lgbtintheworkplace

[lgbtintheworkplace]

Building an Inclusive Workplace Environment for Your Business

No one can say you’re not a 21st century boss. Although the workplace has changed a lot since you started, you have kept your management style up to date. You are ready to tackle whatever comes in terms of employment. As a good Canadian, you want your workplace to be as inclusive as possible. How do you begin to make your workplace more inclusive? Here are some tips for an inclusive workplace environment.

Simple Steps to Make Your Workplace Environment More Inclusive

First, to be inclusive, you have to hire inclusive. Consider making your HR department more inclusive from the inside out. Look to hire LGBTQ personnel for HR, and for other positions within your company. That way, you’ll be able to attract talented members of the community, and your employees will be able to network. 

Also, you need to think about putting together an anti-discrimination policy for your employees that is LGBTQ friendly. You may want to check HR policies in other businesses that are inclusive. A lot of successful companies use their employees to help them build an inclusive HR policy. Ask some of your employees that have been with you for a while if they have ideas about crafting a policy for the workplace. Be sure and ask for feedback from all of your employees about inclusivity. What if you are stuck, and you aren’t sure how to push forward with an inclusive policy? We can help. Contact Safer Spaces today, and let us set up a workplace training course appointment to speak with us.

[lgbtintheworkplace]

LGBT Workplace Training for Employers in Barrie

Employers in Canada are always looking for people to hire. They want to hire the best employees possible. However, employers don’t always know where to look to find quality employees. There’s a huge pool of talented Canadians that employers may overlook--members of the LGBT community. Also, there are employers who may not know how to make sure the community is warm and welcoming for their new LGBT employees. Here is some information on LGBT workplace training for Barrie employers. Some of the coursework allows employers to learn without ever leaving work. 

About Workplace Training

Research shows that about 10 to 15% of the population self-identifies as LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning). This represents a significant portion of the Canadian workforce. While hundreds of thousands of Canadians identify as non-cisgender, many of them are afraid to be out to their employers or their work colleagues. In fact, nearly three-quarters of non-cisgender Canadians are not out at work. Primarily, this is due to fears of reprisals at work, or fear of judgment or even abuse from their co-workers. 

As the employer, you set the tone for your workplace. You can make sure that all of your employees feel welcome and included. If you aren’t sure how to do that, Safer Spaces can offer you training in how to make your LGBT employees welcome, and how to construct anti-discrimination policies for your workplace. You can even have your employees work with you to craft policies that create a welcoming workplace. Contact Safer Spaces today if you need more information about our LGBT workplace inclusion course.

[lgbtintheworkplace]

LGBT Workplace Training Seminars in Simcoe County

Today’s workplaces need to be as accessible as possible for all of your employees and customers. In Canada, it is a requirement that your workplace be as inclusive as possible. One way that you can continue to be inclusive is to conduct LGBT workplace training seminars. If you are thinking about inclusive workplace training, here is some information about LGBT workplace training seminars. 

What Is Included in a Workplace Training Seminar?

Inclusive workplaces should be something your workplace does without thinking. However, that isn’t always the case. When you have employees that are not cisgender, you may be unsure what a proper relationship in the workplace is. For example, with employees who are gay, lesbian or bisexual, common office chatter about dating takes on a whole new meaning. If you have employees who are transgender, non-binary or gender fluid, you need to have care when broaching topics such as pronoun use. 

Workplace training seminars allow your employees to ask questions in a safe environment. Your employees can also discuss misconceptions about non-cisgender employees. For example, if one of your employees is getting married, and they are non-cisgender, how should a wedding shower be handled? There’s a lot that can be covered in a workplace seminar. 

Your employees may be understanding of another employee who is LGBT, and you may want to use your time to work on a workplace policy for equal treatment of employees who are not cisgender. That way, your workplace can be seen as a great place to work, and your employees will feel welcome and included. If you want to have LGBT workplace training courses, but you don’t have any idea how to start, we can help. Give Safer Spaces a call today.

[lgbtintheworkplace]

Promoting 2SLGBTQ+  Workplace Equality in Your Barrie Workplace

Canada is one of the most inclusive and diverse countries in the world. Our nation has been on the forefront of workplace equality since legalizing gay marriage, and changing legislation to reflect gender diversity and sexual orientation. In fact, the law in Canada dictates workplaces must be inclusive for all, regardless of race, class, gender, sexuality, gender identity, or immigration status. If you are looking for a way to promote 2SLGBTQ+ workplace equality, we have several suggestions for you. 

