The Benefits of an Open Work Environment

For much of her career at General Motors (GM), Leslie A. Hohman remained guarded about her personal life, but it had nothing to do with shyness. Hohman rose through the ranks of GM for 30 years, from a technician to her current position as engineering group manager. Hohman, a lesbian, was active in the GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender) community outside of work, but not until 1999 did she come out at work. "There was no Ellen DeGeneres, no 'Will and Grace,'" Hohman recalls. "Here is what anybody who is gay will tell you ... a lot of your time is taken up hiding." . . . (To continue reading articles or access digital editions of DiversityInc magazine, please login below.)