Fostering LGBTQ+ Inclusivity in the Workplace of a Global FMCG MNC through Events-Based Approach
The Background: A global organization with a strong presence in India mandated all of its international locations to bring a sharp focus on the inclusion of LGBTQ+ members. Re-Link was consulted to create an intervention to educate employees on the LGBTQ+ community and design policies in accordance with the Laws of the Land. It was also mandated that their globally approved and standardized content on DEI issues be implemented in the India offices as well.
The Challenge: The key challenge was that the India office and its employees had only been recently introduced to the concepts of DEI. There was a very limited view and understanding of sexual orientation and gender identity. In this scenario, the organization’s readiness for in-depth LGBTQ+ inclusion was low and the adequate foundation had not yet been built.
Our Solution: We custom-made an intervention for the client- titled “Pride Plus”. This program combined events and focused learning sessions, interspersed with communication, to garner support for the community and build strong allies.
The journey began by conducting an Inclusion audit, which included Focused Group Discussions, to gain an insight into the collective disposition and readiness for LGBTQ+ related conversations. This process uncovered deep-seated fears and prejudices, which stemmed from a complete lack of understanding of concepts of sexual orientation and/or gender identity, a clash with religious and personal beliefs, and the confusion of – ‘is this just a fad’, among other issues. The Pride Plus program was crafted to help employees address the above-mentioned questions.
Re-Link used a two-pronged approach:
- Curating events for employees: Exposing them to issues of the community through panel discussions, movie screenings, fireside conversations, plays, story-telling and others.
- Sensitization sessions for the leadership teams: In-depth conversations with the leaders on the business case for LGBTQ+ employees, a detailed understanding of terminology, the language used, biases the community faces and others.
The Outcomes:
- The Pride Plus Campaign was extremely successful.
- More than 75% of employees participated in events and pledged to become allies
- 80% attendance of leaders in the learning sessions.
- An Employee Resource Group for LGBTQ+ members was established
- The organisation was invited to present its best practices in DEI conferences.