When is Pride happening in your community and who in your office is celebrating it?

If you know the answers, chances are you have an LGBT-positive (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) and inclusive workplace, and are reaping the rewards both inside and outside your organization.

Pride is 37 years old. On June 28, 1969, New York police officers raided a gay bar in Greenwich Village and the Stonewall Riot ensued.

This event mobilized the gay community in New York and around the world. Since 1970 Pride marches and parades have been held around the world in the summer months.

What began as resistance has in many cities become an affirmation and a celebration as gay rights and recognition improve. Communities across Canada from Prince George to Halifax will be celebrating Pride at various times this summer.

In 1996, sexual orientation was added to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as a prohibited ground for discrimination. Still, a 2002 public service employee Survey in Ottawa cites five per cent of respondents as victims of harassment or discrimination at work because of their sexual orientation.

Stonewall's guide (UK, 2007) lists the individual impact of bullying and harassment of LGBT employees as low self esteem, demotivation, stress, anxiety and depression. This also significantly impacts the organization - low staff morale; increased absenteeism; decreased productivity; recruitment and retention problems; costly legal action; damaged image and reputation; loss of client and customer confidence.

More insidious than homophobia is heterosexism - the beliefs and practices that assume heterosexuality is the only natural, normal and acceptable sexual orientation. With it comes the common assumption that everyone is straight - until proven otherwise.

Being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender at work can also be a minefield for subtle reasons.

According to Out and About, a publication by Canadian Heritage and Parks Canada, "for LGBT employees, simply being themselves at work presents a problem. For some constantly wondering whether to come out is an ongoing source of stress which can limit the quality and authenticity of their workplace relationships, sap their productivity, and even affect their health."

IBM Canada's Richard Branston (a client executive working with CIBC) and Brad Salavich (diversity program manager) say that being closeted at work means being more guarded about participating in social activities and personal conversations, being less engaged, and as a result, being less authentic. "How effective can people like that be in workplaces that are so built on our social networks and our ability to interact with the people we work with?" Salavich adds.

LGBT-positive workplaces include environments such as the one at IBM where, Branston explains, heterosexuality is not assumed, and employees' choice of language creates an opening for LGBT colleagues to come out, should they so choose.

It means executives include gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people when they are talking about diversity, and there is zero tolerance for inappropriate comments and behaviour.

Bruce Goudy, a partner at Ernst & Young in Toronto, says the environmental change is measured mostly by people's comfort levels, and the matter-of-fact status sexual orientation now has in their workplace.

"LGBT (staff) were talked about before, now they are being talked to about LGBT issues," Goudy adds.

The bottom line is comfort. "It's about making people feel comfortable in their work environment. And (it's about being) clear to others that this is a company where they should feel comfortable," says Scott Mullin, vice-president of government and community relations, TD Bank Financial Group.

In Canadian companies including IBM, TD, Ernst & Young, and KPMG, education, awareness, openness and strong leadership are helping to create LGBT-positive environments. This change is significant for LGBT employees.

According to Salavich, time previously spent worrying, keeping a low profile and avoiding engaging with colleagues can be redirected to corporate responsibilities, creating friendships and stronger work relationships, and furthering one's career.

Instrumental in creating a positive and inclusive workplace in these organizations is the presence and work of an LGBT-specific employee resource group (ERG).

Many companies committed to diversity already have ERGs for ethnocultural groups and for women.

The names and approaches of resource groups for LGBT employees vary, but their mandates are all similar - to create safe and inclusive workplaces for LGBT employees, clients and customers.

Pride@KPMG "provides internal education, community outreach and sponsorships, networking and new business development, as well as informal mentoring to LGBT employees," says Michael Bach, KPMG's director of diversity.

At Hewitt Associates, Richard Cote is just starting the Canadian chapter of the Pride Alliance (which already exists at Hewitt Associates in the U.S.). This ERG will also provide support and a social aspect.

ERG work impacts all employees. "As a non-member (of the LGBT community), it's all about the education," says Marcia McDougall of Hewitt Associates.

"Hewitt has done a good job of providing good internal education, a chance to learn about other diverse parts of our employee culture. (I have) certainly appreciated that opportunity."

Creating allies for LGBT resource groups brings another opportunity for employees to show support. In fact, Goudy believes that allies are a key component of success, helping to bridge the gap and confront some of the stereotypes and misconceptions that still exist.

An LGBT-positive workplace also has an impact on retention and recruitment. Richard Carson, partner of Monitor Group (a consulting firm in the U.S. and Canada), and the head of its Gay Network ERG says: "We wanted to make sure Monitor is a great place for LGBT people to work. If other firms are reaching out and we are not, conclusions could be drawn that Monitor is not gay friendly."

Some university and MBA graduates "are out and are not willing to go back into the closet when they come to work," Salavich explains. "Employers need to create that environment."

Orrin Wolpert agrees.

As a 2007 MBA student at the Rotman School of Management (University of Toronto) and the director of its Gay-Straight Alliance, he organized a panel discussion at Rotman about LGBT inclusion in the workplace last fall.

"I felt Rotman has a role in making business leaders more comfortable with gay issues," he said. The responses were overwhelmingly positive.

"As a recruiter, (you're) looking for top employees. (You want to) make sure they can be who they are, be fully productive, and show loyalty to the company," Salavich says.

Recruitment, retention, productivity, satisfaction and workplace morale all impact the bottom line.

But it doesn't happen overnight and it's not without its challenges.

Regardless of whether your company's journey and commitment to LGBT inclusion begins as an employee-led initiative (like at KPMG), or from the top down (like at TD), leadership on this issue must be "obvious and direct," says Mullin. It's as simple as having a clear position.

"While we respect people's personal views, in the workplace, these are our corporate values and views," Branston says. "If your personal views can't get around this, maybe this isn't the right company for you to work at."

An LGBT-positive and inclusive workplace means you can acknowledge and even celebrate Pride with your employees.

"On all fronts it's about doing the smart thing," says Mullin. "The business case didn't take too much work at TD."

(Annemarie Shrouder is a freelance writer and consultant on diversity and inclusion. She can be reached at shrouder@businessedge.ca)