LGBTQ Inclusivity and Language in the Workplace

To quote Bill Crawford, “Diversity, or the state of being different, isn’t the same as inclusion. One is a description of what is, while the other describes a style of interaction essential to effective teams and organization.”

The workplace should be an environment where people feel safe to focus on getting work done. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Diversity, which can be defined as acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing and celebrating differences, is desirable in the workplace.1 Benefits to diversity within the workplace include increasing marketing opportunities, increasing recruitment potential, bolstering creativity and fostering a better business image. However, diversity comes with its challenges. Managing diversity is not just about acknowledging differences, but it involves appreciating the value of differences, guarding against discrimination and promoting inclusiveness.1 Negative behaviors and attitudes in the workplace (prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination) can create barriers to diversity and inclusiveness and ultimately result in poor morale, impaired productivity and litigation. The focus of this article is on one particular aspect of workplace diversity: sexual orientation and identity.