Study Shows That Equality In the Workplace is a "Win-Win"

This results of this study just released by the Rockway Institute confirms what common sense should tell us--fear of discrimination in the workplace is bad while affirmation and equality is good:

A questionnaire study of more than 500 gay, lesbian and bisexual employees across the U.S. has found that “fears about disclosing a gay identity at work had an overwhelmingly negative relationship with their career and workplace experiences and with their psychological well-being.”

For those working in what they perceived as a non-supportive environment, the costs of non-disclosure were significant. “Those who feared more negative consequences to disclosure reported less job satisfaction, organizational commitment, satisfaction with opportunities for promotion, career commitment, and organization-based self-esteem and greater turnover intentions than those who feared less negative consequences,” wrote the researchers. “Those who feared more negative consequences reported more (job) role ambiguity, more (job) role conflict, and less workplace participation than those who feared less negative consequences,” the report continued. “LGB employees who feared more negative consequences also reported greater psychological strain than those who feared less negative consequences.” Psychological strain was described as stress-related symptoms experienced on the job, work-related depression, and work-related irritation.

“These findings fit with other research showing that more accepting work environments are associated with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) employees being healthier and more productive. The research also provides some additional facts concerning the need for public policies protecting against job discrimination,” said Robert-Jay Green, executive director of the Rockway Institute, a national center for LGBT research and public policy affiliated with Alliant International University. “Employees who are not afraid of being fired or held back from promotion because of their same-sex orientations are psychologically freer to put their full creative energies into work. This, in turn, saves employers’ time and money. It a win-win for all concerned.”

This should be a "duh" issue, but given the intensity of right-wing opposition to ENDA (the Employer Non-Discrimination Act currently before Congress), some hard data affirming these points is most welcome.