Equal Opportunities International

Equality and diversity policies and practices at work: lesbian, gay and bisexual workers
Fiona Colgan Chris Creegan Aidan McKearney Tessa Wright
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practices at work: lesbian, gay and bisexual workers", Equal Opportunities International, Vol. 26 Iss 6 pp.
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Tessa Wright, Fiona Colgan, Chris Creegany, Aidan McKearney, (2006),"Lesbian, gay and bisexual workers:
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Paul Brook, Rosemary Lucas, Fiona Colgan, Aidan McKearney, (2012),"Visibility and voice in organisations:
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Fiona Colgan, Aidan McKearney, Fiona Colgan, (2011),"Equality, diversity and corporate responsibility:
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EOI
26,6
Equality and diversity policies
and practices at work: lesbian,
gay and bisexual workers
590 Fiona Colgan, Chris Creegan, Aidan McKearney and Tessa Wright
Comparative Organisation and Equality Research Centre, WLRI,
London Metropolitan University, London, UK
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Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify organisational good practice concerning equality,
diversity and sexual orientation and consider the impact of the Employment Equality (Sexual
Orientation) Regulations 2003.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs in-depth interviews and a short survey with
154 lesbian, gay and bisexual people (LGB) and 60 interviews with management, trade union and
LGB group representatives within 16 ‘‘good practice’’ case study organisations.
Findings – Before the introduction of the (SO) Regulations (2003), progress concerning equality,
diversity and sexual orientation was made based on social justice and/or business case arguments.
The research shows that an inclusive organisational response can benefit both LGB employees and
their employers. However, an ‘‘implementation gap’’ between equality/diversity policy and practice on
sexual orientation was identified. The introduction of the law as a further driver to equality action in
the sexual orientation area has been positive. However, LGB employees voiced concerns about the
way in which organisations rely on LGB people to come forward with complaints before tackling
problems. Thus, the protection provided by the (SO) Regulations 2003, although welcomed, was not
seen as a panacea to tackling discrimination and harassment on grounds of sexual orientation in the
workplace. LGB respondents looked to their organisation management to provide proactive
leadership on equality/diversity issues and stop treating the sexual orientation strand as the ‘‘poor
relation’’ within the organisational drive for equality and diversity.
Originality/value – The paper addresses the gap in knowledge regarding LGB people’s perceptions
of equality/diversity policy and practice within UK workplaces, providing information on good
practice for employers, trade unions, government and LGB campaigning organisations.
Keywords Homosexuals, Sexuality, Equal opportunities, Employment legislation, United Kingdom
Paper type Research paper

Equal Opportunities International
Vol. 26 No. 6, 2007
pp. 590-609
# Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0261-0159
DOI 10.1108/02610150710777060
Introduction
This paper will discuss the experiences of lesbian, gay and bisexual ( LGB) workers
following the introduction of the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation)
Discrimination Regulations (2003)[1]. The research first focuses on what employers
have done to develop and implement good practice both prior to and following the
introduction of the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations (2003). It
then considers the impact of organisation equality/diversity policy and practice and
the introduction of the Regulations from the point of view of LGB people within 16 case
study organisations[2].
The academic literature concerning progress in UK organisation equality and
diversity policy and practice has pointed to the gap that too often exists between
equality policy and practice ( Jewson and Mason, 1986; Cockburn, 1991; Young, 1992,
Dickens, 2005). It has also focused on the relative merits of the social justice, business
The authors would like to thank Pauline Baseley, Hazel Conley and the two anonymous referees
for their comments on an earlier version of this article.
 and legislative compliance arguments as drivers for effective organisational equality Equality and
and diversity action ( Dickens, 1999, 2005; Liff and Dickens, 2000; Richards, 2001).
Evaluation of progress within the UK thus far has pointed to the weakness of
diversity policies
anti-discrimination legislation and the uneven application over time and within
organisations of arguments based solely on the social justice and business cases
(Skidmore, 2004; Dickens, 1994, 2005). Few studies, thus far have considered progress
concerning the sexual orientation strand, with a few notable exceptions (Cockburn,
1991; Kirton and Greene, 2000; Dickens, 2005; Cooper, 2006).
591
There is a lack of robust statistical evidence concerning the proportion of the UK
population who identify as LGB. The DTI’s regulatory impact assessment suggested
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that between 5 and 7 per cent of the UK population is LGB (DTI, 2005). However, the
assessment was based on a range of arguably conflicting data concerning sexual
identity and sexual activity. The attribution of the labels ‘‘lesbian, gay and bisexual’’ to
those involved in this study is based on self-identification by respondents themselves
during the research process. Despite a growing body of research on sexual orientation
in organisations, the experiences of ‘‘sexual minorities’’ in the workplace remains an
under researched area and there have been very few case studies of particular
organisations (Ward and Winstanley, 2003). Research has demonstrated that LGB
people experience discrimination at work and that fears about the consequences of
revealing their sexuality affects both career choices and personal strategies within the
workplace (Palmer, 1993; ID Research, 2002). Ryan-Flood’s (2004) research found that
LGB workers in the ‘‘higher echelons of the labour market’’ tended to choose careers in
sectors with a more tolerant environment and were more likely to be out. Whereas,
those employed in lower level jobs were more likely to remain ‘‘closeted at work,’’ and
change employer rather than seek assistance through their trade union where they
encountered difficulty at work. Moreover, whilst there has been some research on trade
union responses to LGB workers in the UK (Colgan, 1999a; Humphrey, 2002), to date
there has been little focus on the policies and practices of UK employers (Equal
Opportunities Review, 2004; Carabine and Monro, 2004; Stonewall, 2004; Colgan et al.,
2008).
Over the last decade a range of ‘‘good practice’’ organisations have recognised that a
commitment to equality and diversity includes engaging with the needs of LGB
employees, service users and customers (Stonewall, 2006). Prior to the introduction of
the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations (2003), any progress made
has been based on social justice and/or business case arguments. This paper focuses on
the experiences of LGB people at work within 16 such ‘‘good practice’’ employers
following the introduction of the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation)
Regulations 2003. The study is important in being able to explore the ‘‘tip of the
iceberg’’ within UK workplaces by researching the views of LGB employees who have
been willing to participate in the research who in turn work for progressive
organisations who see the value of a study in this area. As such the research does not
pretend to provide a ‘‘window’’ into the average or typical UK workplace but rather into
16 ‘‘good practice’’ UK workplaces, with a track record of developing policy and
practice on sexual orientation. It does however, begin to address the gap in knowledge
that exists regarding the experiences of LGB people within UK workplaces.

