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 Study: 28 Percent Of LGBT Workers Harassed
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: June 19, 2007 - 1:00 pm ET
(New York City) A study of diversity in the
workplace has found that 28 percent of LGBT employees have suffered harassment
in the workplace with nearly half describing it as severe.
The survey was taken by Harris Interactive for
CareerBuilder.com, an online employment service, and and Kelly Services. It
focused on workers in seven groups - African Americans, Hispanics, Asians,
Females, LGBT workers and people in the workforce over the age of 50.
CareerBuilder said it ordered the survey to gauge
the frequency and severity of discrimination or unfair treatment in the
workplace, whether employee diversity is valued and how diversity impacts hiring
decisions, compensation and career advancement.
A total of 23 percent of diverse workers said
they have been discriminated against or treated unfairly in the workplace.
The highest incidence was 44 percent for people
with disabilities while Asian workers and mature workers reported the lowest
incidence at 21 percent each.
Thirty percent of African Americans reported
discrimination at work, as did 29 percent of Hispanics. With the margin of
error both groups were tied with LGBT workers.
The most common incidents of discrimination
or unfair treatment involved not receiving credit for one's work. That was
reported by 48 percent of the respondents.
Almost as many said their concerns about
discrimination were not addressed or taken seriously.
Thirty-three percent said they were victimized by
co-workers talking behind their backs and almost as many said they were
overlooked for promotion.
"While employers have come a considerable
way in implementing fair and equal workplace practices, this study indicates
that there is still much room for improvement," said Rosemary Haefner, vice
president of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.com.
"Diverse perspectives fuel rich idea
generation, creativity and strong business performance. Companies that are not
fostering a work environment that embraces and cultivates diversity and open
communications are working against themselves."
The report also shows that most of the
discrimination or unfair treatment goes unaddressed.
Half of diverse workers who experienced
discrimination or unfair treatment said they did not report the incident. Of
these workers, 64 percent said they didn't think reporting the incident would
make a difference while 35 percent feared being labeled as a trouble-maker and
32 percent feared losing their jobs.
"For companies to attract well-qualified,
experienced and diverse employees, it's important to have formal policies
against discrimination and prescribed reporting processes to address concerns
should they occur," said Nina Ramsey, a senior vice president at Kelly
Services.
"It is also critical that companies
routinely evaluate their hiring practices, leadership development and succession
practices to ensure they are creating and enforcing a healthy, balanced, and
diverse work culture."
The majority of diverse workers said their
diverse background does not influence whether someone will hire them. But 32
percent said their diverse backgrounds work against them when interviewing for a
job and 11 percent said it actually works in their favor.
©365Gay.com 2007
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