More than half of LGBT workers face repeated bullying

Workplace harassment has been a big part of the national conversation this past week, and may remain so for some kind to come. For many LGBT Americans, working 9 to 5 means also withstanding harassment.

More than half of all workers who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (56%) said they were bullied repeatedly at their job, according to a new survey of 3,420 full-time workers released Thursday by jobs website CareerBuilder. And it turns out that many people may grow out of abusive behavior — 61% of bullied workers said the perpetrator in question was older than them.

More than half (53%) of those who were bullied confronted those responsible, CareerBuilder found, but only 20% of them said the behavior stopped. And these actions have a significant effect on LGBT workers’ well-being:

• 19% of LGBT workers said the bully caused health problems, while 15% said they called in sick because of feeling bullied.
• More than two in five LGBT Americans said they have left a job because of harassment.
• Bullying against LGBT people takes many forms. Nearly two-thirds said they were false accused of mistakes. Other common occurrences include being ignored by others, being held to different standards, facing gossip and being excluded from projects or meetings.
• Less than one-third of LGBT workers said they reported bullying to human resources.

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Workplaces in America have become more hostile toward LGBT workers recently

Fewer LGBT Americans feel comfortable sharing their gender identity or sexual orientation with coworkers, according to a study conducted by Out Now, an LGBT consulting firm. In 2015, only 35% of LGBT individuals said they were out to everyone at work, down from 44% five years prior. The U.S. was the only country studied where this figure dropped.

Discrimination is even more prevalent for transgender individuals. Nearly every transgender person surveyed as part of a 2009 report from the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force said they were mistreated at work. This included everything from being denied access to the appropriate restroom to being barred from working with clients.

And recent policy changes from the Trump administration could make matters more difficult for LGBT Americans. Earlier this month, Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo saying that the Justice Department will no longer argue that transgender people are protected against workplace discrimination by the Civil Rights Act. President Trump also issued an executive order in March reversing an Obama administration policy that had banned federal contractors from discriminating against an employee on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

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Bullying is bad for business

Allowing LGBT workers to be bullied could cost employers. Twenty states and the District of Columbia have employment non-discrimination laws that cover sexual orientation and gender identity. Additionally, Wisconsin and New Hampshire have laws that pertain only to sexual orientation. Allowing bullying to go unchecked in these states could open employers up to the risk of litigation and, in recent years, federal courts have begun interpreting existing civil rights laws as defending LGBT employees against discrimination.

Plus, other research has shown that LGBT individuals are more likely to leave a company if they don’t feel comfortable being open with co-workers. Out Now has estimated that a company in the U.S. with 50,000 workers could spend anywhere from $633,000 to $4.7 million to re-staff and retrain these positions as a result of LGBT workers leaving.