Inclusion matters to all of us. Whatever our background and wherever we are, whether at home or work, we all want to feel safe and valued. It matters to our businesses too, which need to build and sustain workplaces that attract top talent from across society and that fully understand the needs of the market they serve.

Unfortunately, it is proving difficult to isolate our energy workplaces from the effects of the unrestrained rhetoric we now routinely see and hear in some parts of the press, social media and politics on issues affecting the LGBTQIA+ community and diversity more broadly.  

With hard-won social and legal rights and protections under fresh assault and a new permissiveness in parts of society, Pride in Energy’s annual survey is more important than ever, as a window on the experiences and sentiment of LGBTQIA+ people and their allies working in the energy sector.  

A year ago, three-quarters of our respondents were concerned that this so-called culture war risks setting back progress made on inclusion in our workplaces. Our new 2026 survey, published this week, shines a further light on the very real impacts this is having, and it’s a picture that is in part comforting but also unsettling.  

Although little has changed for the majority of respondents, significant proportions report changes – either positive or negative – in how they are treated and how they behave in their workplace. On one hand, 16% of respondents say their employer is confronting culture war issues head-on, doubling down on commitments to LGBTQIA+ employees, for instance providing executive-level sponsorship to staff groups and introducing new initiatives and resources on inclusion and allyship.

Meanwhile other organisations are quietly stepping back – so-called ‘pinkhushing’ – in response to the climate in our society and politics. Some 15% of survey respondents say their employer has backtracked on support for inclusion over the past year, citing reduced funding and support for staff groups, downsized equity, diversity and inclusion teams, distancing their leaders from previous inclusive messaging and scaling back participation in Pride activities.  

This contrast is echoed in LGBTQIA+ individuals’ own behaviour. More than a fifth report being more determined to be their true selves at work, and many allies have also become more vocal in their support too. But at the other extreme, almost a quarter say they are now more careful about being out and open in the workplace, essentially retreating towards the closet. This sentiment is particularly pronounced among respondents under 30 years old, signalling a risk to the future talent pipeline.  

‘I am no longer able to be proud of who I am.’ … ‘The rise of the far right makes me more scared to be myself, especially at work.’ … ‘The LGBTQIA+ community is under attack and some people feel they can be more openly hostile.’ … ‘Given the political climate and my co-workers’ political views (which they’re more open about), I’m more wary of outing myself.’ … ‘I now expect and have experienced more social exclusion and revulsion when discussing my personal life.’ … ‘I am more conscious of how my sexual orientation will be perceived and try and suss people out more than previously before gendering my partner.’ … ‘I am more reticent to come out at work and reconsidering my plan to do so in the next year.’ – Survey responses 
 

Other data points from the survey offer further context. Almost half of respondents have experienced or witnessed discrimination at work during the last five years – including 22% in the last year alone – matching the previous high of 2024. Perceptions of inclusion are at a new low, with only 55% of respondents rating their employer as very inclusive, and barely one in five with the same positive view of the sector as a whole. One in five respondents work in organisations where there are no role models or allies at all in management or senior positions, and the proportion of LGBTQIA+ respondents to this year’s survey who are out to everyone at work is just 58%, down 10 points on last year.

A wake-up call

This year’s survey findings are a wake-up call, and I hope National Inclusion Week is a prompt for companies across the sector to consider how they approach the challenges posed by the culture war and in particular our survey respondents’ top-ranked solution.  

Consistent with previous years is the call for greater visibility and advocacy by senior leadership in organisations. Not just occasional ‘pinkwashing’, during Pride Month for instance, but sustained positive, inclusive words and actions that are the foundation for an inclusive workplace.

Want to read more about the survey? Visit https://prideinenergy.uk  

Affected by these issues? Email [email protected]  

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Energy Institute.
The Energy Institute is a supporting organisation of Pride in Energy.

• Further reading:‘Energy leaders must redraw lines in the sand on LGBTQIA+ inclusion’. Charged social and political rhetoric is compounding the sector’s poor perception among LGBTQIA+ people and allies, according to the 2025 Pride in Energy survey.
• ‘Our sector needs diversity, not discrimination’. Members of the LGBTQIA+ community know that just for being lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or queer that they’re more likely to experience discrimination at work including derogatory marks, bullying and being outed without consent, writes Louise Bailey, OVO Belonging Lead and a board member of Pride in Energy.