How to Promote Workplace Equality

The best way to promote workplace equality is to hire and promote diversity. You need to begin to hire people to work in your company with different sexual orientations and gender identities, because once the community sees you are willing to hire inclusively, you will have more 2SLGBTQ+ people applying for jobs. 

When you have qualified candidates applying for jobs and getting hired, you need to make sure that your workplace is inclusive. Most likely, this means you will need to educate and train your workforce on inclusivity. Before you can figure out what training your workforce needs, you need to have them take a self-assessment. The self-assessment will be able to tell you which areas need to be addressed, such as sexuality and gender identity. For example, you may have employees who are well-versed in what it means to be lesbian, gay, or bisexual, but they may not understand what it means to be gender fluid or non-binary. There are workshops that are available to help your employees understand gender identity. 

You can also work to promote activities that affirm your role as an inclusive workplace. You and your employees can create an anti-discrimination policy for the workplace. You can also promote Pride Month, as well as other activities that celebrate diversity and inclusion in the workplace. If you need help promoting 2SLGBTQ+ workplace inclusion, contact Safer Spaces today.

[lgbtintheworkplace]

Inclusive Workplace Teaching Courses in Barrie

Canadian businesses are striving for better, stronger, more inclusive workplaces all over Canada. If you are a business owner or a manager, you know that the best kind of workplaces are inclusive ones. Inclusive workplaces are more profitable and they tend to retain more employees. If you are interested in inclusive workplace teaching courses, here are some ways to get started. 

Inclusive Courses

If you are interested in a more inclusive workplace, you may want to start with a self-assessment quiz. You and your employees could take the quiz to assess where you are with your thoughts and beliefs about the LGBTQ+ community. Some of your employees may be very knowledgeable about non-cisgender people, while others may not be aware of differences in people’s sexuality or gender. 

Once you know the results of the self-assessment, you can then plan your course schedule. You could start with a basic training course, which breaks down definitions, history and social movements within LGBTQ. If your employees are more knowledgeable, you could start with a different course, such as getting to know members of the community in the local area. You and your employees may want to sit down and write an anti-discrimination policy for your business. Customer service, and how best to serve members of the LGBTQ+ community may also be helpful. Once your employees have the basics down, you will be able to work with them on hiring policies, recruitment and retention. The more diverse your workplace is, the more profitable it will be in the future. If you need help planning your workplace teaching courses, we can help. Contact Safer Spaces today.

[lgbtintheworkplace]

Workshops that Can Help Your Company in Promoting LGBTQ Workplace Diversity

If you were doing a company evaluation on workplace diversity, where would your company line up? Would you get high marks for your diversity training and inclusive workplace, or would you fail? It is not always easy to find the perfect employee for your workplace, but there are a lot of talented employees who are LGBTQ and looking for work. Here are some workshops who can help you with LGBTQ workplace diversity.

How to Promote Diversity in Workshops

Some members of the LGBTQ community have a hard time finding work. This is especially true for transgender and nonbinary employees. Research indicates as many as 40% of people who are transgender or nonbinary have a hard time finding work. You can help decrease those numbers by opening your workplace to LGBTQ employees. Not only will they enrich your workplace, but hiring diversity promotes diversity in your community. 

There are workshops we can use to help you with your employees to promote diversity. You may want to begin with a general seminar on terms and definitions around the LGBTQ community. A history of civil rights for LGBTQ employees is also important, so that your employees can understand the community. You and your employees could work together to make sure you have a non-discrimination workplace policy, and an inclusive workplace agenda. Once you begin to enact non-discrimination in the workplace, you will be amazed how much your workplace benefits from inclusivity. Do you need help with your LGBTQ workplace policies? We can help. Contact Safer Spaces today.

[lgbtintheworkplace]

Understanding LGBT Policies in the Workplace

Employers and managers of businesses need to understand how Canada’s LGBT policies affect them and their clientele. While for some business owners it is self-explanatory, for others, it will be necessary to delve further into understanding how these laws affect their businesses. Here is some helpful information on understanding LGBT policies in the workplace. 

What Business Owners Need to Know

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees are protected by Canadian law. The law in Canada prevents discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation or gender preference. The law in Canada has been on the books for over 20 years, and was updated about 5 years ago to include transgender employees. 

This means that if you have a mission or vision statement, you may need to revise it to include rights for LGBT employees. You also need to include anti-discrimination policies on your human resource documents. This may be the first place potential employees will see your stance on LGBT issues, and you will want to be out front with non-discrimination policies. 

