Respondents were based across the UK and Ireland, although the majority were in the south-east and London (59%). Some 35% of respondents identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual, and of these, 73% said they were out to all their colleagues at work. This is notably higher than in other industries, where just 45% of LGBT respondents to Out Now’s Business Class LGBT2030 study across all industries in the UK in 2015 said they were out to their work colleagues. It’s also a stark contrast to the number of LGBT travel professionals (38%) who are out to all of their family and friends.

Meanwhile, 14% of LGBT travel professionals said they were out to most at work, 8% said they were out to a few and 5% admitted they were not out to anyone. Ian Johnson, chief executive of Out Now, who presented the findings at last week’s TTG LGBT event, said the results were positive, and he praised the industry for encouraging people to be who they are.

However, Johnson highlighted the 27% who said they were not out to everyone at work, noting that this figure should still be recognised as significant. Of those LGBT travel professionals who are out to their colleagues, 78% said they were out since day one. “That’s higher than any other industry I’ve looked at”, Johnson said. The majority (30%) said it took them a few weeks to feel comfortable enough to be out with their colleagues, while 28% took a few months.

“The worrying bit,” said Johnson, “is that for 17%, they felt like they couldn’t come out at work for more than five years. “If your team mates don’t feel able to be themselves at work, they will be less productive,” he added. Comments from respondents who felt unable to be out with their colleagues included: “I wouldn’t want to be perceived differently”; “I don’t feel comfortable”; “I’m worried about judgements from others”.

Insensitive remarks

The survey also looked at workplace “banter”, with more than one in three LGBT respondents (35%) reporting feeling uncomfortable from “jokes” at work about their sexuality – 25% said it felt like bullying. Worryingly, a number of respondents said the remarks had come from senior management.

There were also several comments about the word “gay” being used in a derogatory sense which made them feel uncomfortable. Looking at the non-LGBT respondents, the vast majority (87%) said they would describe themselves as being an “ally” of the LGBT community.

But Johnson stressed that it wasn’t enough to just “welcome” LGBT people. “If you are an ally, be vocal about it. If you went to a Pride march and had a great time, talk about that at work. If you read something in the media about LGBT issues, talk about that too.”

Another noteworthy point was the differences in perceptions of the workplace between LGBT and non-LGBT respondents. While 85% of non-LGBT people “strongly agreed” that their company culture offers a “welcoming environment for LGBT people”, only 77% of LGBT respondents concurred with this statement. And 17% of LGBT respondents said they did not feel their colleagues encouraged them to “be who they are at work”.

Meanwhile, 63% of non-LGBT people said they “often” or “sometimes” heard jokes or banter about people’s sexuality, and one in four said it had made them feel uncomfortable, yet 33% said they did not feel comfortable speaking out about it. A third of all respondents also said they believed the industry should be doing more to improve attitudes to LGBT employees.

One respondent said they thought the industry needed to improve the diversity of its marketing collateral, while another said they believed that, specifically outside London, “there was room for improvement”. Others urged for more “education and openness”. “The work is never done,” added another.

This view was echoed by Jo Rzymowska, managing director of Celebrity Cruises UK and Ireland, and Asia, the headline partner of TTG LGBT. “The survey shows the industry has got a lot of greatness about it in working with the LGBT community,” she told attendees. “But boy oh boy, there’s still lots of opportunity for us”.