A few weeks ago, I was invited to speak at the launch of HSBC Pride Network Asia-Pacific, an initiative to promote workplace equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) employees of the bank in the region.
It is heartening for me to see such programmes, not least because it is in line with the Equal Opportunities Commission's (EOC) core value of respecting people as human beings. Although there are signs that Hong Kong is becoming more tolerant on this front, stigma is still hurting many in the LGBT community.
Currently, there is no law in Hong Kong to specifically protect them against discrimination based on sexual orientation. In its absence, any effort by the private sector to push corporate culture towards greater inclusion of the LGBT community and drive social change is worthy of support.
Employers increasingly recognise that 'don't ask, don't tell' policies have a negative effect in the workplace. When a company's culture is not inclusive to LGBT, employees' loyalty to the employer is weakened, as they may feel underappreciated and unfairly treated, leading them to look for friendlier places to work.
In Hong Kong, a recent study by Community Business, a non-governmental organisation, found that 85 per cent of LGBT employees say non-inclusive workplaces are impacting their well-being, productivity and engagement.
As diversity and inclusion principles gradually become the norm, news of discriminatory policies could also turn off potential customers, who would prefer to spend their money on a company more in line with their values. A 2010 survey by the advertising agency Leo Burnett found that the LGBT community in Hong Kong had higher-than-average spending power, and that 95 per cent of those surveyed would boycott all products and services of a company or brand that was discriminatory.
This preference for socially conscious consumption extends beyond the LGBT population, with the global trend for employment policy moving towards full diversity and inclusion. In a 2012 global survey by research company Nielsen, two-thirds of respondents said they preferred to buy from companies who had made a positive social impact.
