The closet door opens bit by bit for job equality
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, June 24, 2016
China's 'pink' market may be attracting serious attention as investors wake up to the buying power of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual communities, but in the job market, it's still a hard slog for LGBT candidates to get a foot in the door or be accepted in the workplace when they do land jobs.
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The 2nd annual China LGBT Talent Job Fair |
"China is still finding its way out of the closet — slowly opening the door," says Darren Burns, president of Weber Shandwick China, an arm of the global public relations firm.
Geng Le, ex-cop and founder of China's biggest gay dating app Blued, recently announced the conclusion of three rounds of funding from angel investors and private equity firms, securing tens of millions of yuan. Earlier this year, Grindr, one of the most popular gay mobile apps in the world, announced it had sold 60 percent stake to a Chinese gaming company.
Indeed, LGBT is moving beyond just an obscure acronym that puzzles many people to the forefront of social trends. That's a big leap from 15 years ago, when homosexuality was removed as a designated mental illness by the Chinese government.
The pink market in China is valued at about US$470 billion a year according to US-based LGBT research firm Community Marketing & Insights.
But LGBT people don't want to be just market targets for profit-makers. They want equal opportunities in employment and workplaces where they can be themselves. In China, that leaves a big gap.
"But it is opening up," says Burns. "Things are changing fast thanks to the work of companies, grassroots organizations and social media."
In early 2013, Blued CEO Geng posted a recruitment advertisement online and received hundreds of applications, but not a single candidate showed up at the interview after the nature of the website was explained clearly.
Last month, for the 2nd annual China LGBT Talent Job Fair, more than 500 job-seekers flew into Shanghai from all over China. Blued and Weber Shandwick were among the 34 company exhibitors at the fair. That was double the number a year earlier but fell short of the 100 or so Chinese and foreign companies invited to attend.
The majority of exhibitors are still foreign companies, but some big Chinese names — like Didi taxi app, Boss and BlueFocus — have been added to the list. Foreign participants included Starbucks, Nielsen, L'Oreal and Paypal.
"This is an enormous step forward for the business community in China because it increasingly realizes the importance of LGBT talent," says Steven Bielinski, founder of WorkForLGBT, the nonprofit organization that hosted the job fair.
Reaching out to LGBT customers
He tells Shanghai Daily, "We have been in talks with a lot of Chinese companies and are confident that next year even more local brands and businesses will take part. As major companies like Alibaba and Tencent expand into international markets, they are already starting to advertise and communicate with LGBT customers domestically."
Bielinski was referring to a gay couples' video competition Alibaba organized last year, where the Internet giant gave free trips for winners to get married in the US. It was also around the same time that Tencent included the rainbow as an emotional index on its social networking app.
Many consider Apple CEO Tim Cook's coming out in 2014 and the legalization of same-sex marriage in the US as two big factors inspiring some big Chinese companies to experiment with different ways to reach out to LGBT customers.
However, the overtures seem to end at the personnel office door. Companies still have a long way to go when it comes to actually hiring LGBT employees and creating an equal and diverse work environment.
"I'm personally okay with hiring gays, but when it comes to promoting my company as gay-friendly, I'm still a bit concerned about the acceptance level of older employees, business partners and customers," says Felix Lin, CEO of a Shanghai firm with about 50 employees.
"They may consider us a gay company and feel uncomfortable working or doing business with us," he adds. "It's hard to explain to the older generation."
Tolerance for LGBT issues is a large stumbling block for many in the older generation.
"I wouldn't necessarily come out to my colleagues, especially older colleagues, who might not necessarily feel okay with the subject," says Frank Wong, a Chinese law student studying in the US, who attended the job fair and landed an internship at a Beijing law firm. "But my workplace is very open and professional, and I don't necessarily have to reveal my private life to my colleagues."
That can be difficult, especially in China, where work colleagues often chat about family and personal relationships, Wong says.
"It will take time," he says, "so the best I can hope for now is that China will have programs advocating that LGBT staff be treated as just normal people."
Many multinational companies, who have had years of experience with internal diversity programs, have already implemented such programs in their Chinese branches.
"We believe the best strategy is to get involved in community work that helps foster understanding in this area because we believe it plays a huge role in raising awareness and fostering understanding," says Weber Shandwick's Burns. "It also inspires others to do more for the cause."
He adds, "Actually, diversity is Weber Shandwick's secret weapon in China. Creating an open environment of acceptance is crucial to creativity."
Bielinski agrees that corporate inclusiveness and diversity are key factors for Chinese companies seeking to enhance their chances in the competitive global market for talent.
"To compete for the best talent in China and globally, they will need diverse and inclusive recruiting strategies that ensure LGBT employees feel safe and welcome being who they are in the office," he concludes.
"Otherwise, domestic companies will be at a distinct disadvantage against multinational firms, who for decades have focused on recruiting diverse talent, including LGBT employees."
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