How to make your business more inclusive according to a diversity and inclusion expert

CCDI founder Michael Bach has never seen an employer enforce a zero-tolerance policy

We all want a workplace that accepts us for who we are. Canada is celebrating 2SLGBTQI+ History Month and while it’s good to hear that the Canadian government is taking steps to encourage the 2SLGBTQI+ community through a Federal action planit is also an opportunity for companies to take a close look at their diversity and inclusion policies.

Michael Bach, founder of Canadian Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI) – a social organization with offices in Toronto and Calgary – and the CEO of its consulting arm, CCDI advicesays that in the 15 years he’s worked in this space (including serving as Head of Diversity at KPMG in Canada and Deputy Chief Diversity Officer globally), he has never seen an employer adopt a zero-tolerance policy enforced.

“If you want a code of conduct, it has to be enforced,” he claims. “When someone is doing something for the first time, I think it’s better to educate them so they understand why their behavior wasn’t inclusive. Then, the second time around, we might actually have to look at the zero-tolerance policy.”

CONTINUE READING: Q&A: Michael Bach provides the business case for diversity and inclusion

Most of the time, if someone says something offensive, you’ll hear that they’re a really good performer or that they bring in a lot of business. Bach often heard this himself until one day he decided to calculate what a homophobic employee was costing the organization he was working for at the time.

“As it turned out, this person cost us as much as they brought into the company,” recalls the UVic graduate. “They cost us things like voluntary turnover rates, lower engagement, lower productivity, lower innovation, and lawsuits because the guy was just a bully. But we just looked at the value of the business he brought to the organization.”

What inclusive workplaces look like

Bach has written two bestsellers on the subject of inclusive workplaces Alphabet Soup: The Essential Guide to LGBTQ2+ Inclusion at work and Birds of all feathers: Getting diversity and inclusion right. Over the years he has divided 2SLGBTQI+ people in the office into two groups: one person who has kept quiet about their sexuality or gender identity, and the other one who has come out to people in the workplace and therefore end up playing the role of an educator.

While the closed person has a constant sense of identity (perhaps doing mental gymnastics to hide a relationship they are in, or switching the code using pronouns of the opposite sex), is the one who has the role of educator , imposed on him will ask questions that are often inappropriate. In both cases, these people are not doing the work they are in the office to do.

Contrary to what many business leaders might think today, Bach considers attending Pride celebrations to be the “least effective mechanism” for attracting and retaining 2SLGBTQI+ talent. “Who goes to a Pride march and thinks, ‘I’m looking for a job?'” he asks. “They’re half drunk, they’ve got black tape on their nipples, they’re dancing around in a tutu, they’re not looking for their next employer… there’s a process to make sure you don’t have that many 2SLGBTQI+ people go through that.” Back door as you come through the front.”

He recommends sponsoring local organizations to get your name out there, holding recruitment events geared towards 2SLGBTQI+ individuals, and ensuring such talent is not discriminated against when they come to your organization. Especially for people who don’t have passive privileges (perhaps they are non-binary and present themselves very gender neutral), that person needs to be in an environment where they are accepted and not tolerated.

“My mother-in-law, may she rest in peace, she tolerated me,” says Bach.

As an employer, it’s important to place the pieces in a way that aligns an employee’s experience with the marketing claims. To realize this safe space, the key is to educate all employees about their role in creating an inclusive workplace, have strong policies, and use inclusive language (e.g., “parental leave” vs. “maternity leave”).

“Policies are the foundation of the house,” adds Bach. “Without a good foundation, the house will collapse.”