How does your business go about recruiting to the LGBT community? Do any of your advertising and marketing practices target LGBT consumers? Do you know how to assist a transgendered employee in their gender transition process at work? And what about those bathrooms—how are you addressing this issue? Workplaces have made progress towards LGBT equality yet LGBT workers still go to work every day with fear that they might lose their jobs because of whom they love and who they are. There is no federal law protecting the LGB community from workplace discrimination and harassment. There is confusion among organizations as to whether the federal civil rights law Title VII protects gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) employees.
The EEOC and several courts clearly have stated that LGB employees are protected by Title VII however other courts have disagreed. Recently, the EEOC has filed its first two sexual orientation lawsuits. These two cases demonstrate the EEOC’s commitment to moving forward to protect LGB employees from discrimination under Title VII. Transgender employees are protected under the Civil Rights Act Title VII because their discrimination is “because of sex” yet discrimination lawsuits continue to arise as to what bathroom and locker room transgender employees can use while at work. Roughly 90% of transgender and 40% of GLB employees experience workplace discrimination according to some surveys.
Heterosexism - the cultural expectation that everyone is, should be, or would prefer to be heterosexual - is the established norm of the workplace; a commonplace bias in American institutions. This bias gets played out in both overt and covert behaviors which in turn negatively impact the organizational culture. However, there have been organizational successes in diminishing the biases. There is an opportunity for your organization to create strategies to ensure LGBT inclusion in your workforce.
As with any other organization, healthcare employs LGBT individuals who deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and feel included in their work culture and environment. When members of the LGBT community do not feel as though they are accepted by others it decreases morale, productivity, increases turnover, and may interfere with their ability to provide the best quality patient care. Treating LGBT employees with respect and dignity is not only required by the EEOC, but also by several states and some federal courts. You run the risk of liability if the LGBT population is not included in the culture of your workplace.
As with any other organization, healthcare employs LGBT individuals who deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and feel included in their work culture and environment. When members of the LGBT community do not feel as though they are accepted by others it decreases morale, productivity, increases turnover, and may interfere with their ability to provide the best quality patient care. Treating LGBT employees with respect and dignity is not only required by the EEOC, but also by several states and some federal courts. You run the risk of liability if the LGBT population is not included in the culture of your workplace.
Dr. Susan Strauss
Dr. Susan Strauss is a national and international speaker, trainer and consultant. Her specialty areas include management/leadership development, organization development, communication, and harassment and bullying. She is an expert witness for discrimination and harassment lawsuits. She trains and consults with business, education, healthcare, law, and government organizations from both the public and private sector. Dr. Strauss has authored over 30 book chapters, books, and articles in professional journals. She has been featured on 20/20, CBS Evening News, and other television and radio programs as well as interviewed for newspaper and journal articles. She has her doctorate in organizational leadership, is …
How to Write Contracts for Procurement Professionals
Sunshine Act Reporting - Clarification for Clinical Research
How to Deal with Employees Who Love to Argue and Debate Eve…
Project Management for administrative professionals
ChatGPT and Project Management: Leveraging AI for Project M…
Onboarding Best Practices for 2025: Proven Strategies to Po…
Terminating Toxicity: Strategies For Leaders To Confidently…
Transform Data into Insights: A Beginners Guide to Excel Pi…
Reprogramming your mind for Corporate Excellence: 4 Steps t…
How to Write Effective Audit Observations: The Principles f…
How to Manage the Legal Landmine of the FMLA, ADA and Worke…
Uplifting the Credibility of HR: How to Build the Credibili…
Performance of Root Cause Analysis, CAPA, and Effectiveness…
Bridging Generational Divides in the Workplace
Strategic Interviewing & Selection: Getting the Right Talen…
Onboarding Best Practices for Millennial and All Employees
2-Hour Virtual Seminar on How to Conduct an Internal Harass…
FDA Audit Best Practices - Do's and Don'ts
Emotional Intelligence: Mastering the Emotions of Great Lea…
Unlock Employee Loyalty: Stay Interviews Will Keep Them Eng…
Accounting For Non Accountants : Debit, Credits And Financi…
Successful Strategies for FDA Expedited Pathways for Your D…
Regulation update Q1 2025: New and Proposed Regulations for…
Pay Transparency in Action: Strategies for Building Trust a…
Designing Employee Experiences to Build a Culture of Compli…
Developing and Implementing Quality Culture in the Organiza…
Excel Lookup Functions: VLOOKUP, HLOOKUP, and XLOOKUP Made …
Break Free from Toxicity: Reclaim Your Power and Peace
Tips and Techniques for Conducting an Effective Fraud Risk …
Physician Employment Agreements: Problem Areas that can be …
Measure the Effectiveness of Compliance Programs by Engagin…
FDA Regulation of Artificial Intelligence/ Machine Learning
Navigating 2025 Employment Laws: What Every Employer Needs …
Implementing an Effective Human Error Reduction Program
Cleaning Data without Complex Functions - A Course for Data…
Succession Plan for 2025: It's Not Just for Emergencies - I…
Employers Should Prepare for Immigration Raids in 2025! Thi…
Managing Toxic Employees: Strategies For Leaders To Effecti…
Using High-Performance Coaching for Managers to Address Per…
6-Hour Virtual Seminar on Learning the Highlights of Excel …
Principles & Practices for the Cybersecurity of Legacy Medi…