Pride absent for many LGBTQ+ Americans inside workplaces
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Pride Month has arrived, but the feeling of celebration may not be extending inside America's corporations where it matters most.
Why it matters: Forty-five percent of employed LGBTQ+ Americans feel being “out” at work could hurt their careers, the number dropping only two percentage points over the past four years, according to a new survey commissioned by Glassdoor.
- A separate report by SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, says a quarter of LGBTQ+ workers surveyed said they do not feel they are treated fairly at work.
- Two in five LGBTQ+ workers told SHRM they have not disclosed their identity at work. Of that group, 20% say they believe doing so would prevent them from being promoted.
The big picture: The employee surveys coincide with an uptick of pressure on corporations for promoting LGBTQ+ causes, messages and products.
- Target last month reported violent confrontations between staff and customers over its Pride product offerings.
Reality check: But headlines like these miss a more subtle climate of unease felt by many workers inside their own workplaces 12 months out of the year.
Zoom in: Among those LGBTQ+ employees surveyed by Glassdoor, 55% report having experienced or witnessed anti-LGBTQ+ comments by co-workers — up from the 53% that reported the same in Glassdoor's 2019 survey.
- The findings are largely square with SHRM, which reported that half of those LGBTQ+ who have not disclosed their identities at work cited "fear that people would talk behind their back" as the reason.
Meanwhile, significantly fewer LGBTQ+ workers perceive their company as having equitable representation at all levels (71%) compared to non-LGBTQ+ workers (78%), SHRM found.
What they're saying: SHRM noted that 71% LGBTQ+ workers it surveyed feel included in their workgroups, and said its research shows that "organizations are making headway."
- "However, we have plenty of room for improvement," said Alex Alonso, SHRM-SCP, chief knowledge officer for SHRM. "Just hiring LGBTQIA+ individuals to maintain diversity isn't sustainable without a culture of inclusion that truly welcomes all individuals for who they are."
