According to a study carried out by the international consulting firm Great Place To Work (GPTW), “biggest discrepancy” between the work experiences of LGBTQIA+ workers and heterosexuals lies in the “psychological safety”.
Even in the best companies to work for that the consultant lists, LGBTQIA+ employees “are 7% less likely to have a psychologically and emotionally healthy work environment compared to their heterosexual co-workers”according to your report.
Regarding Uruguay, the survey indicates that 96% of workers who operate in the best places to work consider that “people are treated fairly regardless of their sexual orientation.
However, when this analysis is applied to all Uruguayan companies —that is, not only those that make up the ranking of the best places to work— only 56% of workers consider that people are treated fairly, regardless of their sexual orientation.
“This shows a relatively critical situation in most organizations in Uruguay”emphasizes the analysis prepared by GPTW.
For her part, the GPTW Communication and Marketing manager for Uruguay, María Noel Sanguinetti, told Coffee & Business that “These results definitely show that this is one of the main challenges that Uruguayan companies face today”. In addition, the executive explained: “Everything that is diversity, inclusion and equity is a great must presented by Uruguayan companies, despite the fact that they are concepts, they are increasingly installed”.
“Good organizations use those differences between their staff members to make the company prosper,” Sanguinetti said. In the expert’s view, a more diverse workforce makes companies more innovative, workers more productive and better decisions are made, since they focus on a broader group.
“Companies that are not for all (for everyone) they end up, in the long term, losing money because they have a more disruptive climate” with a complicated environment to work in, Sanguinetti said.
The survey concludes that “the percentage of people who identify as LGBTQIA+ has practically doubled in each generation since 1946.” Currently, 11% of millennials — that is, those born between 1980 and the late 1990s — are LGBTQIA+ and 21% of the so-called Generation Z — late 1990s and 2010 — identify with the group.
How to deal with this problem from the company
The study developed by GPTW indicates how to proceed from the company to face this problem. In this sense, it specifies that it is vital that the company demonstrates that it is inclusive in various ways. This implies a clear and specific organizational communication“so that members of the LGBTQIA+ community do not have to read between the lines and generate interpretations,” the study points out.
Also, it is encouraged to invest in different initiatives that aim at the well-being of workers. This implies “thinking about proposals that support and favor equity, inclusion and a sense of belonging”.
Another of the fundamental measures promoted by the consultancy involves strengthen the bond between LBTQIA+ workers and their respective leaders. “Learning about how to support the LBTQIA+ community is essential. Leaders must understand the various situations and be vigilant to ensure safe and healthy workplaces,” the report specifies.
“It is extremely important that Uruguayan companies begin to create spaces that are not only psychologically safe, but also inclusive and diverse for all their workers,” concluded Sanguinetti.
