LGBTQ+ network groups are an important place for bi people to access support in the workplace.
They also play an important role in advocating for bi inclusion across the wider organisation. If you’re part of your network group, consider these steps to support bi colleagues:
Understand where you’re at
To understand the experiences of bi staff in your workplace and the issues they face, it’s important to consult with your bi colleagues. This could include informal discussions during network group meetings, offering confidential ways to provide feedback, or more formalised consultations like annual surveys.
Consider communicating across all-staff channels that you are keen for bi staff to provide input on your bi inclusion journey. Bi staff may not be members of the network or feel confident that their perspective is important to you, so it can be helpful to affirm that their input is an essential part of your inclusion journey.
Commit to ongoing bi-inclusive work
In your wider LGBTQ+ inclusion work, bi inclusion may not always be given clear emphasis. Putting in place clear structures can help ensure that bi identities and issues are consistently considered in your work. This might include introducing a bi inclusion rep or bi-specific workstreams, to help assess your network activity and events from a bi-inclusive perspective.
Through all your work, you can also encourage network members who aren’t bi to be vocal bi allies. For example, when hosting wider LGBTQ+ events, consider mentioning specific issues that affect bi people. This will help raise awareness of biphobia and allow bi staff to feel heard.
Collaborate with other network groups
Bi people have a range of other identities, like everyone else! Collaborating with other employee network groups within your workplace can be a great way to show your support for bi people with other marginalised identities.
This could include collaborating on events or communications – for example, an event sharing stories from bi people of colour. This can help all bi staff to feel seen and heard in your workplace.