How to create LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace: recognising the role of privilege

For Pride month this year we can reflect on a paradox that is prevalent in our society today; although attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community continue to become more positive as a whole (Charlesworth & Banaji, 2019), laws are still being passed which deny their basic human rights. In fact, 2021 has recently become the worst year in U.S. history in terms of the amount of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that has been passed; this includes sports bans, bathroom bans, religious refusal, and medical procedure bans (Ronan, 2021). As such, despite it appearing that the LGBTQ+ community is becoming more accepted, there is still work to do on reaching full equality. The workplace is no exception, with a recent report showing that there are currently 114 countries in the world that do not legally protect from employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation (Mendos et al., 2020). This piece will explore how heterosexist and cis-gendered privileges still pervade the workplace today, how it impacts employment outcomes for LGBTQ+ individuals, and outline several steps we can take to promote equality for LGBTQ+ in the workplace.

There are two types of privilege that directly impact LGBTQ+ people in the workplace: heteronormativity and cisnormativity. These norms assume that heterosexuality and cis-gendered identities are the default (Palo & Jha, 2020;Bradford & Syed, 2019). Due to these views, people in the workplace are presumed to be heterosexual and cis-gendered as a form of standardisation, unless explicitly stated or found out to be otherwise. These assumptions show up as workplace norms; think of formal gendered dress codes, binary gender distinctions, and policies based on nuclear families. In reality, a large number of the population identifies as LGBTQ+, with global estimates putting this figure at roughly 2.5%¹ (Badgett, Carpenter, & Sansone, 2021), amounting to hundreds of millions of people worldwide. (This estimation comes from the average of 14 high income countries who measure LGBTQ+ population characteristics and may not be representative of the global population.) Thus, there is a substantial number of LGBTQ+ individuals in the workplace, and they must break through barriers and prescribed norms in the workplace solely due to their identity.

These afforded privileges do not only benefit heterosexual and cis-gendered people, but they also underlie LGBTQ+ discrimination in the workplace. This discrimination can be covert, in the form of micro aggressions which LGBTQ+ individuals may experience when subtle actions or comments are made which cause oppression (Vaccaro & Koob, 2019). A more explicit form of discrimination may come in the form of bullying. Indeed, research has shown that in the workplace LGBs face 2-3 times more bullying than heterosexuals (Hoel, Lewis, & Elinarsdottir,2017) and 50% of transgender employees report being harassed at some point in the workplace (Grant et al., 2011). These experiences alone are terrible to go through. However, what makes matters worse is that they spur additional negative outcomes.

The perceptions of LGBTQ+ discrimination one faces in the workplace have been examined for their relationship with other workplace factors. Ragins & Cornwall (2001) identified several significant outcomes that occurred with high levels of perceived discrimination for LGBTQ+. The ones of substantial effect size include lower levels of organisational commitment, career commitment, organisational self-esteem, job satisfaction, and opportunities for promotion. Perceptions of discrimination can also lead to productivity losses, with 25% of LGBTQ+ individuals reporting distraction at work due to an unwelcoming environment (Lim, Jones, & Paguirigan (2019).

How does discrimination in the workplace give LGBTQ+ individuals fewer opportunities, and makes them less happy, committed, productive? It is possible that there is another variable mediating the relationships between perceived discrimination and negative workplace outcomes: disclosure of LGBTQ+ status in the workplace.

LGBTQ+ disclosure in the workplace

In the workplace, a heteronormative and cisnormative climate may influence whether LGBTQ+ individuals feel comfortable in sharing information about their sexual orientation and gender identity. If they perceive that they will be discriminated against, they may choose to hide a part of themselves in attempt to avoid bullying and microaggressions. Research backs this up, with the level of perceived discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals found to be significantly and moderately related to disclosure of their sexual orientation (Ragins & Cornwell, 2001). In fact, it is very common for LGBTQ+ individuals to hide their identity at work, with estimates that 59% of working LGBTQ+ individuals have never come out in the workplace (Gocmen & Yilmaz, 2017). Although this lack of disclosure is meant to protect them from bullying and other career-limiting effects they may experience, it can come at the cost of their workplace well-being.

Individuals who are not out at work may experience greater levels of stress (Meinhold & Frohn, 2016) as well as psychological health problems (Lloren & Parini, 2016). As Martinez et al. (2017) explain, this may be related to authenticity. LGBTQ+ individuals feel they cannot be themselves at work, and hiding their identity is a stressful situation where they must carefully consider which parts of their personal life they can share without being outed. Think about a common situation where you are talking to your coworkers about your weekend plans. For LGBTQ+ individuals who are not out in the workplace, topics such as a partner or family may need to be avoided. This is not only stressful but potentially damaging for their workplace relationships, an area that has yet to be studied.

Even if an LGBTQ+ employee feels they are in an accepting and safe work environment where they can disclose their identity, this may need to be continually monitored for roles requiring international travel. There is great variety across countries in whether LGBTQ+ individuals are accepted (see this map of countries which currently criminalise being LGBTQ+). As Gedro (2010) points out, LGBTQ+ individuals who have the opportunity to do international growth assignments must consider whether it is safe for them to go and whether they must negotiate parts of their identity. This may result in LGBTQ+ individuals being forced to pass up on career growth opportunities in order to keep themselves safe.

Thus, LGBTQ+ individuals may face a catch-22 situation in a heterosexist and cis-gendered workplace; disclose their identity and face discrimination or hide their identity and face poor workplace wellbeing. Due to these identified effects, it is not surprising that LGBTQ+ individuals are under-represented in the workplace. In the STEM fields, it is estimated that LGBTQ+ individuals are under-represented by as much as 17-21% (Freeman, 2020). It is possible that this is partially due to LGBTQ+s having more limited job opportunities as they try to avoid heterosexist and cis-gendered work environments. This leaves the workplace missing out on key talent due to the impacts of heterosexual and cis-gender privilege, and more crucially it leaves LGBTQ+ individuals in an unequitable working situation.

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