“I’m very out at work as *queer*…I’m just not comfortable with being specific…”
People responded about how comfortable they felt with being open or ‘out’ at work. This was asked of how people felt at work, with their colleagues and with their leaders or managers. These findings indicate that those who identify within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, plus (LGB+) group are generally more comfortable than those who identify as gender diverse or transgender or intersex. There are generally greater levels of comfort with colleagues than with managers/leaders or at work in general.
There was noteworthy variance in the LGB+ grouping in the comfort of being open or ‘out’ at work. The following breakdown indicates that those that identify as bisexual are much less comfortable compared to those who identify as either lesbian, gay or an unclassified sexual identity. Anecdotally, we know that those who identify as bisexual can experience higher levels of discrimination, both outside and within the rainbow community. WeCount 2019 confirmed this. It indicates that at a societal level there is still work to do to challenge such discrimination.
Ease of being yourself at work
“It really helps having a CEO who talks about diversity and isn’t embarrassed to use LGBTQIA+ terms”
The WeCount 2019 survey asked about the ease of being yourself at work. The gender diverse and transgender group experienced the most difficulty in being themselves at work. This was considerably higher than the LGB+ and intersex groups. All the groups (LGB+, gender diverse and transgender, and intersex) responded at high levels that it could be sometimes easy, sometimes hard. This indicates that regardless of one’s identity the ease of being yourself at work is dependent on the specific environment and situation at the time.
We know that within the rainbow community being bisexual, transgender, intersex or gender diverse can be particularly difficult and isolating. The respondents here confirmed that in their workplaces.
"I have seen great change…but feel that we have a long way to go with being inclusive of transgender staff."
Bringing your whole self to work
"It’s way better than it was, but I don’t think that I’m bringing my whole, whole self to work."
Almost two thirds of respondents (64.8%) agree or strongly agree that they feel comfortable bringing their whole self to work. A common theme from those who felt uncomfortable at work was around the risk or potential harm to career aspirations if they were open about who they are. The qualitative data identified further themes around the importance of supportive and caring immediate and sometimes senior managers. It was noted that this support enables people to be happy to be open about themselves.
Some respondents spoke of self-limiting their own aspirations in order to ‘not come out’. That people are limiting their own careers for fear of the impact of who they are indicates that there is work to be done. We want all our people, in all our workplaces to feel valued, supported and respected.
Interacting with those opposed to the rainbow community
Just under half of respondents (44.4%) either agreed or strongly agreed that they avoid collaborating or interacting with workmates who they know or feel have views opposed to the LGBTQIA+ communities. A common theme from the qualitative data was the importance of respect and tolerance. Some respondents acknowledged that although there were some positive changes that there is still some way to go. Our respondents told us that workplaces with a traditional masculine culture and/or male dominated workforce created a lesser sense of collaborating or interaction between rainbow employees and others.
“I avoid collaborating or interacting with workmates who I know, or feel, have views opposed to the LGBTQIA+ communities”
Some people feel accepted and not judged by their colleagues and managers but sadly not all had such positive experiences