Twelve Questions That Tell You Whether an Employer Is Really LGBTQ+ Inclusive

An interview runs both ways, and the second half is the one most candidates waste. "Do you have any questions for us?" is not a formality. It is the only moment in the process where you get to audit them.

The difficulty is that everyone says the right things. Every careers page mentions belonging. Every recruiter will tell you the culture is great. What separates a genuinely inclusive employer from a well-designed careers page is whether the specifics exist — and specifics are what questions are for.

Here are twelve worth asking, grouped by who to ask, with a note on what a real answer sounds like.

Ask the recruiter

"Does the parental leave policy cover non-birth parents, adoption and surrogacy — and is it the same length?" This is the single most revealing benefits question, because it cannot be answered vaguely. A strong answer names the number and applies it to everyone: S&P Global's global minimum is 20 weeks for all parents regardless of gender, covering birth, adoption, surrogacy and foster placement. A weak answer says "we'd look at that case by case."

"Is there written guidance for someone transitioning at work?" Written is the operative word. The difference between documented gender-transition guidelines and goodwill is the difference between a manager following a process and a manager improvising on the worst possible day.

"Does the health insurance have any transgender exclusions?" Ask it plainly. RS Group publishes what its Enhanced Gender Identity Support actually covers — counselling, specialist consultations, surgery and therapy. Most employers say "trans-inclusive healthcare" and leave you to find out what that means at the point you need it.

"What's the LGBTQ+ network, and does it have a budget?" A network with an executive sponsor, funding and a remit to review company policy does different work from one that organises a Pride float.

Ask the hiring manager

"How many people on this team are in the LGBTQ+ network?" You are not asking them to out anyone. You are asking whether they know — and a manager who has no idea tells you something.

"When did you last change something because a colleague raised an inclusion issue?" Ask for one example. Hesitation here is data.

"How does this team handle someone being misgendered in a meeting?" A good answer is procedural and unremarkable, because it has happened and been dealt with. A bad answer is philosophical.

"What's the reporting route if something goes wrong, and who sees it?" Every company has a policy. Fewer can tell you who reads the report.

Ask about your specific situation

"Which of these policies apply in the country I'd be based in?" A global inclusion policy is only as good as its regional sponsorship. If the answer is "that's the US policy", you have learnt something important.

"Is the employee network active in my office, or is it a mailing list from head office?" Ask about chapters. S&P Global's Pride network runs more than 100 chapters across 30-plus countries; VodafoneThree runs monthly calls for trans colleagues, and separately for parents of trans children. Those are structures you can actually join.

"If I relocate, what support exists for my partner?" Spousal recognition varies enormously by country, and so does what employers do about it.

"What happened at this company during the last two years of DEI rollbacks?" The most useful question of the lot, and the one nobody expects. You are asking whether the commitment survived a hostile climate.

What to do with the answers

Nobody scores twelve out of twelve, and an employer who claims to should worry you. What you are listening for is whether the answers are specific, whether the person answering knows them without checking, and whether the policy exists in writing somewhere you could read.

If you want to see what specific looks like before you interview, our guide to LGBTQ+ inclusive employers by industry and country sets out what 42 employers actually offer — named networks, written policies, benchmark scores — so you can walk in already knowing the answers you should be getting.

myGwork is the Inclusive Talent Platform, connecting LGBTQ+ professionals and graduates with employers who have done the work.