We all know that where you work is one of the most important decisions you'll make in your life-your candidates feel the same way. And, there are many factors that play into what makes a company a desirable place to work and why candidates apply to your jobs.
Individuals specifically seek companies where they can feel comfortable being themselves. No employee should feel like he or she has to hide a part of his or her identity. Diversity initiatives are imperative to maintaining a desirable company culture. Whether it be race, cultural background or sexual orientation, your brand should be supportive and welcoming to all.
So who is doing it right? We've gathered a list of several companies that stand out for efforts to welcome members of the LGBT community to their organizations. If you're looking for ways to showcase your own LGBT-friendly efforts, we hope these stories and strategies inspire you.
1. AT&T
AT&T With both benefit coverage and employer resource groups, AT&T strongly promotes diversity within its workforce. This is proven in Glassdoor reviews:
"Another big positive is AT&T policy is one of the most egalitarian around. They support LGBT employees and benefits coverage." - Anonymous Employee (San Francisco, CA)
Do you have company reviews that applaud your diversity efforts? Utilize your Glassdoor profile to promote positive experiences like the one above. To take it a step further, link your company YouTube channel and company videos on your profile to share as much information as possible much like AT&T did in this video about the impact the company has made on one employee's life.
2. Bank of America
Bank of America continues to be recognized for their diversity efforts. In 2014, The Human Rights Campaign announced its Best Places to Work list and Bank of America received the coveted distinction of "Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality." The award recognizes companies who adopted a full framework of LGBT inclusion in the workplace, further demonstrating corporate America's commitment to LGBT workers.
When your company is awarded for equal opportunities in the workplace, don't be shy about displaying those accomplishments. To make it easy, Glassdoor provides a space to easily share your awards and accolades so you can make the most of your accomplishments!
3. Buzzfeed
Buzzfeed has developed a tremendous reputation for welcoming the LGBT community with open arms. In fact, someone even noted the following in its company review:
"The section editors are especially superstar A-list talents. More LGBT/woman/POC-friendly than other NYC editorial group." - Anonymous Employee (New York, NY)
So how do you make your diversity initiatives known as well as Buzzfeed has? Reach out to employees on a human level and stress why it's important for them to provide their honest feedback on Glassdoor and how it will help your organization succeed. Glassdoor has several resources that will help inspire your employees to share their stories. For example, take a look at these "Let Your Voice Be Heard" posters-perfect for hanging around the office!
4. Salesforce
Salesforce places significant value on its company culture in regards diversity initiatives. As noted in a company review on its Glassdoor profile,
"The leadership, and Marc Benioff in particular, take vocal political stances against anti-LGBT and other discriminatory legislation, which is practically unheard of in the corporate world, but is tremendously valuable to society when a software giant like Salesforce takes the lead." - Anonymous Employee (San Francisco, CA)
Don't be afraid to embrace the values your company believes in. Take note that Marc Benioff, Salesforce's CEO with a 96% approval rating, is being recognized by his employees for unique stand in a corporate environment. This can make a huge impact.
5. Lehigh University
With the chaos of work schedules at a major university, academics are rightfully a top priority. But don't let the happiness of your employees (or students) fall short. A PhD Student at Lehigh University left a review on its Glassdoor profile sharing that Lehigh has a:
"Great focus on LGBTQ issues. I attended several workshops around these issues." - PhD Student/TA (Bethlehem, PA)
Lehigh University has developed ways to bring awareness and support for the LGBT community on its campus. A great way to showcase those efforts is through the Company Updates section on your Glassdoor profile. This tool gives you the ability to post and share with potential candidates and current employees what events and big moments may be happening at the workplace. Additionally, you can provide photos to your profile displaying these impressive events and give a full 360 perspective of the culture of your company.
Has your company been recognized for diversity? Do you want to make diversity initiates a bigger priority? Don't let your efforts fall to the wayside. Download our Employee Engagement Toolkit today for helpful ways to making a work environment feel like home.
