How to make your workplace more LGBTQ inclusive

Research indicates that 20% of Gen Z interviewed (aged 18-26) identify as LGBTQ. For Millennials (aged 27-42) it’s 11% and Gen X and Baby Boomers around 3%. What this means is that new employees are far more likely to identify as LGBTQ than their managers, and this is just one major cultural change managers face in the workplace today. Currently 60% of LGBTQ employees cover, keep their identity secret - but not so with gen Z, 25% of whom identify as transgender and/or non-binary.

Rikki is themselves a baby boomer, one of the 3% and has lived through the dark days of secrecy, came out as trans, now identifies as non binary and has delivered awareness training and support for over 20 years. In this interview they will share their experiences, the good and the bad, and help us to understand how to make our workplaces more LGBTQ inclusive.

• Understand the challenges facing LGBTQ employees
• Understand how to personally be more LGBTQ inclusive
• Understand how to make their organisation/team more LGBTQ inclusive
• Be comfortable with using preferred pronouns
• Be comfortable challenging LGBTQ based discrimination and harassment

After 25 years in middle and senior management, Rikki Arundel became an award winning keynote speaker and founded the UK Professional Speaking Association. In 2002 their speaking career almost ended when they changed gender.

Faced with considerable discrimination, Rikki completed a master’s degree in gender research and established themselves as a social entrepreneur, diversity speaker and presentation skills coach, working with organisations keen to create a more inclusive workplace and delivering two successful TEDx talks.