Mentors in the workplace can significantly contribute to job-related outcomes of their protégés, and some research suggests that having a similarly diverse mentor may provide certain benefits that having a dissimilar does not provide. Yet, little research has examined the influence of employment mentors for gay and lesbian employees. As such, the current study examined the job-related outcomes of gay and lesbian employees who either had a gay or lesbian mentor, a heterosexual mentor, or no mentor. Results showed that employees who had a mentor received more benefits than employees without a mentor. Gay and lesbian employees who had a gay or lesbian mentor reported greater psychosocial job-related outcomes such as increased job satisfaction, but did not experience greater tangible benefits such as increased salary. Additionally, gay and lesbian employees who had a gay or lesbian mentor reported receiving more mentoring advice about managing one’s gay or lesbian identity in the workplace and perceived their mentors as better role models than gay and lesbian employees with a heterosexual mentor. Taken together this study illustrates the benefits of mentors (regardless of sexual orientation) for gay and lesbian employees, and it highlights the specific benefits that gay and lesbian employees gain from having similar sexual orientation mentors. Employees who can serve as mentors to others should do so as this helps to build up protégés, and can be particularly effective for protégés who are managing their sexual orientation identity in the workplace.

 

This study was published in 2012 in Human Performance, V. 25 by Michelle R. Hebl, Scott Tonidandel, and Enrica N. Ruggs. For more information, please contact Enrica Ruggs at enrica.ruggs@rice.edu