HRC report shows 51 percent stay closeted at work

A new study shows that 51 percent of LGBT workers say they stay closeted at work.

A new study shows that 51 percent of LGBT workers say they stay closeted at work. According to the study by Human Rights Campaign

Nevertheless, significant numbers of LGBT employees continue to ex-  perience a negative workplace climate that appears to be unaffected by  organizational policies and which varies by location, manager and work  team, the HRC reports.
Significant numbers of LGBT employees continue to ex- perience a negative workplace climate that appears to be unaffected by organizational policies and which varies by location, manager and work team, the HRC reports.

Foundation,only 5 percent of employees ages 18-24 say they are open about their sexual orientation or gender identity at work, while 20 percent of older workers say they are.

Fourty-two percent say they’ve lied about their personal relationships in the past year.

“We’ve found that inclusive nondiscrimination policies and equal benefits are the essential first step toward cultivating a productive and engaged LGBT employee, but they are not the last step,” Daryl Herrschaft, director of the Workplace Project, told the Advocate. “By understanding how LGBT identity surfaces and unfolds in the workplace, we will be better able to turn policy into practice and address opportunities to improve productivity and retention of LGBT employees.”

Other points of interest include:

  • 58 percent of LGBT workers say someone at work makes a joke or derogatory comment about LGBT people at least once in a while.
  • 62 percent of LGBT employees say negative comments about minority groups are made at least once in a while at work.
  • 67 percent say they ignore it when they hear an anti-LGBT remark at work, 9 percent raise the issue with a supervisor and only 5 percent go to human resources.
  • 72 percent LGBT employees say they would self-disclose their sexual orientation or gender identity along with other demographic information in an anonymous human resources survey.

For a PDF of the full study click here.

— Theresa Bruskin

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