The closet is an ugly, ugly place. And, it just be bad for business. Fascinating new research from UCLA, explained by Tom Jacobs at Miller-McCune:
Don’t ask. Don’t tell. Don’t do your job as well.
That’s the implication of newly published research, which links poorer job performance with uncertainty about a colleague’s sexual orientation.
“Supporters of policies that force gay and lesbian individuals to conceal their sexual orientation in the workplace argue that working with openly gay individuals undermines performance,” writes a trio of researchers led by UCLA’s Benjamin Everly. “We examine this claim in two studies and find the opposite effect.”
These findings, published the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, are certainly timely. The military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” rule, in which gay soldiers are discharged if they reveal their sexual orientation, will be repealed Sept. 20. Last week, presidential candidate Michele Bachmann said she was in favor of reinstating that policy — which would be within her authority as president.
Social conservatives argue that serving with openly gay soldiers could harm troops’ “unity and effectiveness.” While unity is hard to quantify, effectiveness is not, and this study suggests allowing openly gay soldiers could actually enhance it.
A couple months ago, we posted research from the Center for Work-Life Policy that showed almost half of college grads aren't out at work. This new study could lead one to conclude that could be harming workplace performance for everyone involved.
The new UCLA study, by Everly and his colleagues, Margaret J. Shiha and Geoffrey C. Hoa, can be located here.
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