With an increasing number of queer employees concerned about how anti-LGBTQ+ legislation could affect their ability to work safely and without discrimination, RemoteWorker says this could be the time for more businesses to consider work-from-home options as a way to help.

RemoteWorker is an online jobs board and resource website for remote workers, remote work jobseekers, and hiring managers, employers and HR personnel seeking to recruit and hire the top talent for remote positions.

Recent data from Indeed shows that most queer working Americans would hesitate to work in states or for companies headquartered in states with anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. They reported being concerned about things like whether they could work safely or whether they would face discrimination like being paid less or being passed over for promotions because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Remote work certainly isn’t an outright fix to the problem, but there are ways it can help.

To start with, RemoteWorker notes that studies have shown toxic workplace culture was diminished when staff was allowed to work from home. A company culture that tolerates bullying, enables nepotism and isolates team members needs to be corrected from the top. But remote work did seem to help thwart some of it. It’s a small grace that made a world of difference to marginalized workers, and especially visible minorities and workers with disabilities, who reported fewer instances of having their expertise questioned on the basis of their appearance. Nasty workplace behaviours like shouting and gossipping likewise decreased when the face-to-face element was removed, and this may also be a solution to help LGBTQ+ workers.

Additionally, from an employer perspective, offering remote work can act as something of a “Band-Aid solution” to help increase the talent field. RemoteWorker notes that the star employee a business is looking for to fill a key vacancy may just happen to be a queer professional hesitant to apply. But if that position were to be remote, it could be an ideal solution for everyone.

No employee should ever feel that they have to stay at home just to comfortably and safely perform their daily tasks at work, and RemoteWorker is not suggesting that they should. Rather, it wants to suggest that businesses that are not already offering remote options consider giving the option to more of their staff as a way to help address some of their concerns and show that they’re mindful of the challenges faced by queer workers in this present time.

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About Remote Worker (US)
Remote Worker is designed to help hiring managers and businesses connect with job-seeking professionals for remote work positions. We are affiliated with Remote Worker (UK), ClickJobs.io, EcoCareers.org and Caribbean Employment Services Inc. For more information, visit https://www.remoteworker.jobs or contact [email protected].