CASE STUDY H: JAN
Jan worked in an office of a large insurance company. Jan was a lesbian and very open
about her sexual orientation, frequently associating with other people in the office who
were known or rumoured to be gay or lesbian. At the time, Jan was having a relationship
with a woman who worked in the same department.
Jan had been a temporary contract employee for some time but had made it clear to
company officials that she wanted a full-time job. She was told that, because the
company had recently been sold, there was a freeze on hiring and she couldn’t be hired.
Jan noticed, though, that full-time staff were being hired in other departments. As a
result, she believed she was not hired to a full-time position because of her sexual
orientation. While the company employed other lesbian and gay persons, comments
made to Jan led her to believe that they were expected to play down their sexual
orientation while at work. She was told not to associate with other lesbians and gay men
and to be “less obvious” in her dress and in her behaviour.
The company president had on occasion referred to Jan as “Mister” and had made
sarcastic remarks in front of other employees about her cologne and her style of dress.
There were many negative rumours around the office concerning Jan, her partner, and
other employees thought to be lesbian or gay.
One day, Jan’s supervisor called her into his office and gave her a letter offering her a
full-time job. While they were discussing the offer, he told Jan that her partner would
have to move to another department as it was the practice of the company not to have
people in personal and family relationships working in the same department. At this, Jan
became upset and left the office.
The next day Jan delivered a letter to her supervisor in which she stated that she accepted
the position, but that, since her partner did not wish to move to another department, she
could not accept this condition. Instead, she offered to sign an agreement stating that she
and her partner would continue to maintain separate residences and not socialize or act
preferentially toward each other while at work. If her supervisor was not agreeable to
this, Jan offered to resign. Finding these conditions unacceptable, Jan’s supervisor
withdrew the job offer and fired her.