The LGBTQ community in the UK, experiences an income gap of under a fifth compared to their heterosexual counterparts.
LGBTQ staff’s income is 16 per cent, or £6,703 less compared to their straight colleagues.
The transgender income gap compared to their straight counterparts stands at 14 per cent or £5,340 of annual income. As well as 44 per cent transgenders saying more should be done to support LGBTQ workers in the office.
This research was collated by LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network.
However, 65 per cent of workers feel their workplaces are doing enough to support LGBTQ employees, with just over a fifth (21 per cent) saying they should do more.
Out of that 21 per cent, just under a third (31 per cent) of gay and lesbian and 29 per cent of bisexual workers hold the opinion that more should be done to support the community with only 12 per cent of heterosexual workers feeling the same.
A majority (57 per cent) wants to see greater transparency around employers’ stance on diversity and inclusion. As well as 55 per cent wanting more supportive environments for coming out at work.
The demand for more LGBTQ events at work lays at 37 per cent. As it stands, 70 per cent of LGBTQ professionals say they have no senior people at work from their community. In the manufacturing (82 per cent) and construction (80 per cent) this is particularly true.
These stats may give reason as to why 28 per cent of professionals have decided not currently come out as LGBTQ at work, as they feel they are worried they will be judged by their coworkers. In addition, 17 per cent said they have been discouraged by the fact that there are no openly LGBTQ colleagues at work.
More alarmingly, 21 per cent of LGBTQ have experienced verbal abuse in the office, with 61 per cent saying they have been made to feel uncomfortable at the workplace because of their sexuality.
These experiences have led to 14 per cent of LGBTQ employees feeling that their chances of promotion in their company would be reduced if they came out.
Joshua Graff, UK country manager at LinkedIn said:
While a significant number of UK workers feel that their employer is supportive and inclusive of LGBT+ colleagues, our research shows there is still a long way to go. It is important that businesses build on the steps that many have already taken to create more inclusive environments – places where people can bring their true, authentic selves to work.
Suki Sandhu OBE, CEO and founder INvolve said:
Research like this from LinkedIn is incredibly important in reminding organisations that inclusion should be at the top of their agenda. Although we have seen progress in the workplace for LGBT+ people, it is clear that there are still substantial issues which can make it difficult for individuals to thrive professionally as their authentic selves. LGBT+ people are at all levels of a business, whether they’re out or not, so it’s crucial to have inclusive environments. It’s not only morally right, but it also strengthens the bottom line.
The research was conducted in partnership with leading LGBTQ+ organisation UK Black Pride and was carried out by YouGov, and surveyed 4,000 UK workers who identified as being straight, gay, bisexual or other.
Darius is the editor of HRreview. He has previously worked as a finance reporter for the Daily Express. He studied his journalism masters at Press Association Training and graduated from the University of York with a degree in History.