Workplace Diversity

Ian Johnson, Out Now
October 3, 2007

Work right on the leading edge with best-in-class LGBT marketing strategic advice: contact Out Now -- the experienced global strategic gay marketing research and communications agency specialized in targeting the gay and lesbian market.

TOPICS: Equality and diversity policy. LGBT workplace issues. Gay and lesbian equality at work. Out Now. Gay and lesbian staff working in UK mainstream media market. Gay workplace diversity news. Media Week article on Out Now Diva and GT research on being out of the closet as gay at work in UK media industry.

Some industries are perceived as being 'more gay' than others.

For example, when asked to name where they expect gay and lesbian people to be employed, many people nominate industries such as travel, fashion and entertainment.

Stereotypes abound, and one must always be dedicated to not generalizing on such important workplace issues.

Yet Out Now research over almost two decades and in various countries consistently reveals that such stereotypes are not correct.

Gay and lesbian people work in all areas including sports, teaching, aviation, manufacturing, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and property.

Basically anywhere people are working, you will find lesbian and gay people hard at work alongside their heterosexual colleagues.

Being out as gay at work though is not always easy, and new Out Now workplace initiatives are currently underway to reveal better ways to dramatically improve the productivity and workplace effectiveness of the modern work environment -- through better understanding lesbian and gay workplace equality and diversity issues.

We get asked a fair bit at Out Now to provide expert comment on lesbian and gay marketing issues, gay and lesbian communications and other LGBT market related issues.

One of the most important current issues is achieving gay and lesbian equality at work through the impact of truly effective diversity policies. Diversity at work should be viewed as a practice not merely as a policy, and maximum workplace diversity productivity benefits can only be achieved by ongoing commitment and implementation, not just by ticking an 'E and D' policy check box.

For those with access to BBC1 in the UK market, tonight the program Inside Out will be covering the issue of being out as gay in the often homophobic industry of banking and finance. Hosted by UK gay market Pink Pound pioneer, Ivan Massow, the program looks like being an informative treatment of the important topics of workplace diversity, and coming out as gay at work in The City.

Nobody ever does their best work in the closet, and it really is past time to put the days of fear behind.

Another industry that is a perhaps unlikely place to find it, but one where homophobia still holds truck is the media and communications industry.

Media Week recently ran an interesting article about the current state of play for gay and lesbian people at work in the communications industry. Here is an extract of that coverage:

Is media getting the mix right?

LONDON - The UK population is becoming increasingly diverse, but are media's upper echelons reflecting the changing face of our society? Suzy Bashford reports

Take a look around your office. How diverse is the mix of people?

Statistically, you're most likely to be surrounded by an equal mix of men and women (perhaps a slight bias to the latter), but you've probably got a mostly male senior management team. As well as women in senior roles, the number of ethnic minorities and over-50s are probably in short supply too. And as for gay colleagues, you probably don't even know how many you work with, as half of them will not be openly "out".

In most cases, the media industry does not overtly discriminate on the grounds of ethnicity, gender, age and sexuality - in fact, it is probably more diverse than many industries. However, the fact that people in these groups are often not putting themselves forward for roles is an issue for the industry and one that still needs attention.

As Britain becomes increasingly diverse, media needs to keep up with these changes. After all, if those working in all levels of media aren't reflective of the general population, how can they expect to talk to the UK's diverse contemporary population effectively?

Sexuality

An estimated 5-6% of the UK population is openly gay; An estimated 15% of London's population is gay; (These are estimates only from Gay.com. Tracking sexuality is not easy because, unlike gender and race, it can be concealed and is not a legal requirement to disclose on the census or when applying for jobs.)

Only 50% of gay people are openly "out" at work in the UK. (Source: Out Now Consulting -- Diva/GT gay market research.)

But as well as this, if you are employing someone who is gay and he or she doesn't feel comfortable revealing this at work, then the chances are you won't get the best out of them.

Ian Johnson, managing director of Out Now Consulting, says his research shows that only 50% of gay people are openly "out" at work in the UK.

"This is not just hampering the employee, it's hampering the business. You hired them. You trained them. But they are wasting their energy in the workplace hiding what they are," he says.

Yet, Alistair Cansdale, account director at Mediaedge:cia, says being gay at an agency in the north of England was "horrendous".

"It was male-dominated and very old school. I couldn't come out there, so I left after three months," he says. At MediaEdge:cia he came out on the first day.

"It's the happiest place I've worked. If you don't come out, you can feel a bit scared and you can't be yourself and work to the best of your ability," he adds.

Want to receive Gay Market News by email? It's easy--click here.

Out Now Consulting has 15 years experience in working in all facets of gay and lesbian marketing, including understanding gay and lesbian workplace diversity issues and how they affect companies targeting the gay market. To get expert gay and lesbian marketing communications, research and marketing strategy insight, with access to the leading expert gay and lesbian target marketing advice, lesbian and gay marketing expert input, all from the leading gay and lesbian community marketing experts: contact Out Now.
-------------------
For reaching gay consumers, lesbian and gay market research, GLBT advertising, gay PR, GayComfort™ training and gay marketing strategies, choose OutNowConsulting.com. To contact Out Now, send us an email. Helping brands marketing & advertising to gays and lesbians. LGBT communications successfully reaching the lesbian and gay consumer market since 1992. Out Now Consulting and Gay Market News will keep you updated on all the latest gay marketing, GLBT community market research, LGBT travel and gay tourism, gay and lesbian communications, gay PR and gay advertising developments. Gay market insight is Out Now: Gay Marketing. Solved. OutNowConsulting.com GayMarketing101.com. All content on all Out Now websites (C) 2007 - Out Now. If you find any material you believe is subject to other copyrights here, other than allowed fair use for copyright purposes, please contact Out Now with details. Out Now Gay Market News -- Gay Marketing 101 gay market updates site. LGBT communications. Gay PR. Global gay PR marketing, gay public relations strategy, GLBT PR, LGBT issues training, gay advertising, LGBT market, lesbian and gay market research leaders, GLBT marketing. Gay Market News is Gay Marketing 101 - Out Now Gay Marketing, Advertising, Gay PR, Market Research. Travel Market. Training. gay market gay advertising gay marketing gay tourism gay travel pink dollar pink pound gay agency advertising marketing travel tourism gay lesbian gay and lesbian market research glbt lgbt communications community pink euro