Despite increasing awareness of the importance of diversity and inclusion, many LGBTQIA+ professionals continue to face significant challenges within the workplace, particularly when seeking support from Human Resources.
A recent survey by Pride in Leadership, a UK-based network for LGBTQIA+ leaders, uncovered that 42% of LGBTQIA+ employees felt that HR departments are unresponsive to their concerns related to identity and inclusion, signalling a troubling disconnect between organisational inclusion policies and the actual experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals at work.
85% of respondents reported encountering barriers in their professional lives due to their LGBTQIA+ identity. These included discriminatory behaviours, exclusionary policies, and inequities in recruitment and advancement. Only 15% indicated that they felt comfortable expressing their identity openly in the workplace.
One of the most prominent concerns was the lack of LGBTQIA+ representation in leadership positions. For many, the absence of role models at the senior level contributed to a sense of invisibility and limits the perception of career mobility.
In response, the report calls on employers, and especially HR leaders, to take deliberate, informed steps to create a genuinely inclusive culture. Among its recommendations:
- Deliver targeted training that equips teams to understand and support LGBTQIA+ employees effectively
- Establish and uphold inclusive policies that go beyond compliance to foster belonging
- Address systemic bias in recruitment by creating fair, transparent hiring and promotion practices
- Invest in leadership diversity to ensure LGBTQIA+ voices are represented at the decision-making level