You may also want to think about holding workshops with your employees as well. If you are not sure which workshops to have, you can begin the process with a self-assessment. That way, your employees can be up front with what they know and what they don’t know about the LGBT community. If you aren’t sure where to begin, or you need help scheduling the appropriate workshops, contact Safer Spaces today. We can help you figure out which workplace inclusion workshops would be perfect for you and your employees.

[lgbtintheworkplace]

How Employers Can Provide LGBT Workplace Inclusion for their Business

The 21st century has been all about inclusion and equality for all Canadians. Laws were passed in Canada that enable the nation to make sure that workplaces are open for all Canadians no matter which gender selection and sexual orientation they choose. LGBT workplace inclusion means that your employees are welcoming to customers and fellow workers no matter what their gender or sexual orientation. Here is some information about workplace inclusion workshops for business owners. 

Workplace Inclusion

The definition of workplace inclusion means that workers are in an environment where everyone is treated fairly, with the same access to all of the opportunities and resources in the workplace, and have the ability to contribute equally to the success of the business. 

The first step towards workplace inclusion is to recognize that all employees have to be treated fairly and respectfully. This means that employees need to understand LGBT terminology, and listen to the history of the community. There are workshops available for employees to hear the history of the community, and speak to LGBT community members. 

After your employees are aware of the policy, you can then work to decide on an anti-discrimination policy. The anti-discrimination policy could be for the employees in your company, or they also could be for employees and customers. You may want to make sure that that anti-discrimination policy is circulated throughout your company. Often, workplaces work with employees to create posters, brochures, buttons, and other literature promoting inclusion in the workplace. If you need help with crafting an anti-discrimination policy for your workplace, we can help. Contact Safer Spaces today.

[lgbtintheworkplace]

Workshops that Provide LGBTQ Training in the Workplace

Are you thinking about trying to make your workplace more inclusive? It can be difficult to do, but there are workshops that will be able to help you move your workplace towards inclusion. Here is more information about LGBTQ training in the workplace. 

What Kind of Training Is Available?

You will need to think about your employees and their needs before you request workshop training. A needs assessment survey of your employees might be helpful when you are thinking about human resources training in general. If your employees take a needs assessment survey and you discover that they are not familiar with terms related to LGBTQ, you might want to start there. There are workshops available to help your employees understand basic terminology regarding members of the LGBTQ community. 

If your employees understand the basic terminology for the LGBTQ community, you may want to move on and conduct workshops on the personal experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (or questioning) community members with an eye towards interactions with customers or other employees. If your employees are primarily under 30, you may have a group of employees who understand and regularly socialize with people in the lesbian, gay or bisexual community, but who may need more training on transgender and gender fluid community members. 

Are you fortunate enough to have employees who are very familiar with the LGBTQ community? Great! You can have your employees work with you to craft a policy towards inclusion and anti-discrimination for all employees in your company. No matter where you are with your employees, there’s a workshop for you. Need help figuring out which inclusive workplace workshop is best for you? Contact Safer Spaces today.

[lgbtintheworkplace]

Inclusive Workplace Workshops in Barrie

Employers in the Barrie area need to hold workplace workshops and seminars to work with their employees all the time. Employees need a variety of training to be ready to interact with each other, as well as with your customers or clients. Research indicates that the number one reason an employee is terminated is because they can’t get along with someone they work with. One way to combat this issue is by offering inclusive workplace workshops. There are different workplace workshops available in the Barrie area. 

What Is an Inclusive Workplace Workshop?

Inclusive workplace workshops are held on a variety of topics. One of the most important topics that needs to be covered is the notion of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Researchers estimate that over 10% of the workforce community is non-cisgender, and over 20% of the workforce is a minority. Half of the workforce in Canada is female. All of these differences need to work together, and that’s not always easy. 

Inclusive workplace workshops can cover everything from understanding LGBT terminology, to understanding the lived experiences of LGBT employees, and understanding the needs of transgender or gender fluid employees as well. If your workplace is well-versed in terminology, you may want to hold a workshop on crafting an inclusion policy for your workplace. You might also want to work with your employees on a diversity policy for customers, as well as how to serve customers who are non-cisgender. If you need help with inclusive workplace training, contact Safer Spaces today.

[lgbtintheworkplace]

Promoting Transgender Workplace Diversity in Barrie

If you are looking for ways to make sure your workplace is as diverse as possible, you may want to think about transgender workplace diversity. Your employees may be familiar with workplace diversity when it comes to members of the lesbian, gay or bisexual community, but transgender, gender fluid and non-binary employees may be new to many employers. There are several ways you can work to promote transgender workplace diversity.

