Dive Brief:
- In a newly released CareerBuilder survey, 40% of LGBT workers said they felt bullied in the workplace — 11 percentage points higher than all workers. And of those who experienced bullying, 41% said it forced them to leave their jobs.
- The survey also found that 56% of those bullied said it happened repeatedly, 15% called in sick because they felt bullied, and 72% didn't report it to HR. Harris Poll conducted the survey of 3,420 full-time workers across industries, including 238 LGBT employees and 3,215 private-sector employees.
- Examples of bullying from respondents included being falsely accused of making mistakes (61%), making comments that were ignored or dismissed (50%), experiencing different standards or policies from other workers (49%), being gossiped about (47%), being picked on because of race, gender, looks or other attributes (42%) and experiencing constant criticism from the boss and coworkers (40%).
Dive Insight:
The survey also found a big gap between the bullying of LGBT employees by young coworkers (14%) and bullying by older workers (61%). This kind of data can be useful in helping HR and other leaders understand whether and where they need diversity efforts and training.
Employers also should encourage workers to report discriminatory acts and set up a system for doing so anonymously, if necessary.
Additionally, employers should remember that failing to stop harassment based on a protected characteristic will render companies liable for discrimination. The courts remain split over whether Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects LGBT workers but employment law attorneys continue to recommend that employers avoid becoming test cases.
