Insight on Coaching
Coaching LGBT Professionals in the Workplace
Season 4, Episode 15 - Air Date: November 12th, 2007
Audio File - Length 56:28, File Size - 12.9 MB
In 31 states, you can be fired for being gay. In the states where you cannot be fired for being gay, states came up with new legislation making it illegal to fire someone based on sexual orientation. In this program, our guests discuss how politics and business intersect on this issue.
Our panel discusses the challenges LGBT professionals are facing in the workplace, and types of issues coaches can help address to ensure sexual orientation isn’t a factor in forging a successful career.
Guests
- Selisse Berry, Executive Director, Out and Equal
- Daryl Herrschaft, Director, HRC Workplace Project, Human Rights Campaign Foundation
- Kate Karasmeighan, Chief of Staff, Director of Affiliate Relations, National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
- David Stocum, Coach and Owner, Great Lives Coaching
Summary
In the June 22nd 2007 issue of CondeNaste magazine Portfolio, author David Koeppel writes “The Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) community has huge buying power and a large disposable income. Companies realize that portraying a gay friendly workplace and marketplace go hand-in hand.”
However within many organizations LGBT professionals continue to experience anxiety, fear, stress, and even harassment at work.
According to Echelon magazine, issues impacting LGBT professionals range from fear in being fired based on their sexual orientation or gender identity to stress in discussing personal relationships and including same sex partners at workplace events.
Can LGBT professionals survive “coming out at work?
Does advocating and supporting a gay friendly workplace have an impact on both company and individual performance?
Our panel of experts answer these questions and more.
Highlights of the show include:
- A discussion of the overall climate for LGBT individuals within a typical Fortune 500 organization.
- An overview of the challenges and issues impacting LGBT professionals.
- What it means for an organization to score favorably within the Corporate Equality Index.
- How coaches are helping LGBT professionals tackle issues ranging from discrimination to overall career development.
- The impact of being “out” on an employee’s overall performance at work.
- Why legislation like the Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA) is critical for the future of LGBT professionals.
This podcast is part of the Insight on Coaching series. For additional information, visit the Insight on Coaching Home Page.