Most organizations have a set of values and beliefs that become the norm among a majority of its employees.  However, many employees may not share those beliefs and are faced with a decision of whether or not to conform. The current study is a national sample of LGB employees.  Participants responded to an online survey pertaining to the disclosure of sexual identity in the workplace.
 
Choosing to disclose sexual identity is a choice many LGB employees make according to their own constitution as well as their organizational culture.  The current research shows that the decision to disclose sexual identity is directly related to how much LGB employees chose to disclose other aspects about themselves such as their values and beliefs at work.  Employees who are more disclosed (disclosed to more people) about their LGB status are less likely to conform to organizational values that do not fully align with their own.  Employees who are less disclosed about their LGB status are more likely to withhold their own views, create false impressions and ostensibly embrace those of their organization.  However, a higher sense of authenticity in LGB individuals lead to lower levels of conformity to organizational norms.
 
An organization where LGB employees are less disclosed about their minority status may also be an environment that compels those same individuals to suppress their person values and beliefs.  These findings suggest that employers should encourage a sense of authenticity among their LGB employees if they wish to promote an environment that fosters diversity of thought and benefits from the different experiences of all its employee.
 
This study was presented at the annual Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology conference in April of 2013 by Jacob M. Waldrup, Jose Rodriguez & Valentina Bruk-Lee.  For more information, please contact
Jacob at jake.waldrup@gmail.com.