Why queer-friendly policies in Indian workplaces are mired in fundamental challenges

By Saurabh Sharma
13 July, 2023

Why queer-friendly policies in Indian workplaces are mired in fundamental challenges

By Saurabh Sharma
13 July, 2023

A recent study by Deloitte indicates the need for organisations in India to rise above pinkwashing and begin taking concrete steps beyond merely signalling allyship

Between 2016 and 2018, I switched jobs four times. One of them I left within two days of joining. The reason for quitting was not lack of job satisfaction or work-life imbalance but the queerphobic environment that prevented me from being unapologetically myself in these workplaces.

I came out on Facebook in 2017. One message among the barrage I had received in response to my post stood out, as it was a piece of advice for me: “Don’t tell your office about all this.” And this friend’s concern was valid. As I had started socialising on the Internet with other ‘out’ employees from different organisations, I was privy to the knowledge that from restricted career growth to lesser pay and authority than our cishet counterparts, discrimination against LGBTQIA+ individuals could materialise in any form.

But visibility is a crucial factor here. Many organisations in India hesitate to bring about queer-affirmative changes—both behavioural and infrastructural—for they believe that the requisite audience is absent in the workplace, not realising how paradoxical and perilous this situation is for an LGBTQIA+ person. As a result, LGBTQIA+ people—and thoughtful allies—have had to risk their jobs, careers, and mental health by coming out, creating and joining employee resource groups (ERGs), and doing necessary labour to make workplaces more welcoming for other LGBTQIA+ candidates.

Many organisations in India hesitate to bring about queer-affirmative changes, both behavioural and infrastructural. Image: Unsplash

Statistics indicate the need for organisations to rise above pinkwashing and begin taking concrete steps beyond merely signalling allyship. Image: Unsplash

However, simply recruiting queer people never helps. The office environment has to be conducive for them to feel respected like anyone else. An LGBTQIA+ person experiences acts of discrimination every day. If one were to assume them to be isolated incidents, then Deloitte’s 2023 LGBT+ Inclusion @ Work report confirms these findings: 

One-third of the 5,474 respondents from 13 countries working across business sectors that the consultancy firm surveyed for this reportare “looking to move to a more LGBT+ inclusive employer.” More than 40 per cent of the participants feel “certain” that the discrimination or “non-inclusive behaviour” they experience is based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Unsurprisingly, most respondents also note that having “leaders who are out at work” indicates inclusivity in the workplace. 

These statistics indicate the need for organisations to rise above pinkwashing and begin taking concrete steps beyond merely signalling allyship. Irrespective of where they are in their journey of inclusivity and to make their workplaces more queer-affirmative, they can learn the lessons that several queer people and organisational leaders share with The Established.  

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