Inclusive Technology Companies Benefit From LGBTQ Talent

The LGBTQ community is a superb source of talented graduates seeking careers in technology and software development. But the technology sector still has a problem with inclusion. Compared to their co-workers, LGBTQ employees in technology jobs were much more likely to experience public humiliation and bullying, according to a study by the Kapor Center. Those experiences directly impacted LGBTQ employees’ decision to leave a company.

Conversely, companies that promote diversity and inclusion experience a host of benefits, from better financial performance to greater productivity. Fostering an inclusive workplace is the right thing to do and it’s a no-brainer for companies that want to retain the best talent in the technology sector.

LGBTQ-Friendly Policies Attract Talent

Companies with exclusionary work cultures alienate potential LGBTQ employees. Because recruiting qualified workers for technology jobs is already a challenge, the effect is to take an already small pool of qualified workers and shrink it further.

The competition for talent is even more difficult when you consider that allies of LGBTQ communities are increasingly more likely to choose workplaces with policies that support inclusion than those that don’t. In other words, companies that don’t stress inclusion will lose talent from the LGBTQ community and talent from employees that actively support it.

LGBTQ-Friendly Policies Improve Retention

LGBTQ-supportive policies signal that a company is serious about cultivating diversity in its workforce. The benefits of such policies to employee-retention have been known for some time. The Williams Institute published a study in 2013 on the positive effects of LGBT-supportive policies, including greater job commitment, increased job satisfaction, and improved health outcomes.

Explicit policies that support the LGBTQ community reduce discrimination, which provides a more welcoming and stable work environment. When companies signal their support for the LGBTQ community, employees are more likely to be open about their sexual orientation with coworkers. The report found that the ability to be open about sexual orientation is likely to improve psychological health among those employees.

Revature Welcomes LGBTQ Talent

Revature is committed to creating the world’s most diverse and dynamic community of highly skilled and creative technology pioneers. We are a group of people with wide-ranging passions and aspirations, united by common values. Our communities are inclusive, diverse, respectful, caring and fun.

Our mission is to create a pathway where university graduates with diverse backgrounds can build the knowledge, skills and abilities to reach their potential as technology professionals and leverage those talents to contribute to the growth and success of our customers.