RMIT University, 16 Aug 2018
Less than a third of LGBTIQ+ employees in Australia are out to all their colleagues and this significantly compromises their wellbeing and work performance, new research has found.
According to the Out at Work: from Prejudice to Pride report released today, roughly 25 per cent of employees were out to some people and almost 40 per cent were out to most people at work.
The report was based on an online survey of more than 1,600 LGBTIQ+ workers about their experiences, as well as face-to-face think tanks with more than 60 LGBTIQ+ employees working at various levels across a range of organisations and industries.
The joint RMIT and Diversity Council Australia (DCA) report highlighted the complexities related to coming out at work – from coming out multiple times a day, week or year; coming out to some colleagues but not others; and being outed against their will.
Workplace culture, genuine bold leadership and policies were identified as the keys to creating an environment where LGBTIQ+ staff felt safe to come out.