The sustained attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs have left corporate America hesitant to speak out forcefully on LGBTQ+ issues—and that silence has not gone unnoticed.
Companies that once boasted about being recognized by the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index have now stopped participating in the annual ranking, which measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees. While some companies have resumed sponsoring Pride celebrations this year, a number of employers had paused those commitments or were hesitant to very publicly support Pride events; even as companies have increased that spending, corporate sponsorships for Pride have remained below pre-pandemic levels.
Meanwhile, recent Gallup data shows that support for the LGBTQ+ community is lower than it has been in years, especially among Republicans.
According to new findings from a Harris Poll survey, employees who identify as LGBTQ+ have felt the ground shift beneath them as companies have become less vocal. In a survey of over 3,000 U.S.-based workers, 62% of LGBTQ+ employees said they have seen at least one meaningful change in how their company talks about issues that affect them—often using vague language or focusing more on legal compliance. Over 40% report seeing less communication, both internally and externally, about LGBTQ+ employees or issues that affect them, while 16% have found that their employers have dropped out of external programs like the Corporate Equality Index.
Only about a third of LGBTQ+ workers now believe their workplace has an outwardly supportive culture and policies that cater to them, according to the poll.
Other employees, too, have not only witnessed this change in their workplace culture, but are also drawing their own conclusion about their company’s values. Nearly half of workers who do not identify as LGBTQ+ say they notice when their company is less vocal on those issues, and they felt the effects of that change.
In fact, 62% believe their company’s treatment of LGBTQ+ workers is a reflection of how they treat all employees—and 60% said the workplace felt more supportive of all employees when their company explicitly stood in solidarity with LGBTQ+ workers. A quarter of employees even said that simply recognizing Pride indicated that their company actually cared about inclusion more broadly.
As Fast Company has reported, some LGBTQ+ folks have responded to these fluctuations in the political climate and work culture by hiding their identity or sharing personal information sparingly. The survey data bears this out, with 64% of LGBTQ+ employees saying they have altered their behavior or censored themselves at work. Many of them said they tried not to talk about their personal lives, while others were more hesitant to speak out about LGBTQ+ issues or declined to correct coworkers who misgendered them or made assumptions about their identity.
For employers, there are real concerns about losing talent if this trend continues. 80% of LGBTQ+ workers said they would lose trust in a company that had become less vocal about LGBTQ+ issues, while 68% said they would leave their company altogether if it felt like they were no longer supported.
Nearly three-quarters of LGBTQ+ employees said they would be less loyal to a company that had gone quiet on these issues. After all, there is a toll when workers no longer feel like their employer explicitly supports them—and when that trust is shattered, it can push them out the door.