Identity management strategies in the workplace, social support-seeking behaviors and psychological well-being at work: a question of congruence between identities exposed by lesbian and gay employees in work and nonwork domains?

Since they might be the targets of institutional and interpersonal discrimination, lesbian and gay employees may use various identity management strategies in the workplace (counterfeiting, avoiding, integrating) in order to conceal or to disclose their sexual orientation. The vocational literature assumed concealment to have negative effects, and disclosure to have positive ones. However, empirical studies have shown mixed results concerning the links between identity management strategies adopted in the workplace and variables related to relationship building or to mental health at work. In order to highlight these mixed results, the current study explored whether identity management used in nonwork domains served as moderators in the relationships between identity management strategies used at work and two indicators of work socialization: (a) social support-seeking behaviors in the workplace and (b) psychological well-being at work. A Web-based internet survey conducted among 234 lesbian and gay employees revealed that the use of an integrating strategy at work only had a positive relationship with social support-seeking behaviors when integrating was also highly used in nonwork domains (indicating the congruence of the integrating strategy across life domains). They also indicated that counterfeiting in the workplace only had a negative relationship with psychological well-being at work when counterfeiting was poorly used in nonwork environments (indicating that counterfeiting is non-congruent in work and nonwork domains). These results are discussed in the light of earlier studies and suggest several paths of intervention for psychologists.