How to celebrate Pride at work, this month and beyond | Just Eat for Business

Pride Month is celebrated every June around the globe, and this year we've been able to finally celebrate in person. There are plenty of ways you can mark the occasion throughout the rest of the year, by working towards making your company a more inclusive place for LGBTQ employees.

Every year in June, countries across the world celebrate Pride Month. It's a time for celebrations, marches, protests, parades and more. Everyone is aware of the importance of making workplaces more inclusive, and for LGBTQ people, that means more than just being protected from discrimination while at work – it’s about the ability to be fully themselves. 

However, according to Forbes, "a challenge companies face is assimilating people from various backgrounds and gender identities to feel included in the overall company culture." While Pride celebrations include plenty of fun for the whole team, the process of making working environments more inclusive for LGBTQ colleagues shouldn't just be led by your HR or People teams - it takes a whole company to make a difference.

Read on for a variety of ways for teams to celebrate Pride at work:

1. Educate, learn and discuss as a team

Take this month to learn more about the LGBTQ community, the history of Pride, key figures and how best to be an ally.

Your company could host an informal roundtable or discussion session based on a resource like a short article, video or documentary to get people talking and learning from one another. You could also set up a series of short education and celebration pieces to be posted on your internal comms platform throughout the month. In this, you could highlight important and influential LGBTQ figures, for example, or share reading/watching lists for your colleagues to use in their own time.

Be sure to invite your own LGBTQ colleagues to take part in the event planning or in leading discussions if they'd like to.

2. Keep your policies & hiring practices up to date and inclusive

Your company's HR, People, and Talent teams should take some time to go through company policies and hiring practices thoroughly to ensure that there's no room for discrimination. 

According to the CIPD's report on LGBT working lives, LGBTQ employees are "more likely to experience workplace conflict and harassment than their heterosexual, cisgender counterparts". Off the back of its report, the CIPD recommends actions that people professionals can take, including setting clear policies of what's acceptable and not, building peer support and allyship networks, collecting meaningful data on staff, providing targeted and effective training, and more.

Overall, it's important to build and foster an inclusive workplace culture where employees feel they can bring forward any concerns they may have and know that their company will take it seriously.

3. Hold a focus group for your LGBTQ employees

Even with zero-tolerance policies in place, LGBTQ employees may face discrimination at work. So, if you want to know how LGBTQ colleagues feel and what they are experiencing at your company, there's no better way to find out than by asking! You could hold a focus group, led by an LGBTQ employee to ensure it's a safe space for colleagues to discuss their experiences. One person should be present to take notes, keeping opinions and experiences anonymous (if participants want that) so that attendees feel more comfortable sharing.

Once the focus group has finished, draw up some key themes and actions to pass onto your HR/People team or senior leadership. This can help guide your company to be more actively inclusive and tackle any issues or observations that attendees have brought forward.

4. Encourage employees to include their pronouns wherever possible

Pronouns and gender identity are important to all of us, whether we identify as LGBTQ or not. One way to be an ally to trans and non-binary people is to include your own pronouns (she/her, he/him, they/them, etc.) in your email signatures, Slack bios, LinkedIn profiles and more.

Including your pronouns wherever possible helps to normalise the practice and can make spaces safer for trans people to share their own pronouns. You might also consider implementing gender-neutral language recommendations in the workplace, as well as gender-neutral bathroom facilities where possible. 

5. Donate to charities that support the LGBTQ community

There are lots of great charities doing important work to support the LGBTQ community. So, during June (and beyond) your business could set up a donation or start a fundraiser that colleagues can participate in and donate to. If you're looking to get the whole team involved, why not organise a fitness challenge, bake sale or a fun run to raise money for an LGBTQ charity?

If you're looking for inspiration, take a look at the British LGBT Awards top 10 charities and community initiatives.

6. Enjoy Pride-themed treats together

At Just Eat for Business, we love to celebrate with food - and Pride is no exception! Whether your teams are in the office or working from home, we've got plenty of delicious Pride-themed treats for them to enjoy.

How about some fudgy brownies from EK Bakery (who donate 10% of their Pride profits to the LGBTQ Youth Homelessness Charity AKT). Or you could deliver some beautifully decorated rainbow Oreos from La di da Sweet Treats  to your employees' homes. With options for both in-office and at-home delivery, the whole team can celebrate Pride together!

Get in touch with us to order!

Happy Pride! 🏳️ 🌈🏳️ ⚧️🌈