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Earlier this year, ITV This Morning Presenter Phillip Schofield revealed that he was gay in an emotional social media post and TV interview.
While he admitted that he had been on a challenging journey before coming out, he said in a statement that both his workplace and colleagues had been very supportive and that this made it easier when coming out. “At ITV, I couldn’t hope to work with more wonderful, supportive teams,” he said at the time. Having strong support networks at work is crucial to ensure that no employee feels alone or isolated. But, sadly, it seems as though this isn’t always the case.
— Phillip Schofield (@Schofe) February 7, 2020
Philip Richardson, Partner and Head of Employment Law at Stephensons Solicitors LLP, told HR Grapevine that LGBT+ employees are often hesitant about the idea of coming out at work over fears of being discriminated against and treated unfavourably. Richardson cited recent statistics when demonstrating this. “Research by Stonewall, a charity that campaigns for the equality of lesbian, gay, bi and transgender people, has revealed more than a third of LGBT+ staff (35%) have hidden the fact they are LGBT+ at work for fear of discrimination. Workplace bullying aimed at the LGBT+ community is a serious threat with one in ten black, Asian and minority ethnic LGBT+ employees (ten per cent) having been physically attacked by customers or colleagues in the last year.”
