Behind the Rainbow Flag Employee perspectives of corporate LGBTQIA+ advocacy

Corporations increasingly engage with LGBTQIA+ topics through corporate social advocacy. For CSA to be authentic, messages and actions must be consistent with corporate values, as misalignment can fuel allegations of pinkwashing and alienate stakeholders. While existing CSA research focuses on external perceptions, understanding employee perceptions of authenticity provides an internal perspective thanks to their intimate understanding of corporate values and proximity to observe internal behaviours. Employee perceptions of authenticity and pinkwashing at HEMA were studied via 12 semi-structured interviews using theoretical thematic analysis. Their experiences allow us to answer how employees perceive authenticity in their company’s LGBTQIA+ CSA. Findings underscore how authenticity demands consistency, in which behaviour and communication align, internally and externally, and over time. CSA campaigns embedded with corporate values are less likely to face pinkwashing allegations when employees engage in sensemaking with one another. These perceptions differ based on employee proximity to advocacy and other factors.