Does your employer know your sexuality? Graphite HRM Survey

Ten of Swords

Legal consultancy firm Graphite have published a survey on discrimination in the workplace, the results are disappointing though not entirely unexpected. The key points are;

74% of Irish employees feel they have to hide their sexuality from their managers and colleagues in fear of being treated differently.

71% have been the victim of stereotypical homophobic jokes or have heard negative remarks around the workplace.

66% believe that managers turn a blind eye to remarks about sexual orientation and are not supportive when they come forward for help.

Unfortunately the questionnaire has not been published, nor has the data set parameters, which is a shame. It states that the pool size was 807 respondents.

I work for a large multinational organization that has a very strict disciplinary policy for any kind of discrimination but nonetheless I have heard my share of inappropriate and homophobic jokes in the office. Nobody has made homophobic remarks to my face at work, overt or covert, but behind my back it's certainly possible. My colleagues know I am gay as I consider two of them close friends outside of work so my team knows about me and by extension my manager does too. There are a handful of other out gay people where I work, one in particular is very senior so it's certainly not career limiting.

So, does your employer know your sexuality and if not do you feel that you have to hide it (assuming you are otherwise out) and how does your workplace deal with homophobia if it arises?

Graphite HRM Article

baby and crumble

I'm very open about my sexuality in work- it's kind of hard to hide an 11 year relationship when you're chatting to people! And it's also a little bit difficult to hide the fact I'm gay, even if I was talking about guys and stuff I don't think I'd fool anyone, looking how I look! Plus tbh I work in the voluntary sector which I've found to be much more accommodating for all sorts of "non traditional" situations. And I wouldn't want to work somewhere who has that kind of sniping and discrimination.

I have however been "subject" to perhaps more gender-based "discrimination" or at the very least remarks and weird behaviour at work related events. I have been laughed at and yelled at while using the ladies toilets at events, and asked to leave them because people think I'm a guy. It's embarrassing (and weird, my boobs are friggin HUGE!), but I'm getting more and more used to it- it amuses me hugely in that slightly bitchy bit of my brain when I see those people at events afterwards and I'm presenting an argument and I wipe the floor with them.

I do understand the need to be "in" in work though, I used to work in residential care work and while one of the organisations I worked for was totally fine, zero issue, lots of gay care staff, one other was really not so open. I felt immediately like I could be penalised or at the very least slagged behind my back there. I left pretty sharpish.

L1011

I work in a media company, theres not much point in hiding it there.

mattP

My boss is a very erm... traditional woman. I think she would be professional enough to not let it affect our work relationship, but I know she would rip me to shreds behind my back - shes a vitriolic old sow :P
As for the staff, most would be okay. One day in the staff room they started hypothesising that one of the lads was gay (He is a little effeminate alright) and one person made a derogatory joke But on the upside, they really killed the conversation and a few people looked put off

niamhxxx

At my last nursing home the nurses, carers and kitchen staff knew, not too sure about the office manager, ADON and DON, the residents didnt know, but the staff who knew only knew due to the marriage referendum.

I am now training in childcare and while a few in my class know but the creche dont, to be honest they dont need to know either. My job at the creche is to look after the children and assist the preschool teacher, my sexuality has nothing to do with that.

niamhxxx

At my last nursing home the nurses, carers and kitchen staff knew, not too sure about the office manager, ADON and DON, the residents didnt know, but the staff who knew only knew due to the marriage referendum.

I am now training in childcare and while a few in my class know, the creche dont, to be honest they dont need to know either. My job at the creche is to look after the children and assist the preschool teacher, my sexuality has nothing to do with that.

niamhxxx

sorry about the double post

Absoluvely

74% of Irish employees feel they have to hide their sexuality from their managers and colleagues in fear of being treated differently.

74% of ALL Irish employees?

Obviously not.

L1011

Absoluvely wrote: »

74% of ALL Irish employees?

Obviously not.

Clearly its 74% of LGBT employees.

Ten of Swords

Absoluvely wrote: »

74% of ALL Irish employees?

Obviously not.

:rolleyes:

Irish Aris

I work in a big multinational, where there is zero tolerance on any kind of discrimination.
Most of my colleagues know that I'm gay. There are 2 more openly gay men in the office, both of them in managerial positions.
In 4 years I can't recall a case of hearing a nasty comment in my presence. Not sure what happens behind my back and I couldn't care less.
For the most part the subject doesn't come up, except for when the colleagues that I am in friendlier terms with, ask me if I have found someone.

Ten of Swords

Irish Aris wrote: »

In 4 years I can't recall a case of hearing a nasty comment in my presence.

Even comments not directed you? Is there never any general office chatter that can sometimes cross a line? If not that's pretty good going, you must work in HR

Irish Aris

Ten of Swords wrote: »

Even comments not directed you? Is there never any general office chatter that can sometimes cross a line? If not that's pretty good going, you must work in HR

hehe. Not in HR.
There can be the odd comment, but it is mostly in good spirit, nothing to be offended.
I'd say in general people avoid the topic, probably concerned they might say the wrong thing.
But the feeling is quite positive. One of the colleagues went into a civil partnership last year and it was a cause for celebration in the office, cake and the likes. (Obviously not everyone participated)

suicide_circus

L1011 wrote: »

Clearly its 74% of LGBT employees.

In fairness, nowhere in the article does it specify this. It clearly and repeatedly states "all employees".

Ten of Swords

Yes, I mentioned that the data set parameters are missing so there is no way to interrogate the data, all we have is the pool size. Even basic data would have been nice such as;

How many respondents identified themselves as LGBT
How many were Irish (and does this mean IOI or ROI)
The numbers of male and female

There are other factors that can affect the outcome such as what industries do they work in and even an age breakdown.

On balance of probabilities I am still confident that was a smartass comment though