How Can I Promote a Transgender Friendly Workplace

You can start promoting transgender workplace diversity is to make simple changes in the look of your workplace. You may want to begin by making sure there are designated workplace bathrooms for people who are transgender or non-binary. Usually, companies with a transgender or non-binary workforce have single-stall unisex bathrooms with locked doors for privacy. 

Another way that you can promote workplace diversity is to discuss with your employees which pronouns they prefer to use. Many transgender or non-binary pronouns don’t use the pronouns assigned to them at birth. Instead of making assumptions about which pronouns your employees prefer, you need to ask them. 

Another way that you can promote workplace diversity is by hiring people who are transgender or non-binary. When you are just beginning to think about hiring transgender and non-binary employees, you may want to have some help. We can help you in the LGBTQ workplace inclusion process--why not give Safer Spaces a call today?

[lgbtintheworkplace]

How to Provide LGBTQ Training in the Workplace?

It is a very important time in Ontario as far as business owners go. Business owners are already facing a lot of pressure. There’s Covid 19 and the economic downturn in Canada, and people are so reluctant to buy anything. It is so imperative that employers seek out the best talent and also ensure customer satisfaction. One way that employers can improve employee and customer relations at the same time is to undergo LGBTQ training in the workplace. Here is information about providing LGBTQ training. 

What Kind of Training?

Canada requires that workplaces are inclusive, which means that hiring and employee practices must be inclusive for employees who are non-cisgender. However, when Canada made changes to the Human Rights Act, they did not give employers workplace training for non-cisgendered employees or customers. Employers want to be understanding of people who are non-cisgender. Many employees are in demand, especially if they have creative, scientific, or technological talent, and it pays to have an inclusive workplace. It also pays to have employees who are receptive to customers who may be cisgender. 

There are seminars that allow you and your employees to undergo workplace inclusion training courses to both understand and create policies towards inclusion of LGBTQ employees and customers as well. These seminars include basic information, terms and definitions of LGBTQ terminology. Your employees can also take advanced seminars on creating inclusive workplace policies as well as tearing down barriers that are not inclusive. Safer Spaces can help you choose the seminars that are right for you. Contact Safer Spaces today.

[lgbtintheworkplace]

LGBT Safe Space Training Course Providers in Barrie

Now more than ever, it is important that employees have a safe place to conduct their business. The world has become much more welcoming to individuals who have different sexual orientations or who are non-gender conforming. Businesses also have begun to recognize that hiring non-cisgender employees is good business sense. LGBT employees are educated, talented and creative, and by hiring them, you work to bring in a more talented and diverse workplace. After you begin hiring LGBTQ employees, what do you do then? You need to create a safe space for them to work effectively. Here is more information about LGBTQ safe space training for you and your employees. 

Why Do I Need LGBT Safe Space Training?

Although you may feel perfectly comfortable having employees who are LGBT, your employees may not feel the same way. Often, non-cisgender employees feel a sense of uncertainty or uncomfortableness about sharing their orientation or gender with other employees. Research indicates that nearly half of the LGBT employees surveyed were not out at work, or they did not share relationship details with co-workers. LGBT employees need to feel comfortable at work to reach their full potential. Often non-cisgender employees cite the workplace climate and their level of comfort as a factor of their leaving their job. 

You can offer safe space training at your workplace. That way, employees can learn appropriate definitions and terminology they can use with co-workers, clients and customers. They also can use the workplace as a space to ask questions and get clarification and confirmation. If you want to have safe space training in your workplace, be sure and contact Safer Spaces today.

[lgbtintheworkplace]

Creating LGBT Awareness in the Workplace for Local Businesses

If you are an owner or manager of a business, you may think that your workplace is very inclusive. If it is, you wouldn’t be the only business in Ontario that is inclusive. However, you may wake up to a warning from your employees or customers that you aren’t as inclusive as you think. Here are some tips for creating LGBT awareness in the workplace. 

How Do I Create Awareness?

The first step towards creating awareness in the workplace is to make sure that your employees understand the difference between people who are cisgender and people who are LGBT. Safer Spaces has great self-assessment tools for you and your employees to use that help you identify words and ideas your employees might not know. 

Once you are able to understand what your employees know and what they aren’t sure about, you can then schedule workshops for your employees. While many employees aren’t a fan of workshops, our workshops are fun and interesting. You can begin with a preliminary workshop that helps your employees with definitions. This may be especially helpful for terms such as gender fluid and transgender. Often, employees are familiar with the terms lesbian, gay and bisexual, but may not be familiar with other terminology. 

