Training e-Newsletter
May 2010
Monthly Insight
May Town Call
Advanced Tracks
Intensive Course
Trainers' Corner
The Out & Equal University archive
 
Missed an Out & Equal University course? It's not too late to participate through the Out & Equal University archive.
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Training Calendar
 
Visit the Out & Equal Training page for more event and registration information.
 
May 27
Out & Equal Town Call
Where are the metrics?
 
June 1
Advanced Track
Employee Progress Paradigm, part two: How to Structure an ERG
Webinar

June 7
Advanced Track
Employee Progress Paradigm, part three: Case Study
Webinar
 
June 15
Transgender Intensive, part one
Webinar 
 
July 20
Transgender Intensive, part two
Webinar 
 
August 10
Transgender Intensive, part three
Webinar 
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Trainer's Forum
 
 
May 24
Monthly Trainer's Forum
Moderated by Pat Baillie
Webinar

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Monthly Insight

Thoughts from
Pat Baillie, Associate Director of Training &
Professional Development
 
In April, I was on the road quite a bit!  I started out in Costa Rica, then moved on to New York to teach Train the Trainer with Stephen Gould, Associate Director of NETWORKS!, as part of the Executive Leadership Celebration week.  Finally, I visited Atlanta where the Out & Equal booth was part of the Linkage Diversity Summit.   The booth was a busy place where many HR and diversity professionals asked how to advance LGBT workplace equality.  Michael Guest, Out & Equal board member and Council for Global Equality Forum senior advisor, spoke as one of the keynotes.  He raised the level of awareness for attendees on what it meant to be LGBT in the workplace.  Even after 11 years of talking about the steps to an Out & Equal workplace, many have not heard about the best practices and success stories in so many organizations. 
 
It is easy to get comfortable in our workplaces and it is easy to forget that there are still many who want to become allies but haven't found the connection.  Sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zone and tell our stories to new audiences.  This month, I am going to tie together several parts of my life as I speak at Stanford Law School on Don't Ask, Don't Tell.  I have talked about my military experiences for years, but now I get the chance to make the connection between those experiences and the knowledge I have gained in workplace issues here at Out & Equal.  Making the business case and telling our stories are critical for reaching new audiences and influencing the future of equality for LGBT employees.  You don't have to speak in front of hundreds to have that influence - just look down the hallway where you work and find the next ally for LGBT equality!


Pat Baillie
May Town Call 

Where are the metrics? 
Finding the research to support
LGBT workplace equality!

 
As the discussion increases around the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and workplace equality, we hear more and more numbers!  There are twenty-nine (29) states that do not protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.  Twenty-eight percent (28%) of respondents in a recent study decided not to be open at work because they feel it may be an obstacle to career advancement.  Some companies are just beginning to count how many LGBT employees they have in their workforce.  Where do these numbers come from and what are the best sources to use when discussing the business case for LGBT inclusion?  Join this Town Call and find out what research is being done and how to add metrics to your business case.
 
Speakers
  • Lee Badgett, Research Director, Williams Institute, UCLA Law School
  • Deena Fidas, Manager, Workplace Project, Human Rights Campaign
  • Terry Hildebrandt, LGBT Voluntary Self Identification Community of Practice
  • Mara Keisling, Executive Director, National Center for Transgender Equality
  • Justin Tanis, Community Education and Outreach Manager, National Center for Transgender Equality
 
When: May 27
Time: 12:00 p.m. Pacific; 1:00 p.m. Mountain; 2:00 p.m. Central; 3:00 p.m. Eastern
Duration: 1 hour
Where: Live webinar
Cost: Free
Registration: Online
Advanced Tracks 

Out & Equal University Advanced Tracks

 
The Employee Progress Paradigm
 
On May 17, Out & Equal University began its presentation of an Advanced Track webinar series called The Employee Progress Paradigm
 
One of the cornerstones of advancing workplace equality is the creation of an LGBT Employee Resource Group (ERG). ERGs come together for a common purpose and work to change organizational policies, procedures and workplace climate. ERGs make significant advances over the years toward LGBT inclusion. But often, after a few years of powerful work, the progress of an ERG may falter. The leaders are worn out or need to move on to other job priorities. The group can't identify what their next steps should be and progress just doesn't seem fast enough.
 
