Every June, people and organizations around the world celebrate Pride Month in recognition of the valuable contributions LGBTQ+ people make to our global culture. At Assurant, it’s a time to appreciate the differences that make us unique, highlight the contributions of people who have identified as LGBTQ+ throughout history, acknowledge their challenges and the fight for equality.
At Assurant, we’re committed to providing fair and equitable treatment for our LGBTQ+ employees. We realize that inclusive business practices are the best way to attract and retain the best talent, build extraordinary teams and better reflect the global communities where we live and work.
Regional Support & Events
Assurant employees across the globe celebrate Pride Month in unique ways, depending on country and culture. Some examples include:
- Canada: Our Canadian Engagement Champion teams (ECTs) will share information about Pride events in Toronto, Kingston, Hamilton and Mississauga. The teams also will provide information about adding pronouns to email signatures to help minimize misgendering and further promote inclusion.
- Miami: Our Miami ECT is partnering with Save LGBTQ+, a nonprofit organization that provides a safe space for social and personal development for LGBTQ+ youth and allies. Together, they’ll host a virtual informational session about LGBTQ+ history and insights.
- Brazil: The country’s Engagement Champion team is partnering with a shelter home for transgender people in Brazil with grant support from the Assurant Foundation.
As we celebrate Pride Month worldwide, we’re proud to feature diverse perspectives from our global Assurant offices as we continue to build a more inclusive Assurant. A few of our Latin American and U.S. colleagues provided insights on Pride Month and the importance of diversity in the workplace. Ana Barillas in Chile, Emiliano Elicegui in Argentina, Dafne Silva in Brazil and Bárbara Chaves in Brazil express their thoughts in the following videos:
Working Toward More Equality in the Workplace
Members of the LGBTQ+ community continue to face significant challenges. Nearly half of LGBTQ+ workers in the United States are closeted in the workplace, and almost two-thirds of LGBTQ+ employees feel it’s unprofessional to discuss sexual orientation or gender identity in the workplace.
The need to conceal one’s LGBTQ+ status costs companies and communities valuable human resources because the effort wears people out. Seventeen percent of LGBTQ+ employees are reportedly exhausted from hiding their sexual orientation and 13% are ground down from hiding their gender identity. Transgender employees who want to remain concealed may have no option but to leave work for new employment. In the United Kingdom, 35% of LGBTQ+ employees and 51% of transgender employees hide their identities for fear of discrimination[i]. One-fifth (20%) of LGBTQ+ Americans have experienced discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity when applying for jobs.
Sara Stevens shares personal insights below:
Assurant Steps Up to Support LGBTQ+ Employees
Assurant continues to take measures to create a culture of inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees and all employees. On June 30, we’ll host another installment of our Courageous Conversations series, “LGBTQ+ Perspectives” featuring LGBTQ+ employees from various business and functional areas about their perspectives, diversity within the LGBTQ+ community and experiences dealing with unconscious bias, along with tips for allyship. We’ll also feature a special guest speaker from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, a premier organization for promotion of LBGTQ+ rights. The HCRF “works to build capacity and change policies, practices, hearts and minds in a range of institutions that shape our daily lives.”[ii]
Assurant earned a perfect score of 100 on the HRCF’s Corporate Equality Index as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality for the third consecutive year in 2020. In addition, we were recognized in France with the Le Tour de France de la Diversité: 2020 Gender Equality Award for our actions in favor of equality in the workplace. The scores signify the success of our company’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, which also include employee-focused initiatives such as gender-neutral, family-friendly benefits and transgender-inclusive health care benefits in the U.S.
In honor of Pride Month, employee donations to nonprofits supporting the LGBTQ+ community will be matched two for one through the month of June. In addition, the Assurant Foundation has made a $25,000 grant to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation in recognition of Pride Month and our ongoing partnership.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
All of Assurant’s efforts toward creating a fair workplace are based in our definitions of diversity, equity and inclusion:
- Diversity - who we are. This includes, but is not limited to, elements such as our age, race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or if we’re a veteran or disabled. It’s the unique parts of us that we bring to work each day.
- Equity - how we’re treated. Equity is about dividing resources proportionally to the needs of each individual to achieve a fair outcome for those involved. At Assurant, equity is working to ensure access to opportunities, advancement and rewards for everyone. “Equity” is different than “equality,” which divides resources in the same or matching amounts.
- Inclusion - how we feel. Inclusion is how it feels to belong and be part of a team, a department and the company — and being included in discussions, decisions, engagement and growth opportunities. We want to ensure that everyone feels recognized, appreciated and valued as a contributing part of the team.
As we move forward, Assurant will continue to use these guidelines to support our LGBTQ+ colleagues and the whole of the Assurant family. To find out more about our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, read our 2021 Social Responsibility Report.
[i] Statistics from Catalyst.org, “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Workplace Issues: Quick Take”