Methodology
The research is based on in-depth interviews with 154 LGB employees within 16 case
study organisations as part of a two-year study (2004-2006) funded by the Higher
 EOI Education European Social Fund. In addition, 60 in-depth interviews with
management, trade union and LGB group representatives within the case studies
26,6 provided information on organisational context, as well as equal opportunities policy
and practice. Case study organisations also provided access to documentary material
such as policies, reports, company and trade union websites and publications.
Organisational experiences have, in turn, been contextualised through in-depth
interviews with 25 key informants within UK organisations representing LGB people,
592 government, employers, employees charged with disseminating advice on the
Employment Equality (SO) Regulations (2003). All in-depth interviews were
unstructured and conducted using open-ended topic guides. The interviews were taped
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and transcribed verbatim for analysis. The data management phase of the analysis was
carried out with the use of N6 computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software.
The 154 LGB employee respondents were also asked to complete a short survey
questionnaire prior to the interview and all 154 did so. The purpose of this
questionnaire was to obtain headline demographic and attitudinal data about the LGB
respondent sample. For example, in addition to questions about gender, ethnicity, age
and disability, it included questions about who people disclosed their sexual orientation
to at work, the impact of policies and practices on job satisfaction and the perceived
impact of the regulations. The data collected via this questionnaire was also used to
inform our sampling strategy, for example monitoring the sample in relation to
ethnicity, disability, occupational classification and whether respondents were ‘‘out’’
(disclosed their sexual orientation) to people at work. The statistical data presented in
this paper is based on the 154 survey questionnaire responses. However, the key
themes summarised are based on our analysis of qualitative data and listed in no
particular significant order collected through the 154 in-depth interviews. The
geographical focus of the study was London and Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield (in
Yorkshire) because these provide contrasting urban areas in different parts of England
with ethnically diverse populations and vocal LGB communities.
Research on LGB issues is still a relatively new and ‘‘sensitive’’ area of research in
the UK and the ‘‘hidden’’ nature of the LGB population raised a number of
methodological issues. In order to overcome difficulties in negotiating research access,
we identified 16 ‘‘good practice employers’’ (nine public sector, five private sector and
two voluntary sector) with the assistance of employers’ organisations, trade unions and
LGB groups. Most (12 of the 16) case studies which agreed to participate in the
research were members of the Stonewall Diversity Champion’s programme[3] and eight
were listed within the top 100 employers in Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index in
2006 (Stonewall, 2006). Fourteen of the case studies participating in the project were
willing to be identified by name, but two agreed to participate on an anonymous
basis[4]. All but two of the case study organisations were unionised. To maximise the
diversity of LGB respondents, we used multiple access routes via organisational
newsletters, email or intranet sites, invitations via workplace LGBT groups and via
local and national trade union and LGBT campaigning groups. This was supplemented
by a snowballing approach to ensure an appropriate range of LGB interviewees from
each case study organisation.
Despite undertaking the research within ‘‘good practice’’ organisations, the study
has experienced the same difficulties as other LGB studies in accessing a diverse LGB
population (McManus, 2003). The lack of statistical data regarding sexual orientation
either in the general population or in organisations means that probability sampling is
not possible. In this paper, therefore, quantitative data based on the survey
 questionnaire responses is used to present a profile of the 154 LGB respondents. In Equality and
doing it does not suggest that the sample of respondents is representative (statistically diversity policies
or otherwise) of the LGB population within the case study organisations. A greater
proportion of men (61.7 per cent) than women (38.3 per cent) participated in the
research and there was an under-representation of black and minority ethnic LGB
people (BME, 8.4 per cent) and a high representation of managerial (39 per cent) and
professional (41.6 per cent) respondents compared to the general population[5]. 593
Respondents ranged in age from 21 to over 60 and 11.3 per cent defined themselves as
having a disability. Nearly two-thirds (60.4 per cent) defined as gay men, 33.8 per cent
as lesbian and 5.8 per cent (two men and seven women) defined themselves as bisexual.
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Among the 154 LGB research respondents, 50 per cent worked in the public sector,
42.2 per cent in the private sector and 7.8 per cent in the voluntary sector. Thirty eight
(24.7 per cent) of the respondents worked in Bradford, Leeds or Sheffield with 115 (75.7
per cent) working in the London area.
We think it is important to acknowledge that the qualitative interviews with 154
LGB respondents were inevitably with those who felt comfortable and/or able to
participate in a research project on equality and sexual orientation within their
workplace. We found administrative, manual, service and skilled trades workers and
BME workers particularly hard to reach despite the multiple access routes described
above. It was suggested to us by key informants within the case study organisations
that those in these sub-groups were less likely to be ‘‘out’’ at work and thus much less
likely to participate in a research project on LGB issues. Those involved in organising
LGB employee groups within organisation LGBT and trade union groups reported
similar difficulties in securing the participation of these sub-groups in organisational
initiatives. This illustrates the ‘‘hidden’’ nature of much of the LGB population even
within ‘‘good practice’’ organisations where employers and trade unions have been
striving to implement equality and diversity policies and practices in order to ensure a
‘‘gay-friendly’’ workplace. Our research confirmed Ryan-Flood’s (2004) findings that
those in lower level and perhaps more difficult working environments are less likely to
be out and ‘‘visible and vocal’’ at work (Colgan et al., 2006a).

Good practice case study organisations

All of the organisations, participating in the research saw themselves as ‘‘good
practice’’ employers in terms of equality and diversity including sexual orientation.
Interviews with senior human resource (HR) and trade union representatives suggested
that the case study organisations had sought to be progressive on sexual orientation
initially on social justice grounds and then in conjunction with the business case
despite the fairly hostile UK social and public policy climate prior to 1997 (Tatchell,
1992; Cooper, 1994, 2006; Colgan, 1999b). Each organisation had its own specific
history regarding the inclusion of sexual orientation within its organisational policy
and practice (Colgan et al., 2006a). However, it is possible to summarise some of the key
drivers over time by sector.

