Paper Number
1297
Paper Type
Short Paper
Abstract
Many technology companies publicly display LGBTQ support to attract talent and foster innovation. While researchers have started collecting evidence about the workplace experiences of gender and sexual minorities, it remains unclear how LGBTQ employees navigate the Information Technology (IT) workplace. Using a purposeful sample of IT employees in Europe, this exploratory case study investigates the impact of IT industry-specific contextual factors on the experiences of LGBTQ professionals working in IT. More specifically, it explores how the IT industry’s dynamic and international environment, increasing virtual collaboration, and heteronormative occupational culture affect LGBTQ employees. Preliminary results indicate that the IT industry indeed differs from other fields of work regarding LGBTQ inclusion. Interviewees appreciated the opportunity for increased virtual collaboration, which offers flexibility and a higher degree of autonomy over self-expression. The use of standardized software, however, emerged as a key challenge when accounting for the comparably small minority group of LGBTQ employees.
Recommended Citation
Sperling, Hannah, "The Place to Be? Investigating LGBTQ Professionals' Experiences in IT" (2024). ECIS 2024 Proceedings. 12.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2024/track15_social_ict/track15_social_ict/12
The Place to Be? Investigating LGBTQ Professionals' Experiences in IT
Many technology companies publicly display LGBTQ support to attract talent and foster innovation. While researchers have started collecting evidence about the workplace experiences of gender and sexual minorities, it remains unclear how LGBTQ employees navigate the Information Technology (IT) workplace. Using a purposeful sample of IT employees in Europe, this exploratory case study investigates the impact of IT industry-specific contextual factors on the experiences of LGBTQ professionals working in IT. More specifically, it explores how the IT industry’s dynamic and international environment, increasing virtual collaboration, and heteronormative occupational culture affect LGBTQ employees. Preliminary results indicate that the IT industry indeed differs from other fields of work regarding LGBTQ inclusion. Interviewees appreciated the opportunity for increased virtual collaboration, which offers flexibility and a higher degree of autonomy over self-expression. The use of standardized software, however, emerged as a key challenge when accounting for the comparably small minority group of LGBTQ employees.
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