Queer at Work

This book uses narratives collected over a period of four years, detailing the stereotypes and stigmas attached to LGBTQ employees at the workplace in India, and it allows their voices to be heard. Further, it explores the strategies used by individuals from the LGBTQ community to pass on or reveal information related to their non-normative sexual orientation and gender identity at their workplace, and the way these strategies differ for individuals who are formally or informally 'out' as compared to those who are still in the closet or have come out to only a few people at their organization.

The book emphasizes the need to study the flow of information and stigma management strategies in the context of current technological advancements, and discusses the extent to which organizations succeed in providing 'safe spaces' for employees from the LGBTQ community in India. Also addressing the impact of the Supreme Court verdict on Section 377 of the IPC and the NALSA verdict on LGBTQ individuals at the workplace, the book not only provides tools to help organizations assess their workplace climate with regard to LGBTQ inclusion and diversity, but also outlines the criteria that would lead to queer-friendly and gender-neutral work environments.

Dr Sasmita Palo is a professor at the School of Management and Labour Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, India. She has published over 30 academic papers in various national and international journals, and has co-authored a book Human Dimensions for Total Quality Management (2005). She has headed various research projects with LIC, Orissa Government, CII, and Goa Shipyard Limited, to name but a few.

Kumar Kunal Jha is an assistant professor with the School of Management and Labour Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, India. His research focuses on the LGBTIQA community at the workplace in India. He is a Dalia Lama Fellow and a recipient of Aon Hewitt Think Tank Research Fellowship. As a member of Future Leaders Connect programme he was invited to discuss today’s biggest global challenges in the UK Houses of Parliament and the Moller Institute, Churchill College, University of Cambridge.