June is PRIDE Month, a time dedicated to celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community, honoring its history, and advocating for equality and inclusion. At Businessolver, we believe that every employee deserves to feel safe, respected, and valued for who they are.
But as we close out Pride Month celebrations, it’s time to think about how to do more than just adding a temporary rainbow flag to you LinkedIn profile and truly celebrate pride beyond just a one-month commemoration.
While Pride Month presents a great opportunity to highlight your support and value of your LGBTQIA+ employees, it’s important to recognize that taking pride in your employees—and making them all feel truly seen and valued—should happen every single day.
June is the time when we come together to celebrate love, identity, and the power of being unapologetically YOU. But why should we define that kind of support and authenticity to just one month?
Because if there’s anything we’ve learned from this year’s State of the Workplace Empathy Report, it’s that employees aren’t necessarily feeling the love that CEO’s think their organizations are giving.
Overall, nearly one-quarter of employees and HR professionals say their workplace is toxic. Unempathetic organizations come with costs beyond attrition: 3X higher toxicity and 1.3X more mental health issues, impacting absenteeism and productivity.
As we observe a shift back to pre-pandemic empathy views and authoritative, top-down approaches to people leadership such as return-to-office (RTO) mandates and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) rollbacks, it’s time important to take an honest look at our organizations, our individual actions, and how we can improve.
Pride means so much, to so many people. But what does having pride in your workplace really do?
A workplace built on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging leads to happier employees, more successful outcomes, and positive change. Think of a time when you started a new chapter. Maybe moved to a new city. Joined a new hobby or club. Started a new job. Maybe there was a person or two who welcomed you in and made you feel welcomed, seen, and heard. How did you feel? Or by contrast, if no one did: how did that affect you?
Pride in the workplace builds community. It creates an intentional focus on a culture of inclusion and belonging, where everyone feels safe and celebrated for who they are.
When your organization actively promotes visibility, it opens the door for authenticity. Publicly recognizing or amplifying employees’ personal journeys fosters a sense of pride in their identity. Visibility helps dismantle stereotypes and encourages employees to be their most authentic self without fear of judgment.
At the end of the day, we all deserve to feel seen, safe, and respected. Whether that’s at the grocery store, the park, or the gym, but especially where we work. Focusing on the inclusion of other’s voices, especially those that have been historically ignored, not only generates innovation, and collaboration, but fundamentally helps ensure everyone feels safe and comfortable to be themselves.
Empathy and pride in employees go hand in hand. It’s not just about saying “we care” but creating spaces where employees feel truly seen, valued, and safe to be their authentic selves. And there are measurable business outcomes tied to empathy. For example:
Employees in empathetic organizations are 1.5x less likely to change jobs, protecting businesses from attrition costs. Additionally, toxic environments are mitigated, fostering stronger collaboration and innovation.
You play an important part in creating an empathetic and authentic environment at work. Instead of simply treating others the way you want to be treated, consider other people may have different needs than you. Ask yourself how you can respond to their needs and preferences rather than projecting your own.
We can do a lot as LGBTQIA+ allies or advocates, and so can the organizations we work for.
Develop Inclusive Policies: Workplace policies can have a huge effect on how people feel seen and supported. Employers can start by:
Promote Resources: Employers can bring forward resources to help educate and empower both advocates and allies alike on supporting and uplifting others.
Seek & Act on Employee Feedback: No one knows how your employees feel, well, better than THEM. Conduct anonymous surveys to gather employees’ perspectives on challenges they face, and invite tangible suggestions for improvement.
Creating a workplace where every employee feels safe, valued, and celebrated takes intention and continuous effort. Pride is not just a June initiative or an HR checkbox; it’s an everyday commitment to fostering a culture of empathy and inclusion.
CTA: At Businessolver, we believe empathy is at the heart of every strong workplace. If you’re looking for more insight into how empathetic leadership can transform your workplace, check out the resources from our 2025 State of Workplace Empathy report and start building a stronger, more inclusive workplace today.