Public and voluntary sectors

Within the public and voluntary sectors, managers, union and LGBT group
representatives interviewed, talked of the recent impetus provided by legal compliance
in addition to the earlier social justice and business case arguments. Steps to include
sexual orientation alongside other equality strands had experienced two major drives.
 EOI The first was during the late-1980s following a big push by LGB campaigning
groups and employees within local authorities, other public and voluntary sector
26,6 organisations and within unions. This led to the inclusion of sexual orientation within
equal opportunities policies and the work of equality departments and units on social
justice grounds as early as the late-1980s. The Conservative government, however,
showed little support for these ‘‘gay-friendly’’ developments. Thus interviewees within
the local authority, school, voluntary sector and the fire services case studies talked of
594 the stalling of this early progress. Particularly key was the introduction of Section 28 of
the Local Government Act (1988) which made it illegal for local authorities to
‘‘intentionally promote homosexuality,’’ and created a difficult political climate for
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those trying to progress work to ensure fair treatment of LGB people in the workforce
and via service provision in local authorities, schools and voluntary sector
organisations working with children and young people.
The second political impetus cited for change following the election of a Labour
Government in 1997, was the establishment of new structures, expansion of the
voluntary sector role and the expansion of equality legislation. A range of duties
have been placed on the public sector including the Race Relations (Amendment) Act
(2000) and the raft of legislation which has been introduced to remove discrimination
on grounds of sexual orientation in a number of areas including the sexual age of
consent, fostering and adoption of children. Four important recent measures have
included the repeal of the Local Government Act: Section 28 (2003) and the introduction
of the Employment Equality (SO) Regulations (2003), the Civil Partnership Act (2004)
and the Equality Act (2006).
Human Resource (HR) and diversity managers within the public and voluntary
sectors were more likely to mention the importance of recent developments in the law
in assisting and empowering them to make progress within the equalities area,
particularly where political or managerial opposition or inadequate resources had
stopped them from developing LGB initiatives in line with other strands:
I think it’s fair to say the authority like the vast majority of other public bodies views its
response and investment in equality work based on our statutory responsibilities (Senior
manager, Public sector).
And sexual orientation has now become, instead of being a bit of a difficult area for us and a
cause of anxiety, I think it’s just become a cause of well, that’s another part of the diversity
agenda (Senior manager, Voluntary sector).
Within the public sector, local authorities, for example, have sought to adopt a
comprehensive and systematic approach to dealing with equality and diversity issues
as outlined in the Equality Standard for Local Government (Employers Organisation,
2001). The standard provides a common approach for dealing with equality for race,
gender and disability which most progressive local authorities have sought to extend
to anti-discrimination policies for age, sexuality, class and religion and belief. This
broader equality and diversity focus is now being adopted in the good practice public
and voluntary sector organisations assisted by the impetus provided by the
introduction of the Employment Equality (SO) Regulations and the expansion of anti-
discrimination legislation in services and on grounds of age and religious beliefs.

Private sector
The five private companies participating in the research are global companies
although the research project focused only on the UK operation as the case study for
 each company. Thus, although the UK legislative and political changes outlined above Equality and
have also impacted on the private sector case study organisations, most of the HR diversity policies
and diversity managers thought the more substantial force shaping their equality and
diversity policies has been corporate business objectives and the ‘‘business case’’ for
diversity. All five private sector companies argued that they were ‘‘ahead of the
game’’ when it came to tackling LGB discrimination and social exclusion and so did not
need to make many changes to comply with the requirements of the Employment 595
Equality (SO) Regulations (2003):
I think our policies generally are pretty much across the board so didn’t need tweaking or
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changing to accommodate the new Sexual Orientation Discrimination Act (Senior Manager,
Private Sector).
I think diversity is crucial to the business. We see it as if we can employ people from a wide
range of backgrounds. . .that will help us engage with our customers and understand the
solutions and the way that they need to interact so we then develop the inclusive solutions
that work for everybody. . . And around the whole LGBT area in particular, it’s quite an
important market for us because LGBT people tend to have high disposable income and tend
to be early adapters of technology and there’s lots of research being done around that. So
actually it’s quite a key market for us to have LGBT people engaged in our products so that
we can use them as ambassadors for how it can work (Senior manager, Private sector).
A number of the US organisations operating in Europe, had established sexual
diversity policies and procedures as part of a broader managing diversity approach
during the 1990s. For example, IBM at its foundation, established its policy on ‘‘Respect
for the Individual.’’ Over time this was modified to incorporate equality and diversity.
In 1985, sexual orientation was introduced into its equality and diversity policy. The
‘‘Respect for the Individual’’ policy states that the company is committed to ‘‘creating
an inclusive working environment’’ and ‘‘ensuring that employees feel comfortable,
productive and able to reach their full potential.’’ By 1991, informal LGB network
groups were established at company locations in the US and Canada and by the mid-
1990s same-sex partner benefits were extended to US and Canadian employees. LGBT
same-sex partner benefits and an LGBT formal networking group were established in
the UK in 2001 (IBM LGBT Group member, interview). Ford of Britain and BT also
included sexual diversity within equality and diversity policies during the late-1990s
and have introduced same-sex partner benefits and established LGBT groups in the
last five years. As US subsidiaries operating in the UK, have led the way, many UK-
based organisations such as RBOS and the finance organisation have followed suit as
they compete to be ‘‘employers of choice’’ for LGBT staff and attract business from the
LGBT customers (Private sector, key informant interviews).

