Why your employees are scared to 'come out' at work

Shocking research from LGBT charity Stonewall has found that many people are scared to ‘come out’ at work for fear of repercussions.

A third (35%) of LGBT people at work have hidden their identity in the last year because they were afraid of discrimination; a figure that rises to 42% for black, Asian and minority ethnic LGBT staff and 51% for trans staff.

The situation is even worse for LGBT staff who are black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME), trans or disabled, who were all found to be more likely to experience harassment and abuse in the workplace. Shockingly, one in ten BAME LGBT employees (10 per cent) have been physically attacked by customers or colleagues in the last year, compared to three per cent of white people.

Nearly one in four trans people (24%) said they did not get a promotion they were up for at work because they were trans, compared to seven per cent of lesbian, gay and bi people who are not trans. Meanwhile, almost one in four LGBT disabled people (24 per cent) say they were excluded by colleagues in the last year.