The Career Foundation

Developing Human Potential

Canada

5 Ways to Create Safer, LGBT2Q-Friendly Workspaces

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LGBTQ at Work - Five Ways to Create Safer and Friendlier Workspaces for LGBT2Q Employees

Before 1969, homosexuality was deemed a criminal act in Canada. It wasn’t until 1973 when the North American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. In 1996, sexual orientation was recognized as a protected class under the Canadian Human Rights Codes. The Supreme Court of Canada finally legalized same-sex marriages in 2005.

More recently (in 2016), gender identity and expression was recognized as a protected class. Despite these positive changes in legal protection for the Canadian LGBT2Q community, sexual minorities still fear the possible stigma associated with their sexual orientation and gender identity(ies). This fear is especially prevalent in the workplace.

A population study conducted by polling firm CROP found that 75% of Canada’s LGBT2Q community has experienced discrimination or bullying due to their sexual orientation. According to the same study, 40% of this discrimination occurred in the workplace.

Many Canadians are not open about their sexual orientation or gender identity on the job due to the risk of being judged by their co-workers and managers. Our careers are a big part of our individual identity and we should be able to be ourselves at work, whether we identify with the LGBT2Q community or not. To accomplish this, employers should be more aware of how to create friendlier and safer workplaces for LGBT2Q staff. The following are some tips that should be considered:

1. Become Familiar with the LGBT2Q Alphabet

Employers should become more aware of LGBT2Q identification terms. For instance, “queer” was once used as a defamatory term but it is now used as an encompassing term for individuals belonging to all aspects of the LGBT2Q community or in the process of questioning. However, some LGBT2Q members can still be offended by this term due to its once offensive meaning.

2 spirited is a term for an individual who identifies with both male and female energies. It is a term commonly used by individuals who are First Nations when describing their gender, sexual orientation or spirited identity.

Transgender individuals are people who choose not to identify with their biological sex whereas transsexual individuals are people who choose to live permanently as the opposite sex typically after undergoing reassignment surgery. It is important to know which pronouns that staff members would like to be addressed by, whether it is he or she, him or her, or they, etc.

2. Keep Personal Feelings in Check

Some staff members may not support the LGBT2Q community. Staff should still be able to respect each other’s work aptitudes regardless. Ask yourself, ‘If I knew a paramedic was transgender, would I still allow them to treat my injuries? If I knew my accountant was gay, would I still let them do my taxes?’

To foster better harmony in the workplace, we need to be able to keep our personal feelings in check.

3. Display More Office Media that Advocates for the LGBT2Q Community

To show that your workplace supports LGBT2Q staff members, try to incorporate a few of the iconic rainbow LGBT2Q flags around frequently visited office areas. Furthermore, depending on the business, try to incorporate some images of LGBT2Q couples in promotional ads for your workplace (e.g., a same-sex couple and their children enjoying a dinner together for a restaurant ad).

4. Have the Option of Gender-Neutral Washrooms

Staff members who are transgender or transsexual may feel more comfortable with the option of using gender-free washrooms.

5. Inclusive Staff Events

Instead of encouraging staff members to bring their boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife to staff events, use encompassing terms such as “significant others” or “partners” instead. This way, a staff member’s sexual orientation or gender identity is not assumed during event planning.

LGBT2Q civil rights have come a long way, but there is still more work to be done. The above tips alone may not solve the ongoing stigma associated with sexual minorities in the workplace altogether, but they are definitely a start. If we can keep an open mind while remaining professional, anything is possible.

Jeremy Leo Stanley is an Employment Specialist at The Career Foundation-Weston Hub and a Career Counselling Connoisseur.

3 Reasons I’ve Loved Working in the Skilled Trades

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Made in the Trades - Female student participating in The Career Foundation's Pre-Apprenticeship Arborist Program.

If you have a mental image when you see the word “arborist”, it’s probably not a mental image of me. For those who don’t know, an arborist is a skilled tradesperson who specializes in cultivating and managing trees and woody plants – sort of like a specialized lumberjack.  I’m 5’7”, I’m smallish by most standards, and I couldn’t grow a beard to save my life, so archetypal lumberjack I am not.  I have ended up with a career in the skilled trades, however, and would recommend anyone who likes working with their hands to give the skilled trades a shot.

The major impetus for me happened in fall 2012, when I spotted an ad for The Career Foundation’s Arborist Pre-Apprenticeship program, to which I applied for, was accepted and successfully completed. When the General Carpenter Pre-Apprenticeship program at The Career Foundation started in early 2016, I encouraged my brother, Will, to apply, and neither of us have looked back.

What has working in the trades done for me?

1) CONFIDENCE

Learning to safely use, maintain, and repair a chainsaw changed me, and not just because it’s one of the coolest power tools out there.  Before I got into the trades, I’d probably held a drill once or twice, hammered a few nails, and would have looked for someone else to do anything more involved than putting together Ikea furniture.  The first few dozen times I used a chainsaw, the uncertainty of whether I’d be able to get the thing to start put a knot in my stomach.

Fast forward a few years, and I’ve been in more situations than I can count where I had the most training and experience with tools on a job site, and was best prepared to tackle a job safely, or troubleshoot a problem effectively.  Beyond the obvious practical applications of having gained this level of skill, it also made me realize that, just because something is an enormous challenge at first, doesn’t mean I can’t overcome and eventually master it.  That feeling is infinitely transferable to other tools, to sports, to hobbies, and to challenges at work and in life.

2) EMPOWERMENT

With a couple major exceptions, most of the skilled trades have traditionally been male dominated. (Kudos to chefs and hairdressers!)  Today, the world is changing.  Every day I know that by showing up for work and being a professional in my field, I am setting an example: for my bosses and coworkers, for other women, for other skilled trades companies, for clients, for the public.

I really believe that tapping a broader pool of talent is beneficial: for individuals faced with a wider range of options, for industry, and for society.  Working in a male-dominated field as a woman certainly has its challenges, but I do so with the knowledge that I’m helping to pave the way for non-traditional demographics, including women, people of colour, and LGBT+ people, to take a shot at this really rewarding career.

3) RESULTS

Working in the trades, there is never any question at the end of the day as to what you’ve accomplished.  Your achievement is right in front of you, whether it be a tree pruned, a section framed, or a pipe laid.  As a tradesperson, you have made a measurable and tangible contribution to society by the end of every day at work.  In many cases, it will be a contribution that you’ll be able to physically show your children and grandchildren.

Kate Raycraft currently works as Pre-Apprenticeship Project Assistant with the General Carpentry Pre-Apprenticeship program at The Career Foundation’s Hamilton office. For anyone interested in our General Carpentry Pre-Apprenticeship program, please visit our website.