Equality and diversity policy and practice: sexual orientation

All of the case study companies had taken a number of the steps outlined in the
Stonewall Diversity Champion’s programme (Stonewall, 2005). These are summarised
below:
. Developed and promoted a written equality/diversity policy barring discrimination
and specifically stating ‘‘sexual orientation’’.
. Developed a working group/diversity team that includes LGB issues.
. Established a lead person for LGB issues at Board/Chief executive level.
 EOI . Established an LGBT network group for support, consultation and to inform
policy at work.
26,6
. Audited policies and procedures for employees in line with Employment (SO)
Regulations 2003 and Civil Partnership Act.
. Ran diversity awareness training that referred to ‘‘sexual orientation’’ and drew
on concrete examples.
596 . Sponsored or supported an LGB organisation or event (although neither school
had done so nor had they participated in LGBT history month thus far).
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. Recruited staff or advertised products or services in UK LGB media.

There were areas where policy and practice development varied. For example, the
public sector organisations fell behind the private and voluntary sector when it came to
pensions entitlement to same-sex partners in the UK. However, this was because the
public sector schemes were statutory schemes that could only be changed by
parliament not the employers alone. Public and voluntary sector organisations had
moved further on sexual orientation monitoring at all stages and grades although most
of the case study organisations had either introduced a sexual orientation question in
their staff attitude survey or intended to do so. Private sector organisations offered
specific support to LGB staff via targeted mentoring, LGB leadership training and
resources. Openly LGB members were evident at senior levels of the organisation via
councillors in the local authority context and senior staff in the schools but senior
managers and LGB staff identified the lack of senior out LGB representatives as a
problem across all three sectors. Although trade unions were identified as supportive
of many of the equality and diversity initiatives, including the more recent
establishment of LGBT groups, their consultation and involvement by organisations
was variable.
Prior to 2003, organisation policy and practice concerning sexual orientation had
primarily developed within the case study organisations driven by the social justice
and/or business cases for equality. As Dickens (2005, p. 187) argues these may often be
‘‘contingent and variable’’ and can be ‘‘experienced differently by (and within) different
organisations’’. The research found evidence to support this. For example, a number of
LGB respondents complained that line managers and work colleagues at best claimed
not to know about corporate policy in the area or at worst were hostile to or considered
it irrelevant or marginal to the work that they did (Colgan et al., 2006b).

LGB respondents: out at work?

Although working for ‘‘good practice’’ employers, just over half (57.8 per cent) of the
154 LGB respondents willing to participate in the research were out to everyone at
work. Based on the survey data, a third (33.8 per cent) were out to some people leaving
8.4 per cent saying that they were out to very few or nobody at work. Nearly 1 in 10 (9.5
per cent) of the male respondents said they were out to very few or nobody at work
compared to 6.8 per cent of the women respondents (Colgan et al., 2008).
Even those who said they were ‘‘out’’ at work were selective in terms of those they
came out to. Respondents said they were not out to clients/customers and students
(31.2 per cent), particularly teachers who did not feel ‘‘safe’’ in terms of the reactions of
pupils and parents. In the private sector, although company equality policies offered
protection from discriminatory colleagues, this often did not extend to clients.
Respondents during the in-depth interviews talked of making a distinction between
 being out in the organisation as a whole or in their individual workplace, though the Equality and
dissemination of information and ‘‘gossip’’ about their sexuality was not something diversity policies
over which they had control. Nearly, one in six of the respondents (15.6 per cent) said
they were not out to their manager (17.1 per cent of men relative to 14 per cent of
women).
Among the respondents who were out at work, in-depth interviews uncovered a
multiplicity of experiences and motivations. Some chose to come out at the beginning 597
and ‘‘gay friendly’’ inductions and training could be important in facilitating that. More
commonly respondents described coming out at work as a ‘‘gradual’’ or ‘‘organic’’
process. Typically, this would not necessarily involve announcing their sexuality directly
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but letting it ‘‘slip’’ into workplace interactions with people they trusted over time.
Respondents described a range of scenarios in which others had played a part in
their coming out in the workplace, both maliciously and non-maliciously. At one end of
the spectrum this was a relatively benign process. People assumed and accepted that
colleagues would talk to others and that their sexuality would become known via such
interaction. At the other end of the spectrum, being outed could be a painful and
uncomfortable experience leading to unpleasant comments, ‘‘jokes’’ and hostility.
The respondents described a variety of factors that had helped them to come out as
illustrated below:
. The presence of an equal opportunities policy (inc. sexual orientation).
. Feeling safer as a result of signals from the organisation.
. The presence of an organisational LGBT group.
. Getting involved in a trade union LGBT support network.
. The presence of other LGB colleagues.
. The presence of senior LGB people.
For some, it was important that the organisation provided formal ‘‘gay-friendly’’
signals via an equal opportunities policy which included sexual orientation and the
establishment of an LGBT organisation group. Others described the importance of a
gay-friendly departmental/workplace culture where they felt confident to be out at
work on a daily basis. This might include the presence of other openly out LGB
colleagues or senior LGB staff. Another experience was of increased confidence to
come out as a result of getting involved in an LGBT organisation or trade union group,
so feeling ‘‘supported’’ rather than ‘‘alone and isolated’’.
As previously indicated our sample included LGB people who had chosen not to
come out or to come out to very few people. A range of reasons was articulated for such
choices as indicated below:
. Fears about job/career/promotion.
. Lack of visible senior LGB staff.
. Temporary status of employment.
. Previous bad experiences (on grounds of gender, race, sexuality, etc.).
. Respect for partner’s wishes.
. Desire for privacy.
. Attitudes/behaviour of male colleagues.
 EOI . Fundamentalist/evangelical religious attitudes held by colleagues.
26,6 . Organisational culture.
A key factor that prevented some respondents coming out, or had done within the past,
was the fear that to be openly LGB might hamper career opportunities. Once a decision
not to come out had been taken at the start of employment it could be difficult to reverse
this further down the line. Respondents talked of the compartmentalisation of their lives:
598
A long time ago, I decided just to compartmentalise my life, you know, my personal life and
my working life and I guess, that’s the way to stay. . . I would say I feel there would be a
negative impact. But that’s again my perception and might be, because I don’t know anyone
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else who is out. . .especially at the top. . . all the people at that level are like, you know,
married with children and grey hair. . . and you never know how the customer will react, you
know, because somebody in your team might let it slip sometime (BME Gay Man, Private
Sector, London).
A very real fear of coming out was expressed by men working in ‘‘100 per cent male’’
workplaces. One respondent, who was also a trade union representative, when asked if
he would like to be more open at work said:
I would but I wouldn’t. . .Yeah, I daren’t. Because my credibility would go down the
drain . . . . . Yes, I just have to close off. I can’t afford to take risks . . . . You don’t find anybody
who walks around as an engineer, whether they are male or female, who says I am gay. (Gay
man, Private Sector, London)
Reluctance to come out was also discussed by women, disabled and BME respondents
based on previous bad experiences at work. They felt unwilling to tackle multiple
discrimination at work:
I think what happens with sexuality is that it’s much easier for it to just be brushed aside
because it is something that you can hide. I cannot hide the fact that I am [BME], I cannot hide
the fact that I am a woman. But the other issue I can just not address it (BME lesbian, Private
sector, London).
Other factors discussed by LGB respondents that prevented openness in the workplace
related to organisational culture and negative attitudes held by particular groups of
staff. For example, men expressing ‘‘macho’’ attitudes or colleagues who expressed
negative views of homosexuality based on fundamental, evangelical religious beliefs.

