Catherine Somerville on the pressing need for Scotland's charities to ensure they are inclusive of their staff

Stonewall Scotland has a simple vision: that wherever we are, be that in our workplaces or communities, in our sports clubs or in prayer, everyone in Scotland should be accepted without exception.

To me, it is a vision that captures the very essence of Scotland’s vibrant third sector. We are a sector that is made up of dedicated, hard-working and knowledgeable individuals, who strive every day to improve the lives of the most vulnerable in our society. We have a lot to be proud of, but we must also recognises that our staff face the same challenges and choices as in any other workplace, and it is vital that the services that we offer are truly inclusive of Scotland’s diverse communities.

I worry, though, about progress towards equality in Scotland’s third sector workplaces.

I worry, though, about progress towards equality in Scotland’s third sector workplaces. I worry, when I see organisations jostling for pieces of the much needed funding pie, and for that precious five minutes in front of parliamentary committees, that the amazing diversity of the communities we represent is being lost. LGBT people are also people of faith, have disabilities, are BAME, and have caring responsibilities. It is so important that we work together to understand how these many aspects of someone’s identity might intersect, that we learn from each other’s experiences and expertise, and that we share each other’s networks.

It is incredibly uncomfortable thinking that discrimination might exist within our organisations, especially when we know that so many of our staff are motivated by the desire for social change. But we cannot be complacent about this. YouGov polling suggests that in the last five years 162,000 Scots of working age witnessed verbal homophobic, biphobic, or transphobic bullying at work. We hear about name calling, deliberate “outing” of LGBT colleagues, and even sexual harassment. In the same period 54,000 had witnessed physical bullying of LGBT colleagues.

Thankfully, today more and more employers will tackle such incidents quickly. But bullying isn’t the only challenge faced by LGBT people at work. LGBT people consistently tell us about the impact on workplace relationships and wasted energy when they don’t feel able to mention their partner’s name, or share their weekend stories, or even ask for time off for medical appointments, for fear of how colleagues might react. We get phone calls from LGBT people with that nagging feeling – so hard to prove – that the promotion opportunities that keep going by them might not really be down to their experience.

Supporting workplace equality isn’t just the right thing to do, it makes business sense. Research has consistently shown that the highest performing teams are not only diverse, but are ones where the organisation takes steps to support and empower staff to be themselves. At a time when third sector budgets are tight and we are constantly striving to do more with less, considering how you support diversity in your workplace has never been more important.

November 18 sees Stonewall Scotland host our annual conference, which is our must-attend event for anyone involved in the development and delivery of workplace diversity and inclusion initiatives. It brings together more than 200 professionals across a cross-section of organisations to share the latest innovative thinking. This year, we are particularly keen to engage the third sector within this event, not only to ensure that best practice in LGBT equality is embedded within the sector, but also recognising the range of experiences that third sector professionals can bring to the table. That’s why for the first time we are offering a special charity sector discount rate, and we’re really excited to see a range of amazing organisations already signing up.

So, let’s work together. Let’s learn from each other and work to better understand our communities and our workplace cultures. The third sector is such a powerful force for change in Scotland: let’s make it one where everyone is accepted without exception.

You can find out more information about the Stonewall Scotland Workplace Conference at our website

Catherine Somerville is Stonewall Scotland’s campaigns, policy and research manager.