Given recent political actions in Florida and elsewhere, which are designed to silence voices that deserve and need to be heard, Pride month had a heightened urgency this year. There are many things we can do as private citizens to push back against misguided and hateful policies, but I want to take a moment and reflect on what we can all do in the workplace as business leaders to create an environment that reflects the values of acceptance and inclusion. It’s a given that leaders cast a long shadow—what we say and do has a very large impact.
It’s worth remembering that Pride month has a history that spans more than half a century. The outgrowth of a movement that began as a march in June 1970 to commemorate the first anniversary of the Stonewall riots, it has become a month-long recognition of the LGBTQ+ community, not just in the U.S. but around the world.
So, we’ve come a long way in the last 50 years, right? I wish I could answer with a confident “yes,” but we live in troubling times. As business leaders we are called on now more than ever to make sure our workplaces are truly welcoming to talented people, irrespective of their background or gender identity. Of course, most companies today embrace diversity; many have teams of employees dedicated to a company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Pride month is a good time to check-in with your LGBTQ+ colleagues to get a real sense of the effectiveness in fostering a truly inclusive environment at all levels, across all functions, and geographies. But it’s an effort that should continue all year.
How do you know you are not restricting the creativity and initiative of an entire segment of the workforce? One important element is ensuring the words and actions from the CEO on down are genuine and embracing of other lifestyles. Doing so sets a cultural tone that paves the way for other employees to follow.
As a late-stage start-up, we have had the opportunity to initiate practices while we are small and communications flow more easily. In planning for our Pride month activities with some LGBTQ+ employees, our CEO, Frank Watanabe, engaged through dialogue by sharing stories of close friends and the impact their struggles had on his growth as a friend, co-worker, and now leader.
At Arcutis, where I lead a large organization, as well as a team dedicated to driving and evolving our corporate culture, I strive to create an environment where every employee feels safe to stand firmly in who they are and share important aspects of their lives and experiences without fear of retribution. An essential learning that I have had in my 30 years of leading people is that I get the most out of my employees and teams when they can be themselves and share basic aspects of who they are, allowing them to connect at work in more authentic ways.
We recently rolled out a new professional development program called “Grow, Connect, Lead.” All three of these ideas are essential, but to me, “Connect” has special resonance. What does it mean to connect with another human being? It implies empathy, understanding, and compassion. It means dropping your barriers, opening yourself up, taking risks, and being honest with yourself and with others. This is where LGBTQ+ allies can show their support by being a visible model to their co-workers.
Recently, one of our employees shared all the considerations he made in his input to a company-wide announcement of his hiring. He took the leap, sharing that he had a husband and children. In explaining his process, he admitted he had never been able to do that before this job. He shared the immense feelings of belonging he felt from day one, due to the positive responses he received from his new colleagues.
In addition to the increased value that a fully embraced/accepted employee adds to the workplace, they too gain more out of the experience and can have greater confidence and job satisfaction. I know this as a manager who has mentored countless employees. And I know it as an employee who has experienced the burden of living a double life, keeping my true self under wraps for many years in the workplace. When I did take the step to come out several years ago, I felt the growth in my emotional and psychological safety had a direct correlation to my sense of commitment and loyalty to my work, my co-workers, and my team.
I’m not going to tell you that fostering an open, inclusive culture is easy. For sure, even the best efforts fall short. I often think of a situation I faced several years ago at a different company, where the partner of one of my employees was gravely injured in an accident and in a coma. My employee, a gay man, was so hesitant to tell me, a gay woman, why he needed time off from work, that he waited three days. I still become emotional thinking about the additional pain and struggle he faced during a time when all he needed was support from his company. It exemplifies the fear that LGBTQ+ employees can find themselves having to consider, face, and navigate, due to the bias, perceived or real, in their workplace.
As these examples show, the way in which our LGBTQ+ employees can feel polarized, stressed, and uncomfortable may not always be apparent. As leaders, managers, co-workers, and friends, the best thing we can do to help build that more inclusive culture is to create that space for dialogue and then to listen. It is in small steps and shifts that we begin to make real change that widens that circle of belonging.
All of us–as employees, managers, leaders, humans–help create our company’s culture. Let’s all consider actionable opportunities we can take to allow our LGBTQ+ colleagues to flourish in the workplace.