Discrimination and harassment at work

Based on the survey questionnaire data, the majority of the respondents within the
‘‘good practice’’ case study organisations (60.1 per cent) said they had not experienced
discrimination at work on grounds of their sexual orientation during the last 4 years.
However, just under one in five (18 per cent) of the respondents said that they had
experienced discrimination and just under one in four (22.1 per cent) said they did not
know whether they had experienced discrimination as it was ‘‘difficult to prove’’ during
the same period. The percentage of respondents who reported discrimination on
grounds of sexual orientation is lower in this research study than in other recent
studies (TUC, 2000; UNISON, 2003; ID Research, 2002).
Respondents were also asked if they had experienced harassment at work on
grounds of their sexual orientation during the last 4 years. Although a majority said
that they had not (70.8 per cent), just under a quarter (22.7 per cent) said they had
experienced harassment with 6.5 per cent responding that they did not know whether
 they had or not. Again the percentage of respondents who reported harassment on Equality and
grounds of sexual orientation was lower than in other studies (Palmer, 1993). diversity policies
As policies and benefits had been tackled to ensure they were non-discriminatory,
the main problem concerned the heterosexist (sometimes tipping over into
homophobic) culture within which people worked. Thus, 22.1 per cent of respondents
admitted they were not always sure whether their sexual orientation had had a
negative impact on their career or not. The list below summarises the forms of
discrimination and harassment that the respondents discussed within the in-depth
599
interviews:
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. Nervousness/embarrassment.
. Exclusion/silence.
. Homophobic comments – direct and indirect.
. Insults and abuse.
. Physical and emotional intimidation.
Most respondents were able to provide anecdotal evidence of discriminatory
behaviours within organisations during the LGB respondent in-depth interviews.
Human resource, trade union and LGBT group representative ‘‘key informants’’ also
expressed concern that a range of stories concerning discrimination/harassment
circulated ‘‘third-hand’’ within organisations. They acknowledged that there was
reluctance on the part of LGB individuals to take issues up formally. Harassment could
make work a miserable and threatening place to be:
There were about 250 men working on that production line. And you have an area where you
work, you know, you have so many, like ten paces that’s your area. Sometimes you have to
overlap into someone else’s area. Well, if I ever went into that other person’s area by a few
steps they would stop work because they knew I was gay. . .When the supervisor asked him
why he stopped work, he’d say ‘‘Well, I am not working with him because he is bent, I am not
working with him or go anywhere near him’’. . .when I was working on the production line I
had things thrown at me. . .anything that they could get their hands on really. . .and when you
look round. . .you don’t know who it was, you know (Gay man, Private sector, London).
Even within the same organisation, there were perceived to be pockets of ‘‘safety’’ and
‘‘hostility’’ within organisations. There were some departments where LGB respondents
said they would never want to work. Some of the respondents described their level of
comfort as contingent on the existence of personal networks within their department:
If people are okay with me, like the people I’ve got at the moment, we are all a close-knit group
at work, then I am quite comfortable. But take me out of that and put me somewhere that I
don’t really know people, no, I am not very comfortable (Lesbian, Private sector, Yorkshire).
One finding of the research was that fear of discrimination/harassment could provide a
barrier to LGB respondents seeking promotion with an employer if this meant having
to move from a ‘‘comfort zone’’ to a new department or area so requiring them once
again having to negotiate the coming out process with a new manager and work
colleagues. Restructuring and re-organisations could also be particularly stressful.
During the in-depth interviews, it was clear that experiences of discrimination/
harassment had made people want to transfer to another department or leave their
organisation completely. Organisations had actively encouraged LGB members to
formally raise problems through the appropriate channels but to little avail. Taking out
 EOI a grievance against a colleague could lead to more problems than just coping with it
yourself or deciding to leave:
26,6
The problem is that they want to have examples of homophobia. They actively are requesting
for people to blow the whistle on others. . . Because they want to change the culture. . . They
want to be able to show in a very visible way that they support gay issues without having to
send an email around saying that they support gay issues. They have absolutely no tolerance for
it. But the problem is there is no-one who will blow the whistle. . .(Lesbian, Private sector,
600 London)

LGB workers’ perceptions of organisational policy and practice

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Having considered some of the problems which still face LGB employees, even within
16 ‘‘good practice’’ employers, this paper will now examine the impact of organisational
policy and practice on sexual orientation from the point of view of the LGB
respondents. Questions about the impact of policy and practice were included in the
survey questionnaire and the nature of impact was explored further in the in-depth
interviews. Figure 1 provides a profile of LGB respondents in relation to their
perception of the extent to which their employers were gay-friendly in terms of policy
and practice.
A majority (81.1 per cent) strongly agreed/agreed that their employer was gay-
friendly in policy and nearly two-thirds (62.7 per cent) strongly agreed/agreed that
their employer was gay-friendly in practice. In general, therefore the case study
employers were seen as gay-friendly in policy and practice by the majority of LGB
respondents.
However, there was some evidence of a perceived ‘‘implementation gap’’ amongst
respondents (Young, 1992; Creegan et al., 2003). For example, although one in three
(34 per cent) strongly agreed that their employer was gay-friendly in policy, just under
one in five (18.3 per cent) strongly agreed that this was the case in practice. And just
over a quarter of the respondents (28.1 per cent), neither agreed nor disagreed that their
employer was gay-friendly in practice with 9.1 per cent disagreeing that this was the
case. Indeed for some, the sexual orientation strand still remained the ‘‘poor relation’’
within the organisational drive for equality and diversity:
I really want to say that on a corporate level the gay issue is like being Black in the Seventies,
we are at that stage. It’s not cool to be racist at work. It’s not acceptable. . . you won’t hear

