Sexualities, Work and Organizations (Routledge Studies in Employment and Work Relations in Context)

Sexuality is arguably the most under-researched of all diversity areas in work organizations. This book brings together and relates stories of minority sexual identity from six organizations drawn from three different industry sectors: the Emergency Services, the Civil Service and the Banking sector. Here sexual minorities freely recount stories of their own workplace experiences. Three main themes emerge from the data: silence, disclosure and response. Issues of voice and silence are particularly pertinent for those who are not part of the dominant heterosexual discourse; issues of disclosure are highly important for sexual minorities for whom coming out is a major defining moment; and, highly unusually, in this book readers get an insight into how people respond to sexual minorities, as other employees' reactions to stories are related too. This book makes a significant contribution to our understanding discursive construction of identity in the workplace, as experienced by sexual minorities andprovides a snapshot of minority working lives at the beginning of the 21st century. This is an extremely well written, highly innovative, timely and engaging book which as well as human resources management, it will also be of interest to scholars in other areas such as sociology and general business and management. Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 6 Copyright......Page 7 Dedication......Page 8 Contents......Page 10 Acknowledgements......Page 11 Introduction......Page 12 1 The power of stories......Page 14 2 Putting the stories in context......Page 23 3 The working closet......Page 38 4 Coming out at work......Page 52 5 Silent lives......Page 82 6 Working out......Page 100 7 Concluding stories......Page 137 Postscript: Researching sexual stories......Page 160 Appendix A: Sexual orientation – glossary of terms......Page 175 Appendix B: Question guide for semi-structured interviews......Page 177 Bibliography......Page 178 Index......Page 192 Innovative and well-written, Sexualities, Work and Organizations brings together and relates stories of minority sexual identity from six organizations drawn from three different industry sectors.