Sexual Orientation
Discrimination in the
Workplace
As managers, we feel it vital to protect our gay, lesbian, bi
sexual, and transgender workers with explicit anti discrimination
clauses within our organization’s code of conduct.
Melody Cranfill-Finance May 13
Lindsey Clay- Marketing May 13
Kristi Fissel- Finance May 12
“Exxon-Mobil’s Gay Problem”
• Exxon and Mobil merged in
1999; both had conflicting
company cultures and ethos
• Prohibits sexual orientation
discrimination but will not
put it in code of conduct, as it
is not written in federal law
• This article is from 2006, and each year
shareholders continue to vote for no explicit anti
discrimination clauses for sexual orientation
Wells Fargo
Employee Handbook
“We recruit, hire, and promote team
members based on their individual
ability and experience.. We do not
discriminate on the basis of… sexual
orientation, gender identity…”
“Wells Fargo prohibits harassment
based on… sexual orientation, gender
identity…”
• Specifies on what prohibited harassment
is and all the sorts of ways it can be
performed, beyond legal level
• Ethics principles in use: religious injunctions, government
requirements, individual rights, and contributing liberty.
• Wells Fargo also provides spousal benefits for same-sex couples.
Guiding behavior
• Managers need to educate, enforce, and
supervise employees on the discrimination
of sexual orientation and transgender
• It should be clear in the culture and ethos
of the company, more specifically the
office, that under no circumstances any
behavior violating discrimination policies
in the code of conduct will be tolerated
• Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender
employees should feel protected and that
they can talk about any issues with the
manager
Advantages of anti-discrimination
clauses to build reputational capital
• Does not exclude the shareholders and
employees who may be a part of the GLBT
community
• Study conducted which found that companies
who have instilled GLBT-friendly workplace
policies were at worst affected neutrally in
terms of shareholder wealth
• An explicit and descriptive antidiscrimination stance fosters a
more transparent organization
Disadvantages of anti-discrimination
clauses to build reputational capital
• Stake of reputational capital is relative to the
critical shareholders the company attracts
(ExxonMobil)
• Added potential for legal distractions when
clauses are put into code of conduct
• Due to its controversial nature, there may be
some level of public back-lash
Recommendations
• Managers should be trained to anticipate issues
involving sexual-orientation and gender identity
discrimination or harassment before they
escalate to a potential lawsuit
• In order to be in good standing with the
community, the company should be transparent
about stance on anti-discrimination of sexual
orientation and gender-identity and its
importance.
Citations
"Employment and Hiring." Wells Fargo Team Member Handbook. Wells Fargo, Jan. 2011. Web. 13 Feb.
2011.
<http://teamworks.wellsfargo.com/handbook/HB_Online.pdf>.
Gunther, Mark. "ExxonMobil's Gay Problem." Fortune 500. CNN Money, 11 May 2006. Web. 13 Feb.
2011.
<http://money.cnn.com/2006/05/09/news/companies/pluggedin_fortune/index.htm>.
"LGBT Equality at the Fortune 500." Resources & Publications. Human Rights Campaign, 1 Oct. 10.
Web. 13 Feb. 11.
<http://www.hrc.org/issues/fortune500.htm>.
Malina, Mary A (10/01/2008). "Managing Sexual Orientation Diversity". Group & organization
management (1059-6011), 33 (5), p. 602-603.
< http://gom.sagepub.com.www.lib.ncsu.edu:2048/content/33/5/602.full.pdf+html>.
"Wells Fargo & Co." Employer Database. Human Rights Campaign, Jan. 2011. Web. 13 Feb. 2011.
<http://www.hrc.org/issues/workplace/organization_profile.asp
organization_id=1142&search_id=1&search_type=Quick>.
http://stockinfo.co/sites/default/files/EXXON_MOBIL_logo.180105242.jpg
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