Introduction In Europe, young sexual and gender minority (SGM) people continue to face discrimination in the labour sector despite advances in legislation towards their acceptance and equal treatment. Non-discrimination policy strategies helping SGM individuals are not equally enforced in all contexts, making it difcult for many SGM individuals to disclose their identity, hence undermining their health and well-being. Methods Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted between October 2020 and February 2021 with 55 SGM youth (18–27 years) having work experience from Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain and the UK. Results From the analysis, three overarching themes were signifcant: (1) societal discrimination played a major role in sociocultural factors and policy considerations, (2) workplace discrimination had distinct factors and impacts on SGM individuals and (3) SGM inclusion should use strategies to ensure workplace diversity and equality. Conclusions SGM individuals from contexts of poor acceptance tended to hide their identity in the workplace, while transgen der and non-binary individuals were prone to experience force-disclosure and discrimination in all aspects of employment. There is a lack of resolute reaction from policy makers in managing problems faced by SGM people in workplaces. New laws improving the status of SGM people need to be further adopted, staf training should be implemented, and managers are crucial in achieving an inclusive climate in the workplace. Policy Implications It is essential to implement policies on how to efectively handle problems faced by sexual and gender minority people in the workplace.