• Inclusion

• Feedback Cycles

• Dealing with diversity

Interpersonal Antecedents to Selective Disclosure of Lesbian and Gay Identities at Work That’s My Cue: The Impact of Organizational, Conversational, and Conversation Partner’s Characteristics on LGB Employees’ Selective Disclosure Decisions at Work “In Certain Situations, it’s Better for You to Act this Way Rather than Another” — LGBQ Academic Staff Members’ Selective Disclosure Decisions at Work

That’s My Cue: The Impact of Organizational, Conversational, and Conversation Partner’s Characteristics on LGB Employees’ Selective Disclosure Decisions at Work “In Certain Situations, it’s Better for You to Act this Way Rather than Another” — LGBQ Academic Staff Members’ Selective Disclosure Decisions at Work

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) employees scan their social environment for cues that indicate to what extent disclosure of their sexual identity may be received positively. These cues can originate from different sources, such as the organizational environment at large or characteristics of a conversation partner. These factors are likely to affect LGB employees’ selective disclosure decisions, or their tendency to make different disclosure decisions vis-à-vis different colleagues. The present study explores how interpersonal factors (conversational valence, directness, and the hierarchical position of the interaction partner) and contextual factors (supportiveness of the work environment) interact to influence such selective disclosure decisions. Eight vignette scenarios, depicting fictitious conversations between Charlie, a gay worker, and various colleagues were presented to both LGB and heterosexual participants (total N = 384), who were then asked to rate the likelihood of Charlie’s disclosure based on each specific interaction. Multilevel analyses (Nvignettes = 3,072) were employed to account for data dependence and the nested structure of responses. Our findings suggest that especially proximate cues, in the form of conversational valence, and to a lesser extent conversational directness, play an important role in disclosure likelihood. The results further highlight the complex interplay between interpersonal and organizational factors in affecting selective disclosure decisions among LGB employees. Implications are discussed in light of existing literature on (selective) disclosure and its relevance to organizational policy-making.

How do organizational, conversational, and conversation partner’s characteristics affect LGB employees’ disclosure decisions at work?

• Collected during project

• Vignette survey

Yes

• .docx
• .R
• .spss

• Structured
• Unstructured

• English

United Kingdom

28/07/2021

02/08/2021

None