Coming Out at Work The Disclosure Dilemma for Gay Men and Lesbians: “Coming Out” at Work is a study by Griffith and Hebl (2002) to examine issues around coming out at one’s job –They start with the idea that workplace discrimination is becoming less overt, more subtle –Many organizations now include sexual orientation as part of their anti-discrimination policies –There’s very little research about gay people in the workplace

Organizational Supportiveness Hypothesis 1: If an organization feels safe, –by virtue of the perceptions of the organization being gay-friendly or –by the actual structures of the organization (policies, trainings, special interest groups), more people will disclose at the organization.

Job Attitudes Hypothesis 2: Because people who disclose about being gay are happier –Being “out” in general correlates with better psychological adjustment and life satisfaction, and –People who aren’t out have to spend time and energy strategizing how to stay hidden and deal with the distress of being hidden –People who aren’t out don’t get to have honest relationships with coworkers and gain acceptance Being “out” at work will correlate with increased job satisfaction and decreased job anxiety

Organizational Supportiveness and Job Attitudes Hypothesis 3: The more an organization is perceived to be supportive, the more job satisfaction/less job anxiety there will be for LGBT employees Hypothesis 4: The more supportive structures there are at an organization, the more job satisfaction/less job anxiety there will be for LGBT employees

Individual Differences Hypothesis 5: There are individual differences between gay people that may affect how likely they are to come out at work. These include: –Centrality of sexual orientation to identity How important is being gay to my overall identity? –Degree of self-acceptance How much do I accept myself being gay? –Extent to which one has disclosed to others How many other people have I come out to?

Individual Differences Hypothesis 5a: Gay people who are very identified with being gay are more likely to come out at work. Hypothesis 5b: Gay people who are more accepting of their sexual orientation are more likely to come out at work. Hypothesis 5c: Gay people who’ve disclosed to more family members and friends are more likely to come out at work.

Reactions of Coworkers Gay people report hesitancy to disclose information about themselves at work due to fear of rejection/retaliation from coworkers, and will use energy-draining strategies to stay hidden, including: –Self-editing –Divulging fictitious personal details and having to keep track of them –Using neutral pronouns (“they” instead of “he” or “she” when discussing significant others or family) –Avoiding some, or all, coworkers entirely

Reactions of Coworkers Hypothesis 6: Disclosing vs. job satisfaction and disclosing vs. job anxiety will be mediated by coworkers’ reactions to disclosure.

Findings: Organizational Supportiveness Hypothesis 1: Partly supported. –Supported: Working in an organization perceived to be supportive was strongly related to being more out at work. –Not supported: The presence of gay- supportive structures (policies) was unrelated to being out at work.

Findings: Organizational Supportiveness Hypothesis 1: Partly supported. –However, some specific policies did correlate to disclosing more at work (as well as more positive coworker reactions, less perceived discrimination, and less unfair treatment by bosses/supervisors) –These included: Written nondiscrimination policy Diversity training that included LGBT issues Support for LGBT activities Same-sex partner benefits Recognized gay/lesbian employee organization

Findings: Job Attitudes Hypothesis 2: Supported. –Being out at work was related to higher job satisfaction and lower job anxiety.

Findings: Organizational Supportiveness and Job Attitudes Hypothesis 3: Supported. –Perceived supportiveness meant greater job satisfaction and lower job anxiety for gay employees. Hypothesis 4: Not supported. –The presence of gay-supportive structures (policies, training, etc.) was not related to job satisfaction or job anxiety, after accounting for perceived support.

Findings: Individual Differences Hypothesis 5: Various results. –5a: Not supported Strong identification with one’s gay identity didn’t necessarily mean coming out more at work. –5b: Supported Higher self-acceptance meant greater likelihood of coming out at work. –5c: Partially supported Being more out to friends (and slightly, but nonsignificantly, to family) meant a greater likelihood of coming out at work.

Findings: Reactions of Coworkers Hypothesis 6: Supported. –Disclosure increased job satisfaction/decreased job anxiety when coworkers reactions were supportive, and disclosure decreased job satisfaction/increased job anxiety when coworkers reactions were not supportive.