Heterosexual employees’ support for D&I policies and LGB inclusion in different organisational climates

Abstract

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) employees face discrimination and exclusion in the workplace. Their heterosexual colleagues do not share the same experience but are crucial for diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts. The support for D&I efforts depends on the self-interest of all stakeholders and heterosexual employees have the most influence. Perspective-taking is associated with increased empathy and helping behaviour. We examined how inclusive, heteronormative, and exclusive organisational climates affect heterosexual employees’ support for D&I policies and LGB inclusion. By exposing heterosexuals to an exclusive organisational climate, enabled them to take a perspective which is novel to them but not to LGB employees. We expected that being suppressed in their free sexual expression could harm their self-interest and perspective taking increases their empathy thereby leading to an increased support for D&I efforts. Research on the impact of harming heterosexual’s self-interest, by suppressing their expression of sexual orientation, on their support for D&I efforts is limited. Participants were exposed to either an inclusive, heteronormative, or exclusive organisational climate and their positivity towards the working climate, their support for D&I policies and LGB inclusion, and their perceived importance of these efforts were assessed. Participants felt significantly less positive in the heteronormative and exclusive climate than in the inclusive climate. However, besides their aversion to exclusive climates no difference in the support for D&I efforts could be observed. The findings indicate that heterosexual employees are as averse to heteronormative climates as they are to fully exclusive climates.