Time to set targets for LGBT+ inclusion in leadership ranks

Setting targets for LGBT+ inclusion in leadership is long overdue, according to CEO & Founder of INvolve and Audeliss, Suki Sandhu. In this week’s guest column – during the UK’s LGBT+ History Month – Sandhu explains why it’s time for organisations to set targets to increase LGBT+ representation in senior leadership ranks.

Having visible role models within your business is critical to driving inclusion. Why? Ultimately, you can’t be what you can’t see. The need for professionals to see other people like themselves succeeding and climbing the corporate career ladder has never been stronger.

Each year at INvolve, we release our OUTstanding LGBT+ Role Model Lists, shining a spotlight on the inspirational Executives, Future Leaders and Ally Executives in business. Highlighting these role models can help to change perceptions and support more LGBT+ individuals to rise to the top of their organisations.

ENHANCING LGBT+ REPRESENTATION

The stark reality is that there are currently no out LGBT+ CEOs in the FTSE 100; a statistic that has actually decreased since 2018. It’s concerning to see that we’re not yet making progress here, and in fact moving backwards. So, we are calling for organisations to collect data and set targets in order to increase LGBT+ representation at a senior level. 

While several companies have published targets for gender and ethnic minority representation, this is not the case for LGBT+ staff; leaving these employees out in the cold when it comes to holding companies to account on diversity with hard data. There is also a lack of public information available on this, as it seems organisations refrain from openly speaking about setting LGBT+ targets. This has to change as we know the value of visibility in enhancing representation.

WELCOMING LGBT+ C-SUITE  EXECS

Diversifying an organisation at a senior level is not just as simple as hiring diverse talent. It’s also about ensuring that your organisation has systems in place to support diverse talent and help them to thrive. Considering the barriers and challenges that can hinder access and opportunity is therefore essential.

Potential senior leaders may find it hard to be out and in a senior leadership position, reducing the number of visible, successful LGBT+ professionals within our businesses. To welcome more out LGBT+ CEOs and other senior leaders requires us to address barriers to promotion; revisit workplaces that are not equipped to support LGBT+ colleagues; and increase awareness and education on daily issues that impact our teams. 

It’s equally important to focus on the individual identities within the LGBT+ spectrum, as companies and LGBT+ networks often tend to focus more on the LG, and not so much on the BT+. Therefore, it’s essential that when elevating the LGBT+ community we don’t homogenise or create a ‘one system fits all’ method for everyone. 

We need to have representation within organisations’ leadership teams, reflecting the diversity that makes up the thriving communities we live in. We must also have representation implemented through diverse candidate slates and talent pipelining that creates real, lasting change in the years to come. 

CRITICAL ROLE OF TARGETS

Often, businesses do not know where to start or are worried about getting it wrong, and therefore do nothing. One positive step in this instance can be to connect with external consultancies like ours to guide and support your efforts to drive inclusivity. Setting targets should therefore play a critical role in how we map LGBT+ representation, progression and opportunities.

Fundamentally, targets are important because they lead to action and accountability. Firms are then able to see where there are weaknesses within their hiring, retention or support strategies. Through the use of data and targets, businesses can then begin to solve this and refine processes across the employee cycle. Targets provide a goal for organisations to reach and work towards; and also support their ability to create a talent pipeline of candidates that reflect the true diversity of the community they serve.

In fact, a current trend we’re seeing through our consultancy work is organisations tracking data, which is diversity-specific. This suggests that inclusion is increasingly, and more importantly, becoming a business priority. It is these targeted actions that often create the lasting change needed to bolster LGBT+ representation; in the same way that you might use these measures to address gender and race issues. Our call for organisations to set targets is loud and clear. It is fuelled by a vision for a society that is accepting and inclusive of all. Of course, data and metrics alone don’t ensure that workplaces are inclusive of the LGBT+ community, so a holistic approach to inclusion is the aim.

LGBT+ AFFIRMING CULTURES

Diverse talent often have unique needs and it’s important that organisations pay attention to what these employees need, to create a workplace in which they can succeed. Attracting and then implementing changes that ensure the retention of your LGBT+ employees is crucial. Putting support in place through LGBT+ focus groups and implementing business networks; bringing in a non-discrimination or equal opportunity policy; raising the voices of your LGBT+ team; and outwardly demonstrating your commitment – all work to create an LGBT+ affirming culture.

If businesses are to benefit from the multiple perspectives diverse executive teams bring, then they must actively work to create an inclusive, welcoming culture. There is still a lot of work to be done in order to make this inclusivity a reality for the LGBT+ workforce, so organisations must step up and not shy away from addressing the issue head-on. Help and guidance is out there, and your business will benefit across the board. We’ll be discussing this further at our upcoming OUTstanding Role Model event, ‘Where are all the LGBT+ leaders?’ and we’d love to see you there.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

As one of the UK’s leading specialists in sourcing exceptional diverse talent, Suki Sandhu has been a game-changer within the executive search and diversity arenas for over 17 years. In 2011, Sandhu established Audeliss, a global boutique executive search firm to level the playing field for women, ethnic minorities and LGBT+ people at the most senior levels in business.

Sandhu is also Founder & CEO of INvolve, a network championing diversity and inclusion in business. Through the delivery of events, programmes, thought leadership and inclusion solutions, INvolve helps organisations to drive cultural change and create more inclusive workplaces. In addition, INvolve publishes the annual OUTstanding, EMpower and HERoes role model lists, celebrating business leaders and future leaders who are leading the charge in their respective diversity spheres, and securing a diverse talent pipeline for the future. 

Sandhu is a Stonewall Ambassador and launched ‘The Suki Sandhu LGBTQI Asia Fund’ to support activism in Asia. He is also Patron for The Albert Kennedy Trust; and has been appointed to the Board of Directors of OutRight Action International based in NYC. Additionally, he is a Trustee for the Guild of HR Professionals. He was awarded an OBE in the 2019 New Year’s Honours for Services to Diversity in Business.