When do people come out at work? That is what a survey by the management consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG) tries to find out Süddeutsche Zeitung is present. According to this, 70 percent of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual employees come out during the hiring process or within the first year of employment.
Around 8,800 people from 19 countries, including 316 Germans, took part in the management consultancy’s survey. The survey focused on members of the LGBTQ + community. Around 61 percent of those questioned belong to this. The abbreviation LGBTQ + stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual and queer people; the plus symbolically includes any further sexual orientation.
The survey shows that the first year is a critical time for employees. While the majority come out within the first year, ten percent do so at a later point in time in their job. 20 percent of those questioned do not tell their colleagues about their sexual orientation. “If employees don’t have the feeling that the company stands behind them in the first year, then they usually don’t come out,” says Annika Zawadzki, partner and LGBTQ + expert at BCG.
72 percent of employees in Germany and Austria came out among their colleagues. That is four percent less than the average for the countries examined as a whole. Around 45 percent of those surveyed stated that they were out to customers.
There are a number of things that companies can do to make members of the LGBTQ + community feel welcome
The respondents who were not out gave various reasons for not taking this step: They mentioned the privacy and lack of role models in the staff as well as an LGBTQ + unfriendly corporate culture and the fear of professional cuts.
19 percent of the German respondents perceived a professional disadvantage as a result of their outing. On the other hand, 32 percent of those surveyed see their coming-out as an advantage. About half believe that their outing does not play a role in professional life.
In a country comparison, Germany ranks sixth with these results. The USA, Canada and Norway, among others, are ahead of Germany in this ranking. There, fewer respondents stated that they felt disadvantaged because of their outing. Mexico did the worst: 40 percent feel worse off because of their outing.
According to René Mertens, spokesman for the Lesbian and Gay Association (LSVD), it is mostly the young professionals who hesitate when coming out. “Young people come out less often. They are worried about discrimination and about being worse off in their job,” says Mertens. According to Mertens, members of the LGBTQ + community would often experience insults and marginalization at work and be disadvantaged when it comes to advancement opportunities.
In Germany, half of the respondents stated that they had had discriminatory experiences. Trans people in particular are often affected by discrimination. “Clothing or the way you speak are things in which trans people are often discriminated against,” says Mertens.
But how can an employer create an LGBTQ + friendly work environment? “Already in job advertisements it can be explicitly stated that members of the LGBTQ + community are welcome in the company,” says René Mertens from the Lesbian and Gay Association. The authors of the BCG study suggest formulating clear guidelines against discrimination and providing contact persons. The establishment of LGBTQ + networks within the company is also important. Unisex toilets, gender-neutral forms and internal training could also contribute to a non-discriminatory environment in the company.