The Pride in Leadership report: barriers to LGBTQ+ career progression in the UK

A new report ‘Barriers to LGBTQ+ Career Progression in the UK’ has shone a spotlight on the ongoing challenges facing LGBTQ+ professionals in the workplace, including barriers to career progression and a lack of support from HR when dealing with issues related to their identity.  

Published by Pride in Leadership, the survey of more than 1,000 LGBTQ+ professionals found that 85% of respondents had encountered an array of obstacles ranging from discrimination in promotions to verbal and physical attacks.

Half of those who completed the questionnaire felt that they were working in uncomfortable or hostile environments. I was one of the individuals who answered the survey based on my own experiences and I attend social events and seminars organised by Pride in Leadership.

As chief executive of Manningham Housing Association (MHA), I am proud to lead an organisation which has again met the global Standard for Diversity and Inclusion in HR Management after becoming the first housing association in the world to achieve it in 2023. 

However, whilst I am proud of the EDI culture we have fostered, I am acutely aware that there can be no room for complacency. Organisational culture is a key theme of the report. 

The respondents’ answers revealed a clear divide between symbolic gestures of LGBTQ+ support and more meaningful, structural commitments in workplaces. For example, 82% of respondents report that their workplaces acknowledged Pride Month with 64% saying that their employers participate in external Pride events. 

Much less positively, of those surveyed only 37% said that their organisations allocated funding to LGBTQ+ training with 31% supporting people to reach leadership roles through mentoring or coaching.

At MHA, we recently announced that we have signed the LGBTQ+ Housing Pledge.

Developed by HouseProud and delivered by Stonewall Housing, it sets out clear commitments for housing providers to support LGBTQ+ inclusion.  By signing up, we made a Pledge Promise to enhance LGBTQ+ visibility, provide dedicated training for our staff, and ensure LGBTQ+ residents have a voice at executive and strategic level.

As part of this commitment, we are also working closely with Stonewall Housing to implement key initiatives and uphold the values outlined in the pledge.

What does the report recommend?

As well as lifting the veil on the difficulties endured by LGBTQ+ professionals, the Pride in Leadership report sets out a host of recommendations for employers, policymakers, recruitment companies, researchers, and the LGBTQ+ community to collectively tackle the workplace unfairness that continues to endure.

For employers, the report advises “moving beyond performative allyship” and “embedding LGBTQ+ inclusion in leadership, policies and training.” Other recommendations include:

• Supporting LGBTQ+ staff by creating and protecting a culture that respects LGBTQ+ people. 
• Increasing LGBTQ+ representation in leadership through mentoring and sponsorship programmes.
• Giving LGBTQ+ staff networks the necessary resources and time to make a difference.

The authors call on policymakers to reject culture war discourse and make ensuring everyone can be themselves at work a cross-party objective. 

And they urge members of the LGBTQ+ community to apply for a promotion or a new role, join or create an LGBTQ+ staff network to drive change and engage with LGBTQ+ professional groups, mentorship schemes and leadership programmes.

What can we do?

Discrimination in the workplace - whether on the grounds of race, gender, sexual orientation, or anything else – is obviously wrong and should not be a matter for debate. And yet disturbingly, as the Pride in Leadership survey makes crystal clear, LGBTQ+ people continue to experience it. That is blatantly unacceptable and those of us with an ability to deliver change have a responsibility to stamp this out.

That will require the five groups singled out in the report - employers, policymakers, recruitment companies, researchers, and the LGBTQ+ community - to take note of the recommendations directed at them to take appropriate action. 

Doing nothing is not an option. Instead, we must work together to break down the barriers identified by Pride in Leadership and empower LGBTQ+ people to achieve their potential – personally and professionally.