use – watch corporate jargon that may put some off – test your messaging with HR, D&I etc.
• visual storytelling can be very effective.
• introduce your LGBTIQ+ employee network to operational employees
• identify locations where operational employees gather or pass through regularly on shift changes or checking in or out.  Leverage these to provide information – maybe a QR code or a leaflet (see Toyota example below)
• do drop-in events – keep in mind shift timing and changes. Be visible and welcome questions – personal touch is valuable.
• use badges, stickers, lanyards to build interest and recognition.
• print material and make available in shared and visibly recognizable locations (e.g., Toyota’s rainbow tables) – quarterly newsletter to grow awareness.
• consider unique ways to start the conversations (e.g., Schiphol’s toolkit and interactive D&I game).
• adapt your approach – Toyota’s “gentle constant presence” is more a pull than a push tactic.
• investigate if there are online resources that are accessible (like a Payroll platform) and see if you can make information available there too.
• work to get leaders among the operational employees to be visible allies (participating in events etc.)
• connect and communicate with the local community

It was a dynamic discussion so there is much more to be found by listing to the recording of the session.  The slides presented are in the attached pdf and the link to the recording is below – please feel free to share with others within your organization.  This is one of the benefits that Workplace Pride offers to our members, so we ask that you not share the recording and summary outside of your organization.

recording link   https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/pIGGtiJuuJfuju_I_8km5hwL8v1Ax21fKBIpprX0VjmjROKmXwXr8JFDeIKdyqj1.ICYXGP98_saPK4dZ   Passcode: DTa0z2!M

The following sessions topics and presenters are still being planned, but we do have planned dates and times (we flex the time slots to be more friendly to other time zones). We will send an invitation for the next session as soon as we have more details worked out.

Session date/time (these times are in Central European time):

Feb 7     12:30-13:30 CET – complete

Apr 4     09:30-10:30 CET – complete

Jun 6     16:00-17:00 CET – cancelled

Aug 15   12:30-13:30 CET – complete

Oct 10    09:30-10:30 CET

Nov 28   12:30-13:30 CET

We look forward to seeing you in the upcoming sessions.

Christine, Yuli, Omar, Robert, & Brian

Relationship Managers

October 2023

Thank you to everyone who joined and participated in the Member Exchange Session on August 15^th and thank you to our presenters and facilitator Yuli:

·        Julie Cardin (she/her) – Carrier

·        Nicoletta Baratta – Avery Dennison

·        Warren LLoyd (he/him) – Avery Dennison

We had approximately 50 participants on the call, showing that this is a topic that is important to keep active.

Note: we are using the acronym ERG (employee resource group).  The name may differ in your organization – for example, BRG (business resource group), communities, affinity groups etc.

Challenges

• Internal culture
• Creating a safe (and anonymous) environment to join
• Operational staff and how to reach them; language barriers; no digital channels 

ERG structure and goals

• Clear membership process, benefits and expectations
• ERG Champions on site – local language communications, QR codes that link to ERG information
• Organise regular open knowledge sessions so that people can ask questions in a low-threshold manner
• Learning modules; education and awareness
• Ensuring anonymity – joining is not coming out
• ERG events and clearly outlining why it is needed/significance of the role of allyship
• Engaging HR professionals and sponsors (highlights business benefits for the company)
• Be explicit in the business value

Allyship

• Innate passion to assist; social justice, continue support in an official ERG – translate into business objectives – Allies are a part of the community; treating it as a business structure will strengthen your position – inviting expertees, benchmark prompting action (ERG metrics/performance as a contributor)
• Goal and vision, buy-in from senior leaders. Exec sponsors for the ERG – collaborations across different departments, initial assessment per region is useful (countries’ level of maturity, avery dennison focussed on mid-level countries where rights were there, but not fully realized); be mindful of budget – put emphasis on impact
• Key learning: collaborating across the board and top-down influence, working closely with HR who can roll-out to the entire organisation.  Ensure everyone is on-board, disciplined in following through ERG goals
• Senior leaders (their personal involvement  is a strong driver) ask them to help drove collaboration across departments and to remove budget roadblocks that are often thrown out as a reason to stop and ask them to speak, participate, forward the invitation to their teams

Momentum

• Broadening scope – as membership grows, you can digs into more specific topics that speak directly to some and may attract them to join
• Business aspects; annual budget, retaining talent and leadership support, benchmark
• Keep spirits up (fun; lunch & learn, social events) – play on people’s strengths in role division 
• Make the activities of the ERG’s attractive, by organising high-profile, compelling events
• Implement some success measures – number of members, Global Benchmark, Talent retention, engagement/pulse surveys focusing on D&I, career growth of members
• Celebrate small wins, repeating and engaging the organisation as a whole, be mindful that it takes time

There is much more to be found by listing to the recording of the session.  This is one of the benefits that Workplace Pride offers to our members, so we ask that you not share the recording and summary outside of your organization.

recording link   https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/50sautkxg8afecras0gi4/Member-Exchange-2023-10-10.m4a?rlkey=7bipr0jj59gk9wermo8kkrq1m&dl=0

The following sessions topics and presenters are still being planned, but we do have planned dates and times (we flex the time slots to be more friendly to other time zones). We will send an invitation for the next session as soon as we have more details worked out.

Session date/time (these times are in Central European time):

Feb 7     12:30-13:30 CET – complete

Apr 4     09:30-10:30 CET – complete

Jun 6     16:00-17:00 CET – cancelled

Aug 15   12:30-13:30 CET – complete

Oct 10    09:30-10:30 CET – complete

Nov 28   12:30-13:30 CET

We look forward to seeing you in the upcoming sessions.

Christine, Yuli, Omar, Robert, & Brian

Relationship Managers