How employers can celebrate inclusion beyond monthly awareness campaigns

“The purpose of Pride or Mental Health Awareness Week or Orange Shirt Day is to raise awareness for communities that still face exclusion, bias and discrimination,” said Kristin Bower, a partner at Leda HR, in an emailed statement to  Benefits Canada. “We talk about these things until we don’t have to talk about them anymore. But we’re still a long way from that.” 

Read: How Pizza Pizza is aligning DEI, workplace culture with corporate strategy

She encourages employers to think beyond a single moment in time. “When you only focus on inclusion during a specific week or month, it can feel hollow. But when it becomes part of daily operations, it sends a clear message that these values matter.” 

She pointed to the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia as an example. Over the past few years, the organization has developed a rolling DEI strategy, introduced both formal and informal learning opportunities, created an employee resource group and hosted speaker events and book clubs. Bower described its approach as steady and intentional, built into the culture rather than tacked on during campaign season. 

Another example of DEI being embedded into daily culture comes from the City of Burnaby, which has a dedicated equity, diversity and inclusion manager. The city has also added space on meeting name cards for employees to include their pronouns alongside their names. “It’s a small step, but those kinds of daily gestures tell people they belong and are valued,” said Bower.

Read: OPB marching in Toronto’s Pride Parade in support of LGBTQ2S+ employees, community

She emphasized that leadership plays a central role in sustaining this kind of long-term progress. “You can’t build an inclusive workplace without internal buy-in. And that support has to go beyond a message in the company newsletter.”

The real test of leadership, she noted, often comes during moments of resistance. “If a donor or client pushes back, will leadership stand firm in its values? Just because someone’s loud doesn’t mean they’re right. And it doesn’t mean they speak for the majority.” 

Visible gestures during Pride, like rainbow logos or themed social media posts, can be helpful, said Bower, but she emphasized that those gestures need to be backed by action. That might involve reviewing benefits to ensure they’re inclusive, hiring employees from the LGBTQ2S+ community, updating policies with gender-neutral language or checking in with staff when global or local events impact their sense of safety.

“Inclusion should be just as present in operations and decision-making as it is in public-facing content.”

Read: 1Password’s Pride Month events highlighting intersectionality, community spirit

To know whether these efforts are landing, organizations need to listen. “Add [DEI] questions to engagement surveys, run regular pulse checks and gather post-event feedback,” said Bower. “An audit is also helpful to see what’s working and where the gaps are.” 

Co-creating campaigns with the communities they’re meant to support is essential. “’Nothing for us, without us.’ That means involving employee resource groups, engaging LGBTQ2S+ consultants and welcoming lived experience into the planning process.” 

However, she cautioned against expecting LGBTQ2S+ employees to lead this work unless it’s part of their role. “That kind of emotional labour can be heavy. It shouldn’t fall on someone just because of who they are.” 

As Pride Month continues, Bower encouraged employers to use it as a starting point, not a stand-alone gesture. “Be thoughtful, be intentional and commit to doing the work even when it’s hard. Even if only one or two employees feel excluded because of their sexuality or gender identity, isn’t that still too many?” 

Read: How employers can support LGBTQ2S+ employees’ mental well-being amid challenging times