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Inclusivity:
Best Practices for LGBTQ Workplace Equality
Companies in the technology, media, and
entertainment industry have long recognized the importance
of having programming content and a workforce that reflect
the diversity of the consumers we serve.
The Human Rights Campaign is the
largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality
for LGBTQ Americans. Since 2002, HRC has published a Corporate
Equality Index (CEI) for workplaces. The CEI establishes
specific benchmarks for inclusivity efforts in the workplace
based on three key pillars:
- Non-discrimination policies across
business entities;
- Equitable benefits for LGBTQ workers
and their families;
- Supporting an inclusive culture and
corporate social responsibility.
This year, three of C2HR’s member
companies, Univision, Cox Communications and
CBS Corporation, were among the 572 businesses
earning a perfect score of 100% on the CEI. The 2019 CEI
evaluates LGBTQ-related policies and practices including
non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner
benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency
programs, and public engagement with the LGBTQ community.
This year’s index included new health care coverage
criteria of:
- Ensuring full spousal and partner health
care coverage parity;
- Affirming coverage for transition-related
care and eliminating all so-called “transgender
exclusions” from plans; and,
- Ensuring full LGBTQ inclusion in diverse
supply chain programs.
The first rule of inclusivity is to ensure
that everyone within your workforce is heard, respected
and embraced as a unique individual. That focus should extend
beyond gender, race and age to include diversity of thought,
the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+)
community, people with disabilities and any other historically
marginalized group.
As Ellen Taffe, Assistant Professor of Leadership
at the Kellogg School, says, “Inclusion
is about welcoming, developing and advancing a diverse mix
of individuals. It’s about making all people feel
valued, including changing practices that might unfairly
benefit any one group, and making sure that everyone feels
they have the same opportunity to advance and make an impact.”
Companies also should commit to fostering an inclusive and
diverse environment anchored in their inclusive core values.
"One of the things that makes Cox such a great place
to work is our approach to diversity and inclusion,”
said Sujata Gosalia, Cox Communications’ EVP
& Chief Strategy Officer, who also serves as executive
sponsor of the company’s Pride Employee Resource Group
(ERG). “At Cox, diversity is both a core value and
an important piece of our business strategy – we want
to reflect the communities we serve. We are a company where
all identities, cultures and backgrounds are celebrated,
and we seek to ensure our employees can bring their authentic
selves to work every day."
While Cox Communications fosters an environment where all
20,000+ employees' viewpoints, expertise and experiences
are valued and respected, the company’s D&I strategy
also includes a focus on the company’s communities,
customers and suppliers.
Vanderbilt University defines unconscious
bias (also known as implicit bias) as “prejudice or
unsupported judgments in favor of or against one thing,
person, or group as compared to another, in a way that is
usually considered unfair.”
When we have identified an area of bias in ourselves or
within the company culture, addressing it, retraining and
celebrating the eventual success will keep the team moving
forward.
It's important that all employees understand what unconscious
bias is,work to develop
an awareness of their own biases and takes active steps
to mitigate the same. Today, artificial
intelligence is helping identify and correct bias in
practices such as hiring.
Inclusion looks different to each person
and the topic should always be on the table and out in the
open. CBS Corporation, Cox Communications and Univision
use ERGs to continue the conversation of inclusivity within
their organizations and provide a forum for employees to
lead the discussion on the topic.
Univision CEO Vince Sadusky stated, “At Univision,
we value our commitment to being a welcoming place for each
person who works with us, including LGBTQ leaders and employees.
Our Employee Resource Group, Orgullo (Pride), empowers LGBTQ
employees to lead on issues that matter and help educate
fellow employees on diversity and inclusion. Univision could
not be prouder of this achievement and we will continue
working to ensure our company is an inclusive workplace
for all.”
At Univision, Orgullo members made a decision
last December to broaden the scope of the ERG to also serve
as a business resource group – in which members would
watch local and network programming and provide recommendations
to entertainment leaders on how the company could better
represent LGBTQ characters on its networks. Additionally,
the ERG pledged to help promote these more inclusive programs
to their community. In 2019, Univision won its first GLAAD
award for scripted series in Spanish.
Cox Communications has five Pride ERG chapters with more
than 728 members focused on developing strategies that promote
inclusion, while CBS PRIDE
offers LGBTQ and Allied employees at CBS Corporation, Showtime,
Smithsonian Channel, POP, Network 10 Australia, Simon &
Schuster and all across the CBS Corporation a networking
platform, professional and personal development and other
opportunities.
In addition to ERGs, technology
is facilitating a digital conversations and resources
centered on inclusivity. The Dot launched by Woman
2.0 offers HR teams access to D&I resources, management
tactics and inclusion facilitators, while Vault Platform,
Valued and other workplace
reporting apps provide early warnings of harassment
or bullying comments within employee communications.
“Time and again, leading American
businesses have shown that protecting their employees and
customers from discrimination isn’t just the right
thing to do — it’s also good for business,”
said Chad Griffin, President of Human Rights Council.
In fact, McKinsey & Company’s research found that
companies with more ethnic/cultural diversity on executive
teams are 33%
more likely to have industry-leading profitability.
According to HRC’s 2019
CEI, 193 of the Fortune 500 ranked companies
achieved a 100% rating in this year’s survey. In addition,
93% of Fortune 500 businesses included sexual orientation
in their nondiscrimination policies and 85% included gender
identity. Over half of Fortune 500 companies offered transgender-inclusive
health care benefits.
Looking more specifically at the technology, media and entertainment
industry, the Hollywood Diversity Report shows audiences
prefer more diverse content and feedback showed social
media engagement for cable scripted shows was the highest
for shows with a majority-minority cast. Also, the most
recent NAMIC (National Association for Multi-ethnicity in
Communications) Advancement
Investment Measurement (AIM) Diversity Report stated
that 77% of the companies surveyed offer supervisory training
including sexual orientation and gender identity as topics.
The NAMIC AIM Report found that 44% of programmers
were likely to have senior-level champions for LGBTQ hiring,
development and retention, compared with 25% of MSOs. Leadership
is one area of opportunity for many corporations, and it’s
a critical factor of success.
According to Josie J. Thomas, EVP & Chief Diversity
and Inclusion Officer at CBS Corporation, “Diversity
is a business imperative for us. It is only when you create
an environment where inclusive voices are at the table and
involved in the decision-making process that you reach the
most effective and innovative business solutions, and that
must be an intentional process.”
Following the best practices and examples set forth by these
industry leaders will help lead your company toward an environment
of workplace inclusivity. Congratulations again to these
three outstanding C2HR member companies: Cox Communications,
Univision and CBS Corporation!
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