Despite increased efforts by employers to be inclusive of LGBTQ talent, queer employees are still hesitant to bring their full selves to work.
Sixty-three percent of LGBTQ people say they've faced discrimination in their career, according to a recent survey from educational consultant Edubirdie, and almost half feel that their company is bad at raising awareness about their struggles. As a result, one in four LGBTQ employees feel unsafe coming out at work.
"Societally, there's been a lot of progress in terms of LGBTQ social support both at work and with the general public," says Dr. Jenna Brownfield, a licensed psychologist who specializes in therapy for the LGBTQ community. "But it's still hard to be LGBTQ in our world and it continues to be politicized."
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Fifteen percent of reported workplace discrimination goes unaddressed with HR departments and managers, according to Edubirdie's findings, leading one in five LGBTQ people to avoid reporting discriminatory incidents that happen at work. Their biggest fear — and a valid one — is that doing so will hinder their career, Dr. Brownfield says.
"Anyone with marginalized identity is hyper-aware of the fact that getting opportunities at work is influenced by how well liked you are by leadership and by your colleagues," she says. "With coming out work, you're having to calculate that risk of whether it could hinder future promotions, future raises, opportunities or even job security."
Seventy percent of LGBTQ people still feel lonely, misunderstood, marginalized or excluded at work, and 59% believe their sexual orientation or gender identity has already hurt In fact, 44% of LGBTQ workers have had to quit a job due to discrimination or a lack of acceptance, the survey found, and 45% have been passed up for promotions.
Psychologically, the balancing act of not being authentic at work is incredibly damaging, both personally and professionally, according to Dr. Brownfield. It not only makes LGBTQ employees more susceptible to mental health crises, but can also make focus and productivity significantly harder. Employers need to be aware of this, and actively do better with their policies, communication and overall empathy towards this demographic, Dr. Brownfield says.
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"It's important to recognize that not every queer or trans person is going to feel that it is necessary to be out at work, or feel conflicted about not being out at work because for some folks that makes sense for them," Dr. Brownfield says. "But in general, something employers everywhere can do is be prepared to support those employees who would like to be more out at work through their actions."
This means having responses and consequences at the ready for when homophobic or transphobic things are said in the workplace, as well as having strategies for addressing conversations around anti-LGBTQ legislation and other politicized issues that could come up in workplace settings. Without investing in diversity initiatives proactively, employers threaten the long-term sustainability of their companies as a whole.
"Queer and trans employees have so much to offer," Dr. Brownfield says. "So when it's not safe for them, we lose out on all the wonderful insights, talent and creativity they have to bring to the workplace."
