For employees facing identity-based stigma, bringing one’s whole self to work may expose oneself to experienced prejudice; accordingly, the present dissertation examined theoretical models unpacking the notion that those seeking to conceal a stigmatized identity at work may subsequently separate their work and life spheres, regardless of their ideal boundaries between their work and home lives. Across two multi-wave studies, the current work demonstrates a novel relationship between stigmatized identity management and enacted boundary management for lesbian, gay and bisexual workers (Study 1), supporting the prediction that those engaged in distancing identity management strategies are more likely to segment their work and home lives. Study 2 provided limited support of differential boundary management congruence when comparing heterosexual and sexual minority employees, though the importance of boundary management congruence in predicting a number of work-relevant attitudes was underscored, and disparities in work-relevant attitudes across heterosexual and sexual minority employees emerged. Theoretical implications for work-life and diversity literatures, as well as practical learnings for organizations are discussed.
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