An ANZ bank survey which asks employees to identify their sexual orientation has a union official concerned over the uses such information will be put to.

The Daily Telegraph reports that Finance Sector Union spokesman, Rod Masson, is concerned the collected data would not be anonymous and secure.
“You’d hate to think if you ticked one of those boxes and then have your manager knocking on your door saying, ‘I didn’t know by the way that you were X or Y,’” Mr Masson said.

The survey, My Difference, asks staff to indicate if they are heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, transgender or ‘other’.

Katherine Rellos, ANZ Media Relations Manager, told MCV the survey is voluntary and totally anonymous.

“It’s the second survey we have run [as] part of our overall diversity agenda. We want to create a supportive workplace so we need to gather information,” she said.

ANZ’s 2005 survey showed that 87% of the bank’s employees identified as heterosexual, 3% homosexual, 1% bi-sexual and 1% other; with 9% of employees not responding. The survey also found that 71% of respondents agreed their work environment is accepting of people of any sexual orientation.

Slavka Scott, Communications Manager of Victoria’s Equal Opportunities and Human Rights Commission, says it is not against the law for employers to ask about an employee’s sexual orientation.

“The issue is how that information is used,” Ms Scott said.
 
The Equal Opportunities and Human Rights Commission can be contacted on (03) 9281 7100.

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