2023-06-28 22:44:06
One of the main struggles of the LGBTQIAP+ community – (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, queer, intersex, agender, pansexual and non-binary people, in addition to other identifications) – is still for inclusion in the job market. On the International LGBTQIAP+ Pride Day, celebrated this Wednesday (28), the Digital Look brings stories and ways to make the tech sector more inclusive.
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It is not uncommon to hear stories of those who, in the 21st century, need to hide their sexual orientation in order to get a job or be accepted in a corporate environment. In a survey conducted by Great Place to Work, for example, only 10% of the 14,000 people interviewed responded that they declared themselves LGBTQIAP+.
Despite the statistics still showing this scenario, there are initiatives that move towards the inclusion of this part of the population. See below:
LGBTQIAP+ inclusion stories
(Imagem: Getty Images)
Felipe Birgman, 29, is a UX/UI designer at Mouts TI, a technology company based in Blumenau (SC). He, who declares himself gay, says that his sexual orientation was not even an issue for him to be hired. “I was never asked about my sexual orientation: neither before nor during. This was never taken into account – which I think is good, because it already shows that there is no type of prejudice, ”he said.
The designer highlighted that, for him, the technology sector tends to be more open to diversity than more conservative segments, which can be a facilitator for people from the community to enter the job market.
Even so, he believes there is still a long way to go. And that more affirmative actions are needed so that, in fact, there is inclusion and diversity in the labor market.
I believe that society still needs to evolve a lot in relation to the job market for people from the LGBTQIAP+ community, especially for trans people, who have little visibility in several areas. I think there is still a lot to be done, such as more affirmative vacancies for trans people and the community and incentive programs for companies, both in technology and in other areas, because sometimes countless skills are required [habilidades]but many of these people never had opportunities to equip themselves with these skills.
Felipe Birgman, 29 years old, is a UX/UI designer at Mouts TI
Karina Zulauf Tironi, 23, also believes the technology sector can be more inclusive – and not just with issues of sexual orientation. She, who declares herself pansexual (individual who is attracted to people regardless of their gender, how they express themselves to the world and their sexual orientation), has been working at the same company as Felipe for a few months and has already felt confident talking about her orientation. for some colleagues.
It’s always hard to feel 100% comfortable where we don’t know people’s opinions about each other’s sexual orientation. I only recently shared it with a few colleagues, but I still feel a bit hesitant to talk about it further. There wasn’t any situation, it’s more about a fear that talking about it is like putting an elephant in the room.
Karina Zulauf Tironi, HR assistant at Mouts IT
Mouts TI’s Human Resources manager, Gláucia Hahnemann de Souza, explained that the company does not currently have a specific program of affirmative vacancies just for people from the LGBTQIAP+ community, because all vacancies are for all audiences. She also pointed out a significant evolution of the technology sector in the search for diverse profiles.
More and more we see in different areas and clients a greater focus on valuing difference. I realize that the technology area, even compared to other segments, sees how much we can leverage teams and the business by having different profiles. We see many paradigm shifts, and with this we managed to have greater innovation and development, as different worldviews have a lot to add.
Gláucia Hahnemann de Souza, Human Resources manager at Mouts TI
Context
(Image: iStockPhoto)
According to the Pride at Work survey, conducted by LinkedIn in 2022, 21% of people who are part of the LGBTQIAPN+ community do not feel comfortable sharing their sexual orientation or gender identity in the workplace.
In addition, 47% of respondents stated that the companies they work for do not have practices to promote equality or that they are not aware of the existence of these actions.
Still according to the same survey, 43% of people claim to have suffered some type of discrimination, mainly veiled, either by colleagues or leadership.
The labor market is made up of people and each individual has personal values and ideals. However, many times these beliefs become limiting and are filled with stereotypes, which impacts the entire journey of people who are part of underrepresented groups in the corporate environment, from the selection process to career growth opportunities.
Anabel Carvalho Martins Filardi, who works in the Employability sector at Escola da Nuvem
Anabel operates in the technology market, as Escola da Nuvem is a non-profit organization that aims to ensure the education and employability of people in situations of social vulnerability so that they can enter the cloud computing sector.
According to the specialist, this general reality is no different in the tech sector, since it is “predominantly male, white and heteronormative”.
the first challenge [que enfrentamos], which ends up generating all the others, are the unconscious biases. From them arise the first judgments in a selection process and the lack of representativeness, [que culminam] on the barriers faced by different people to achieve professional advancement. [Isso também pode ser visto na] wage inequality and day-to-day micro-aggressions, which appear in inappropriate comments and offensive jokes.
Anabel Carvalho Martins Filardi, who works in the Employability sector at Escola da Nuvem
For Anabel, this challenge is the greatest of all and the most difficult to combat, as it is “something invisible. And because people are not aware of it, it makes the process of change difficult. It’s really hard to bring [os vieses] to the level of consciousness and then change perceptions and behaviors, as many of them are so rooted in our society and routine that they are naturalized. To change the reality we live in today, it is essential that each person becomes aware of their place of speech and privileges ”, he opines.
How to build a safe environment for LGBTQIAP+ people
(Image: Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasil)
According to her, the first step to make the labor market more inclusive is to make people bring their unconscious biases to consciousness, because only then will it be possible to change. “Many organizations do this by offering training and lectures on the subject, especially for leaders. Then, we can think about building an accessible environment that is physically and psychologically safe for different people. The challenge with this step is that some points may not be as evident,” she explained.
For example, some types of harassment and microaggressions, such as inappropriate comments and offensive ‘jokes’ that go unnoticed due to the naturalization of this behavior. Even so, they negatively impact the lives of many people. Some companies create codes of conduct and listening channels so that diverse audiences can be assured of their safety [e possa fazer relatos do que está acontecendo].
Anabel Carvalho Martins Filardi, who works in the Employability sector at Escola da Nuvem
According to Anabel, it is urgent that wage equality and the promotion of equal opportunities for growth within organizations be part of this inclusion process. “For this, it is important that the leadership is allied to the Diversity and Inclusion agenda. One can also consider creating affinity groups to act on committees and on innovation and strategy fronts for the company”, he concludes.
However, all this will only be effective if inclusion is integrated into the company’s strategy as a whole, not just within a specific area or as a separate project, according to Anabel.
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