Remco Boxelaar started his company Corporate Queer in 2018, a platform for LGBT+ professionals who question and challenge the heteronorm in Dutch business. The idea came from his own experiences in professional services. There he was shocked by the ignorance regarding LGBT+. Corporate Queer therefore seeks to actively improve and broaden knowledge about LGBT+.
Professionalism versus authenticity
Professionalism sometimes conflicts with authenticity, is Remco’s experience. After all, everyone has their own vision of what professionalism means. For someone to appear professional it usually means that a person’s appearance should be gender-conforming: men should behave masculinely and women femininely. That expectation is quite binary, or dichotomous. Remco explains that workplace acceptance of people who identify as non-binary is limited. The motto “just act normal!” is reinforced in customer contact and when commercial interests are at stake.
“In clothing choices, more and more companies are leaning toward more business casual. Despite this broadening of what is and is not considered acceptable, LGBT people in the workplace are still regularly challenged or even corrected to dress more according to their gender.”
In clothing choices, more and more companies are leaning toward more business casual. Despite this broadening of what is and is not considered acceptable, LGBT people in the workplace are still regularly challenged or even corrected to dress more according to their gender. Similarly, our assumptions are unconsciously heteronormative: we ask if that male colleague has a girlfriend and the female colleague has a boyfriend. Remco provides a gender-neutral alternative. “Rather ask about someone’s partner,” he says. Those issues Corporate Queer raises in order to move the status quo and create more space for other forms of expression.
Representation at the top
Remco stresses the importance of role models. When you see only white, heterosexual men at the top, you start thinking that you have to look like that to become successful. “The ambitious black young woman then wonders if there is a place for her at that top.” Remco himself was beginning to resent going to work in a suit every day. He experienced an effect on his performance and job happiness.
Desires that fit the rhythm
How a company can make changes to become more inclusive and diverse is very context dependent. When Remco speaks to an organization, the first question he asks is, “How much diversity can you handle?” A company must choose that pace that employees can keep up with. Becoming more diverse and inclusive is a path of nuance and requires a long haul. Still, you have to start somewhere. When it is clear what a company’s starting point is, you can also determine the dot on the horizon and the path to it. This is why Corporate Queer usually starts a consulting process with an audit report, a baseline measurement.
Room to grow
What is the company’s ambition and what changes are achievable in the short and long term? What are core values for the company? When those are clear, you might come to the conclusion that certain employees or customers no longer fit with what the company stands for. Dare to have the conversation about that and, if necessary, act accordingly. A protocol of undesirable behavior and a confidential advisor can play a role in that process. “But you also have to give people a second chance and not permanently judge them on past behavior and statements,” Remco believes. For lasting change, Corporate Queer is happy to enter into a membership with clients where companies become members of the Corporate Queer platform. Its content is determined by mutual agreement. This is therefore a long-term, tailor-made collaboration.
Changes start small
Differences between companies are large. “Large organizations often have a sizable budget for diversity issues. SMEs don’t always have this space by a long shot,” Remco says. He therefore recommends determining which diversity dimension to address first. Therefore, he recommends determining which diversity dimension should be addressed
How do we make the knowledge available?
Remco wants to pass on knowledge gained at multinationals to SMEs. He writes manuals that people can use to get started in a concrete way. If one has a membership then Remco acts as a helpline and sounding board. For example, he recently counseled a company on how to properly deal with a transgender employee who wanted to know what her employer could do in the transition process. “Care is paramount. From changes in the IT system – such as ensuring a new email address and removing the old name from HR files – to facilitating team conversations about how to address the colleague and to answer questions about being transgender. In any company, there can be situations that an employer is unsure of. And that’s where Corporate Queer can play a role,” Remco emphasizes.