The Glass Closet: Why Coming Out Is Good Business

With impressive candor, former BP CEO Browne (Beyond Business) examines the steep price that LGBT employees pay if they stay closeted at work, and shows how being open benefits individuals and organizations. He begins with the story of his resignation from BP, and the impact of living life in the closet both personally and professionally. Though support for gay rights is becoming more popular, Brown shows that there's still a lack of awareness of the difficulties LGBT employees face. Not surprisingly, 41% of the LGBT employees in the U.S. remain closeted at work, and at the close of 2013, there was not one openly gay CEO in the Fortune 500. Browne shares touching stories from other brave business leaders who came out professionally, including Xerox's Mike Feldman, Beth Burke of Ernst & Young, and Antonio Simoes of HSBC. What distinguishes this important and ground-breaking book is the author's focus on the practical side of welcoming LGBT employees into an organization; he helpfully identifies seven actions that companies can take to be inclusive of LGBT rights, including setting direction from the top, creating LGBT resources groups, and encouraging straight allies. (June)