What tools can be used when a group gets stuck or is having difficulty getting started? Using a systemic and programmatic approach, Liz Winfeld will present The Employee Progress Paradigm. This series of webinars covers how you can use the paradigm to structure your ERG and move on to the next step towards workplace inclusion for LGBT employees.
 
Part one of the series (Paradigm in Focus - How it Works) focuses on the paradigm model as an outline and process to keep people moving, engaged and working together. In this first program, you'll learn how to create functional goals from mission statements and achievable, actionable items from your goals. You'll also learn how to plot out those actionable items in a time/space continuum based on reality and not unrealistic expectations.  If you missed part one of the series, you may still complete the course via the Out & Equal University Archive.
 
Part two of the series (How to Structure an ERG for Long-term Success) takes the paradigm theory and applies it to how to create and work within the ERG. Issues addressed will include reducing burnout, maximizing the chance of attracting new membership and working toward a viable succession leadership plan. This course will provide some models to structure your group to increase involvement and commitment of the entire group. Creating a layered organization that can maintain the high level vision and complete action items is vital to the sustained work of an ERG and such tools as the Progress Plan show how the paradigm can be used for long term work. 
 
Part three of the series (Case Study - Including Gender Identity/Expression in an Organization's Non-Discrimination Policy) takes a current workplace issue for many corporations, inclusion of gender identity/expression in current EEO policies, and shows how the paradigm can be applied to organization goals. The key to success in reaching each goal is how you move from a goal statement to a series of actionable items.
 
The courses that make up The Employee Progress Paradigm may be taken individually, as needed, but enrollment in the entire series is recommended. At additional cost, an individual consulting session will be available for those attendees who have completed the series and would like to work more with this model. 
 
Speaker:Liz Winfeld is principal of Common Ground, an education consulting firm specializing in workplace diversity specific to sexual orientation, gender identity/expression and gender roles. She provides customized, leading-edge education on these topics to organizations of all kinds throughout the world. She is the author of Straight Talk about Gays in the Workplace and lives with her partner in all things on both coasts.
 
Course: How to Structure an ERG for Long-term Success (Employee Progress Paradigm, part two) 
When: June 1
Time:10:00 a.m. Pacific; 11:00 a.m. Mountain; 12:00 p.m. Central; 1:00 p.m. Eastern
Duration:75 minutes
Where:Live webinar
Cost:$49.95 regular; $34.95 nonprofit
Registration:Online 
   
Course: Case Study - Including Gender Identity/Expression in an Organization's Non-Discrimination Policy (Employee Progress Paradigm, part three)
When: June 7
Time:1:00 p.m. Pacific; 2:00 p.m. Mountain; 3:00 p.m. Central; 4:00 p.m. Eastern
Duration:75 minutes
Where:Live webinar
Cost:$49.95 regular; $34.95 nonprofit
Registration:Online 
  
[Out & Equal Advanced Track courses have been submitted to the Society for Human Resources Management's Human Resource Certification Institute and are pending approval for continuing education credits.]
Intensive Course 

Transgender Intensive

 
Gender Identity in the workplace is a new concept for many. The Transgender Intensive, jointly developed with Transgender Education Partnership, is a three part webinar conducted by two certified Out & Equal trainers with a focus on the "T" of LGBT. This information provides senior executives, managers, human resources, diversity professionals, customer service representatives and the general employee population with a basic understanding of the culture, terminology and business case aspects for transgender employees.
 
The course breaks down barriers between transgender and non-transgender people, provides essential information for human resources professionals who work with employees in transition, and encourages participants to reflect on how their gender roles in society affect their own experiences in the workplace. The training helps participants gain a better understanding of the unique concerns of transgender employees, best practices on transitioning in the workplace, information on addressing benefit and health care issues and how to support inclusion of gender identity/gender expression in federal non-discrimination legislation and in the workplace.
 
