(Washington, D.C.)  A majority – 51 percent – of lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender workers continue to hide their identity from most or all co-workers,
according to a new report released today from the Human Rights Campaign
Foundation that examines the real-life experiences of LGBT workers.

The
report, “Degrees of Equality: A National Study Examining Workplace Climate for
LGBT Employees,” found that, despite significant advances in employment policies
at major U.S. corporations, a majority of LGBT workers continue to experience a
range of negative consequences because of their sexual orientation and gender
identity.  Younger workers are even more likely to hide their LGBT identity –
only 5 percent of LGBT employees ages 18 to 24 say they are totally open at
work, compared to more than 20 percent in older age cohorts.
The report is available for download at www.DegreesOfEquality.org.
“Overall attitudes towards LGBT people have come a long way, but we can’t
forget that people still struggle at work and that this has a profound impact on
LGBT workers’ careers,” said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights
Campaign Foundation.  “Degrees of Equality helps us bridge the gap between
policy and practice to fully understand LGBT workers’ experiences.  The more we
understand the workplace, the more we can help usher it to a place where all
employees can thrive.”
The study examined why workers chose to disclose their LGBT identity or not,
how these issues arise in the workplace, the impact they have for businesses and
what can be done to improve productivity and retention.  In recent years,
businesses have engaged in sustained efforts to implement policies aimed at
creating safe and productive workplaces for talented LGBT employees.  The number
of companies that receive top ratings on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation
Corporate Equality Index, for example, rose from just 13 in 2002 to 305 in the
2010 report released last week.
Nevertheless, significant numbers of LGBT employees continue to experience a
negative workplace climate that affects productivity, retention and professional
relationships.  At least once in the past year, 42 percent of LGBT employees
report lying about their personal lives, 27 percent have felt distracted, 21
percent have job searched and 13 percent have stayed home from work as a result
of working in an environment that is not always accepting of LGBT people.
As reasons for hiding their identities, 39 percent fear losing connections,
28 percent fear not being considered for advancement, 17 percent fear getting
fired and more than one in ten (13 percent) fear for their personal safety. 
Transgender workers are much more likely than other groups to report fearing for
their personal safety – 40 percent compared to 20 percent of gay men.
And 42 percent of transgender workers feared getting fired if they revealed
their LGBT identity, compared to 22 percent of gay men.
An employee’s sexual orientation or gender identity are often unavoidable in
casual, non-work related conversations.  These conversations occur frequently
and are an essential component to building productive work relationships.
At least once per week, 89 percent of LGBT employees say conversations about
social lives, 80 percent confront conversations involving spouses, relationships
and dating at least once per week and 50 percent say the topic of sex arises at
least once a week.  These conversations are the most likely to make LGBT
employees feel uncomfortable: fewer than half feel very comfortable talking
about any of these topics.
Derogatory comments and jokes still happen at work and are a major indicator
that it is unsafe to be open about their sexual orientation and/or gender
identity at work.  A total of 58 percent of LGBT workers say someone at work
makes a joke or derogatory comment about LGBT people at least once in a
while.
Similarly, jokes and derogatory comments about other minority groups are
equally indicative of a negative climate.  About two-thirds (62 percent) of LGBT
employees say negative comments about minority groups are made at least once in
a while at work.
Even with inclusive employment policies, significant numbers of employees
report negative consequences of an unwelcoming environment for LGBT employees. 
Moreover, the vast majority of LGBT workers do not report instances when they
hear an anti-LGBT remark to HR or management.  On average, 67 percent ignore it
or let it go, 9 percent raise the issue with a supervisor and only 5 percent go
to HR.
“We’ve found that inclusive non-discrimination policies and equal benefits
are the essential first step toward cultivating a productive and engaged LGBT
employee, but they are not the last step,” said Daryl Herrschaft, director of
the Workplace Project.  “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.”
The study is the cornerstone of a new project that will provide employers
with a climate assessment tool and toolkits for improving their workplaces.
The HRC Foundation conducted 14 focus groups to examine current LGBT
workplace experiences and identify key elements of workplace climate. Since
there is no uniform LGBT experience, the diversity of the working LGBT community
was accounted for by conducting focus groups around race, ethnicity and gender,
among other sub-groupings.  In addition, the HRC Foundation commissioned the
largest national survey of LGBT workplace experiences to date, administered to
761 LGBT workers from across the country.  Finally, in-depth interviews
supplemented the research.