They say India Inc. has become quite LGBTQ friendly. It may not be completely true though according to a report based on a study of 105 LGBTQ+ employees. Of the 63 who had experienced discriminatory incidents at the workplace, a whopping 73 per cent chose not to report the same. They chose silence over reporting, while 27 per cent reported the same either to higher management or to the human resource team. About 50 per cent of them were satisfied with the way their organisations managed to handle the matters that were brought to their notice.
Most of the respondents who never reported the incident(s) of discrimination considered the incident too minor or not grave enough to be reported or considered serious. About 27 per cent of those who did not report the incident, said they have had to face negative consequences of reporting such incidents in the past.
One out of four respondents feel that their current job is not commensurate with their qualifications and salary. That means, 21 per cent of the respondents admitted that their job wasn’t commensurate with their qualifications, while 69 per cent felt it was.
As per the Careerprism report, about 50 per cent of those interviewed had come ‘out’ at work and felt their employers had no qualms in supporting the LGBTQ+ community. This lot also has greater trust in their employers. They are also more satisfied with the increments or promotions they get and feel their performance is assessed in a fair manner. They appear more at ease interacting with their team leads /managers and co-workers. Not surprisingly, they experience low levels of stress, and their likelihood to remain with the same organization in the future is also high.
About 75 per cent of those surveyed had a year’s career gap before starting their first job. A significant 58 per cent feel their workplace is friendly to the LGBTQ+ community and they even have buddies at work.
About 46 per cent decide to join an organization based on the HR/diversity policies they offer. About 34 per cent are satisfied enough to continue working for the same employers.
About 70 per cent find they are doing meaningful work. While 42 per cent% agree that their work is meaningful, 28 per cent strongly agree, while 13% disagree that their work is meaningful. Only 12 per cent strongly agree that their work challenges them, while 38 per cent find it challenging. About eight per cent disagree that the work offers any challenge at all.
About 42 per cent have entrepreneurial aims in the near future, About 50 per cent have no entrepreneurial aims in the near future.
When it comes to workplace harassment, both LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ workers admit to facing harassment. While 45 per cent of LGBTQ+ workers experience verbal harassment, 62 per cent of non-LGBTQ workers do so. About 22 per cent of LGBTQ workers and 31 per cent non-LGBTQ workers face coercive or controlling behaviour at work. About 20 per cent LGBTQ+ and eight per cent non-LGBTQ workers face physical / sexual harassment or violence, while 13 per cent of LGBTQ+ face threats to personal safety.
Clearly, India Inc. is not doing enough. More inclusive policies have to be rolled out and the workforce needs to be sensitised and a change in mindset needs to be brought about.