Figure 1.
I consider my employer to
be a ‘‘gay-friendly’’
employer
 anyone doing it, anyone. You will hear people saying, you know, ‘‘bloody gay idiot’’. . .That is Equality and
totally accepted. So that’s why the gay committee, we are extremely active because we
probably feel that we are so far behind in terms of culturally what is acceptable and what is diversity policies
not acceptable (Lesbian, Private sector, London).
There was some variation by sector. Over three-quarters of public sector LGB
respondents (77.6 per cent) agreed their employer was ‘‘gay friendly’’ in terms of its
employment policies with 63.1 per cent agreeing that this was the case in practice. 601
Among private sector LGB respondents, 83.1 per cent agreed their employer was ‘‘gay-
friendly’’ in terms of its employment policies, whereas 60 per cent agreed that this was
the case in practice. Nearly all of the voluntary sector employees (91.6 per cent) agreed
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their employer was ‘‘gay-friendly’’ in terms of its employment policies with 75 per cent
agreeing that this was the case in practice.
Respondents offered a range of explanations for the implementation gap between
policy and practice on sexual orientation including promotional, managerial, cultural,
attitudinal, resource based and communication factors. Two over-riding explanations
emerged. First the gap was explained as a consequence of a clash between social justice
and business case arguments in progressing equality and diversity. Organisations were
perceived by LGB employees to be even more ‘‘cautious’’ in developing, resourcing and
publicising work on LGB employment, service and product issues internally and
externally than was the case with their work on gender, race and disability. Sexual
orientation was thought to be more ‘‘politically sensitive’’ and a ‘‘potential vote loser’’ or
more likely to ‘‘provoke a backlash’’ within organisations and with clients, parents and
customers, than other equality strands (Colgan et al., 2006a).
Second, the gap was explained in relation to the ‘‘appreciative context’’, that is ‘‘the
constellation of images, beliefs and judgements’’ which contributed to the prevailing
culture within organisations (Young, 1987). Thus, formal commitments were not
necessarily realised within individual workplaces because of the entrenched attitudes
of managers and colleagues, which respondents were in some cases resigned to.
Moreover, while respondents generally welcomed the organisational recognition of the
business case, concern was expressed that it did not provide a guarantee of a ‘‘gay-
friendly’’ organisational culture for employees. Substantial variations in practice were
reported to occur within and across organisations. There was a perception from the
LGB respondents that equalities work relevant to the sexual orientation strand was
developing slowly and in a piecemeal way dependent on the ‘‘commitment’’ of
individual managers and/or pressure for change from LGB employees and/or service
users. This confirms research findings by Cooper (2006) and Monro (2007) who report
on the uneven development of sexualities and transgender equality work within local
authority organisations.

What do LGB workers think makes a difference?

During in-depth interviews, respondents discussed a range of policy initiatives, which
they believed had been effective and valuable in providing support for LGB people
within organisations. These are summarised below:
. Establishment of organisation and trade union LGB groups/networks.
. The appointment of senior managers to act as diversity champions.
. Workplace campaigns highlighting inclusion and safety for LGB staff.
. Enforcement of equal opportunities policy on sexual orientation.
 EOI . Sponsorship of internal and external LGB events, e.g. pride events.
26,6 . Integration of equality and diversity into job roles and performance management
and appraisal systems.
As indicated above, one of the key initiatives to increase visibility and signal support
for LGB workers and their issues was the establishment of LGBT groups. LGB
workers also discussed the need to see policy championed, resourced and implemented
602 by senior and line managers. For example the extent to which homophobic comments
and behaviour were challenged within the workplace was considered a key indicator of
inclusion. Respondents voiced strong concerns about the ways in which organisations
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relied on LGB people to come forward and whistle blow before tackling problems.
Respondents discussed a variety of potential initiatives that they believed would
assist organisations in moving from policy to practice, promote awareness and
enhance inclusion for LGB workers. These are summarised below:
. Anti-discrimination and awareness training – particularly for managers.
. Communication and promotion of same sex benefits.
. Use of intranet/web pages to promote policies affecting LGB staff.
. Senior LGB role models.
. LGB mentoring scheme.
. Marketing of products and services to LGB people.
. Recruitment advertising in LGB press.
. Sexual orientation monitoring.
Both LGB respondents and national/organisational key informants were positive to
these initiatives. However, a range of views were expressed about the desirability and
efficacy of sexual orientation monitoring. For example, concerns were expressed about
confidentiality and how such information might be used. On the other hand it was
suggested by both LGB respondents and key informants, that in an appropriate context
and if done with consultation, monitoring could be seen as another positive indicator of
the employer’s commitment to LGB employees and progressing initiatives in this area.

The impact of a gay-friendly environment

An overwhelming majority (81.6 per cent) of LGB respondents within our sample felt
that working in a gay-friendly environment had a direct impact on their job
satisfaction. The list below provides a summary of the way respondents described the
impact of both positive and negative environments:
(1) Impact of positive environment:
. Happiness and openness;
. Freedom to speak;
. Greater confidence;
. Feel supported;
. Work productivity and effectiveness;
. Enhances enjoyment of job; and
. Feel pride in and loyalty to organisation.
 (2) Impact of negative environment: Equality and
. Frustration; diversity policies
. Fear;
. Exclusion;
. Ostracism;
. Self censorship;
. Difficulty concentrating; and 603
. Desire to leave.
At the most basic level the impact of working in a positive or gay-friendly environment
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was described by respondents as making them feel happier at work. It facilitated

