The local branch of a pharmaceutical conglomerate recently launched an initiative that seeks to foster a sense of workplace acceptance and welcome for the LGBT community.
The Philadelphia headquarters of GlaxoSmithKline conducted three different training sessions last month for nearly 70 employees, educating them on LGBT issues as one component of a “Safe Zone” program meant to provide resources and guidance for LGBT employees.
Chris Liang, senior support analyst at the local branch of GSK, said he first encountered an LGBT Safe Zone program during his time at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, in which the university trained students, staff and faculty on issues faced by the LGBT community. Those volunteers were then given an insignia to place near their dorms or offices to notify LGBT and ally individuals that they could feel comfortable in those spaces.
UNC, as well as other corporations such as Disney and Levi Strauss, based their programs on one of the first such initiatives employed by AT&T in the 1980s, which Liang said he and other GSK employees also utilized to create their own Safe Zone proposal.
Liang noted that he began considering spearheading the program last spring and that GSK management was very supportive of the idea.
Beverly Morgan, GSK vice president of human relations for information technology, said the Safe Zone program is well-aligned with the corporation’s ideas about workplace success.
“One of the core values of our organization is making sure we create an inclusive environment where everyone can bring their whole selves to work so they can do the best work,” she said. “Any type of additional training that supports diversity helps us to be an employer of choice. We want to have the external reputation that we are a good place for everyone to work.”
Morgan noted that this is not just an organizational goal but — based on the level of involvement from GSK employees — a reality.
“When Chris approached me about the program, I thought it was very exciting and we were rather surprised by the overwhelming response we received from people who really wanted to be trained advocates, many of whom were heterosexual,” she said. “This tells us that we have a workplace where our employees want all people to feel good about themselves and accepted.”
GSK hired a consultant from the University of Pennsylvania to help design and lead the training, and Liang worked with GSK employees Margaret Wooddell, Shawn Kline and Sheila Callaham to generate interest in the effort and organize the program.
Each training session was a half-day and included an introduction period in which participants were asked to provide information about their work for GSK, as well as personal statements such as when they came out if they identified as LGBT. The employees then took part in several interactive games, such as one that looked at the varied interpretations of such terms as “heterosexual” and “gender,” and discussed workplace challenges that could arise for the LGBT community and developed strategies on how to address those concerns.
“We wanted to educate these volunteers who want to proactively create a more-inclusive culture for the workplace,” Liang said. “So if employees need to speak to someone if they’re dealing with issues of coming out or questions about things like benefits, they know there are people here that they can come to.”
Each employee who underwent the training received a magnet that he or she can display to signify his or her cubicle or office as a “Safe Zone.”
GSK also launched a page on its intranet explaining the Safe Zone program, which provides resources for LGBT employees. Volunteers who participated in the training can also submit their names, work information and photos to the site to further assist LGBT employees in identifying colleagues to whom they can speak.
Although the Safe Zone program signals an important step toward building an accepting and diverse workforce, it is certainly not GSK’s first foray into LGBT inclusion.
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBT organization, awarded GSK a perfect 100 score on its 2008 Corporate Equality Index. HRC noted that GSK includes both sexual orientation and gender identity in its nondiscrimination policy, provides extensive benefits for same-sex partners, offers a Gay and Lesbian Support Network for its employees and has advocated for the passage of such laws as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
Morgan noted that the Safe Zone program will heighten the organization’s appeal to potential LGBT employees and strengthen the company’s level of support for its current workers.
“I’m very glad that we decided to go forward with the program,” she said. “It’s turned out to be very positive for us.”
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].