“We encourage a fun, fair and tolerant environment.”
Pride month is a time to reflect on all of the progress made with respect to LGBTQ rights around the world and remember that there is still much more work to be done. Although the United States has made significant strides towards full equality for the gay community in recent years, in 26 states nationwide employees can still be fired for being gay or transgender. Recent progress made by the previous administration intended to specifically protect LGBTQ workers has been rolled back or dismantled altogether by the new administration, where LGBTQ rights are back under attack.
Given the roll back of LGBTQ protections – it’s all the more important that companies bring it upon themselves to prioritize diversity in the workplace. Diversity – inclusive of LGBTQ representation, has proven to offer direct business benefits. Companies who integrate equality as part of their mission, benefits offerings and consumer advertising drive bottom line competitive advantages over companies that do not. According to a survey by Ogilvy, almost half of all Americans and 64% of individuals who identify themselves as allies say they are more likely to buy products and services from brands that are LGBTQ inclusive. An inclusive workplace improves morale, encourages innovation and allows for well-rounded perspectives on business approaches and depth of consumer insight. The bottom line is diversity is good for business.
A pivotal moment is occurring in the fight for LGBTQ rights in the United States. The Supreme Court has finally agreed to take up the case of whether or not federal employment discrimination protections also protect workers on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The current administration has made it clear that their interpretation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act does not provide such protections. This issue is of critical importance to gay rights advocates who are seeking broad, explicit civil rights protections, which will ensure LGBT individuals cannot be fired from a job, denied housing or refused other critical services solely for being who they are.
As a certified minority owned business by the National Minority Supplier Development Council, XM is leading the way in terms of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and media industry at large. The agency talent pool is uniquely diverse with 41% of employees identifying themselves as non-white and 51% of females in senior leadership positions. Our mission statement explicitly states that “We encourage a fun, fair, and tolerant environment”. This is put into practice by offering equal benefits for same sex couples (i.e. parental leave benefits and health benefits) as well as acknowledging and celebrating Pride month in various forms. Throughout the agency, we’re celebrating our LGBTQ employees with cultural and educational events, and fundraising for the Ali Forney Center, the largest LGBT community center helping homeless LGBT youth in the United States.
Today, 85% of Fortune 500 companies have policies in place that address sexual orientation. Supportive policies and workplaces are linked to less discrimination and more openness about being LGBTQ, which in turn is linked to greater retention, improved collaboration, heightened job satisfaction and increased productivity among LGBTQ employees. A study conducted by the Center for Work Life Policy and published in the Harvard Business Review revealed that 48% of LGBTQ workers are “closeted” at work and 31% of workers feel that to get promoted they must hide their LGBTQ status.
We at XM pride ourselves as the only media agency on the planet that promises 100% transparency. While some other companies may talk the talk about business ethics, at XM we practice it daily – both with our clients, and with our teams. Work occupies such a large part of our day to day lives – we’re challenging other companies to also take the lead and go beyond paying lip service to diversity and inclusion, and prove that they willing to back it up with policy and practice.