greater openness, which some respondents contrasted with previous experiences of
being ‘‘hesitant’’ and having to be ‘‘careful’’ and ‘‘guarded’’ about what they said to
managers and colleagues. In turn this led to enhanced job satisfaction, which was said
to improve productivity and effectiveness. LGB respondents talked of the ways in
which they were better able to perform at work, the ways in which the organisation had
retained them and made them feel positive to their employer. For example, following
the introduction of gay-friendly policies, respondents had felt encouraged to join the
LGBT network and to ‘‘risk’’ coming out:
I think the main thing is, the important thing to know is that I didn’t want to work in the
industry for much longer because. . .it was too much of a strain not being out. And I thought
well, I might as well come out. . . so unbeknown to the company they have actually kept me. . .
Yes, and the longer you are out, the more comfortable you are. . .just be upfront because the
other ways haven’t worked. . . Closeting. It just doesn’t work, it’s no fun, people can’t interact
with it. You’ve got to interact. To interact means that you get on with people. If you get on
with people that means you are a team player (Lesbian, Private sector, London).
Although, there remained pockets of difficulty within organisations, there was
evidence that organisational equality policies that included sexual orientation had
empowered LGB respondents as individuals and through LGBT groups and their
unions to come out and challenge inequalities:
I mean, I would challenge somebody if I found them to be homophobic. I just wouldn’t tolerate
it, as I wouldn’t tolerate somebody being discriminatory against someone because of
disability or race or gender or belief (Lesbian, Public sector, London).
A number of LGB respondents, expressed a range of positive views concerning their
employer including feelings of loyalty and pride in the organisation:
I think I have been lucky working for a company like this. I have my beefs, it’s not perfect by
any means but its heart is in the right place and I think if we can help through things like
Diversity Champions, share best practice with other companies it will make the UK a better
place to live and work (Gay man, Private sector, London).

Working in a negative environment

In contrast, working in a negative environment was described as potentially reducing
job satisfaction and compromising the ability of LGB workers to do their jobs:
If you are in a homophobic environment you are not allowed to look at anyone or do anything
or you got to be just like a robot. . .. if you are not allowed to openly express your sexuality
you are withholding, you are having to repress a big part of yourself and it just makes the
whole work experience less fun, less pleasurable. . .And of course, your personality is
 EOI required to do the job effectively. You know, you’ve got to have people skills. And if you are
having to repress a big part of your personality you are also repressing a big part of your
26,6 skills (Gay man, Public sector, Yorkshire).
In contrast to the positive impact of a gay-friendly environment and inclusive attitudes,
homophobic experiences were reported to have hampered concentration, adversely
affected work, requiring staff to ‘‘gear themselves’’ up to come to work:
604 Just coming in here it undermines me before I even sit down to do my job. Quite often, I feel
like I have to put on a suit of armour just to get here. And it sounds dramatic but it’s true. It
does take energy out of me just getting here, being here, making myself sort of mentally
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braced for the day (Lesbian, Private Sector, Yorkshire).

Impact of the employment equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations

A majority (73.2 per cent) of LGB respondents in the research sample reported that
they were aware of the Sexual Orientation Regulations. However, 20.9 per cent said that
they were not[6].

Perceived impact of the regulations on organisations

The survey questionnaire, asked LGB respondents whether they felt that the
introduction of the Sexual Orientation Regulations had made a positive difference to
the way their employer treated LGB workers. Only one third (34 per cent) of
respondents agreed that the Regulations had made a positive difference (17.3 per cent
of respondents disagreed and 48.7 per cent neither agreed nor disagreed) though the
proportion who agreed was higher among voluntary sector respondents (58.3 per cent)
than private (32.8 per cent) or public (31.1 per cent) sector respondents. During in-depth
interviews with LGB respondents, the view that the Regulations had made little or no
impact on organisational policy and practice was commonly associated with a
perception that the organisation was ‘‘ahead of the game’’ and that policies had been in
place prior to the regulations.
Nevertheless, where respondents did feel that the introduction of the Regulations
had been significant this was either because it had ‘‘cemented’’ existing equality/
diversity policy and practice on sexual orientation or because it had ‘‘kick started’’ a
fresh approach to policy development and implementation. In addition, respondents
were more positive about the impact of the Regulations within organisations both in
terms of creating an impetus for new initiatives concerning the sexual orientation
strand and providing a form of ‘‘leverage’’ for LGB groups and trade unions to
campaign for improvements (Colgan et al., 2006b).

Perceived impact of the regulations on individuals

Employees were, however, more positive about the impact of the Regulations on them
as individuals. Nearly two-thirds (64.7 per cent) of the survey respondents agreed that
the Regulations have made it more likely that they would take up a grievance about
LGB discrimination if necessary.
During in-depth interviews, LGB respondents gave a range of reasons for taking
this view. The introduction of the Regulations made people feel more confident to
challenge discrimination and harassment by taking up a grievance within the
organisation. Respondents also welcomed the Regulations because they provided legal
recognition and afforded LGB people the same protection as other groups thus creating
a form of parity. A more cautious point of view was that the Regulations would not of
 themselves create change, but that they did provide a ‘‘statement of intent’’ and some Equality and
confidence that things were moving in the right direction:
diversity policies
I always felt like gays and lesbians were the bottom of the heap as usual on the
discriminatory ladder, but now obviously the law itself. . .I don’t feel it will change society
overnight, it is a statement of intent. . . it does make me feel more confident that we are going
in the right direction (Gay man, Public sector, 2005).
605
Conclusion
The paper considers the progress being made following the inclusion of sexual
orientation within UK organisation equality and diversity policies. The emerging story
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from LGB respondents within 16 good practice workplaces is that an inclusive

