LGBTQ+ Internal Training and Accountability (Criterion 3a)

LGBTQ+ Internal Training and Accountability (Criterion 3a)

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Overview

Why inclusive internal training and best practices?

Despite progress in workplace LGBTQ+ inclusion, 46 percent of LGBTQ+ employees are closeted at their job. Equitable policies and benefits are critical to LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workforce but alone are not sufficient to support a truly inclusive culture within a workplace. Employers recognize that beyond the letter of a policy, additional programming and educational efforts are necessary. Ultimately, businesses invest in organizational competency programs because policy does not equal practice.

Why establish employee resource groups (ERGs) or a diversity council?

Many large employers have formally recognized employee resource groups (also known as an employee network, business resource or affinity groups) for diverse populations of their workforce, including women, people of color, veterans, parents, people of varied abilities and LGBTQ+ & Allied people. These groups’ purpose is two-fold:

  • To foster a sense of community and visibility of these diverse populations within a business; and
  • To leverage each unique populations’ networks and skills to help accomplish business goals such as market innovation, recruitment and retention of talent

To receive credit in Criteria 3a (5 points):

Businesses must demonstrate a firm-wide, sustained and accountable commitment to diversity and cultural competency, including at least four of the following elements and the integration of intersectionality concepts into a training or education offering (5 points):

  • New hire training clearly states that the nondiscrimination policy includes gender identity and sexual orientation and provides definitions or scenarios illustrating the policy for each
  • Supervisors undergo training that includes gender identity and sexual orientation as discrete topics (may be part of a broader training), and provides definitions or scenarios illustrating the policy for each
  • Integration of gender identity and sexual orientation in professional development, skills-based or other leadership training that includes elements of diversity and/or cultural competency
  • Integration of intersectionality in professional development, skills-based, or other training (may be a part of a broader training or aforementioned training) (required for credit)
  • Senior management/executive performance measures include LGBTQ+ diversity metrics


CEI Scored Questions