Director, Doctoral Program of Organizational Leadership Hood College Graduate School
Abstract: Disclosure of an invisible LGBTQ identity in the workplace often involves surprising, if not stigmatizing, information to co-workers regarding their sexual orientation. LGBTQ employees must weigh the decision, conscious or not, to disclose their identity for each encountered social situation with important consequences of projected acts of organizational shaming that can result in the emotional feelings of shame for falling short of identities tied to work-related standards. A theoretical framework is proposed, integrating research from physiological, sociological, management and human resource development (HRD) literature, for promoting employee engagement of the LGBTQ workforce. We push the boundaries of this evidence to develop a model conceptualizing workplace supports foster a positive social environment conducive for disclosing LGBTQ identities and cultivating psychological conditions of meaningfulness, safety, and availability. In building this framework we highlight and bridge common themes in the research, identify inconsistent findings, and purport future research opportunities.
