Achieving Inclusion in Global Mobility

A ground-breaking report has highlighted the priorities and experiences of LGBT+ assignees working abroad. It offers an important insight for everyone involved with global mobility and a clear direction to ensure that our industry is fully inclusive.

The 2020 report conducted by Deloitte involved 413 participants ((389 identified as LGBT+ and 24 had LGBT+ dependants). 132 had been offered an international assignment, 116 accepted and 16 declined. The findings state that:

·       LGBT+ laws and culture are the two most important factors influencing the decision of LGBT+ people to work abroad – even ahead of healthcare and insurance.

·       69% of LGBT+ professionals cited discrimination laws related to LGBT+ people as a reason for rejecting a potential international assignment.

·       Despite a desire for ‘local knowledge’, over 90% of LGBT+ professionals working on international assignments did not receive information about laws or culture related to LGBT+ people from their employer.

·       LGBT+ people are significantly more likely to accept work assignments to countries with higher levels of social and legal acceptance of LGBT+ people. As a country’s score of social and legal LGBT+ acceptance increases, there is a statistically significant rise in the number of LGBT+ professionals willing to travel there on international assignments.

What does this mean for global mobility providers?

It is disappointing to see that over 90% of LGBT+ professionals did not receive any information about their destinations’ laws or culture regarding LGBT+ communities as part of the relocation process. Participants said the details required about the host country was:

1.     Information on laws related to LGBT+ people (87% of respondents)

2.     Culture related to LGBT+ people (83% of respondents)

3.     Health and insurance (79% of respondents)

By providing the important details about law and culture, there are significant benefits to be gained:

·       Greater understanding and therefore appeal of international assignments amongst LGBT+ employees.

·       Increased inclusivity in recruiting for international assignments.

·       Competitive strength for truly inclusive organisations as skills of LGBT+ individuals are attracted and retained.

·       Increased productivity and assignment success as LGBT+ employees settle into their new role and destination more quickly if they are fully informed.

“At BTR International we are very aware of the support required by LGBT+ individuals,” says Jennifer Patrick, Business Development Executive at BTR International. “We strive to make sure they have all the information they need about the relevant culture and laws of their destination country. It’s an integral part of our cultural training service.”