Employers need to have “open and honest” conversations with LGBT staff when expanding into countries with anti-gay legislation, Maria Rzemieniecka, head of diversity & inclusion and head of audit HR at professional services firm KPMG said yesterday.
Speaking at a Radius Business event on overseas expansion and supporting a diverse workforce in countries where diversity is a challenge, Rzemieniecka said employers had a "duty of care" to make sure employees weren't put at risk.
"You have to be cognisant of legislation in every country and do risk assessments," she said. "It's about managing talent and opportunity: individuals need career development, which often means overseas assignments, but you don't want to put anyone at risk."
"The legislation won't change," she continued. "You need to be in a position to have an open and honest conversation. If someone makes the choice not to go to that environment, that can't have a negative effect in their career development."
Also speaking at the event was Sam Dick, head of policy at Stonewall. He advised employers link up LGBT staff considering going overseas to more restrictive environments with staff who have experienced it, creating a support network.
"There's a certain responsibility on the employer," he said. "It's fundamental employers make sure staff can make an informed choice, the right choice for themselves and their career. LGBT legislation can be complex overseas, and some people are not aware."
He added: "Where it goes wrong is if the employee doesn't feel comfortable having that conversation - and that applies to gay people, people with caring responsibilities, religious people. The problem comes with not being able to talk about it, not the diversity itself."
Radius Business is a networking organisation for the LGBT and LGBT-friendly communities.