An Irish study has found that 10 percent of lesbian, gay and bisexual employees have quit their job over discrimination, while 30 percent admit to being harassed in the workplace.

In Working it Out, GLEN’s Diversity Champions report supported by Ernst & Young (EY), many respondents said they try to conceal their sexual orientation in the workplace, which in turn leads to considerable stress. According to the research, new employees are twice as likely to not disclose their sexual orientation compared to longer standing employees.

Davin Roche, Director at Diversity Champions, commented,  “While this research shows the challenges faced by many lesbian, gay and bisexual employees, it also clearly shows why it makes good business sense to address these issues.  Good employers know that people perform best when they can be themselves”.

The research found that employees who were out at work were more committed to their employer than employees who were not, while employers who demonstrated a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion had an advantage in attracting LGB candidates.

“As part of EY’s ongoing commitment to raising the bar on LGBT equality in the workplace, we work closely with GLEN’s Diversity Champions programme to identify best practice and opportunities for improvement,” said Catherine Vaughan, Head of EY’s EYGLES LGBT employee network.

“The team at GLEN have helped us keep up the momentum by supporting the development of an annual action plan which has proved invaluable in allowing us to measure our success in this field.”

The report was authored by researchers at Trinity College Dublin.