Egale Canada is celebrating Pride Month with its employees across Canada by engaging in local community events, encouraging managers to take their teams out for a Pride lunch and sharing the organization’s various research projects.
“It’s a really busy month for us to show up as staff members, as management leads and others at various events that our partners and our community partners and our employers are hosting,” says Brien Convery (pictured), director of human resources and talent at the not-for-profit organization, which aims to improve and save lives through research, education, awareness and by advocating for human rights and equality in Canada and around the world.
“So we spend a lot of time out this month — if you will — at these various opportunities to talk about Egale Canada, what we’re doing and to be part of the community.”
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In its work offering employers training and development to help them foster LGBTQ2S+ inclusion and safe workplaces, Egale Canada is hosting education sessions to help dispel myths and reduce unconscious bias. “This is an important month for us because it is a time of increasing misinformation against the LGBTQ2S+ communities,” says Convery, highlighting the importance of engaging in meaningful activities such as events and education rather than “performative allyship.”
A lot of employers are taking advantage of Pride Month to offer these types of activities, he adds, to get their employees engaged and to help them build education and knowledge. For example, employers are raising their Pride flags and hosting panel discussions, education workshops and events throughout the season.
“Pride season is really late May to early September, not just June, because recognizing the Canadian [LGBTQ2S+] community celebrates and mobilizes at different times across the country, depending on where you are. . . . One of the biggest things is 365[-day] Pride, where some employers we’ve seen are doing year-round education, some are embedding inclusion into their policy reviews, benefits planning and employee resources groups all year long.”
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Alongside a pullback by employers on diversity, equity and inclusion policies and strategies in the U.S., as well as anti-LGBTQS2+ rhetoric and violence increasing across Canada, it’s more important than ever for employers to take a clear stance in support of inclusion, safety and dignity, says Convery, noting these education sessions are particularly important at this time of increasing lack of information.
“Specifically with the pullback of DEI in the U.S., we do see some reverberations in Canada. There’s a rise in online hate and disinformation and what we would call ‘U.S.-style talking points’ are increasingly influencing Canadian narratives, which is also encouraging resistance to DEI when it comes to, specifically, gender-related topics such as trans inclusion and pronouns.
“From my — and the organization’s — perspective, this is an opportunity for Canadian employers to reaffirm their values and stay the course, demonstrating leadership in a global environment where the LGBTQ2S+ inclusion is under threat, ” he adds.
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For employers looking to take the next step to fostering an inclusive workplace, Convery suggests five main areas of focus: implementing inclusive policies that promote equity, prevent discrimination and support work-life balance (for example, parental leave and flexible working hours); fostering open communication by creating safe channels for feedback, encouraging transparent dialogue and actively listening to employee concerns; providing training and education on unconscious bias, cultural competency and inclusive leadership; promoting diverse leadership that reflects the diversity of the workforce and empowers underrepresented groups; and measuring and improving by using data to track progress on inclusion goals and make informed changes based on employee experiences.
“By combining action with accountability, employers can build workplaces where everyone feels a sense of belonging and opportunity.”