Employees notice when their employers are silent on LGBTQ issues, and it’s affected their behavior in—and loyalty to—the workplace. 

 By Gillian Manning 

A new survey from The Harris Poll found that 72% of LGBTQ employees say they have noticed when their company avoids issues that impact LGBTQ employees, and 47% of non-LGBTQ employees report noticing when a workplace becomes quieter about LGBTQIA inclusion.  

And this noticing affects how people feel they can behave, with 64% of LGBTQ employees saying they have self-censored or changed their behavior at work in response to the climate around LGBTQ issues. That self-censoring comes in the form of: 

• avoiding discussing personal life (30%); 

• staying quiet when LGBTQ issues come up (22%); 

• avoiding mentioning a partner or dating life (21%); 

• avoiding corrections about pronouns or identity (18%); and 

• changing how they dress or present themselves (15%). 

That’s not a comfortable way to live, and may drive employees away, as 74% of LGBTQ employees agree that they’d think twice about staying at a company that no longer visibly supports LGBTQ employees; 72% say they’d feel less loyal to an employer who has gotten quieter about their support; and 80% say they’re more likely to stay with an employer that visibly supports LGBTQ employees.  

Non-LGBTQ employees notice the effects of visible LGBTQ support too, with 60% agreeing that, “When companies support LGBTQIA+ employees, it makes the workplace feel more welcoming for everyone.” 

The LGBTQ+ & the Workplace: The State of LGBTQ+ Support at Work report also found that LGBTQ employees: 

• pay close attention to how company talk about LGBTQ inclusion when considering job opportunities (74%); 

• think twice about joining a company that does not visibly support its LGBTQ employees (72%); 

• would leave a company if they no longer felt supported (68%); 

• feel their workplace treats inclusion more like a legal risk than a people priority (58%); and 

• believe legal or political pressure shouldn’t be used as an excuse to reduce support for LGBTQ employees (83%). 

The more than 2,000 surveyed non-LGBTQ employees said: 

• how their workplace treats LGBTQ employees reflects how the company treats employees overall (62%); 

• they trust leadership more when inclusions efforts are consistent, even during backlash (62%); and 

• they feel prouder to work for a company that visibly supports its LGBTQ employees (53%).