Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Closeted co-workers harm workplace performance

Knowing a co-worker's sexual orientation may improve workplace performance, according to researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles. In two experiments, Benjamin Everly, Margaret Shih, and Geoffrey Ho demonstrated that participants performed better on a math test and Wii shooting game when they worked with an openly gay partner rather than an ambiguously gay partner. This research, published online last month in the Journal for Experimental Social Psychology, suggests that policies such as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell” hurt rather than protect workplace performance. Everly and colleagues offer several possible explanations for this behavior, including that the ambiguity creates a mental distraction. Shih discussed the research with Southern California Public Radio on Sept. 20, the day Don't Ask, Don't Tell officially expired.