The study, “Diversity in the Workplace,” was designed to gauge the frequency, severity and occasion for perceptions of discrimination or unfair treatment and how diversity impacts hiring, compensation and career advancement. It focused on seven diverse segments including workers with disabilities, African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, women, mature workers age 50 or older and GLBT workers.
Out in the Workplace
Sixty-one percent of GLBT workers said they have not shared their sexual orientation with their coworkers. GLBT male workers were more likely to stay in the closet at work then their female peers, 67 percent to 52 percent respectively. While the majority of GLBT workers choose to stay in the closet, 47 percent suspect that other employees are aware of their sexual orientation.
GLBT workers fear that sharing their sexual orientation could have a negative impact on their job. Three-in-ten (28 percent) GLBT workers said that coming out could cause their coworkers to treat them differently, while 10 percent felt it would impact their career progress with the company. Seven percent of male GLBT workers went one step further and said they felt coming out at work could get them fired, compared to just two percent of their female peers.
Severity of Discrimination or Unfair Treatment in the Workplace
When asked to judge the severity of the discrimination or unfair treatment at work, 72 percent of GLBT workers who had experienced this treatment categorized it as moderate. Over one-in-ten (13 percent) described it as severe.
Frequency of Discrimination or Unfair Treatment in the Workplace
Six-in-ten (60 percent) GLBT workers, the highest of all the diverse segments surveyed, reported experiencing discrimination or unfair treatment on the job monthly. One percent of GLBT workers said they experience discrimination or unfair treatment on a daily basis, while 21 percent said it happens at least once a week.
Discriminating or Unfair Behaviors
The most common incidents of discrimination or unfair treatment involved:
• Not receiving credit for their work (55 percent)
• Workload is heavier than others (44 percent)
• Feeling that concerns are not addressed or taken seriously (42 percent)
• My ideas or input are generally ignored (42 percent)
• Not being provided with the same training as other workers (41 percent)
• Co-workers said derogatory comments to them or in front of them (37 percent)
• Co-workers talking behind the worker’s back (28 percent)
• Overlooked for a promotion (24 percent)
Reporting of Discrimination or Unfair Treatment
Unfortunately, most of the discrimination or unfair treatment goes unaddressed. More than one-in-four (27 percent) GLBT workers who experienced discrimination or unfair treatment said they did not report the incident. Of these workers, 65 percent said they didn’t think reporting the incident would make a difference while 43 percent feared being labeled as a trouble-maker and 11 percent feared losing their jobs.
Nearly one-in-five (18 percent) GLBT workers, among the lowest of all the diverse segments surveyed, did bring attention to the discrimination or unfair treatment by reporting it to their direct supervisor. Another 46 percent reported it to Human Resources while one-in-four reported it to senior management. However, only 25 percent of those who made a claim felt it was taken seriously and, in 72 percent of the cases, the offender was not held accountable. Only 3 percent ever took legal action against their employer.
When asked why those being discriminated against stay with their current employer, more than half (65 percent) said they couldn’t afford to quit while 56 percent thought it was likely they would encounter the same discrimination or unfair behavior at another company.
Three-in-ten (28 percent) GLBT workers said they have witnessed discrimination or unfair treatment of a co-worker. Forty-four percent of GLBT workers reported the incident and 56 percent said they would report it in the future.
Sources of Discrimination
Thirty-five percent of GLBT workers feel co-workers primarily instigate the perceived discrimination or unfair treatment of those with diverse backgrounds at their workplace. Twenty-six percent said members of senior management are the primary instigators while 21 percent pointed to their direct supervisors.
“Nearly half (47 percent) of GLBT workers said that diverse workers have to work harder to gain the respect of senior management compared to their non-diverse peers,” said Michael Erwin, Senior Career Advisor at CareerBuilder.com. “Ensuring equal and fair treatment across all aspects of employment provides for a stronger corporate environment and more successful corporate performance. It is critical that policies and programs be championed by senior management and communicated to all employees.”
Diversity – Hiring and Firing
The majority (57 percent) of all diverse workers surveyed said their diverse background does not influence whether someone will hire them. However, 41 percent of GLBT workers said their diverse background works against them as job candidates, while only seven percent said their diversity works in their favor.
In terms of involuntary termination, one-in-ten GLBT workers (14 percent) said they believed had been fired at some point in their career based on their diverse background.
Pay and Career Advancement
In terms of compensation, one-in-ten (12 percent) GLBT workers feel they are paid less than their heterosexual counterparts; 74 percent feel it’s the same; 10 percent feel they are paid more.
Almost half (47 percent) of GLBT workers said they are dissatisfied with their career progress. Another 30 percent feel they have less career advancement opportunities than non-diverse co-workers who have the same skills and experience; 65 percent feel it’s the same.
“With one-third of GLBT workers indicating that their companies have a diversity program and 62 percent saying that it has a positive impact on their work culture, companies clearly understand the importance of creating an inclusive and diverse workplace,” said Nina Ramsey, senior vice president of Human Resources at Kelly Services. “As companies compete for top talent, an inclusive working environment significantly improves employee morale and retention.”
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com and Kelly Services among 953 Workers (age 18+ within the United States, employed full-time or part-time) with 155 being Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual or Transgender Workers (age 18+ within the United States, employed full-time or part-time) between March 15 and March 21, 2007. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
With a pure probability sample of 953 one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 3.2 percentage points. With a pure probability sample of 150 one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/- 8 percentage points. Sampling error for data from subsamples is higher and varies. However that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
About Kelly Services
Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA, KELYB) is a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Troy, Mich., offering human resource solutions that include temporary staffing services, outsourcing, vendor on-site and full-time placement. Kelly operates in 33 countries and territories. Kelly provides employment to more than 750,000 employees annually, with skills including office services, accounting, engineering, information technology, law, science, marketing, creative services, light industrial, education, and health care. Revenue in 2006 was $5.5 billion. Visit www.kellyservices.com.
About CareerBuilder.com
CareerBuilder.com is the nation’s largest online job site with more than 21 million unique visitors and over 1.5 million jobs. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB), The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI) and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), the company offers a vast online and print network to help job seekers connect with employers. CareerBuilder.com powers the career centers for more than 1,100 partners that reach national, local, industry and niche audiences. These include more than 150 newspapers and leading portals such as America Online and MSN. More than 300,000 employers take advantage of CareerBuilder.com’s easy job postings, 20 million-plus resumes, Diversity Channel and more. Millions of job seekers visit the site every month to search for opportunities by industry, location, company and job type, sign up for automatic email job alerts, and get advice on job hunting and career management. CareerBuilder.com and its subsidiaries operate in Europe, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit http://www.careerbuilder.com.
Kelly Services Media Contact
Renee Walker
(P) (248) 244-4305
(E) renee_walker@kellyservices.com
CareerBuilder Media Contact
For all media inquiries and interview requests, contact:
Jennifer Grasz
(P) 773-527-1164
(E) jennifer.grasz@careerbuilder.com