A survey by digital health platform Peppy also showed almost two thirds (63%) of employers think it can be hard to get senior management to buy in to benefits that don't support the majority of employees.
This is despite 65% of the 506 HR decision makers surveyed arguing that offering benefits to promote diversity and inclusion would be a good business decision.
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Peppy CEO Mridula Pore said that while specific benefits for minorities are useful, it’s important not to label certain benefits as only being appropriate for certain employees as this could prevent people from accessing help when they most need it.
She said: "It’s important to bear in mind that not everyone in minority groups or the LGBTQ+ community wants their private life to be known within the workplace and some employees will be on a journey to determine their own identity."
Of the employers surveyed, 60% said their organisation's diversity and inclusion policy referenced specific employee benefits offered to minority groups.
Pore said: “It’s great to see that organisations are joining the dots between their policies for minority groups and the benefits that they offer – this is really switched-on thinking and shows that an increasing number of employers are embedding D&I in to the fabric of their organisations.”
Employers should particularly look to support LGBT+ employees with fertility support, Peppy Health warned.
The provider recommended employers aim to better understand the financial, legal and emotional challenges of starting a family for both LGBT+ and heterosexual employees.
Pore added: "It’s vitally important that employers select benefits that are appropriate for everyone but with sufficient breadth and depth to meet the needs of every individual.”