AnswerLab wanted to better understand LGBTQIA+ employees’ experiences in the workplace and what factors supported and impeded their satisfaction, recruitment, retention and wellbeing.
By learning this information, AnswerLab wanted to improve the workplace experience for LGBTQIA+ employees at AnswerLab and also provide information to other workplaces about how to do that.
Role
The lead researcher of this project had to step away so I stepped in as lead. I helped analyze results from an in-flight diary study, created the discussion guide for the follow up IDIs, conducted interviews, and led the synthesis and reporting efforts.
Method and justification
A literature review and internal focus groups had already taken place. That information was used to craft the diary study. I took those responses and created a discussion guide.
- Diary Study to explore LGBTQIA+ employees day-to-day experiences in the workplace
- Follow up In-Depth Interviews to glean additional details from diary responses and gather stories to bring the research to life.
Background
34 participants in a variety of industries including: law, tech, health, hospitality, education, sales, and more.
Key Questions
- What are the sources of daily workplace support and what compels LGBTQIA+ employees to be out in the workplace?
- What situations cause exhaustion and discomfort related to LGBTQIA+ identity and what discourages employees from being out in the workplace?
- How do onboarding and trainings signal safety to LGBTQIA+ employees and where are there gaps?
- What are the opportunities for workplaces to improve LGBTQIA+ employees’ feelings of inclusion?
Tight Timelines
I had 3 weeks to analyze 340 diary responses, create a discussion guide based on those responses, conduct in-depth interviews, and write a report.
To create the discussion guide, I read through each diary response and did some light affinity mapping in Mural to start separating out themes related to the research questions and uncover gaps in the research that I could dig into during the in-depth interviews.
Sensitive Nature
Due to asking directly about participants’ experiences due to their sexual and/or gender identity, the subject matter of this study was sensitive. Gaining participants’ trust was imperative to preserve the integrity of the study.
In order to gain participants’ trust, I let them know:
- What the research hoped to accomplish
- Session recordings would be deleted once reporting was completed
- No identifying information would be included in the report
- They could choose not to answer any questions they were uncomfortable with
- They could end the session at anytime and still receive full compensation
Collaboration
I was working with two support researchers on this study, and it was important to ensure there was no labor duplication.
To avoid this, I conducted daily standups with my support researchers to talk about how we were feeling about the project and distribute tasks for that day. I sent daily Slack messages at the end of the day to provide updates on what had been accomplished, and created a document with task assignments for easy reference.
Insights and impact
Welcoming work environments come from the top down. It is important for company leadership to model inclusion, and for policies to take LGBTQIA+ employees’’’specific needs into account.
Management can retain or drive away employees. Several participants cited that their manager was the deciding factor in showing up to work and continuing to work for the same company.
Personal Gender Pronouns are not optional. Throughout the study, trans and non-binary employees emphasized the importance of using correct pronouns on a daily basis. In order to support their identity, it is imperative to use their correct pronouns.
Impact
A 120 slide report detailing how organizations and individuals could create a positive workplace experience for LGBTQIA+ employees (click here to view a condensed version of the report). Recommendations covered topics like:
- Hiring Processes
- Onboarding
- Benefits
- Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
- Coming out in the workplace
- Pronoun policies
- Correct gendering
- Management Styles
Eden Jackson 