Workplace wellbeing among LGBTQ+ Australians: Exploring diversity within diversity

Abstract

A wealth of research documents disparities in workplace outcomes between cisgender heterosexual employees and LGBTQ+ employees. However, few studies have examined how workplace wellbeing may differ among different subgroups within the LGBTQ+ umbrella – that is, the notion of ‘diversity within diversity’. The current study fills this gap in knowledge by theorising and testing differences in workplace wellbeing across nuanced sexual- and gender-identity groups. To accomplish this, we use unique survey data from the 2020 Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) Employee Survey ( n = 5270 respondents and 146 organisations) and random-intercept multilevel regression models. Our results reveal significant differences in workplace wellbeing between different diversity groups. For example, LGBTQ+ employees identifying as gay/lesbian and as cisgender men generally report better outcomes than employees identifying with other minority identities. Overall, our findings call for workplace equity policies that target stigma towards plurisexual, gender non-conforming, and smaller and more invisible diversity groups.