Over the past few years, a growing field of research has demonstrated that fostering an LGBT-friendly environment via supportive policies can help businesses recruit and retain employees, and may even boost profits.
But welcoming workplaces still are not the universal norm, given that in a 2018 report by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation nearly half of LGBT respondents reported being closeted at work. People who chose not to disclose their identities commonly said they fear being stereotyped and harming their relationships with coworkers. While federal protections arrived in 2020 to prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender, hostile workplaces will likely remain an issue for many queer individuals and impact their job performance and overall wellbeing.
A new study has examined the relationship between disclosure and productivity outside of the cubicle and in the lab, where scientists are often assessed not by earnings reports but by their volume of published peer-reviewed papers. This metric matters when being considered for promotions, tenure and new positions.
