Project info
Work package
- Inclusion
- Work
Sustainability threat
- External Shocks
Challenge
- Dealing with diversity
- Reshaping organizational forms
Study info
Description of Study
LGBTQ+ individuals continue to experience less favorable outcomes both within and beyond the workplace compared to their cisgender, heterosexual counterparts. Drawing on minority stress and community resilience frameworks, this study investigates how different dimensions of workplace experiences, namely interpersonal and task-related satisfaction, relate to employee well-being, and whether these relationships differ between LGBTQ+ and cis-hetero individuals. We hypothesized that (1) LGBTQ+ individuals would report lower workplace satisfaction and well-being, (2) interpersonal satisfaction would be a stronger predictor of well-being than task satisfaction among LGBTQ+ employees, and (3) interpersonal satisfaction would predict well-being more strongly for LGBTQ+ employees than for cis-hetero employees. Using data from the LISS panel, a large population-based longitudinal study in the Netherlands, we conducted multilevel regression analyses to test these predictions (n=4794). As expected, LGBTQ+ participants reported significantly lower interpersonal and task satisfaction, as well as poorer mental health and work-related well-being. However, contrary to expectations, interpersonal satisfaction did not significantly outperform task satisfaction in predicting LGBTQ+ well-being, nor did its predictive strength differ from that of cis-hetero employees. We discuss possible explanations for these null findings, including sample-related limitations and measurement constraints, and emphasize the enduring need to address systemic inequalities affecting LGBTQ+ individuals in the workplace.
Study research question
How does workplace satisfaction and well-being differ between LGBTQ+ and cis-hetero employees?
H1: LGBTQ+ employees will report lower levels of workplace satisfaction (interpersonal and task-related) and well-being compared to cis-hetero employees.
How do the different aspects of workplace satisfaction (interpersonal vs task-related) relate to well-being for LGBTQ+ employees?
H2: For LGBTQ+ employees, interpersonal satisfaction will be more strongly associated with well-being compared to task-related satisfaction.
Is the relationship between interpersonal satisfaction and well-being different from LGBTQ+ compared to cis-hetero employees?
H3: The relationship between interpersonal satisfaction and well-being will be stronger for LGBTQ+ employees compared to cis-hetero employees (i.e., LGBTQ+ identity will moderate this relationship).
Collection provenance
- External data
- -
Collection methods
- Questionaire
Personal data
No
External Source
Source description
The variables were drawn from the Work and Schooling, Health, and Background questionnaires, as well as the Democratic Innovations add-on study for the sexual orientation question. We used the last three waves of data collection from 2022, 2023 and 2024, which were available at the time of extraction
File formats
Data types
- Structured
Languages
- Dutch
- English
Coverage start
Coverage end
01/01/2022
31/12/2024
Spatial coverage
Collection period start
01/01/2022
Collection period end
31/12/2024
Variables
Unit
Unit description
Sample size
Sampling method
Individuals
who were above the age of 18 and provided complete data on work satisfaction, well-being, sexual orientation, gender assigned at birth, and gender identity at one or more of the three time points
4,794
—
Hypothesis
Theory
LGBTQ+ employees will report lower levels of workplace satisfaction (interpersonal and task-related) and well-being compared to cis-hetero employees.
Minority stress framework; Heteroprofessionalism
For LGBTQ+ employees, interpersonal satisfaction will be more strongly associated with well-being compared to task-related satisfaction.
Community resilience
The relationship between interpersonal satisfaction and well-being will be stronger for LGBTQ+ employees compared to cis-hetero employees (i.e., LGBTQ+ identity will moderate this relationship).
Community resilience
Variable type
Variable name
Variable description
Independent variable
Work Satisfaction - Task
Task-related work satisfaction was measured with a single item. Participants rated their satisfaction on a 10-point scale (1 = Not at all satisfied; 10 = Completely satisfied) in response to the question: "How satisfied are you with the type of work that you do?".
Independent variable
Work Satisfaction - General
General work satisfaction was measured with a single item. Participants rated their satisfaction on a 10-point scale (1 = Not at all satisfied; 10 = Completely satisfied) in response to the question: "How satisfied are you with your current work?".
Independent variable
Work Satisfaction - Interpersonal
Interpersonal work satisfaction was measured with a single item. Participants rated their satisfaction on a 10-point scale (1 = Not at all satisfied; 10 = Completely satisfied) in response to the question: "How satisfied are you with the general atmosphere among your colleagues?".
Independent variable
Work Satisfaction - Wages
Wage satisfaction was measured with a single item. Participants rated their satisfaction on a 10-point scale (1 = Not at all satisfied; 10 = Completely satisfied) in response to the question: How satisfied are you with your wages, salary, or profit earnings?".
Dependent variable
Work Satisfaction - Hours
Working Hours satisfaction was measured with a single item. Participants rated their satisfaction on a 10-point scale (1 = Not at all satisfied; 10 = Completely satisfied) in response to the question: “How satisfied are you with your working hours?”
Dependent variable
Health - General
General health was measured with a single item. Participants rated their health on a 5-point scale (1 = Poor; 5 = Excellent) in response to the question: "How would you describe your health, generally speaking?".
Dependent variable
Health - Mental Health
Mental health was assessed using the five-item Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5; Berwick et al., 1991). Participants responded to how frequently they experienced psychological distress and happiness during the past month using a 6-point scale (1 = Never; 6 = Continuously). The items included: (1) "I felt very anxious," (2) "I felt so down that nothing could cheer me up," (3) "I felt calm and peaceful," (4) "I felt depressed and gloomy," and (5) "I felt happy." Items were reverse-coded such that higher numbers indicate better mental health.
Dependent variable
Health - Absenteeism
Absenteeism was measured with the question: "How many days during the last month were you unable to go to work, perform housekeeping work, or attend school due to disease?" Participants selected one of the following response options: 0 days; 1–2 days; 3–5 days; 6–10 days; more than 10 days.
Dependent variable
Health - Work hinderance
Work hindrance due to poor health was assessed using a single item. Participants rated the extent to which their physical health or emotional problems hindered their work on a 5-point scale (1 = Not at all; 5 = Very much). The question was: "To what extent did your physical health or emotional problems hinder your work over the past month, for example, in your job, housekeeping, taking care of children, doing volunteer work, or school?".
Dependent variable
Sexual Orientation
Sexual orientation was assessed with the question: “How would you describe your sexual orientation?” Participants could select from the following response options: Heterosexual, Gay, Bisexual, Pansexual or Omnisexual, Asexual, and Other. Participants who selected "Other" were given the opportunity to provide a written response. These open-text responses were manually reviewed and, when appropriate, recategorized into existing categories or excluded if they did not reflect a clear sexual orientation.
Dependent variable
Gender identity
Gender identity was assessed using the definition of a transgender person as someone who does not identify with the gender assigned at birth (Morgenroth & Ryan, 2018). Participants whose reported gender did not match their identified gender identity were categorized as transgender in the sample.
Discipline-specific operationalizations
Conflict of interest
No conflict of interest
Data packages
Publications
Documents
Filename
Description
Date
Ethics
Ethical assessment
Yes
Ethical committee
Faculty Ethics Review Board - Social and Behavioral Sciences;