Several research studies have shown that people spend most of their time at work. The average time spent in the workplace, over a lifetime, is 90,000 hours – a third of a person’s life.
This means that organisations have a captive audience whose attitudes, thoughts and ideas can be positively influenced or changed not only for the gain of the company but also for the greater good of society.
October is South Africa’s Pride Month, an important month-long occasion where the country commemorates years of struggle for civil rights and the ongoing pursuit of equal justice under the law for the LGTBQ+ community. Despite South Africa having made commendable strides in advancing these rights and promoting equality, the LGTBQ+ community still faces a myriad of challenges.
The LGTBQ+ community continues to bear the wrath of hate speech and hate crimes such as the so-called corrective rape and violence, societal discrimination and condemnation, homophobia, and inaccessibility to adequate healthcare due to discrimination.
Equally so in the labour market, the queer community has continued to bring to light the discrimination they face including being denied access to employment opportunities, training, and career advancement prospects because of their sexual orientation, gender expression and gender identity.
A survey study titled “progressive prudes: attitudes towards homosexuality and gender non-conformity in South Africa” conducted by The Other Foundation, an African trust that advances equality and freedom in Southern Africa with a particular focus on sexual orientation and gender identity, noted that 51% believe that gay people should have the same human rights, but a staggering 72% feel that same-sex relations are morally wrong.
The reality is that the other 49% of South Africans who don’t advocate for the LGTBQ+ community to enjoy the same human rights as others, and the majority who deem homosexuality as morally wrong, are most likely family, friends or acquaintances to those employed by Corporate SA or are themselves employees in South Africa’s labour market.
Therefore, by actively and intensely advocating for diversity and inclusion of the LGTBQ+ community through education, providing an organisational culture that is conducive for their protection and fair career advancement, companies put themselves in a powerful position to shape thoughts and attitudes of their employees towards homosexuality who will, in turn, influence those in their circles outside of work.
This is in line with the concept of ‘social influence’ which psychologists have, over decades, studied intensely. Social influence refers to “the way in which individuals change their ideas and actions to meet the demands of a social group, perceived authority, social role or a minority within a group wielding influence over the majority.” For example, a student may alter his or her behaviour to match that of other students in a class.
Studies have also found that we are influenced by the requests of people who are seen as holding positions of authority. This means that progressive leadership within organisations has a paramount role to play in advancing diversity and inclusion.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)
Data from various studies provides clear evidence that companies that embrace LGBTQ+ policies outperform competitors.
This is because on the one hand, diversity helps attract top talent and fosters innovation, and people perform significantly better when they can be themselves at work which inherently contributes positively to employee retention. On the other hand…
Craig Barnes | Chairperson | LGBTQI+ Forum | Nedbank | mail me |
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Read the full article by Craig Barnes, Chairperson LGBTQI+ Forum, Nedbank, as well as a host of other topical management articles written by professionals, consultants and academics in the October/November 2023 edition of BusinessBrief.
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