The Transgender Intensive will be divided into three 75 minute webinar courses:
 
Transgender Intensive, part one, forms a basic foundation using definitions, history and cultural foundations to develop cultural competency on transgender individuals. This course is the opportunity to get to know more about transgender people!  Objectives for part one are:
  • State the significance of transgender in the context of broader diversity issues
  • Evaluate myths and stereotypes about people who identify as transgender
  • Discuss the impact of transphobia on workplace and customer relationships
 
Transgender Intensive, part two, looks at the workplace issues regarding transgender employees to include managing transitions, developing allies, and an introduction to the legal issues to create inclusive policies and benefits. This course creates the business case for transgender employees.  Objectives for part two are:
  • Discuss the impact of transphobia on workplace and customer relationships
  • Understand the business case covering laws, company policies/benefits, and key issues when working to create an environment where transgender employees are fully engaged
  • Be familiar with the steps to becoming an ally to the transgender community and workplace equality
  
Transgender Intensive, part three, looks deeper at benefits adoption, problem solving, and action planning! This will be an interactive course designed to address the issues you face in the workplace and presents best practices to create transgender equality in the workplace.  Objectives for part three are:
  • Using best practices, create an action plan to implement full transgender benefits in the workplace
  • Respond to the major issues raised when discussing transgender equality in the workplace with facts and clear guidelines
 
Course: Transgender Intensive, part one
When: June 15
Time: 10:30 a.m. Pacific; 11:30 a.m. Mountain; 12:30 p.m. Central; 1:30 p.m. Eastern
Duration: 75 minutes
Where: Live webinar
Cost: $49.95 regular; $34.95 nonprofit
Registration: Online 
  
Course: Transgender Intensive, part two
When: July 20
Time: 10:30 a.m. Pacific; 11:30 a.m. Mountain; 12:30 p.m. Central; 1:30 p.m. Eastern
Duration: 75 minutes
Where: Live webinar
Cost: $49.95 regular; $34.95 nonprofit
Registration: Online 
   
Course: Transgender Intensive, part three
When: August 10
Time: 10:30 a.m. Pacific; 11:30 a.m. Mountain; 12:30 p.m. Central; 1:30 p.m. Eastern
Duration: 75 minutes
Where: Live webinar
Cost: $49.95 regular; $34.95 nonprofit
Registration: Online 
  
[Out & Equal Advanced Track courses have been submitted to the Society for Human Resources Management's Human Resource Certification Institute and are pending approval for continuing education credits.]
Trainers' Corner

News for Out & Equal Certified Trainers
 
Pride Month is just around the corner!  This is a perfect month to talk about LGBT employees and some of our cultural traditions.  Many people are surprised to learn that Pride is a remembrance of the Stonewall riots over 40 years ago.  They are also just as surprised to find out that LGBT employees don't have the same benefit packages as their married heterosexual peers.  When you begin to talk about the 1138 rights that are granted to married couples, you realize that the workplace is not equal for all.  If you don't get a chance to set up a "lunch & learn" in June, see if you can post some LGBT facts in your newsletter or diversity web page.  Encourage your ERG to march in your local pride parade and staff a recruiting booth at the event.  Check with your HR and management to see if you can get volunteer hours or matching credits from your company for work you do with the community.  This is a chance to see what the next steps are for your company on the Advocacy Frontier.  Also, if you need Out & Equal materials for your event, please let us know and we can ship informational materials and giveaways to you!  Training moments can happen anywhere, anytime, and the impact can make a difference in our workplaces!
 
A Farewell and Thank You
 
This month our Senior Program Associate, Morgan Green, will be leaving Out & Equal after 3 years.  She is going to return to school and will be missed for all her work with the Training & NETWORKS! programs. Beyond running registration, moderating the town calls and keeping the database up to date for training, Morgan has helped push Training to the next level over the last 2 years.  We have standardized and applied timelines to projects and this has directly improved the quality of all Training programs.  Please join me in wishing Morgan good luck in her studies and thanking her for the difference she has made in advancing workplace equality.  
Out & Equal Workplace Advocates™ is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.
Out & Equal champions safe and equitable workplaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgender (LGBT) people. The organization advocates building and
strengthening successful organizations that value all employees, customers, and
communities. Visit our website.