A Guide for Managers Supporting Lesbian, Gay and Bi Staff - June 2013 Reviewed: September 2020, January 2024

The difficulty of not being out at work

Some LGB staff can find it difficult to fully be themselves in the workplace. Not being out about their sexual orientation can have an impact on their performance, their ability to build relationships with colleagues and clients, their confidence and their motivation. It can also cause a great deal of stress and anxiety. This in turn impacts on our organisation.

However, some LGB people still have negative experiences because of their sexual orientation and feel unable to be out at work. Whilst there has been significant progress, research¹ has found that the actual experience of LGB employees in the workplace illustrates that there is more we can all do to ensure a safe and equal work environment for our LGB team members:

• One in six LGBT employees (16 per cent) have been the target of negative comments or conduct from work colleagues in the last year because they are LGBT.
• One in four bi people (26 per cent) aren't open about their sexual orientation to anyone at work, compared to four per cent of gay and lesbian employees.
• A third of LGBT staff (34 per cent) hid or disguised that they are LGBT at work in the last year because they were afraid of discrimination.
• One in ten lesbian, gay and bi employees (10 per cent) wouldn't feel confident reporting any homophobic or bi-phobic bullying to their employer.
• One in six LGBT staff (16 per cent) say they were excluded by colleagues in the last year for being LGBT, increasing to one in five trans employees (21 per cent).

The decision to come out is therefore not always an easy one, and as a manager, you have a key role in making the decision to come out at work easier.

¹ LGBT in Wales Work Report, Stonewall June 2018