How can different generations come together on LGBT+ inclusion in the workplace?

This article has been co-authored by Kevin Brown (he/him), EY Business Consulting Partner, Lucretia Aik (she/her), EY Partner, Financial Services, and Tia Sidhu (she/her), EY Technology Consulting graduate candidate. While we represent three different generations and geographies, we’ve found common ground in our vision for a more equitable and inclusive future, where everyone belongs. 

If you’re Gen Z (born late 1990s to early 2010s), you’re six times more likely than your Gen X counterparts to identify as LGBT+, according to the EY US LGBT+ Workplace Barometer. While this may sound like progress, the truth is more complicated.

The same survey shows Gen Z is three times more likely to be unsure about their companies’ LGBT+ initiatives than other generations and gave a less favorable rating on employer inclusion efforts. Even more significant, the survey finds only 38% of LGBT+ respondents, who rate their workplace experience poorly, expect to stay with their employer for the next year.

These findings matter because in 2024, Gen Z is expected to overtake baby boomers in the workplace and the group’s powerful influence is reshaping the future of work. Successfully engaging this demographic in the workplace could help drive innovation, productivity and retention.

Raising awareness of LGBT+ experiences across generations

May 17 marks International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOTB), an important reminder of the continued discrimination, harassment and even violence and imprisonment faced by millions around the world because of their gender identity or sexual orientation.

Despite advancements, discriminatory laws criminalize private, consensual same-sex relationships in over 60 countries, according to the United Nations. At least six of those countries impose the death penalty. Transgender people in particular face an ongoing lack of legal protection, poverty and stigma in many parts of the world.

Against this backdrop of social inequity, organizations have an opportunity to better support and engage Gen Z LGBT+ professionals – as well as the broader LGBT+ community. By having LGBT+ professionals across generations share their authentic, lived experiences, organizations can promote better understanding, foster deeper connections, establish improved psychological safety and inspire individual action.

With IDAHOTB approaching, we decided to tap into the perspectives of some of our LGBT+ colleagues at EY to get their views on generational differences and ideas on how to bridge the gaps for a more equitable and inclusive workplace.

Meet Kevin Brown (he/him), Gen X (i.e., people born roughly between 1965 and 1980)

Kevin is a partner at EY in New York and EY Americas Business Planning Reporting and Analysis offering lead. He grew up in Jamaica, where he recalls a hostile environment towards LGBT+ people who were often physically assaulted and even brutally murdered for being gay. While things have changed over the years, his journey included facing and overcoming potentially devastating risks: coming out to his family, being true to his identity at work, and returning to his community authentically as an out man.

"Today, I’m most proud of the fact that I can be open at work and in other aspects of my life, so I can thrive and become a version of myself that society once told me was not an option. I’m even more excited to see the generations behind me able to navigate life with a greater sense of ease and entitlement that many of us never knew.”

The EY Belonging Barometer 3.0 survey that surveyed global workers found that, despite progress, 77% of LGBT+ workers at global organizations still feel that they can’t share, or are reluctant to share, dimensions of their identity while at work for fear of it holding them back.

Kevin believes the way to bridge this gap is by sharing our stories and listening to the experiences of others. In fact, Stanford research shows that stories are remembered up to 22 times more than facts alone. He also says it’s important to be intentional about stepping outside our social circles to forge sincere connections with LGBT+ people at work to better understand the issues they face. That creates a sense of allyship that allows us to take care of each other versus seeing each other as a threat.

Meet Lucretia Aik (she/her), millennial (i.e., people born early 1980’s to mid-1990s)

Lucretia is a partner in the global EY organization’s Financial Services practice in Singapore. She’s involved in driving DE&I initiatives with a focus on gender equality and LGBT+ inclusion, chairing the ASEAN and Singapore chapters of the global EY organization’s LGBT+ network, Unity. She says because people who belong to her generation are generally more open and accepting towards the LGBT+ community, it’s been easier for her to come out and be honest about her identity.

While mainstream acceptance of homosexuality is growing in many places, Lucretia says social pressure against the LGBT+ community remains. Like Kevin, she’d like to see more people at work sharing stories and experiences to promote understanding. She also says demonstrating visible support for LGBT+ colleagues (including speaking out against discriminatory behaviors), being mindful of unconscious bias and adopting a different lens to see the perspectives of others are important ways to make everyone feel included.

Meet Tia Sidhu (she/her), Gen Z (i.e., people born late-1990s to early 2010s)

Twenty-five-year-old Tia is in her second year of EY’s Technology Consulting graduate program, based in Birmingham, UK. She’s closely involved with Unity UKI, the UK Chapter of EY’s LGBT+ network.

She agrees with Lucretia that her generation’s acceptance of identities is a testament to the hard work of previous LGBT+ generations. And, while she thinks younger generations have a lot to learn and appreciate from history, older generations can also listen to how struggles have changed over time.

In terms of persistent challenges she faces: “Checking if I can visit somewhere; to do my job or leisure related travel – it’s like checking visa requirements, except that I could be imprisoned or killed there, just for being myself,” she says. “I’ve also realized that rights do not equal social acceptance. Just because it’s legal for me to exist somewhere with my partner, doesn’t mean that we’ll be welcomed.”

In Tia’s view, the next major hurdle is transgender rights: ensuring access to health care and encouraging social acceptance. To get there, she also emphasizes the need to listen and be aware of the struggles of others – and to let that awareness inform how individuals can change their behavior. She says that because being in the minority can be isolating, being able to share experiences and connect across generations is vital to feeling a sense of belonging.

EY colleagues across generations find common ground in sharing their stories and listening

While we come from different backgrounds and belong to different age demographics, we agree that forging better connections and building understanding is how progress can be made. While there may be more LGBT+ visibility in our workplace than previous decades, there are still dimensions of themselves people aren’t comfortable sharing, with many actively self-editing or hiding certain aspects of their identities.

Gen Z is raising the bar on expectations around a culture of belonging and inclusion. In fact, EY’s Belonging Barometer 3.0 shows 73% of Gen Z would choose a company that prioritizes DE&I over one that does not. The changes needed to engage Gen Z – and all demographics – can come from both organizations and the individuals within them. At EY, we’ll be marking IDAHOTB as an important reminder that there’s still more work to be done on our DE&I journey, as we continue efforts to uplift social equity. Learn how hearing our colleagues’ lived experiences has created powerful connections and insights at EY by watching our Uplift social equity storyteller videos.

Each of us can take steps to better understand and connect with colleagues to create a workplace where our differences are viewed as our strengths, opportunities are equitable and everyone is included.