Dive Brief:
- Eighty percent of LGBTQ+ workers are out at work, according to the results of a new study announced Tuesday by Out Leadership, a global business platform promoting LGBTQ+ equality, and Out for Undergrad, which puts on conferences for high-achieving LGBTQ+ students. That compares to 36% in 2016.
- Of those who reported being out at work, 70% said it has had a positive effect on their career advancement, while 78% said it has helped with personal and professional networking. Ninety-two percent of those surveyed said they consider companies’ reputation on LGBTQ+ inclusion in their job search. More than 2,700 LGBTQ+ and ally employees and students were surveyed for the study, 94% of whom identify as LGBTQ+.
- “Companies that invest in LGBTQ+ equality reap real bottom-line impact,” Todd Sears, founder and CEO of Out Leadership, said in a statement. “To maintain this talent advantage, avoid a brain drain, and continue realizing strong profits, business leaders must reject the rise in anti-LGBTQ+ laws in every state and country [...] where they operate.”
Dive Insight:
The experience of LGBTQ+ employees at work is not ubiquitous, as various surveys with conflicting information show.
A May Glassdoor poll found that nearly half of the workers surveyed were afraid that being out at work could negatively affect their careers, causing them to lose their job, miss a promotion or be kept off a project, among other consequences.
In another survey, 40% of LGBTQ+ workers reported they haven’t shared that part of their identity at work, according to Society for Human Resource Management research. And 1 in 5 said they believed sharing their identity would hurt their chances for promotion.
But the surveys align on one point: Workers worry about where they work as more states push anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. In May, 77% of those surveyed by Indeed said they would think twice before putting their name in for a job in a state with anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
