Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

How LGBT-Supportive Workplace Policies Shape the Experience of Lesbian, Gay Men, and Bisexual Employees

  • Published:
Sexuality Research and Social Policy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Support for lesbians’, gay men’s, bisexuals’, and transgender people’s (LGBT) rights has increased over the last two decades. However, these recent trends hide existing disparities between and within countries. In particular, workplace discrimination is still a relatively widespread phenomenon. Although many countries lack legal provision protecting LGBT employees, numerous organizations have adopted LGBT-supportive policies over the last two decades. Many studies have investigated the business case for diversity arguments and tested whether diversity brings about positive business outcomes. However, few studies have studied their effect on outcomes that do not directly affect employees’ productivity. This article aims at filling this gap and examines whether LGBT-supportive policies help (1) to reduce discrimination based on sexual discrimination and (2) to increase LGB employees’ well-being and psychological health at work. Results show that diversity management contributes to shaping the experience of LGB employees by reducing discrimination and increasing overall well-being at work. However, LGBT-supportive policies do not influence employees’ psychological health outcomes.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ashley, L. (2010). Making a difference? The use (and abuse) of diversity management at the UK’s elite law firms. Work, Employment and Society, 24, 711–727.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Badgett, M. V. L., Lau, H., Sears, B., & Ho, D. (2007). Bias in the workplace: consistent evidence of sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination. Los Angeles, CA: The Williams Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Badgett, M. V. L., Durso, L. E., Mallory, C., & Kastanis, A. (2013). The business impact of LGBT-supportive workplace policies. Los Angeles, CA: The Williams Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benozzo, A., Pizzorno, M. C., Bell, H., & Koro-Ljungberg, M. (2015). Coming out, but into what? Problematizing discursive variations of revealing the gay self in the workplace. Gender, Work & Organization, 22, 292–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Button, S. B. (2001). Organizational efforts to affirm sexual diversity: a cross-level examination. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 17–28.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Catalyst. (2015). Quick take: lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender workplace issues. Retrieved from http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-workplace-issues.

  • Chamberland, L., Bernier, M., & Lebreton, C. (2009). Discrimination et stratégies identitaires en milieu de travail. Une comparaison entre travailleurs gais et travailleuses lesbiennes. In L. Chamberland (Ed.), Diversité sexuelle et construction de genre (pp. 221–262). Montréal: Presses de l’Université du Québec.

    Google Scholar 

  • Croteau, J. M. (1996). Research on the work experiences of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people: an integrative review of methodology and findings. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 48, 195–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Day, N. E., & Schoenrade, P. (2000). The relationship among reported disclosure of sexual orientation, anti-discrimination policies, top management support and work attitudes of gay and lesbian employees. Personnel Review, 29, 346–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drydakis, N. (2009). Sexual orientation discrimination in the labour market. Labour Economics, 16, 364–372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights. (2013). European Union lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender survey. Results at a glance. Retrieved from http://fra.europa.eu/en/publication/2013/eu-lgbt-survey-european-union- lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-survey-results

  • Falcoz, C., & Bécuwe, A. (2009). La gestion des minorités discréditables: le cas de l’orientation sexuelle. Travail, genre et sociétés, 21, 69–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fidas, D., & Cooper, L. (2015). The cost of the closet and the rewards of inclusion: why the workplace environment for LGBT people matters to employees. Human Rights Campaign. Retrieved from http://hrc-assets.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/files/assets/resources/Cost_of_the_Closet_May2014.pdf

  • Guiffre, P., Dellinger, K., & Williams, C. (2008). No retribution for being gay? Inequality in gay-friendly workplaces. Sociological Spectrum, 28, 254–277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Human Rights Campaign [HCR]. (2009). Degrees of equality: a national study examining workplace climate for LGBT employees. Retrieved from http://www.hrc.org/files/assets/resources/DegreesOfEquality_2009.pdf.

  • ILGA-Europe. (2015). Rainbow Europe. Retrieved from http://www.ilga-europe.org/resources/news/media-releases/rainbow-europe-2015

  • Itaborahy, L. P., & Zhu, J. (2014). State-sponsored homophobia: world survey of laws: criminalisation, protection and recognition of same-sex love. ILGA-Europe. Retrieved from http://old.ilga.org/Statehomophobia/ILGA_SSHR_2014_Eng.pdf.