If your employees are familiar with terminology, you may want to work with them on creating safe places for employees who are not cisgender, or you may want to focus on breaking down barriers for your customers. Wherever your business is in the process, we can help. Contact Safer Spaces today for help with LGBTQ inclusive workplace training.

[lgbtintheworkplace]

Online LGBT Workplace Training Seminars Available

Nearly 10% of Canadians are not cisgender. They may have a different sexual orientation, or a different gender from the gender they were assigned at birth. Canada is at the forefront of equality for the LGBT community, and employers need to ensure that their workplace treats customers and employees equally. If you are a business owner, you may want to have a workplace training seminar; however, you may not want to have a large group of employees together in the time of Covid. Safer Spaces has a solution--you can ask for a training online. This allows you to serve your employees with training they need safely online. Here is more information about LGBT workplace training online. 

What Kind of Training Is Available?

Many employers find that it is helpful to conduct an introductory survey to sample your employee’s attitudes about differences in gender and sexuality. From that information, we can help you determine which training seminar is a good idea for your company. If many of your employees have little to no information about LGBT issues, you may need to start with an introductory seminar. An introductory seminar would give your employees the terms and definitions they need to begin to realize the difference in gender and sexual orientation. 

If your employees understand terms and definitions related to LGBT issues, you may want to give your employees a chance to ask questions about fellow employees and customers who are LGBT. In this kind of online seminar, people from the community who are LGBT conduct a seminar and discuss their experiences. Your employees may want to construct a new policy for discrimination of employees and customers, which may take a whole day-long seminar. All of these seminars are available online. 

When you are ready to begin the process of making a workplace that is welcoming and inclusive, contact Safer Spaces today for great workplace inclusion training.

[lgbtintheworkplace]

LGBTQ Training in the Workplace in Barrie

Our workplaces should be a place of safety for all employees. However, for some employees that is not the case. Research on LGBTQ employees has found that over 50% of employees have experienced discrimination related to their gender or their sexuality. Thirty percent of cisgender employees described witnessing discrimination of fellow LGBTQ employees in the workplace. Forty-three percent of LGBTQ employees reported they are not fully out at work, and 47% of LGBTQ employees felt their gender or sexuality would prevent them from getting a raise or a promotion. 

In Canada, discrimination of LGBTQ employees is illegal, and employers can be subject to lawsuits from employees who face discrimination. One of the best ways to reduce the amount of discrimination faced by LGBTQ employees in the workplace is by conducting LGBTQ training in the workplace. Here is more information on the types of training available for employers to make their workplaces as inclusive as possible. 

Courses Offered

Cisgender employees have a lot of questions about LGBTQ people, and there is a lot of misunderstanding regarding gender and sexuality. Employees may not feel safe asking questions in the workplace. However, an introductory seminar on LGBTQ terms, definitions and experiences would be helpful for all employees, and employees might feel freer to ask questions in a seminar. If you are looking for a more intensive workplace training course, you may want to opt for a half-day course. In the half-day course, employees would delve into gender and transgendered terms and meanings, and hear from people who are LGBTQ about their experiences. Many employees who have taken the seminar have said the seminar helped them understand their fellow employees better. If you are interested in having an LGBTQ inclusion training in Barrie, contact Safer Spaces today.

[lgbtintheworkplace]

Common LGBT Workplace Issues in Barrie

Managers and owners who are trying to ensure workplaces are welcoming and inclusive for their employees may encounter problems along the way. It can be difficult to recognize and resolve workplace issues around gender and sexuality. Here are some of the most common LGBT workplace issues in the Barrie area. 

Incorrect Use of Pronouns

If you have an employee who is transgender, gender fluid, or transitioning, you may encounter an issue with pronoun usage. Many people who are transgender would like to be referred to with the pronouns they/them, however, that is not universal. Instead of making an assumption, why not ask all of your employees what their preferred pronouns are. 

Bathroom Issues

Often, transgender employees prefer to use the bathroom of the gender they identify with. However, rather than making your employees choose, offer a unisex bathroom that is open to people regardless of their gender choice. If you manage or own a large company or office, offer more than one bathroom that is unisex. Not only would a single stall bathroom be good for employees who are transgender, but employees with stomach issues would appreciate it as well. 

Dating in the Workplace

If you allow your employees to date in your office, make sure that your language about the dating policy is supportive of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender dating norms. You want all of your employees to know that the dating policy is not exclusionary. 

If you have questions about your company’s workplace, and whether or not it is inclusive to members of the LGBT community, we can help. Contact Safer Spaces today, and let us help you create a more inclusive workplace environment.