At the end of last year, the Swedish Agency for Work Environment Expertise, Mynak, published a research-based guide to help companies and organizations increase inclusion and counteract discrimination and harassment at work. The guide is based on the compilation of information on LGBTQI people in working life that was carried out in 2022, and is intended for employers and managers as well as safety representatives, union representatives and employees. For those workplaces that have not worked with LGBTQI issues before, it is recommended to start by checking how much employees know about LGBTQI by using the checklists.

“We have put the checklists at the back of the guide and they act as a kind of temperature gauge. They are adapted to the role you have in the company and so they vary between different posts,” says Andrea Eriksson, professor of ergonomics specialising in the psychosocial work environment at the Royal Institute of Technology, who produced the guide in collaboration with Sara Andersson, PhD at University West.

This is not something you can solve with a one-off project or even a short-term project.

Depending on the level of knowledge at the workplace, you can then move on to working more specifically with inclusion issues through group discussions, individual conversations or practical exercises. It may include building networks for LGBTQI issues or reviewing the design of changing rooms and toilets at the workplace.

“This is not something you can solve with a one-off project or even a short-term project; inclusion is something you need to work on systematically. One way to make the process more regular is to include these issues as a topic at workplace meetings,” says Andrea Eriksson.

The guide is called Good work environment for LGBTQI people – a research-based guide for workplaces and can be downloaded from the Mynak website.

Create inclusive language

• Listen to other people’s experiences of which words are perceived as offensive or having a negative connotation.
• Don’t just assume that what you feel or think is the right thing to say.
• Stop using – and insisting on continuing to use – words that exclude others or are taken as a slur, or which offend.
• Respect and use pronouns that people wish to be addressed by and referred to.
• Don’t claim to be open-minded and say that you see the individual instead of their gender or gender identity. This may be perceived as diminishing your colleague’s experience of abusive treatment or an unwillingness on your part to admit that there is structural discrimination.
• Always assume that all possible gender identities and sexual orientations are represented in the room, since this often makes it easier to speak in a way that is respectful and inclusive.

Source: Good work environment for LGBTQI people – a research-based guide for workplaces