It’s 2023 And LGBTQ People Still Face Barriers In The Workplace

Whether you enjoy your job or not, the workplace should be somewhere where you feel safe, respected and free to be yourself, especially since we spend such a huge chunk of our lives working – we’ll spend on average 90,000 hours of our lives at work, according to Gettysburg College.

In the UK, we have robust employment laws to ensure that people are working free from discrimination, mistreatment and undue stress. 

However, for many people, these laws aren’t enough and discrimination runs much deeper.

June 2023 marks Pride month – a month dedicated to lifting LGBTQ+ voices, celebration of LGBTQ+ culture, and supporting LGBTQ+ rights. It’s a time when many of us look back on what we’ve achieved as a community following centuries of discrimination.

Sadly, according to data released this month by Rethinkly, a visualisation platform that helps employees navigate difficult conversations in the workplace, UK workplaces still have a long way to go when it comes to protecting LGBTQ+ employees and ensuring that their workplace is genuinely inclusive. 

The workplace is impacting the mental health of LGBTQ+ people

The study from Rethinkly found that despite all well-intentioned provisions being in place, many LGBTQ+ people don’t feel comfortable in the workplace.

In fact, this discomfort has led to debilitating mental health problems such as acute anxiety – with 46% of respondents stating that they are unable to fulfil public delivery such as presentations and client meetings without experiencing anxiety.

The anxiety around workplace communications isn’t just around meetings and presentations, though.

Almost a fifth (18%) of respondents stated that workplace interactions are their biggest source of anxiety and 35% of respondents said that they feel unable to express their opinions in the workplace.

With 57% of respondents stating that they don’t feel comfortable telling their superior that they’re LGBTQ+, it’s easy to see why there is a communication crisis in the workplace for these minorities. 

This is bad news for productivity too, with 29% saying the inability to effectively communicate in the workplace has had the largest impact on their productivity. 

Inclusivity must be a priority

Andrew Jackson, co-founder of Rethinkly said: “Cultivating a culture of psychological safety should not only be an aspiration, but a fundamental necessity, especially for the well-being and flourishing of minority groups, such as those who identify as LGBTQ+.

“True inclusivity goes beyond mere tolerance; it requires creating an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and able to be themselves.”