LGBTQ+ graduates want to be out when at work

Three-quarters of young LGBTQ+ jobseekers are reluctant to join companies where they can’t be out when at work, according to new research by LGBTQ+ business community myGwork.

An international study of 2,000 students and recent graduates found that more than a third identified as LGBTQ+, but fear of discrimination, abuse, and limited opportunities for training and development made them unlikely to join organisations where they couldn’t be open about their sexuality.

Four-fifths thought it would be more difficult to reach senior leadership positions if they are openly LGBTQ+ at work, while the same proportion said LGBTQ+ role models in the workplace would make them more likely to take a job.

Almost half (48%) of all those contacted said they had seen discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity at work or university, compared with just 32% of non-LGBTQ+ students and graduates, and 36% had experienced homophobia, biphobia and/or transphobia themselves.

The network’s co-founders, Adrien and Pierre Gaubert, said the research should serve as “an indispensable guide for organisations aiming to create fair and inclusive environments to attract the valuable talent they need to succeed”.

They called for human resources managers to take LGBTQ+ training and for organisations to make workplaces inclusive.