June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, reflect on the progress the community has made, and recognise the work still to be done. It’s also a timely reminder to ask: how inclusive are our workplaces in 2025, and what challenges do LGBTQ+ people still face?
Sadly, the answer remains stark. Research published by Stonewall earlier this year revealed that nearly 40% of LGBTQ+ employees still feel unable to be open about their identity at work. And just last summer, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) reported that more than half of LGBTQ+ workers had experienced bullying or harassment in the workplace over the past five years.
These figures are not just disappointing, they’re unacceptable. Our workplaces should be safe, inclusive, and empowering for everyone.
My day-to-day focus is on the housing and construction sectors, industries in which I work to help address the skills gap through training, apprenticeships, and upskilling. Our work supports both the development of new homes and the maintenance of existing ones, ensuring the sector is future-ready.
But these industries are far from diverse. It’s well known that women and people from minority ethnic backgrounds remain underrepresented in construction – and the same, regrettably, applies to LGBTQ+ people too.
Research we conducted in partnership with the University of Cambridge last year underlines this. We found that between 86% and 92% of LGBTQ+ workers in the construction sector do not feel comfortable being open about their sexuality at work. That figure is not just worrying, it highlights a systemic issue that cannot be ignored.
Pride Month offers an opportunity for HR teams, senior leaders, and industry bodies to confront these cultural shortcomings head-on; it’s about building lasting change.
We need visible support networks, inclusive workplace policies, and flexible career pathways that allow everyone, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation, to thrive.
Leaders must not only listen to LGBTQ+ voices but actively amplify them. That means engaging in meaningful dialogue, improving representation at every level, and being transparent about progress. Representation matters. When people see others like them succeeding in their industry, it signals that they too belong, that they are valued, and that they have a future within that space.
For me, if the housing and construction sectors want to meet the demands of tomorrow, they must become places where everyone can bring their whole selves to work.
PfP Thrive delivers tailored training programmes for the UK housing and construction sectors, including compliance training, trade apprenticeships, and leadership development.
