Predictors of workplace sexual identity management behaviors: A test of the social cognitive career self-management model

We extended the social cognitive model of career self-management (CSM; Lent & Brown, 2013) to the context of workplace sexual identity management. Three-hundred twenty sexual minority workers completed online measures of their self-efficacy and outcome expectations regarding use of identity-disclosing behaviors at work; workplace climate for sexual minority persons; perceived identifiability as a sexual minority group member; enactment of identity disclosing, avoiding, and disguising behaviors; and affective commitment to their work organizations. Prior to model testing, we examined the factor structure of the self-efficacy, outcome expectation, and workplace climate measures, performing a secondary analysis of data from two previous studies. These analyses indicated substantial overlap between the original measures of outcome expectations (especially negative outcome expectations) and workplace climate. We used these findings to create briefer, more distinctive measures of each construct. A test of the CSM model indicated good fit to the data in predicting use of sexual identity management behaviors and affective commitment. We consider the implications of the findings for refinement of social cognitive measures with respect to sexual identity management as well as for further efforts to understand the precursors and consequences of workplace sexual identity management. •Applies the social cognitive model of career self-management to the study of sexual identity management behavior•Examines the predictors of sexual identity management strategies used by sexual minority workers•Examines outcomes associated with use of sexual identity management strategies