Homophobia at work persists

A study of more than 1,200 employees shows that lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) workers are more than twice as likely to experience discrimination in the workplace as their heterosexual colleagues.

Plymouth University and Manchester Business School (MBS) researchers found that one in 10 LGB workers had been the subject of discrimination, compared with one in 20 of their straight colleagues.

Among lesbians and bisexual women who reported being bullied, a third said this happened on a weekly or even daily basis.

The main perpetrators of bullying and discrimination were managers, with 44% of respondents identifying a senior colleague as the culprit.

“The findings of our study are truly shocking, and suggest that although progress has been made in British workplaces regarding equality and sexuality, much more work needs to be done,” said Professor Duncan Lewis, from the Graduate School of Management at Plymouth University.

Although 85% of respondents felt confident about exercising their rights, nearly one in four had done nothing about the problem. And where people did lodge a formal complaint, formal investigations only took place in one in three cases.

MBS professor in organisational behaviour Helge Hoel said that the research findings have clear implications for employers and managers, who need to act if progress is to be made on the problems the research has identified.

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