Lesbian, gay and bisexual workers suffer harassment and job fears over sexual identity

Almost one-in-three lesbian, gay and bisexual workers have been harassed in their job, according to a report.

The Working It Out report, commissioned by the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN), also revealed that 10% of gay, lesbian and bisexual employees had left a job as a result of discrimination.

The report, by Brian McIntyre and Elizabeth Nixon, explores the workplace experiences of 590 full-time lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) employees in Ireland.

In its foreword, director of workplace diversity in Glen, Davin Roche, wrote: “The research found that LGB employees who are out at work are more committed to their companies than employees who are not out.

“Employees are more likely to come out where their company has well understood LGB inclusive policies and a perceived inclusive culture. New and younger LGB employees are less likely to disclose their sexual orientation at work than older colleagues.”

Recommendations in the report include companies taking responsibility for helping to ensure their workplaces are inclusive and actively apply anti-bullying and anti-harassment and Dignity at Work policies to appropriately protect LGBT employees.

It also recommends that employee partner benefits, including pensions and paternity leave, be applied as would be the case for other workers.

The report also suggests that while people coming out at work should be facilitated in a sympathetic manner, no pressure should be applied to people to make disclosures.

As for workplaces where respondents said they found it difficult to work because of attitudes towards LGB issues, the report finds that in many cases the harassment stories were not personally directed, but instead revolved around co-worker comments that stigmatised LGB people in general.

The report said in many cases harassment is more subtle or “passive aggressive”, but still hurtful.

It found that 12% of respondents were “out to no one” and another 26% were “out to some” only. Some 9% of respondents who were not out in the workplace said they felt a very real fear that they would lose their job if they did make a disclosure.

While almost two-thirds of respondents said their workplace had written LGBT policies and procedures in place, similar percentages of respondents said the same companies did not have training programmes or support mechanisms in place.

Full report: www.glen.ie

Being gay in a workplace

Quotes from the Working It Out report:

“People are allowed to bully you because you’re gay. Supportive colleagues believe it’s okay if unsupportive colleagues treat you badly. As if homophobia is an individual’s right.”

— Gay man, 30, Dublin

“I changed career in my late 30s to avoid working in a homophobic environment.”

— Gay man, 56, Dublin

“There is no one out in my workplace. As I am still relatively new, this makes coming out difficult.”

— Gay man, 45, Connacht

“When I went for the interview, I really wanted them to pick up that I was gay, as I had a fear that they would hire me and then perhaps later regret it when they learned of my sexual orientation.”

— Gay man, 34, Dublin