TUC poll finds more than half of LGBT+ people have experienced bullying or harassment at work in the last five years

  • 29 Aug 2024

Young LGBT+ workers are the most likely to face abuse. Ministers called on to change the law, so employers have a new duty to properly protect their staff from harassment at work.

More than half (52%) of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT+) people report being bullied or harassed at work, according to TUC research.

The poll, carried out for the TUC by Number Cruncher Politics,  found:

  • Around one in five (19%) LGBT+ people had been exposed to verbal abuse at work in the last five years.
  • More than a quarter (28%) said they had homophobic, biphobic or transphobic remarks directed at them or made in their presence.
  • One in 20 (5%) told the TUC that they had experienced physical violence, threats or intimidation at work because of their sexual orientation.
  • Two-thirds (65%) of young workers said they had experienced some form of bullying, harassment and discrimination in the last five years, compared to half (52%) of the full sample.

As a result, the TUC says it is not surprising that nearly three in 10 (29%) of LGBT+ people keep their sexual orientation a secret at work.  

Full press release

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