The threat of job discrimination causes many gay men and lesbians to keep their sexual orientation secret at work. This study investigates the relationships between extent of communication about sexual orientation and critical work attitudes. We hypothesize that “closeted” gay workers will experience more negative work attitudes than will either “openly” gay or heterosexual workers. The sample consisted of 900 lesbian, gay, and heterosexual workers identified from the mailing list of a civil rights group focused on homosexual rights. The hypothesis is supported for affective organizational commitment, job satisfaction, belief in support of top management, role ambiguity, role conflict, and conflict between work and home issues, but not for continuance commitment. Although causal relationships are not specified, we conclude that work attitude levels of gay and lesbian workers are predicted in part by the amount of communication about their sexual orientation in which these workers engage.

There is currently very little research to support the popularly held claim that “closeted” homosexual workers will have a less positive work‐related attitude and no empirical investigation of companies that prohibit discrimination on grounds of sexuality. This study used data from a survey of 744 homosexual employees to determine the relationships of reported disclosure of sexual orientation, anti‐discrimination policies and top management support for equal rights with relevant work attitudes. All three independent variables were found to be significantly related to affective organizational commitment and conflict between work and home. Additionally, anti‐discrimination policies and top management support were related to job satisfaction. However, none of the independent variables were significantly associated with continuance organizational commitment or job stress. It is suggested that human resource managers concerned with integrating gay and lesbian employees begin by educating top managers and creating a work environment in which disclosure of homosexual orientation is supported.

This study was conducted to examine the hypothesis that organizational commitment and job involvement interact in the prediction of turnover (Blau & Boal, 1987). Prior work in this area has not incorporated a sufficiently broad definition of commitment, has omitted relevant covariates, and has utilized inappropriate estimation procedures (ordinary least-squares regression [OLS]). The presence of a commitment-involvement interaction was tested in three estimation models with data obtained from 138 supervisors. Models estimated with OLS replicated prior work (Blau & Boal, 1989) irrespective o fwhether additional covariates were included. Identical models estimated with logistic regression provided no support for the presence of a commitment-involvement interaction. It is concluded that results obtained with linear techniques are a function of an inappropriate estimation procedure when the dependent variable is binary. The potential impact of the widespread use of linear estimation procedures in turnover research is discussed.

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In the 14 years since the Society for Human Resource Management added sexual orientation to its nondiscrimination statement, many organizations, including a large majority of Fortune 500 companies, have become more accepting of gay and lesbian workers. However, both small and large organizations may not have decided if this diversity is a type they wish to address. This article makes the case that to be competitive in the labor market and maximize the customer base, inclusiveness may be a requirement. We make this point by first describing current practices that create inclusive environments. To explore differences between small and large employers, we then present an exploratory study that shows that small firms may already have advantages in establishing inclusiveness. Interviews are presented that further investigate how work climates may exist for gay and lesbian employees in small and large organizations. Best practices and recommendations for creating and maintaining an inclusive workforce are then presented. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.