organisational response does benefit and so influence the personal strategies of LGB
employees. However, individual experiences nevertheless vary. An ‘‘implementation
gap’’ between equality and diversity policy and practice on sexual orientation was
identified across sectors, across workplaces and even within the same building within
organisations. Thus progress on the sexual orientation strand within these
organisations lends support to Dickens (1994, 2005, p. 191) argument that a reliance on
social justice and business arguments are likely to have ‘‘uneven purchase’’ and even
where they do encourage action they may be ‘‘selective and partial,’’ focused on areas
only where business and equality and diversity needs coincide. And it highlights the
challenge of translating formal policies into a new ‘‘appreciative context’’ within
organisations (Young, 1987) which is inclusive of LGB workers. Cooper (2006) points to
the existence of a range of ‘‘firewalls’’ and ‘‘contradictory rationalities’’ which have
stopped local government organisations from thinking ‘‘hard, deep or critically’’ about
lesbian and gay equality work within local authorities.
Thus, organisational change in terms of equality and diversity policy and practice
even within ‘‘good practice organisations,’’ still does not necessarily guarantee a
working environment which engages with and embraces ‘‘sexual minorities’’ or
prevents homophobic attitudes and treatment across the board. The difficulties the
research identified in reaching a range of LGB respondents underlined the
heterogeneity of LGB workers in terms of gender, ethnicity, disability, age, occupation
and desire to be out at work. Indeed, it was mostly those working in managerial and
professional areas who were aware of and felt most protected by organisational
equality and diversity policy on sexual orientation who came forward to participate in
the research. Women, BME workers and those working in manual, administrative and/
or frontline occupations were far more reticent in doing so. This lends support to the
view that organisations need to develop ‘‘transformative’’ equality and diversity
policies, procedures and structures which recognise and seek to overcome a whole
range of gender, race, class, disability and ‘‘stone floor’’ inequalities if they wish to be
inclusive and address discrimination and inequality at all levels of the organisation
(Cockburn, 1991; Richards, 2001; Dickens, 2005).
The more positive legal, political and organisational climate which has developed in
the UK since 1997 and particularly since the introduction of the Employment Equality
(SO) Regulations 2003 has encouraged LGB respondents to come ‘‘out’’ and to feel more
empowered to challenge inequalities on the grounds of sexuality as well as other areas
of equality and diversity within their organisations. This has increased the visibility of
LGB workers and their issues within both the good practice workplaces and trade
unions. The experience of working in an organisation striving to have ‘‘gay-friendly’’
policies and practices had raised expectations, although the findings indicate a wide
 EOI divergence of experiences among LGB employees even within the same organisation.
Thus, the arrival of the law as a further driver to organisational equality action in the
26,6 sexual orientation area was welcomed by LGB employees, by trade unions and HR and
diversity managers, particularly those in the public and voluntary sectors. As
Skidmore (2004) suggests the law (whatever its shortcomings) as a regulatory
apparatus is important in shaping organisational policy, practice and the production of
cultural norms.
606 LGB respondents still looked to their organisation senior and middle management
to provide proactive and effective leadership on equality and diversity issues and not
treat the sexual orientation strand as the ‘‘poor relation’’ within the organisational
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drive for equality and diversity. In addition to the establishment of an LGBT group,
another key indicator of inclusion for LGB respondents was the extent to which
homophobia (in addition to other forms of discrimination) was proactively challenged
at work. This also meant tackling clients, parents and customers which thus far
organisations had been reluctant to do. Respondents, particularly those in difficult
working environments voiced strong concerns about the way in which organisations
relied on LGB people to come forward with complaints before tackling problems.
Thus, respondents in manual and front-line positions and those working in
departments within organisations where managers showed minimal commitment to
equality policy talked of facing homophobic attitudes and behaviours on a regular
basis. Notwithstanding organisation equality policy, these respondents expressed
concern that they risked outing themselves or generating a backlash when seeking
resolution to discrimination or harassment and that even supportive handling of a
grievance would not guarantee a change in attitude within such workplaces. Thus, the
protection provided by the Employment Equality (SO) Regulations 2003 although vital
was not seen as a panacea to tackling discrimination and harassment on grounds of
sexual orientation in the workplace.
Nevertheless, the view expressed by a majority of the LGB respondents from the
good practice organisations was that they were ‘‘lucky’’ to work in what were perceived
to be ‘‘gay-friendly’’ organisations, particularly in the light of their own previous work
experience or in comparison to partners and friends. The benefits to the good practice
employers of creating a more inclusive workplace were evident in ensuring more
confident, committed, productive, loyal LGB employees who were more likely to stay
with the organisation. Even, where respondents were thinking of moving jobs, they
were unlikely to settle for less than their current employer provided so were more likely
to be aware of competitor’s policy on same sex issues and benefits. However, as
emphasised at the outset, the research has only been able to explore the ‘‘tip of the
iceberg’’ by talking to LGB employees working for ‘‘good practice’’ employers willing to
participate in a research project on equality and sexual orientation. More research is
urgently required to gain a more ‘‘representative’’ picture of the working lives of LGB
employees across a broader range of UK workplaces.

Notes
1. These Regulations outlawed discrimination in the workplace on grounds of sexual
orientation and provided protection against harassment at work for the first time in the
UK.
2. Thus the paper focuses on sexual orientation and not on transgender issues. However,
some of the organisations participating in this research had chosen to adopt policies and
establish groups that are inclusive of LGBT people.
 3. Stonewall established the Diversity Champions Programme to bring together Equality and
organisations ‘‘committed to tackling sexual orientation discrimination, and to sharing
good practice’’ (Stonewall, 2005). In June 2006, there were 197 companies signed up to diversity policies
this initiative (Stonewall, 2006).
4. The organisations willing to be identified in the research are Barnardo’s, BT, Ford of
Britain, George Greens School, IBM, Leeds City Council, London Borough of Croydon,
London Borough of Lewisham, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London Fire and
Emergency Service, National Association for Care and Resettlement of Offenders 607
(NACRO), Royal Bank of Scotland (RBOS), South Yorkshire Fire and Emergency Service,
West Yorkshire Fire and Emergency Service.
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5. According to the Labour Force Survey (Winter 2005), the breakdown of all those in
employment was as follows: managers and senior officials (15.1 per cent), professionals
(12.8 per cent), associate professional and technical (14.4 per cent), admin and secretarial
(12.2 per cent), skilled trades (11.1 per cent), services (15.7 per cent), manual occupations
(18.7 per cent).
6. A further 5.8 per cent of the 154 respondents who completed the pre-interview survey
questionnaire responded ‘‘don’t know’’ to this question.

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Corresponding author 609

Fiona Colgan can be contacted at: f.colgan@londonmet.ac.uk
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