Workplace Climates, Workplace Structures, and LGBTQ People’s Identity Disclosure: A Longitudinal Qualitative Analysis

Abstract

Past research shows that workplace conditions influence the degree to which LGBTQ people disclose their sexual and gender identities at work. This suggests that LGBTQ workers may shift their levels of identity disclosure if workplace conditions change, but other research conceptualizes identity disclosure as a political action or a developmental milestone and indicates that disclosure levels are irresponsive to contextual changes. To reconcile these opposing views, this study examines changes in disclosure levels by analyzing qualitative data from young LGBTQ workers who participated in two to five in-depth interviews in two-year intervals. The analysis shows that a majority of LGBTQ workers experienced changes in disclosure levels, especially during job changes. Consistent with previous research that emphasized the importance of workplace climates, transitions to workplaces with friendlier climates promoted identity disclosure. In many cases, however, changes in disclosure levels represented LGBTQ workers’ responses to shifts in workplace structures, which defined relationships among workers and specified formal rules and informal routines about work procedures. Overall, the study brought an insight from broader organization research to LGBTQ research that workplace structures designed to ensure worker contributions to organizational goals and increase efficiency may inadvertently constrain workers’ expressions of social identities.