  • Kaplan, D. M. (2006). Can diversity training discriminate? Backlash to lesbian, gay, and bisexual diversity initiatives. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 18, 61–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Katz-Wise, S. L., & Hyde, J. S. (2012). Victimization experiences of lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals: a meta-analysis. Journal of Sex Research, 49, 142–167.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kuyper, L. (2015). Differences in workplace experiences between lesbian, gay, bisexual, and heterosexual employees in a representative population study. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 2, 1–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Le Breton, M. (2014, May 28). Gay pride: pas facile de faire son “coming out”, encore moins sur son lieu de travail. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.fr/2014/06/28/gay-pride-comment-faire-son-coming-out-travail_n_5535951.html

  • McFadden, C. (2015). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender careers and human resource development: a systematic literature review. Human Resource Development Review, 14, 125–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ozeren, E. (2014). Sexual orientation discrimination in the workplace: a systematic review of literature. Procedia—Social and Behavioral Sciences, 109, 1203–1215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parini, L. and Lloren, A. (2017). Les discriminations envers les homo- et bi-sexuel-le-s dans le monde du travail: résultats d’une enquête en Suisse. Travail, Genre et Sociétés, 38(2) (forthcoming)

  • Parnell, M., Keeton, S., Lease, H., & Green, M. L. (2012). Perceived career barriers for gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals. Journal of Career Development, 39, 248–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • PEW Research Center. (2013). Gay marriage around the world. Retrieved from http://www.pewforum.org/2015/06/26/ gay-marriage-around-the-world-2013/.

  • Raeburn, N. C. (2004). Changing corporate America from inside out: lesbian and gay workplace rights. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raggins, B. R., Singh, R., & Cornwell, J. M. (2007). Making the invisible visible fear and disclosure or sexual orientation at work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 1103–1118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ragins, B. R., & Cornwell, J. M. (2007). We are family: the influence of gay family-friendly policies on gay, lesbian, and bisexual employees. In M. V. L. Badgett & J. Frank (Eds.), Sexual orientation discrimination: an international perspective (pp. 105–117). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sandfort, T. G. M., Bos, H., & Vet, R. (2006). Lesbians and gay men at work: consequences of being out. In A. M. Omoto & H. S. Kurtzman (Eds.), Sexual orientation and mental health: examining identity and development in lesbian, gay, and bisexual people (pp. 225–244). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, N. G., & Ingram, K. M. (2004). Workplace heterosexism and adjustment among lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals: the role of unsupportive social interactions. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 51, 57–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Society for Human Resource Management. (2009). Global diversity and inclusion: perceptions, practices and attitudes. The Economist Intelligence Unit. Retrieved from http://graphics.eiu.com/upload/eb/DiversityandInclusion.pdf

  • Tejeda, M. J. (2006). Nondiscrimination policies and sexual identity disclosure: do they make a difference in employee outcomes? Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 18, 45–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tilcsik, A. (2011). Pride and prejudice: employment discrimination against openly gay men in the United States. American Journal of Sociology, 117, 586–626.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waldo, C. R. (1999). Working in a majority context: a structural model of heterosexism as minority stress in the workplace. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 46, 218–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woods, J. D. (1994). The corporate closet: the professional lives of gay men in America. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Values Survey. (2015). World values survey 1981–2014 longitudinal aggregate. World Values Survey Association. Retrieved from http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSDocumentationWVL.jsp

  • Wright, L. W., Jr., Adams, H. E., & Bernat, J. (1999). Development and validation of the homophobia scale. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 21, 337–347.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge partial financial support from the Geneva Federation of LGBT Associations.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gender Studies Institute, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

    Anouk Lloren

  2. Gender Studies Institute, University of Geneva, 40 Bvd. du Pont d’Arve, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland

    Lorena Parini

Authors
  1. Anouk Lloren
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lorena Parini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anouk Lloren.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lloren, A., Parini, L. How LGBT-Supportive Workplace Policies Shape the Experience of Lesbian, Gay Men, and Bisexual Employees. Sex Res Soc Policy 14, 289–299 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-016-0253-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-016-0253-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation