Inclusive Work Practices: Turnover Intentions Among LGBT Employees of the U.S. Federal Government

• Author: Maria D’Agostino,Tiffany Nguyen,Helisse Levine,Meghna Sabharwal
• DOI: 10.1177/0275074018817376
• Published date: 01 May 2019
• Date: 01 May 2019
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074018817376

American Review of Public Administration

2019, Vol. 49(4) 482 –494

© The Author(s) 2018

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DOI: 10.1177/0275074018817376

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Article

Introduction

The lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) popula-

tion has historically been marginalized in the United States

through the systematic denial of legal protections and bene-

fits (Pizer, Sears, Mallory, & Hunter, 2012). Today, LGBT

people continue to face discrimination as a result of

homophobia and transphobia, and in many cases, face vio-

lence motivated by such beliefs about their sexual orienta-

tion and/or their gender identity (Herek, 1989; Riccucci &

Gossett, 1996; Sears & Mallory, 2011; Tilcsik, 2011). Recent

tragedies testify to this, such as the 2016 Orlando mass

shooting, where 49, mainly Latino and Black LGBT attend-

ees of a local gay club, were murdered and at least 53 were

left injured.

Despite the U.S. Supreme Court deeming marriage a right

of same-sex couples in the 2015 decision in Obergefell v.

Hodges, the federal government lags behind in progressive

civil rights policies, particularly in regard to universal work-

place antidiscrimination laws for LGBT Americans.

Although sexual orientation and gender identity remain

unprotected categories under the Civil Rights Act of 1964,

which prohibits employment discrimination based on race,

color, religion, sex, and national origin, at the end of 2016,

20 states plus D.C. banned discrimination based on both sex-

ual orientation and gender identity or expression in employ-

ment, housing, and public accommodations (American Civil

Liberties Union, 2017). However, according to the Human

Rights Campaign, these protections remain inconsistently

derived through a patchwork of state and local law (Fidas &

Cooper, 2014). This slow progress matters—not only to

inclusionary workplace practices but also to the theory and

817376ARPXXX10.1177/0275074018817376The American Review of Public AdministrationSabharwal et al.

research-article2018

1The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA

2Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY, USA

3John Jay College of Criminal Justice, New York, NY, USA

Corresponding Author:

Meghna Sabharwal, Associate Professor and Program Head, Public and

Nonprofit Management, School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences,

The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 W. Campbell Road, GR 31,

Richardson, TX 75080, USA.

Email: meghna.sabharwal@utdallas.edu

Inclusive Work Practices: Turnover Intentions

Among LGBT Employees of the U.S. Federal

Government

Meghna Sabharwal1, Helisse Levine2, Maria D’Agostino3, and Tiffany Nguyen1

Abstract

The federal government lags behind in progressive civil rights policies in regard to universal workplace antidiscrimination laws

for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans. The slow progress matters to inclusionary workplace practices

and the theory and practice of public administration generally, as recognition of LGBT rights and protection are constitutive

of representative bureaucracy and promoting social equity. This study examines the turnover intention rates of self-identified

LGBT employees in the U.S. federal government. Using the Office of Personnel Management’s inclusion quotient (IQ), and

2015 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS), we identify links in the relationships between workplace inclusion and

turnover outcomes among LGBT individuals. We also examine the impact of agency type on LGBT turnover rates based on

Lowi’s agency classification type. Key findings suggest that LGBT employees express higher turnover intentions than those

that identify as heterosexuals/straight, and LGBT employees who perceive their agencies as redistributive or communal are

less likely to experience turnover intentions. However, an open and supportive workplace environment had a positive impact

on turnover, suggesting that to implement effective structural change in an organization’s culture of inclusion, public sector

managers must do more than merely “talk the talk.” This finding is also suggestive of LGBT employees’ desire to avoid the

stigma of being LGBT and hide their identities. Institutions must heed the invisible and visible identities of their employees to

be truly inclusive. Workplace practices that acknowledge the invisible and visible identities of their employees are a positive

step toward real workplace inclusion.

Keywords

lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, inclusion, turnover intentions, federal employee viewpoint survey (FEVS), public sector

employees