Pride 2022

Pride month is celebrated every June around the globe. Here we're sharing some tips to mark the occasion in your organisation.

25 May 2022
by Lucy Aaron

It goes without saying that when you're thinking about participating in Pride month both internally and externally, it's important to take a step back and make sure you're taking the right approach. You could start by asking yourself whether your organisation is supporting LGBTQ+ employees in the workplace and what that support looks like?

Getting employees involved in Pride planning and communications is incredibly important. If your organisation has an LGBTQ+ network, you should support their plans. If there isn't an existing network, you could collaborate with colleagues to set one up or you could consider putting together a committee of employee volunteers to serve as a sounding board and to provide their input.

In internal comms, we have the power to put people in the spotlight, showcase unique stories, and highlight company efforts to support and celebrate diverse voices. Here are some ideas to mark the occasion and to support work towards making your company a more inclusive place for LGBTQ+ employees.

Educate and learn

This year it is 50 years since the first Pride march in the UK. Pride has a rich political history that can often be overshadowed. Pride marches take inspiration from the Stonewall Riots — named after a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn in New York, where patrons and other community members fought back against police harassment in 1969. Not only is Pride a time to recognise the progress that's been made since the Stonewall Riots, but it's also just as important to acknowledge how far we have to go.

You could use your intranet or employee social networking platform to educate and raise awareness. The Museum of London has some interesting information on the hidden history of Pride in the UK.

Discuss

You could hold a focus group with LGBTQ+ employees to understand the challenges they face at work and get their feedback on how to make your organisation more inclusive. It is important for internal comms to be involved in these discussions, but it should also include representatives from HR, as well as senior leaders.

Allyship in action

What makes work a place where LGBTQ+ talent can thrive? Allies — people who support or work as LGBT advocates — play an important role in creating an open and inclusive culture where individuals are comfortable being themselves. You could introduce the concept of allyship and deliver sessions on how to be an ally at work and what allyship in action looks like. Education and calling out intolerance and discrimination are important allyship traits.

Encourage employees to include and use pronouns

Pronouns and gender identity are important. One way to be an ally to trans and non-binary people is to include pronouns (she/her, he/him, they/them, etc.) in email signatures, bios, LinkedIn profiles and more.

You could run a campaign to encourage employees and allies across your organisation to put their pronouns in email signatures and to use them when doing introductions in meetings. Sharing pronouns helps raise awareness and acceptance of different, including non-binary, gender identities. Beginning the conversation around sharing pronouns is a simple way to normalise not assuming someone's gender. Asking for, remembering, and using someone's gender pronouns is a positive way to support people at work.

Fundraise for charities that support the LGBTQ+ community

You might want to co-ordinate fundraising activity or signpost to charities. Here are a few we'd recommend:

Fill the company calendar with events

You can host a selection of all-company events to celebrate Pride and raise awareness. Here are a few ideas:

  • Film club
  • Pride trivia quiz
  • Pride-themed happy hour
  • External speakers and workshops. If you're looking for speakers, the Diversity & Inclusion Speakers Agency is a good place to start.

Summary

This is not an exhaustive list, and we'd love you to share your Pride plans in our FutureNet LinkedIn group.

Celebrating Pride and showing support for the LGBTQ+ community is not a trend — and it shouldn't be treated as such. Celebrating Pride should be a year-long activity. If your organisation doesn't already take steps to support the LGBTQ+ community year-round, take the opportunity to discuss doing so with senior leaders and staff during Pride.

For organisations to be a true ally, it's important to show this level of support year-round. In internal comms, we're in a great position to educate, raise awareness, and encourage HR teams and senior leaders to look at policies and practices to ensure inclusivity and equity.